Actually, YES it does use things in your default file. Peter doesn't mention what version of Finale he's using, but the last few can grab percussion maps from the default file and apply them to percussion staves.
There are two forms of mapping via the wizard. The first is a single percussion instrument that uses a single sound in MIDI percussion, like Finger Cymbals. It's entry in instrument.txt looks like this: [INS:Finger Cymbals] Name = Finger Cymbals Abbr = F. Cym. useKeySigs = 0 Transposition = 0 StaffType = single Clef = altpercussion Patch = PercMap = 55 PercMap is where you define the percussion map. 55 is not a particular percussion map, but rather a MIDI note number. Finale automatically creates a percussion map that maps the finger cymbal sound to the line in a single line percussion staff. Any instruments that you setup in the score this way are collected into a single percussion map called "Wizard Created Percussion map" or something of the like. The second type of percussion map mapping in Finale takes a percussion map already available in the default file and applies it: [INS:Cymbals] Name = Cymbals Abbr = Cym. useKeySigs = 0 Transposition = 0 StaffType = percussion Clef = altpercussion Patch = PercMap = Basic Orch Percussion GPO Finale Edition We map them to ones in our default file by default (department of redundancy department <g>), but you can make adjustments to your default file/instrument.txt file that will use any percussion map you would like. The important thing to remember is that the name in the PercMap = parameter must match the name of the percussion map in the default file identically. Trailing spaces may cause a problem. One other little tidbit about percussion in Finale (2k5+). There's a second "bank" of percussion sounds in the soundfont that we ship. It's mostly marching percussion instruments, all you need to do is specify patch 2 if you want Finale to use those sounds for playback. If you have no percussion maps defined in your default file, the wizard won't know what to use to create the percussion staves, so it will be as if the feature doesn't exist. HTH, allen > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Christopher Smith > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 6:26 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Finale] Drum kit wizard file notation and sounds > > > On Apr 25, 2006, at 2:59 AM, Peter Younghusband wrote: > > > Hi All, > > > > WinFin2003 > > > > I have been having some problems getting the drum kit staff > to do what > > I want when using it from the wizard set up. I'm wanting to > use bass > > drum > > - first space, side drum - third space, and cymbal top space - > > standard notation requirements for jazz band. > > > > However, I don't get correct notation or appropriate MIDI > sounds when > > setting up through the wizard. I usually end up opening an existing > > file (that has my drum requirements working), copying a bar and > > pasting into new document. Copy and manipulate further from there. > > What am I doing wrong? > > > > You are doing nothing wrong. The Setup Wizard does NOT use > anything I can determine from your saved default file when > deciding drum maps and the like. It uses a preset drum > default map. This is a huge problem (for me, anyway) and I > suggest you write tech support with a loud and detailed complaint. > > What I have done to get around it is to save a file that only > has a drum staff in it, with all the map settings I like. > Then I use Staff > Tool>Staff Menu>New Staves (With Setup Wizard) to get the rest of my > instruments. Unfortunately, I don't get all those cute little > shortcuts the Setup Wizard provides, like asking me the > title, composer, tempo, time sig, and resizing systems to fit > automatically on the page, so I have to do that manually. > Fortunately, the text block items are all easily accessible > in File Info, and I often re-jig the tempo marking anyway, so > this is often easier than redoing my drum map. > > Now, that being said, you CAN get the three items you > mentioned to enter, display and play back correctly with the > default. I haven't tried with Maestro Default, but it > certainly works with Jazz Font. > > Choose Drums>Drum Set when using the Setup Wizard. (I don't > know if any other choice works, but this one does, since it > uses General MIDI entry and playback). > > When it comes time to enter music, use the MIDI keyboard and > Speedy Entry to enter the drum notes. Bass drum is C two 8ves > below middle C, snare is the D above it, and since cymbals > are not mapped to display on the space above the staff (I > assume that's what you meant by top space, rather than 4th > space) I use either the closed hihat mapped to F# a 3rd above > the snare's D or the open hihat sound mapped to Bb a 9th > below middle C, both of which display on the space above the > staff. Other notes of the drums set can be found easily > around that octave (floor tom G, mounted tom B, for example) > > For cues I use the treble clef G above the staff, which > display as normal noteheads, but unfortunately sound like a > low cuica, which has the rather comical effect of sounding > like a seal's bark! Since I use Layer 3 exclusively for drum > cues, I can turn off playback for that layer in Instrument > List more easily than remapping it, though I AM getting > really fast at remapping! > > Just in case you care about such things, I hate the old, > small-notehead version of the JazzFont that is still used in > JazzPerc, so I use Jazz anyway. I don't get the special > noteheads JazzPerc has, but I mostly only need X, diamond, > and sometimes a circled X, so I am fine. > Unfortunately, you only get ONE choice of open notehead in > the Drum Map, so half notes and whole notes are the same > size! You have to choose half note heads as the open > notehead, or else you will have to start messing around with > stem connections. For publication I would swap out individual > whole noteheads with the Special Tool, but I can't afford the > time for most copying gigs (or I would define notation as > Standard instead of Percussion for this staff, but that opens > another can of worms). This is another problem that deserves > a loud complaint. > > Christopher > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
