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SoundFonts

SoundFonts are basically a collection of audio samples that have been transformed by a SoundFont editor into MIDI instruments. SoundFonts can be used by MIDI programs such as Finale for playback.

Note: A SoundFont-compatible sound card is required to use any SoundFont for playback.

A general MIDI SoundFont “synthgms.sf2” is included with Finale. To use this SoundFont for playback in Finale, from the MIDI/Audio menu, choose MIDI Setup. Then, for the MIDI Out device, choose SmartMusic SoftSynth 1. If you expand the MIDI Setup dialog box, a separate incarnation of the SmartMusic SoftSynth can be loaded into the subsequent seven MIDI Out slots, for a total of 128 unique channels possible. Regardless of the device chosen in the VST Banks & Effects dialog box, the SoundFont chosen in the SoftSynth Settings dialog box is used for all Audio files (.WAV or .MP3) and SmartMusic Accompaniment files (.SMPX) saved from Finale. (Marching percussion sounds are also included with this SoundFont. See Marching Percussion MIDI Map Table.) To use a different General MIDI SoundFont, from the MIDI/Audio menu, choose MIDI Setup, click SoftSynth Settings, and then click Select to open a different SoundFont.

You can load Finale’s SoundFont “synthgms.sf2” into your sound card’s SoundFont manager for use with other MIDI playback programs. The procedure for doing so depends on the sound card you are using and the accompanying software. Consult your sound card’s documentation for specific instructions for loading a new SoundFont. To use Finale’s Sound Font with QuickTime, copy the file “synthgms.sf2,” located in the Finale\Audio Support folder, to the following location: Mac HD\Library\Audio\Sounds\Banks.

 

 

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Finale 2014 for Windows

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