“I’ve seen similar issues with audio and performance on newer macOS builds — sometimes switching to lower buffer sizes or updating audio drivers can help stabilize playback in Finale 27. Also, make sure any third-party plugins are fully compatible with macOS 12. <a href="https://ropeheroviceapk.com/"> Learn more </a> from others who’ve found workarounds that improve stability without waiting for official patches.”

That is not the issue with Tahoe. Apple made some fundamental changes in macOS 26 and the Finale code is incompatible.

That said, there are possible 3rd party solutions in the works that involve writing translators between Finale and Tahoe. I wish I could say more... Anyway, that's what I'm waiting on.

Your link doesn't work but it doesn't matter. Apple's instructions are good.

You can create as many APFS Volumes on a USB 4 external as you need for each macOS from Mojave to Tahoe (actually High Sierra but 27 requires Mojave). It's easy and takes a few seconds per Volume, not counting installing a different macOS on each one (average 22 minutes). For example, one of my 2012s runs Mojave; the other Catalina, my wife's 2013 runs Big Sur, Catalina & Tahoe — so that's five Volumes.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/disk-utility/dskua9e6a110/mac 

How you select the boot Volume depends on whether you are on an Intel or ARM Mac.

note that it's all or none in terms of allowing the system to boot from external drives

That does not apply to Intel Macs made before the T1 chip. All Intel Macs with a T1 or T2 chip and all ARM Macs require the Security modifications made in the Repair/Recovery partition before it will allow booting from an external drive.  Again, Apple Support docs tell us how.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/102518 

I am still waiting on (oops, there's an NDA) before I post exactly how to make an external drive that will boot any Mac made between 2012 and 2026 and run Finale 27 from it. It requires a USB 4 external and cable adapters for 2012–2016 Macs that do not have TB3/4/5 ports. I made that drive a couple years ago and just added a Tahoe volume. Works great but I am not allowed to discuss Finale over Tahoe.

The latest (fourth) beta of macOS 26.4 came out today and I’m running it. Doubtful the os is going to change much from here and you’ve been threatening to post your instructions for almost a year now. Not sure what you’re waiting for. Oh, and I’m not sure how prevalent Macs prior to 2017 are at this point. That’s a long time in computer years. But best of luck to you. Other than smart shapes not working correctly and some minor UX inconveniences, it does work under Tahoe. But i think trying to keep a notation app running with no support or development after nearly two years since it was declared unsupported is questionable. Just my $0.2. My biggest regret was not leaving Finale behind sooner once it was clear around 2023-2024 that bugs weren’t being addressed and the updates were lame.

Installing a developer beta like Tahoe on an external SSD is a smart way to test software without risking your main system, especially when working with tools like Finale 27 and NotePerformer. However, as you noticed, early beta builds often come with UI inconsistencies and unstable menu behaviors, such as missing options or delayed command responses. These issues are common during development stages, and they usually improve with later updates as bugs get patched and system compatibility stabilizes. It’s a good idea to keep testing future releases before relying on it for production work.

For related resources and downloads, you can also check that website.

Yes, testing on an APFS Volume is what I and others have been doing.

Make Music took some programming shortcuts when porting Finale to 64 bit. This will never get fixed. In fact, these caused Finale to not work properly with the Catalina beta and was the reason that MM announced no support for Catalina at all. Apple backtracked by the release version and 27.4 worked except for occasional issues with Lyrics and NotePerformer—restarting Finale fixes this BTW.

With Tahoe, Apple made a number of decisions including ending FireWire support and holding to certain parts of the Apple Toolkit that MM ignored. This has caused a few problems including Playback controls not functioning properly. SmartShapes is not affected and works exactly as documented. Those of us who understand what happened and work with Apple know that Apple is sticking to their guns on this.

David’s issue with Smart Shapes is one of his own making. I don’t care what he says or whom he blames but those of us who did a clean install and/or followed Apple’s upgrade instructions do not have this problem over Catalina or Tahoe. His constant trolling of me over his inability to follow instructions is mildly annoying but no more. I post here to help others.

I certainly stated on many occasions that the reason I have not posted the solution I worked out in 2024 is that I am waiting on seeing if 3rd party solutions for Finale over Tahoe work well enough to be released. NDAs prevent me from posting what I’m talking about online but I’ll send anyone in the right direction who contacts me privately. Anyway, if I feel the effort is going nowhere, I’ll post but, until then, I’ll wait.

To be absolutely clear: I do not have a problem with David. David does not have a problem with me. David has a problem with David.

David’s issue with Smart Shapes is one of his own making. I don’t care what he says or whom he blames but those of us who did a clean install and/or followed Apple’s upgrade instructions do not have this problem over Catalina or Tahoe. His constant trolling of me over his inability to follow instructions is mildly annoying but no more. I post here to help others.

WTF? I stated multiple times, very clearly, that I totally uninstalled Finale and reinstalled it from a newly-downloaded Finale installer. Twice now. No difference in the Smart Shape issue. You can choose to ignore what I've accurately stated here and pretend it has to do with some imaginary installation from a clone that you're inventing out of whole cloth, but that is as fictitious and ridiculous as anything coming out of the white house these days. If I actually needed to use Finale other than for occasional minor tweaks to old scores, I'd be screwed since as mentioned, Smart Shapes no longer work for me. Blame me all you want, but you're blaming the victim, and I'm just hoping your day job isn't tech support since you really don't understand how to "help others." Also, clearly I am occupying a space in your head since you keep invoking my name. Maybe the issue is with you???

To be absolutely clear: I do not have a problem with David. David does not have a problem with me. David has a problem with David.

I don't have any issue with me. But I do take issue with your constantly slandering me in this forum. If I felt this forum were heavily trafficked, which it likely isn't given Finale's longstanding demise, I'd be more concerned about it. Please keep my name out of your future posts. If this were a real forum, I'd ask to have you banned, but since no one seems to be running this forum, hopefully it will go down in the coming months given that Finale died nearly two years ago.