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How do you improve on a world leading product? By first listening very carefully to what your customers have to say, in a spirit of humility, and then acting upon what you learn.
The world has come a long way in the 20 years since Coda Finale was launched. So how far does Finale 2009 go to meet the challenge? As a regular user of Finale 2008, I have a keener interest than most.
Refinement and redesign - contrasting terms, but each is valid for different aspects of the latest improvements to Finale software. Finale didn't get to be the world leader by resting on it's laurels. So much more is expected of music software now, especially at the professional and academic levels, that for 2009, Finale simply had to improve.
Starting with what may seem to be one of the subtleties, Finale has addressed the issue of it's existing limitations by first admitting that things could be better, and then studying both new and existing users to see ways in which their workflow could be streamlined. Too much work with the mouse can be both a drag on time and, quite frankly, a pain in the wrist. Though you can lay out the basics of a score incredibly quickly in Hyperscribe mode, sooner or later you will need to start editing, and it's here that the true benefits begin to make themselves felt. Such is the improvement to the selection, entry and placement of score markings and expressions that Finale claims to have reinvented this aspect of the program. Not before time, you might say, but what has really changed here is not the impeccable quality of the results so much as the ease with which it can be achieved. Linked Parts allow tremendous control over both score and individual parts. Create a score and Finale generates all the parts automatically, change something in a part and Finale updates the score simultaneously; score and parts stay perfectly matched - where desirable. Finale's Intelligent Linking knows when to enforce consistency, and when to allow differences. Another neat feature is auto-slur melismas, which are inserted into vocal parts where a syllable lasts for more than one note. Taken together, these and similar improvements can save a lot of time and bother, and bring truly intuitive control closer to reality.
Repeats have also been improved (and in my opinion, they were ripe for this attention!) All numbers and brackets are entered and lined up automatically, while backward repeat bars or repeat endings can be defined to find their targets automatically. Meanwhile, now you can simply drag text items anywhere. Clear visual feedback instantly shows you what each selected expression is attached to, which changes dynamically as you drag – even across pages. Drag expressions and rest assured they’ll always change playback – and appear in linked parts – just the way you want them to. Plus, you can drag-apply multiple expressions for instant vertical duplication - and all while Finale continues to apply the same collision avoidance rules so you don’t have to think about it.
Garritan Personal Orchestra sounds have long been a key feature of Finale, and even more sounds are included this time round - again for free. Electric and bass guitars, with vintage electric piano and baritone sax will be welcome when you need a more modern edge, while the provision of instruments such as handbells will be gladly received in some quarters. Happily, the fun doesn’t end there, though. With this 20th Anniversary edition, Finale makes the switch to the next generation Garritan Aria Player, offering a level of custom integration which is unsurpassed and delivering superior sound, greater control, and improved user playback. And if you thought that wasn’t enough, in a major advance, Finale 2009 is now compatible with all VST/AU instruments. For people like me, who are slowly but surely building their instrument software libraries, this is tremendous news. All those great sounds you use in your sequencer or DAW can now be employed to your advantage within your notation software. Life should be like this more often. While in practice some instruments may perform better than others, Finale checks plug-ins for compatibility before loading, and tracks previously checked plug-ins to optimise performance. Your palette just got a whole lot richer...
Multiple Page Editing, new for Finale 2009, adds a liberating dimension to the program. Now you choose how many pages appear onscreen at once - tile them all, if you so desire. Copy and paste measures from one page to another, drag slurs from the end of one page to the beginning of the next, with the option to put the entire piece on the screen at one time - flexibility unique amongst music notation software. And you'll be glad to know that you can edit any page, in any view, at any time. Plus, Human Playback has also been enhanced. For 2009, improvements include a better user interface, compatibility with the Garritan Aria Player, a new technique set supporting the new VST/AU abilities, and greater accessibility.
Please understand, this is not a complete list, merely a selection of just some of the benefits that users like myself will appreciate. Very likely you will have your own list of reasons to buy or upgrade to Finale 2009. Altogether then, a sweeping range of improvements. No doubt, over time we users will discover other areas of our lives that our music notation software could conceivably improve. For now though, this is probably as good as it gets....
Finale System Requirements
Finale 2009 for Windows®
- * Windows XP/Vista 32-bit.
- * DVD-ROM drive.
- * 800x600 minimum monitor resolution.
- * Minimum 512MB RAM (1GB or more recommended for optional use of Garritan sounds/Aria Player: more RAM = more available sounds).
- * 400MB hard drive space required for software and user manual. An additional 2GB hard drive space is required for all VST/AU sounds included with Finale 2009.
Finale 2009 for Macintosh®
- * G4 or higher recommended. OS 10.4 or 10.5 (Mac-Intel or Power PC).*
- * DVD-ROM drive.
- * 800x600 minimum monitor resolution.
- * Minimum 512MB RAM (1GB or more recommended for optional use of Garritan sounds/Aria Player: more RAM = more available sounds).
- * 512MB hard drive space required for software and user manual. An additional 2GB hard drive space is required for all VST/AU sounds included with Finale 2009.
Optional
- * MIDI interface
- * MIDI input and/or playback device
- * Printer
- * Scanner
- * Microphone required for use of MicNotator®
- * A soundcard (including a DirectSound AS20 recommended driver) is required for playing the Garritan sounds in Windows.
Authorization
Finale requires that you authorize the software within 30 days after installation. You are allowed to install Finale on two operating systems (multiple licenses excluded).File Compatibility
Finale family software can open files in the same or newer software version, but files created in a newer version cannot be opened in an older version unless converted via MusicXML.Please note: we offer exclusive after sales support to customers of www.northernmusiconline.co.uk
Review by Darrell PriestleyDirector
Northern Music Academy.