Ok...

Why not just select the folder you wish to save to using the Save As function that pulls up a drop-down menu? The Mac version remembers that folder as the new Default. Does Windows not do this?

MakeMusic would have to add a conversion layer to export VST or AU instruments as mp3 files (not an issue with General MIDI according to the documentation). Although my DAWs have this functionality, I never use it — ever. In all cases, it's too slow as the app must generate the .wav or .aif first before converting to mp3. With small files, the extra time is not noticed but, with large files, this can take longer than real time playback. Exporting as .wav first, then using a 3rd party converter is always much faster for me. There is plenty of freeware and cheapware that does this already.

Hi Mike!

What I really want is to save my audio exports (almost always) to the folder containing the Finale file.  Default on Windows seems to be to export to whatever folder was last exported to, no matter how long ago.  I almost always have to go "find" the folder I'm working in.  Each session seems to default to saving to the Desktop (I just tried it.)  Once I choose a folder and export there, it will continue to export there until the end of the session, then revert to Desktop.   

My organization scheme is a folder for each client, and then a subfolder for each title.  Within each subfolder, I'm keeping the Finale file, backups, any PDFs I've made of the music, and any audio renderings.  I'm just a little puzzled that Finale can't figure out how to start the "Export to" location selector process at the folder that contains the open document.

I understand you, now. I don't think there's a feature request here—Finale can already do this, at least on the Mac. Let me show you how.

It's a 2-step process the first time you do it for a new project (I'm using an old guitar ensemble chart in this example).

First, use Save as instead of Save. This brings up a drop-down menu that lets me specify the location and lets me create a New Folder for the project at the same time. I can name it whatever I want but chose not to. Finale will now know that Save applies to this file as you work on it.

Now, when I Export Audio, Finale knows to put it into this same new folder that I just created.

It's been over a decade since I fired up a Win machine but I remember that Windows works this way, too. Am I missing something?

Hi Mike,

First thing, thank you for the effort you put into typing up these instructions.

I tried your method.  It did indeed export the audio into the new folder (let's call it "Test") I created during Save As.  Then, I closed the program completely and opened a different Finale file.  When I told it to export audio on that file, it defaulted to the "Test" folder.  I navigated to the Desktop instead, and saved it there.   I closed the program again, re-opened Finale with the Test document, and told it to export audio once more.  It defaulted to the Desktop.  So, always to the last-exported location.

What I can conclude from this is that Finale does not link a save location for exported audio to a document, when using Windows.  So, I'm not sure whether it qualifies as a feature request, a bug fix, or a "that's how it works, just adapt" but I suspect it's not going to be a problem that really demands attention compared to some other issues in the program.  I'll just get by!  

I would send this to Support using the Send a request link at the top of this page and reference this thread. I created a couple of new test projects on my Mac and they behaved for me.

I have not owned a Windows machine since Win 7 and just don't remember it very well — and I used to do Windows support.