On Sep 6, 2004, at 8:37 AM, Michael Withers wrote:
I guess we're all fairly used to some of Finale's quirks in spacing
accidentals in layers, but I'm at a loss to know what is causing the two
problems in this example.
In bar 4, the Layer 2 Bb is touching the second note in Layer 1. I would
have expected the spacing algorithm to add some space there.
The Layer 2 spacing in bar 5 is simply dreadful, and I cannot see what is causing it. The file was clean, and there are no extra layers or hidden layers.
Finale is doing two separate actions in your example. One is the regular music spacing, which looks at the music and adjusts the beat chart or note chart accordingly, hoping to come up with optimal spacing. The second is offsetting one layer where simultaneous notes in separate layers form a second.
For the first, regular music spacing, Finale looks at each layer individually and figures how much space is needed for each, then picks the largest in order to accommodate all layers. It does not look at collisions between one layer and another. This is a weakness, sure, but I've come to view it as normal behavior. (I'm still on 2k2; perhaps it has improved since then.) In your bar 4, Finale thinks that layer 1 is sufficiently spaced and layer 2 is sufficiently spaced; it has no idea that a note from layer 2 is too close to a note from layer one. So that's normal.
Adjusting notes for seconds is not done in the beat chart at all; rather, it is an offset implemented at the same level that you can access with the Note Position special tool. Finale's implementation of this is imperfect. For ordinary seconds it does a good job, but if other things are involved, like dots or accidentals, sometimes it gets confused and moves it too far. That's what's going on in your bar 5.
Is this just my system or can anyone else replicate it? (I've tried it on two PCs and it's exactly the same on each).
I got the exact same result in Fin Mac 2k2. I was a little surprised, since it doesn't seem like such an unusual situation. I'm not surprised that Finale tried to push the note past the dot, but I wouldn't have expected it to push it so far beyond it.
If it's a genuine spacing problem in Finale, can anyone suggest a workaround that will provide a satisfactory spacing without the need to hand-tweak every occurrence?
Well, I don't know of anything really easy, but my usual approach in situations like these is to enter the music in a way that will make the beat chart space like I need it to, then space the measures, then alter the music back to what it's supposed to be and don't respace it again after that. (Of course if you use automatic spacing, that won't work....)
In your examples, adding a note to the chord to create a displaced notehead in the right place will provide the amount of space you want. For example, in your bar 4, add a D to the first chord in the upstem voice. The D notehead will occupy pretty much the same space that you know you'll need for the downstem B, so when you space the bar it will end up where you want it. Then remove the D. Same idea in bar 5, where you can add a D to the first chord in the downstem voice. You can devise similar tricks for other situations.
In all of these cases, that only takes care of the beat chart. You still need to deal with the Note Position offsets yourself. Use the Note Position tool for that. If you want consistent positioning (me, I'm a stickler for that), set up a sample bar of simple situations and take note of how much offset spacing Finale gives it. For example, I know that my Finale offsets a basic second by 29 evpu. (I think of that as standard, but possibly it's dependent on the fonts and/or settings I use.) I've got a little chart of values I use for other situations.
Kind of a pain, I know, but you get used to it. If anyone out there has a better system, I'd be happy to hear about it.
mdl
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