Saving as Audio File in Finale

Finale's File/Save Special/"Save as Audio" function seems ok - creating either a .wav or .mp3 as advertised. The problem is the files created are VERY distorted. I mean, everything sounds like it's going through my favorite metal distortion pedal. On loading it into Audacity, the shape of the waveform confirms this. I went to the Finale web site for support at the FAQs and all, no luck.

Is this a known bug? Is there a way to fix this? - Can you, for instance, control the output levels somehow before hitting save as?

What version of Finale are you running? I've never had any trouble with 2005, and I've saved whole symphonic movements as mp3s.

Hmm...

Are you trying to run other programs or surf the web or something while the file is saving? I think that would be asking for trouble. Just as when I'm burning a CD or ripping tracks, I never do anything else on the computer when I'm saving a Finale file as an mp3 or wav. I've had trouble with distortion, skipping, etc. when I tried to make the computer multi-task while doing anything with sound files.

If that isn't the problem, then perhaps someone else can offer some guidance.

Version: Finale 2006 - I'll try your advice - thanks

So far - no luck - I've brought the volume down on all of the GPO instruments - I can't find a master volume yet -but that's got to be the solution.

Are you using the most up-to-datee version? Make sure there are no updates you're missing; they tend to fix things like that. If not, call tech support, they're very helpful in most cases.

Funny, the same things happened to me, but not always. Sometimes clarinets end up osunding like chimes, and Trumpets like vibraphones, and percussion is usually completely messed up. A couple things that might help:

1)Try not to use a lot of instruments

2) A lot of my Jazz peices use drumset and a few other percussion staves, and whenever Drumset is the first percussion staff, it usually works (confusing?)

If anyone else knows how to fix this, I'm eager to know also.

~Kal

_I downloaded Finale2006c, but it didn't do much of anything.

If it's urgent and you want something now, just a suggestion -

If finale basically plays ok on your computer (as a finale file, not mp3 or wav) and you have enough ram, load up audacity (or 'whatever' recording software), plug the phones output of your pc into the line input, record it on audacity then export it as a wav. Then use CDex to convert to mp3.

I know it's a nuisance (particularly reverting to analogue to make the recording) but it might get you by. You can't hold up your composing forever.

.

Funny, the same things happened to me, but not always. Sometimes clarinets end up osunding like chimes, and Trumpets like vibraphones, and percussion is usually completely messed up. A couple things that might help:

1)Try not to use a lot of instruments

2) A lot of my Jazz peices use drumset and a few other percussion staves, and whenever Drumset is the first percussion staff, it usually works (confusing?)

If anyone else knows how to fix this, I'm eager to know also.

~Kal

_I downloaded Finale2006c, but it didn't do much of anything.

This doesn't sound like the same issue as the distortion problem the other person was having. I'm guessing you're using the softsynth rather than GPO? Does the music playback properly from within Finale? If not, perhaps you could post your Finale file for someone here to take a look and offer assistance.

Stangely enough - everything seems to be working fine now - no distortion. Don't know what I did. I know I tried rebooting the first time and closing a few programs running in the background but now it does the job fine.

Actually, I have one theory. I need to make sure that I've blown away any previous attempts - even changing the file name is not neccesarily a safe bet - but I'm not taking any chances now that it's working.

This doesn't sound like the same issue as the distortion problem the other person was having. I'm guessing you're using the softsynth rather than GPO? Does the music playback properly from within Finale? If not, perhaps you could post your Finale file for someone here to take a look and offer assistance.

Yah, I'm using softsynth..

It sounds perfectly fine from finale, but when I play it from, say, Media player, it sounds crappy. But I never had any problems with GPO...

~Kal

Yah, I'm using softsynth..

It sounds perfectly fine from finale, but when I play it from, say, Media player, it sounds crappy. But I never had any problems with GPO...

~Kal

Strange - I'm not sure what this could be. If you're saving as a MIDI file, it would be using different sounds when playing back from the Windows Media Player. But if you're saving as an audio file (File menu -> Save Special -> Save as Audio File), that should be using the same sounds. I'm assuming you downloaded the 2006c update from MakeMusic's website? I ask because the file you might needed updated isn't actually the Finale application file (Finale.exe) but rather the aiolib.dll file which controls the softsynth. If you downloaded it from MakeMusic's website, the installer should have included that file.

You do have some options to try. You could insert expressions in the score at the beginning of each staff that set the patch for the staves which are playing incorrectly in the WMP. You could also do this with the MIDI Tool (and make sure that the HP Preferences are set to incorporate continuous data). If all else fails, you could either send customer support your file (assuming you don't want to post it here) and let them check it out for you, or you could ask them if they have any other ideas, such as trying a different version of the aiolib.dll file.

I know of one way to reproduce a problem similar to the one you're having - using the version of the aiolib.dll file that shipped with the original Finale 2006 (not 2006a b or c), sounds mapped to channels 17 and higher would either replace the patches or use the patches for the first 16 channels. If that's consistent with the problem you're having, you probably need the updated aiolib.dll that should come with the 2006c download updater on their webiste.

Yeah, I'm saving it as an audio file. let me upload one here and see what you can make of it. It's the .MUS file, not .WAV or mp3. This one isn't totally screwed up (flutes and clarinets sounding like chimes and bells), but it has some perc. problems, esp with congas, bongos, shakers, and drumset.

Funny thing happened...I was just finishing a peice, and the top two staves were Flute and french horn. When I saved it as an audio file, they sounded like piano. So later, I was adding finishing touches, and I noticed I had 2 blank staves at the bottom. I used them to add synth effects (rain and orchestra hit, I beleive), and when I saved that as an audio file, flute sounded like the rain FX and french horn sounded like orch hit. So i had an idea. I went and changed rain to flute and orch hit to french horn, and it sounded fine. Keep in mind there are a bit more than 16 or 17 staves in the peice...

~Kal

_Can we upload Wav or mp3 files here?

Saxophony.MUS

Yeah, I'm saving it as an audio file. let me upload one here and see what you can make of it. It's the .MUS file, not .WAV or mp3. This one isn't totally screwed up (flutes and clarinets sounding like chimes and bells), but it has some perc. problems, esp with congas, bongos, shakers, and drumset.

Funny thing happened...I was just finishing a peice, and the top two staves were Flute and french horn. When I saved it as an audio file, they sounded like piano. So later, I was adding finishing touches, and I noticed I had 2 blank staves at the bottom. I used them to add synth effects (rain and orchestra hit, I beleive), and when I saved that as an audio file, flute sounded like the rain FX and french horn sounded like orch hit. So i had an idea. I went and changed rain to flute and orch hit to french horn, and it sounded fine. Keep in mind there are a bit more than 16 or 17 staves in the peice...

~Kal

_Can we upload Wav or mp3 files here?

This mp3 seems to sound the same to me as the playback right from Finale. See if it sounds right to you.

The problem you describe with the instruments being replaced sounds exactly what I was talking about - where the channel 17 instrument would interfere with the channel 1 instrument, the channel 18 instrument with the channel 2 instrument, etc. That was a problem with the aiolib.dll file. So I suspect you might have the old version of that file. Contact MakeMusic's customer support and ask them to send you the updated file.

Well, I saved it as an mp3 and it didn't work. The percussion was still warped. I guess I'll have to call customer support now. Joy.

Oh, and one more thing. Is mp3 supposed to sound the same as wav.? :( Cuz on my computer, it doesn't.

~Kal

"Is mp3 supposed to sound the same as wav.?"

No, is the short answer. The mp3 is a poor format, to be honest. The way mp3 files work is that they remove an amount of data in order to reduce the file size. An mp3 file can, supposedly, be made to the same quality as a wave file - but it still reduces the quality to a usually inaudible amount. However depending on the compression ratio, it can sound like you re-recorded the file via a mobile telephone with extremely poor reception.

The short version is thus: use wav files if you can. If you can't use wave files, use the least compression possible. Best of all, use the ogg format with little compression: the quality of ogg files is much better than the quality of mp3 files when given files of the same size.

Some technical data on the ogg format can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogg

Edit: Of course the ogg format also removes data in order to compress the file. It does this in a better way than the mp3 format, though.

I noticed. When I save a song from Finale as .wav, it sounds pretty much the same as it does in Finale. When I save it as .mp3, it sounds like crap. Especially the percussion. If the percussion sounds bad, the whole song sounds bad. Maybe that's 'cuz I'm a percussionist.

Hey andersonalex, could you e-mail me the mp3 file please? If it worked as a .wav file, I'll take that instead...

~Kal

I noticed. When I save a song from Finale as .wav, it sounds pretty much the same as it does in Finale. When I save it as .mp3, it sounds like crap. Especially the percussion. If the percussion sounds bad, the whole song sounds bad. Maybe that's 'cuz I'm a percussionist.

Hey andersonalex, could you e-mail me the mp3 file please? If it worked as a .wav file, I'll take that instead...

~Kal

Try downloading a different mp3 encoder and converting the wave file into an mp3 file. I like the Lame mp3 encoder (free).

Audacity is an excellent MP3 encoder that uses LAME. It was recommended to me by several on this forum, and I use it for everything.

The problem is, the .wav file is screwed up too. Actually, both the wav and mp3 sound the same, except the mp3 seems to be of lower quality. But the percussion and stuff is still messed up and out of whack. ;)

~Kal

_I meant if you had a .wav file, you could e-mail me that instead of the mp3...

The problem is, the .wav file is screwed up too. Actually, both the wav and mp3 sound the same, except the mp3 seems to be of lower quality. But the percussion and stuff is still messed up and out of whack. :happy:

~Kal

_I meant if you had a .wav file, you could e-mail me that instead of the mp3...

What is the date listed on the aiolib.dll file that's in your Finale folder? It still sounds like you don't have the updated file.

I'm in LA at a camp right now, so I don't have my home computer here. But i do know that I use Finale 2006c, if that means anything.

~Kal

sometimes, finale gets my channels mixed up even in regular playback in FINALE and only a few channels too, id really like to know who to fix this as it has become a problem - i cant even use audacity any more.

Same thing to me... i try to export to audio file(wav) and the result is distortion, the audio seems to be very loud on the process... i try changes on the volume controls...but nothing works... its a worst thing it could happen ... i usually work with audio files on cakewalk... and i need to solve this problem...

Finale only does that when you have insufficient system resources to run it properly. Make sure you have nothing else running when you're trying to save

Funny, the same things happened to me, but not always. Sometimes clarinets end up osunding like chimes, and Trumpets like vibraphones, and percussion is usually completely messed up. A couple things that might help:

1)Try not to use a lot of instruments

2) A lot of my Jazz peices use drumset and a few other percussion staves, and whenever Drumset is the first percussion staff, it usually works (confusing?)

If anyone else knows how to fix this, I'm eager to know also.

~Kal

_I downloaded Finale2006c, but it didn't do much of anything.

I have the same problem... :P How do I get that updated file? Finale website?