Does anyone have any screenshots they can post on how to set this up using Finale 2003 and VDL:2? I read the user guide, but the screenshots don't match my version of Finale. It's confusing. Thanks.

Jimmy Allen

Jim,

what system arre you using, mac or pc? and what seems to be the specific problem?

Ted Boliske

PC. Windows XP.

I guess the problem is no playback. Sorry, very new to this. I used the Finale '03 template, entered a few quater notes. No sound.

Be sure you are using a Virtual MIDI Cable to connect Finale to VDL2. Read the section in the VDL2 User Guide about ";Virtual MIDI Cables"; and using VDL2 with notation programs (in addition to the Finale Section).

1) First, download and install either Midi Yoke or Maple Midi Tools.

2) Launch VDL2, go to MIDI Setup, and set that Virtual MIDI cable to ON for the INPUT. Everything else should be OFF. Load sounds in VDL2.

3) Launch Finale, go to the MIDI Setup window. Set your keyboard to the input, and the Virtual MIDI Cable as the OUTPUT.

4) In Finale's MIDI Thru window, double check that ";smart"; is selected.

5) In Finale's INSTRUMENT LIST window, be sure your various staves are set to unique channel numbers, and that those channel numbers you assign are the same channel numbers that are set in VDL2.

Hope this helps!

Still is not working properly.

I am using MIDI Yoke as the virtual MIDI cable.

In VDL2 MIDI setup, I turned ON all MIDI Yoke interfaces (i.e. 'MIDI Yoke NT: 1' through ' MIDI Yoke NT:16'). And all output interfaces in VDL2 are OFF.

I loaded 'Marimba Rosewood Birch'. I hit the keys on the Kontakt Player and get sound, so it's not my speakers or anything. Set it to Channel 2.

In Finale '03 MIDI setup, MIDI IN = USB Audio Device (which is my keyboard) and MIDI OUT = MIDI Yoke NT:2 ( I assumed it would be 2 since the marimba in VDL2 is set at 2?, I tried it at default MIDI Yoke NT: 1 also).

MIDI Thru is set to 'smart'.

By the way, this is all using Finale '03 template. Now Instrument List - Marimba 1 is set as a new instrument titled 'Marimba 1' (was default grand piano). Set channel to '2'.

Clicked a few quaters into the Marimba 1 stave, saved, and clicked play.

Need some more help please.

Jimmy Allen

In the Input Device screen in VDL:2, the only thing that should be on is Midi Yoke NT:1. ALL other devices in input and output should be set to off.

In Finale, the MIDI In Device should be USB Audio Device and MIDI Out Device should be MIDI Yoke NT:1.

Yeah. Still didn't work. I must be missing something. Is there a tech support line? Or anyone willing to work over email? Not sure if I should keep taking up message board space for probably a stupid little user error.

jimmy.allen@comcast.net

[quote=";UNFDrum";]Still is not working properly.

I am using MIDI Yoke as the virtual MIDI cable.

In VDL2 MIDI setup, I turned ON all MIDI Yoke interfaces (i.e. 'MIDI Yoke NT: 1' through ' MIDI Yoke NT:16'). And all output interfaces in VDL2 are OFF.

I loaded 'Marimba Rosewood Birch'. I hit the keys on the Kontakt Player and get sound, so it's not my speakers or anything. Set it to Channel 2.

In Finale '03 MIDI setup, MIDI IN = USB Audio Device (which is my keyboard) and MIDI OUT = MIDI Yoke NT:2 ( I assumed it would be 2 since the marimba in VDL2 is set at 2?, I tried it at default MIDI Yoke NT: 1 also).

MIDI Thru is set to 'smart'.

By the way, this is all using Finale '03 template. Now Instrument List - Marimba 1 is set as a new instrument titled 'Marimba 1' (was default grand piano). Set channel to '2'.

Clicked a few quaters into the Marimba 1 stave, saved, and clicked play.

Need some more help please.

Jimmy Allen[/quote]

Jimmy - it sounds like you may just be a little confused with MIDI Yoke. It allows you to run several ";ports"; at once. In any of those ports, you should be able to stream 16 channels of MIDI. So really, in VDL2's MIDI setup you should have everything to OFF except ONE port of MIDI Yoke. Just use MIDI Yoke NT:1. Think of MIDI Yoke as an actual MIDI cable. MIDI cables allow you to send 16 seperate channels at once.

In Finale's MIDI Setup, set your output to MIDI Yoke NT:1 as well. Don't confuse this with the CHANNEL that your marimba is set to. You set that value in Finale's INSTRUMENT LIST window.

Let me know if that helps, or if I've confused you more. :)

Yeah, I am pretty sure I have done the setup procedure correctly. I think my problem is the actually implementation. I really don't understand the whole mapping thing. I mean, the users manual didn't really help me much.

Correct me if i'm wrong..

-I load 'Snareling AutoRL' into VDL:2 into channel 2.
-Then (using your template), I edit the Instrument List in Finale and assign Snare to channel 2.
-I manually (this time without using keyboard but rather using the mouse) enter a few quarter notes into first space F on the Snare stave.
-Click the Playback button on Finale
-Shouldn't I be hearing something?

I messed with the staff tool in finale, and changed the notation style to 'VDL2 Snareline AUTORL'. This is a mapping, right?

I am very confused, and frusterated.


Jimmy Allen

Jimmy - hang in there. I'm sure you're probably very close, and there's just a simple setting that's not been covered.

I admit I'm not a Finale expert, but at one point I recall Finale having a menu item called ";Internal Speaker Playback";. This option isn't in all versions, but if you see it, be sure that Internal Speaker Playback is set to OFF in Finale. It's only to be used when using general midi soundcard sounds. If your version of Finale does not have that option, please disregard.

Re: Mapping - yes, by selecting the STAFF ATTRIBUTES tool, then double-clicking on your snare staff, and setting notation style to ";Snareline AutoRL";, you've changed the map that's assigned to that staff. If you're confused by the concept of percussion mapping in Finale, I believe it's discussed in your Finale documentation.

One thing to check however is this. There's a funky bug in Finale that sometimes effects the way percussion maps are imported. Go into that mapping window, and select EDIT. The Percussion Mapping window appears, and there should be a button called ";All Named Notes"; which will ensure that all notes that have names will actually play correctly. It should already work, but due to this bug, sometimes you have to click it the first time you've assigned that mapping. So give that a try and see if it helps at all.

By using your mouse to click notes into the first F-space on the snare staff (using Snareline AutoRL), I assume you were intending to enter the sound of Rods, right? This is where the VDL2 User Guide will help you most. If you intended to write regular snare hits, you should be entering them in on the middle 'B' line. The Snareline AutoRL map on page 39 of the VDL manual will tell you which sounds are assigned to which notes.

Thanks for your patience. VDL2 really does work quite well, and the vast majority of users have had great success getting up and running with it. Some of the things we're discussing here are merely ";setup"; or ";finale"; related, so once you have a little more of that info under your belt, I'm sure you'll be good to go. If you're still stuck, please call the Tapspace office and someone should hopefully be able to walk you through the process...

Just in case anybody reads this that is having trouble...

Me and Jim worked over the phone, and I had everything setup correctly. We decided to try Maple as the Virtual MIDI cable. I uninstalled MIDI Yoke, and then downloaded and installed Maple.

Maple works with my system while MIDI Yoke doesn't. The problem was with MIDI Yoke.

Try using a different Virtual MIDI cable if you are having trouble getting started.

I hope this easy solution can help others.

Thanks Jim for help!