The end of Finale. Nothing is infinite. So no software either. Finale is giving a nice discount on the switch to Dorico and is considering giving the switchers the latest version of Finale as well, free of charge.

That's great, but only for the switchers. I think it's important that people can choose for themselves. When I started with Finale (a long time ago) I was also able to choose freely. My choice then fell on Finale. Right now, I want to be able to choose freely again. But since I don't have the latest version of Finale, I miss the batch conversion option. And I can only get this if I choose Dorico.

It would be a nice gesture from Makemusic to create a separate (so not an option within Finale) conversion program with which all Finale files can be converted to music xml in batch. As a result, every (former) Final user can choose freely again.

The problems arise when you have anything unusual on the very first measure - especially large time signatures, tough one of my first attempts failed over a staff style instead. If you have have something that will trip over that first measure misfire, you have to first revert your time signatures to default and perhaps remove staff styles on measure one. My larger scores all have large time signatures, so there will be no batch xml for those two dozen arrangements.

Finale 25/26/27 can do this., 25/26 to MusicXML up to 3.1; 27 to xml v.4.0.

Not if you have large time signatures. You will wind up with signposts everywhere, and an ordinary time signature on the measure the large time signature was in with flags (signposts) on all the others. I know. I've tried.

Yes, I can suppress those signposts, but they are there for a reason so I might otherwise miss something important. For a clean score, you need to remove the staff style though that may be unique to me because Finale is not honoring my staff attributes to not show time signature in score on certain staves - i need a staff style to get the result I want. (note from my signature: I have Finale 27.)

Otherwise though, the score I'm working on in Dorico is looking pretty good - I figure in few days or hours, I'll have a working house style.

Turns out that Finale has a built in ability to mass-convert all of your Finale files to MusicXML.

Not if you have large time signatures. You will wind up with signposts everywhere, ...

Yes, works poorly at best!

A couple of recent posts from Michael Good, inventor of MusicXML, over on one the Dorico threads:

MusicXML files actually contain more engraving details than Finale files. A lot of how Finale displays music is determined by the program, not saved in the file. MusicXML files save all this information that Finale files don’t contain.

So not only would building a Finale converter be a huge amount of work, it would be a complete waste of time. It would make conversions worse, not better.

Remember to check your Dorico preferences if you want to preserve Finale formatting information that Dorico will generally discard by default.

In another, he points out that Finale has features that do not exist in Dorico or any other app. That, too, will make a difference.

Finale 25/26 can batch-export MusicXML 3.1. Those complaining about the upgrade should try it — might not need 4.0. Besides the video above, here is the most recent support doc from MM.

[Exporting MusicXML Files from Finale](https://makemusic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/25868952458519-Exporting-MusicXML-Files-from-Finale)

This also tells how to use the Dolet 7 plug-in to convert files made in Finale 2011–2014.5 and has a download link. 

Earlier versions of the Dolet plug-in for Finale back to 2000 or earlier do exist but I cannot find download links.

By unchecking all the import defaults in Dorico, things improve considerably. But you still can't have large time signatures (or hidden ones) on the first measure of your xml export as Dorico has a completely different regime for time signature management. Now I am getting vey clean imports requiring minimal work. 

The batch process for XML in Final eleaves a lot to be desired and results in Dorico is randomly successful. Make sure you silence error message in Finale. If you have a large amount of MUSX files be prepared for it to take a very long time.

Although I bought the Dorico crossgrade offer I am going to shelve Dorico. It is just way too convoluted menus and the note entry is agonizingly slow and tedious unless you use a midi controller keyboard. One this I like to have is a full page graphic and Dorico doesn't allow that.

Score from year 2020.

I suspect I will keep Finale going until one of or both of us die.

I don't trust the batch process, either, you're totally right about that. Ernest, you have a decent-sized body of perfectly formatted work and you should absolutely not be porting anything over that's finished. There are some methods mentioned here that will keep your Finale running, perhaps longer than you or I might be running. : ) So your works in progress, too, might be happy staying right where they are. (The vast body of my own work also will not be moving, either.)

I notice you have some pieces up on SM Plus and MuseHub. Are you meeting with any success there? Your work in print (or made so others can print it) is the ultimate destination - getting your music into the hands of your public is the most important thing by far. 

David I do have a slight amount of moderate success on Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct. I can buy a Happy Meal once a while. Most of it is played by local groups here. I totally agree doen work should be saved as Finale MUSX with an XML made but just for emergency situations and a good PDF and even paper print out.

I am good friends with the music professors at Baker University and KU along with the local high school. We have two good civic bands, too. I have been in contact with Randall Standridge so we'll see where that goes. I don't think John Williams has too much to worry about though!

How about your situation?

EB

My work is seasonal, but I make enough money at Easter and All Saints selling exclusively off my website to invest in better software (or Dorico, right?), modest hardware improvements, and sample libraries. My officially published work generates enough royalties for my wife and I to split a happy meal. I was contemplating whether SM Direct or SM Plus might work better.

David the only real problem with either of the self publish sites is you are competing with millions of other self publishers. The problem with the big publishing houses like Hal Leonard or Randal Stanbridge (which I am in contact with) is you lose all rights to your music and get a smaller royalty.

To help out with the millions of other composers I have my own Facebook page that directs interested parties to SMP and/or SM Direct. Your share of the sale is much bigger.

I bought Dorico crossgrade I got a piece done. I don't like it. It is super complex and a convoluted program. Note entry is agonizingly slow and tedious just like Simple Entry in Finale. I need to keep Finale viable as long as I can.

EB

Note entry is agonizing - and they are hearing from Finalists about this. You can almost duplicate it in Dorico it by changing how note entry is done in preferences, but you wind up toggling back and forth. A MIDI controller is better but frankly Dorico, I know where I want stems down and stems up tracks - and in a divisi I want the ability to to assign them to different samples or midi tracks, too. Almost all the tools we use in Finalle are there, but they are located in places you might not expect or wouldn't think to look. At the end of the day, though, producing parts is a dream - and they state in one of their documents that this is something they set out to get right - and they did. I undertook this exercise because a trio of my pieces would be categorized as orchestral sketchwork - a potential customer way want a different deployment of winds particularly and I might need to turn around parts quickly. Only a few of my pieces will be Doricized. The rest will remain Finalized.

I totally agree with you about the parts creation n Dorico. However some things in Dorico just can't be changed to what I want like jarge time sigs. I want this and this is not possible in Dorico.

Dorico puts tiny time sigs on the percussion, piano and guitar staffs because they are not a group and you can't change it. I want full page graphics and that is not possible in Dorico either. Plus they told me that will probably never happen.

EB

The large time signature issue is real - assigned to all bracket groups. They know this is a flaw and said they are revising it, centered or align top. Here's one of my Dorico spreads

Well I guess, and I knew that but it looks ridiculous.

EB