Anyone Using Finale With A Mac? Options

[blueroom]

I recently purchased a Roland Fantom X6. I use a Mac G5 and have installed Finale 2005. I can't seem to get Finale to send patch changes to the Fantom. When I do the Tutorial in the Finale tutotial book (chapter 6 - more midi topics) the result I get is not correct - the patch assignments are not recognized by the X6 - it plays all the parts with the one sound - whichever sound the X6 has selected on its screen - not affected by the data I have entered in Finale. However, I can enter notes in Finale using the X6 as a midi source so I know the computer and the X6 are sending and receiving the midi signal.

Is anyone at this site using Finale with a Mac? Can you offer any suggestions to get me started?

Any help would be appreciated.

blueroom

[MidiMacMan]

1. Open MIDI Setup and make sure the Fantom is set as the Input and Output device for channels 1-16

2. Under the MIDI menu, make sure that Internal Speaker Playback is set to "off"

3. Open the Instrument list. Set each staff to a different instrument. Do not change the channels listed, just select an instrument from the popup menu. Also be sure "Send patches before play" is checked

4. Make sure the Fantom is in GM or a Multitimbral mode.

Hope that helps.

These are some really good things to check.

Might I also add some things about number 3. If you don't have this box checked, then the instrument patches will come from whatever you have stored as the played mix of instruments on your synth. In other words this will over ride the instruments that you have set in finale.

Try experimenting with playback with this box unchecked. The reason that I mention this is because it seems that the problem is not getting the instrument signals into Finale from the synth correctly, instead of the other way around. Whereas BlueRoom first mentioned:

The result I get is not correct - the patch assignments are not recognized by the X6 - it plays all the parts with the one sound - whichever sound the X6 has selected on its screen - not affected by the data I have entered in Finale.

The problem seems the other way around to me. Finale is not getting the correct data from the synth. Do you need an audio interface to synchronize the multi channel recording that I think you are trying to utilize? I have had an Edirol UM- 550 in use with my setup for about a year now with Finale so I guess that I am not sure if I am steering you right here.

Think about the whole process like this. Finale is not the one that you want to provide the playback. SO you need to direct the sound through the synth. Make sure that that you are telling Finale to send multiple channels of sound through your soundcard and out to you synth which puts them all together and then plays them back through say analog. That is the way that I multi track record with Finale. I use to use the pencil tool. For many years I did that.

I am using a QS6 and the interface that I have mentioned, but the synth allows 16 channel recording simultaneously, so check for that setting that Guess mentioned:

"GM or Multitimbral Mode". (Mine says: general midi=on, keboard mode=normal, midi out=out, I/O=midi, and control a mode=midi). And I constantly fool with all the buttons on everything randomly to make it all work sometimes. I am sure that you know the feeling though, so when I give you the option of "audio voo-doo" you aren't completely second guessing my advice either, I hope.

Let us know what you make out of all this though, as I have used Finale extensively as a composer.......or trying to be a composer anyway.

Good Luck,
MidiMacMan