Finale PrintMusic Changelog

What's new in Finale PrintMusic 25.4.1

Sep 10, 2017
  • Get more done in less time:
  • Finale has always been recognized as the music notation software that can create anything. The new Finale simplifies the creation process in multiple ways.
  • While previous versions of Finale could create tall time signatures, like those seen at left, it admittedly took a few steps. Today it’s easy.
  • When entering notes into transposing staves, the new Finale plays the correctly transposed pitch both upon entry and playback.
  • An all new Aria Player greatly simplifies and expedites the selection of instruments from the ever-growing library of stellar Garritan sounds.
  • We’ve also made new looks possible (including contoured dashed slurs) and eliminated dozens of bugs.
  • Connect with ReWire support:
  • The new Finale includes ReWire support making it possible to use Finale simultaneously with top digital audio software including Digital Performer, ProTools and Logic.
  • Imagine you’ve created a pop tune in Logic and want to add a live horn section. With ReWire you can create the charts in Finale, press play in Logic, and hear both programs playback simultaneously – and remain in sync. You’ll hear how your horn parts work against the existing audio tracks – before the performers come into the studio to play them.
  • ReWire will also benefit anyone writing for film as it also allows you to synchronize with the video support found in programs like Digital Performer, ProTools and Logic.
  • Connecting with other programs is one more way Finale helps you create your way.
  • Finale is now a full 64-bit application:
  • This means that you can take best advantage of the processing powers of modern computers.
  • It also ensures that Finale can maintain compatibility with future operating systems and makes it easier for Finale developers to improve your user experience more quickly.
  • Finale users utilizing high-end sound libraries know that many of these are 64-bit only. The new Finale will allow them to use these libraries directly in Finale, without any intervening 3rd party software AND allow them to load more samples into memory than ever before.
  • While a major undertaking, this 64-bit compatibility is just part of the forward-looking enhancements found in the new Finale. We’ve also overhauled Human Playback (today it responds instantly when you press playback) and expanded Finale’s MusicXML import and export so you can share music (back and forth) with users of other software more accurately than ever before. And of course you can share files with Finale 2014 without any conversion at all!
  • New Garritan Sounds:
  • Great playback sounds inspire not only our listeners, the inspire the creative process. When you hit play and the results exceed your expectations, you push harder, too.
  • The library of premium Garritan sounds included with Finale has been significantly augmented with more than 100 new additions, including a stunning Concert D grand piano from the award-winning Personal Orchestra 5, dozens of exotic world instruments, plus new keyboards, brass, woodwinds, choirs, strings, mixtures, percussion, and more.
  • We put the work in, under the hood, so you can create your way.

New in Finale PrintMusic 2014 v820 (May 2, 2014)

  • New file format. Designed to improve compatibility, the new format for documents created in PrintMusic helps you share your music more easily. Older documents are automatically converted when you open them, and you will be prompted to save the file in the new format. You can also export your document to the older format for use in Finale 2012 products (use MusicXML for earlier versions such as PrintMusic 2011). See File/Export/2012 Finale Notation File.
  • Improved instrument handling with Score Manager. PrintMusic includes a new instrument paradigm that establishes a relationship between all attributes of score instruments, including staff attributes and sound assignments. As you add, remove, reorder, or change instruments, PrintMusic updates group brackets for instrument families automatically. Administer complete control over score instruments in one convenient, modeless window. Score Manager takes care of the details – controlling how your staves look and sound – so you don’t have to. Easily change a flute staff to a clarinet staff. The Score Manager knows how a clarinet staff transposes, looks, and sounds, so it makes all the necessary arrangements. See Score Manager.
  • Easy playback sound assignment. In addition to selecting sounds in the Score Manager, you can allow PrintMusic to automatically assign sounds to your score instruments according to a priority list that you specify. See Sound Map Priority dialog box.
  • Easy hidden staves. PrintMusic makes it easy to hide staves in your whole score or selected regions. For staves without music, simply choose Staff > Hide Empty Staves. Additionally, staves are now hidden using a "collapse" method in which other staves are automatically repositioned vertically. See Hiding staves.
  • Beat-attached Smart Shapes. Smart Shapes that previously attached to measures now attach to beats (in the same manner as expressions) with lines showing the attachment point. Beat attachment allows a Smart Shape start or end point to attach to a particular note, beat, or right barline. Affected Smart Shapes include hairpins, trills and trill extensions, 8va/8vb (ottava/ottava bassa), horizontal brackets, and lines. These Smart Shapes in older documents converted to the 2014 format retain their original locations and are automatically attached to the nearest beat. See Smart Shape tool.
  • Mid-measure clef changes. You can now change clefs in a staff in the middle of a measure. See To insert a mid-measure clef change.
  • Hidden key signatures with accidentals. You can now easily hide key signatures and continue to automatically display accidentals per staff using the Hide key signature/Show accidentals option. See Score Manager.
  • Smart multi-layer accidental and rest handling. Rests of the same duration and accidentals on unison notes in multiple layers now are displayed only once. Accidentals in one layer are also carried through the measure for all other layers (these can optionally be displayed in Staff Attributes). See Entering multiple voices using layers.
  • Accessible text inserts. You no longer need to venture into a dialog box to edit text inserts (such as the title, composer, or arranger). You can now edit them directly in the score like a regular text box. When you do so, the text insert's definition is updated respectively. Undefined text inserts do not print. See Text Inserts.
  • New Finale Lyrics Font. This font improves lyric spacing, and is the new default for scores created with the Document Setup Wizard. See Lyrics.
  • Range checking. PrintMusic now alerts you when notes are outside of an instrument's range. See Ranges.
  • Automatic transposition while copying. Music is now pasted into the most appropriate octave when copied between instruments of different registers. Also, music is transposed into the most appropriate register when changing instruments with the Score Manager. See Copying music.
  • Auto-numbered instruments. Instruments in categorical sections (Flute 1, Flute 2, etc.) are now numbered automatically when creating new files. This feature can also be switched off. See Score Manager.
  • Graphics tool improvements. Multiple changes to the Graphics tool make it more versatile. The selection rectangle is now movable and resizable and snaps to grids/guides, dragging can be constrained to scale by holding SHIFT, and PDFs can be imported as graphics. See Graphics.
  • Auto-detect MIDI Devices. PrintMusic now identifies external MIDI devices as soon as you plug them in. No setup required! See MIDI Setup dialog box.
  • Unicode Support. PrintMusic now recognizes and displays Unicode font characters. See Fonts and Text.
  • Improvements to opening files. All readable file types are displayed in the Open dialog box. Additionally, MusicXML files can now be dragged-and-dropped onto the Finale application. See Open dialog box.
  • Worksheets, repertoire, and manuscript paper. Ten titles of Classroom Repertoire are provided, including Bach Inventions, traditional and holiday titles, and more. Two Music Manuscript documents are included as well. Print either the grand staff or generic example to have music manuscript handy for note taking or inspiration even when you’re away from the computer. See File/Open Worksheets & Repertoire.
  • MusicXML 3.0. PrintMusic supports the latest MusicXML technology, including instrument knowledge and Unicode. See File/Import and File/Export.
  • Improved Scanning/SmartScore Lite Enhancements. PrintMusic includes SmartScore Lite version X2, offering improved notation recognition. See Scanning.
  • PDF Export. Save your document, or a selected portion of it, as a PDF directly from PrintMusic. See Adobe PDF documents.
  • Auto-recovery. Unsaved data is now recovered after a hang or system failure. See Recovered Documents dialog box.
  • New method for PrintMusic updates. At launch, PrintMusic automatically checks for updates. Instead of requiring you to download and install the updates manually from the Finale website, PrintMusic now downloads and installs the updates automatically. See Software Update dialog box.

New in Finale PrintMusic 2010 (Sep 11, 2009)

  • Percussion Notation
  • We've simplified the process of getting notes on percussion staves to look – and playback – exactly the way you want them to.
  • Automatic Rehearsal Marks
  • PrintMusic automatically sequences your rehearsal marks correctly and dynamically updates them when you change your score.
  • Broadway Copyist
  • Inspired by the golden era of handwritten Broadway scores, the Broadway Copyist hand-written font offers a lighter, classic appearance.
  • Improved Chord Input
  • Change or delete notes without changing your chords. Attach chords to measures – whether or not they contain notes or rests – and have the chords appear and playback correctly.
  • Improved Scanning
  • New Smartscore Lite scanning interface enables you to specify the instrumentation so that your staves will automatically be properly transposed and configured for playback.
  • Graphics updates, VST/AU Support, and more
  • Import and export .JPEGs, support for third-party VST/AU Instruments and Effects, drag-apply expressions to multiple staves, and improved documentation.

New in Finale PrintMusic 2009 (Mar 19, 2009)

  • Streamlined Workflow:
  • The creation, entry, moving, and editing of dynamics, tempo indications, and other text and markings has been reinvented and streamlined.
  • Drag and Drop Expressions:
  • Simply drag dynamics, tempo markings and other expressions anywhere in your score.
  • Intuitive Metronome Markings:
  • Easier to create and dynamically linked to playback so changes to the metronome marking affect your score’s playback tempo
  • Scanning Improvements:
  • Triplet recognition and improved results when scanning polyphonic music.
  • Updates to MusicXML:
  • Import and export MusicXML 2.0 files including embedded graphics and compressed files.
  • Improved Engraver Slurs:
  • Slurs now appear consistent in all view percentages and in print-outs.

New in Finale PrintMusic 2007 (Mar 19, 2009)

  • Improved Playback Controls:
  • PrintMusic’s Playback Controls have been enhanced with a repeat pass indicator.
  • Human Playback Improvements:
  • PrintMusic interprets and performs your music better than ever with updated Human Playback.
  • Create Coda Systems:
  • Easily create a separate coda system, along with repeat text using PrintMusic’s new Create Coda System utility under the Mass Edit Menu.
  • Score System Divider:
  • Add system separation marks to your scores automatically with the Score System Divider utility under the Mass Edit menu.
  • Roman Chord Style:
  • You can now display chord symbols as Roman Numerals for harmonic analysis.
  • New chord suffixes for notating harmonic analysis:
  • Choose from a variety of common inversions for use with PrintMusic's Roman Chord Style.
  • Improved Pickup Measures:
  • With enhanced support for tuplets and extracted parts, working with pickup measures is easier than ever.
  • Portable Authorization:
  • Your PrintMusic authorization can now be transferred easily from one computer to another using new Authorize and Deauthorise options under the Help Menu.
  • New QuickStart Videos:
  • PrintMusic's QuickStart Videos have been updated with a new look and additional content to get you up and running even faster.