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MIKE HALLORAN Edited
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NotePerformer 5 dropped today including VST3 support.

https://www.scoringnotes.com/news/noteperformer-5/ 

 

Does this mean that there's a way to host VST3 libraries in Finale 27? Enquiring minds want to know.

 

Architecture overhaul

NPPE 5 may initially look very similar to NPPE 4, but it introduces a new architecture for Playback Engines, where users can create or edit Playback Engines, integrating virtually any third-party VST3 sample library into NotePerformer’s framework.

Another key difference is that NPPE 5 engines introduce “preloading” technologies, enhancing VST3 integration. Unlike traditional VST3 plugin hosting, NPPE5 now preloads a subset of samples from the VST3 instrument, converting them into a NotePerformer-powered instrument that’s a hybrid of NotePerformer and the underlying VST3 instrument. According to Wallander, this results in:

  • Improved performance: NPPE 5 instruments load quickly and use little RAM and CPU. Samples are hosted in RAM with modern audio compression technologies, eliminating disk streaming.
  • Greater stability: Since real-time playback is now under the NotePerformer umbrella, Wallander owns most bugs and problems and have the means to fix them. VST3 developers no longer need to optimize their software specifically for NPPE compatibility.
  • Better playback consistency: By having samples preloaded and analyzed in advance, NPPE gains a complete overview of the available sounds, including their tuning, duration, and volume. This allows NPPE to make informed musical decisions, selecting the most suitable samples for a passage before playback begins and adjusting their tuning, timing, and execution.
  • Stronger integration: Although the NPPE 5 Playback Engine is generated from the VST3 instrument, it’s comparable to a NotePerformer-specific sample library; an optimized version created specifically for notation playback

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MIKE HALLORAN Posted
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I forgot to mention that the update is no charge to current license holders of NP3/4. How cool is that?

 

Finale still does a complete re-scan and verification of all plug-ins with NotePerformer 5. If you have seven hundred+ plugs as I do, this can take a lot of time and Finale can crash multiple times; sometimes the Mac will, also. I recommend rebooting your Mac when Finale crashes. It is important that you do not uninstall Finale or NotePerformer or the process begins all over again. 

 

Arne Wallander was most helpful helping me diagnose this after Finale 26 and NP3 were released—or did I help him? Either way, we both reported the issue complete with all system logs and crash reports to MakeMusic. This was not addressed in 27 and never will be.

 

My older 2017 iMac Pro would crash 26 or 27 four or five times after a NP install or update. On my M2 Studio Ultra w/ 192GB RAM took 15 minutes and I rebooted only once. Once everything has re-verified and Finale is up and running, you are good and won't experience this again–till the next NP update.

 

After I upgraded, I opened a recent project that used NP5. The NP5 screen appeared and playback was perfect. It will be awhile before I test further.

 

Another user has reported that, after the upgrade, 27 would not open any files. Like I, he is running Sequoia. I recommended he download and reinstall Finale 27 and that worked.

 

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