MOTUnation.com

http://www.finalemusic.com/Downloads/Default.aspx?p=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's a PDF of the changes and fixes:

http://forum.makemusic.com/attach.aspx/ ... ad%20Me%20(Mac" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).pdf

Installed fine and opening files was way faster than in previous versions. I'll be working in the new version after Jan 1 so probably not much more on this until then.

I've got one more major project to finish, but I think it's time to order v2012.

What goes on in [version] 2011 stays in [the year] 2011!!

Just went through hell and back with Finale 2011b. Imported a MIDI file created in DP, did a bunch of work, then tried to put two-bar repeats in the score when I realized I had no Staff Styles in the list in the Apply Staff styles dialog. Hmm. So I figure who cares, I can tell the percussionist to basically figure it out that the rests are repeats of a similar groove. On to dynamics. Well, I have no dynamics either - list is empty, all expression categories are there, but nada in them - so metatools don't work either.

I'm thinking, damn, I must have lost some resource file, so I re-install 2011a from DVD and updater 2011b. I open file again - same thing!!

Now I'm getting suspicious, creating a brand new dummy file from scratch, bam, there are all dynamics, other expressions, staff styles, all there. What the heck? So I'm re-importing the MIDI file into a new Finale document, same problem, only this time not only are the dynamics etc. gone, this time I don't even have the categories on the left of the expressions dialog to choose from.

So I'm about to come here to ask if there's some sort of "Load" equivalent that would allow me to get the data from the corrupt Finale file into a new one, when I realize meanwhile a bunch of music has disappeared from my first Finale file. Now that could have been me accidentally deleting as I was furiously trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but man, that's the last straw.

Downloading the 30-day trial for Sibelius right now. Always loved the power of Finale and also always hated it's clumsy, ugly Windoze style - I have to relearn it every time I use it, since I don't do publishable notation all that often, for quick parts I'm OK with Quickscribe. Thanks to DP I'm used to having sh*t *just work*. Still can't wrap my head around this one... Anyway, on topic - this means I'm def spending no more $$$ on Makemusic for Finale 2012 until I can figure this out. And if I figure Sibelius out beforehand, so be it - have to learn from scratch again anyway, last time I used Finale was in 2010.

You can load libraries but it sounds like the paths in the Finale prog preferences is screwy. Also deleting the app plists are probably in order. These are probably being carried over. Finale has been pretty rock solid for me on every machine and OS since 1995. Many large and complex scores for demanding folks. Not always perfect, but never terrible problems. The MakeMusic forum is very user friendly and tech support is first notch in my experience.

Thanks, but unfortunately I don't think it can be plists, since it only screws up for imports from this one file? I have since created a new file from scratch, opened the old ones and copied/pasted the notes in, after setting everything up.

Now I have access back to all the expressions, staff styles etc. But what a crock of useless extra work and detours, and I still can't figure out what Finale so reliably hates about importing this track. Even made a new SMF, etc etc.

The whole experience for me is just the opposite of working with DP. Working in Finale reminds me of working in BIAS Peak, in fact... I used to chalk it up to my relative inexperience in the program, but this one's squarely on the app, not the user.

File corruption does happen. Have you run Finale's file maintenance routines?

Aha! Thanks! No I haven't. By now it's academic since I'm further along in the new file than the corrupt one ever was, but for future reference, how do I go about that?

It's a menu item under File. Maybe a submenu under that. It will also delete unused items, calculate elapsed time for a selection, and check file integrity, etc. it runs automatically for the integrity check when you open a fine in F2012.