> Hi all! > Lately, I've been having a problem with the MIDI tool and > key velocities. > I often will use the pre-defined expressions for dynamic markings > that are > programmed into Finale (I use 2002b, by the way). Now, when I go > to create > a hairpin's playback between two such marks, I've noticed that > the ending > dynamic mark is exaggerated. > For example, a crescendo between piano and mezzo-forte. > Piano is defined > as KV=49 and mezzo-forte is defined as KV=72. So I use the MIDI tool to > create the crescendo, scaling between the two dynamic levels to > define the > marks. Well, when I play it back, the finale mf sounds closer to > a forte. > It's too loud. > How does Finale handle a note if it has a key velocity > defined both by > the MIDI tool and a note expression? > > Yours, > Adam
The final volume is scaled by the product of the key velocity, the prevailing dynamic, and the MIDI volume. Each of these ranges from 0 to 127, so, for example, if all of these values happen to be 64, the final volume is 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2, or 1/8 of the maximum possible volume. In your case, scaling the MIDI volume from 49 to 72 (or any ratio of 72/49, or about 1.5) will smoothly increase the volume from "p" to "mf", but then the mf dynamic on the last note will cause that note to jump in volume by another 72/49. One solution is to scale back the key velocity by the same factor; i.e., if the first and last notes both have the default key velocity of 64, change the velocity of the last note to 64 x 49/72, or 44. In effect this "undoes" the bump in volume caused by the final mf dynamic. You definitely don't want to try discontinously jumping the MIDI volume to a lower value right on the last note, because it's basically impossible to avoid an audible glitch. I know this seems ridiculously complicated, but it's an artifact of trying to unite the world of notation to the world of MIDI. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
