Finale 2K9 is dropping soon.

For pre-ordering and a list of the new features, check out the new www.finalemusic.com .

now including Virtual Drumline!!  Nice guys, way to corner the market--  hehehehe!

I might actually have to upgrade even though I promised myself I wouldn't

Thanks for posting this now that the announcement is official! Soon, we'll have a chart available outlining the available sounds with a comparison to the full version of VDL. This is an exciting new development for Tapspace, and we're looking forward to this new partnership with MakeMusic!

Does anyone know as of yet as if its going to be 'problem-free' using VDL with it.  Not saying there will be, but hoping it won't be a Sib 5.2 issue if you know what I mean.

[quote author=dsleath link=topic=2579.msg13742#msg13742 date=1215642862]
Does anyone know as of yet as if its going to be 'problem-free' using VDL with it.�� Not saying there will be, but hoping it won't be a Sib 5.2 issue if you know what I mean.
[/quote]

This should not be an issue. Finale 2009 will have full VST/AU support and loading instruments works much the same way as it did in 2008, loading them directly into your hosted instances of KP2 (or using the Setup Wizard which Mad Kiltie has been so kind to setup). This is a very different situation than the Sibelius sound set/template since the playback systems are so different between the two programs.

We don't foresee any major issues where Kontakt Player 2 (VDL 2.5) won't work just fine within Finale 2009.

We have just posted an overview comparing the basic features of the ";VDLite"; instruments that come included with Finale 2009, and how they compare to some of the features of the full version of Virtual Drumline.

[b][url=https://www.tapspace.com/vdl2/VDLFinale2009.html]Click here[/url][/b] to view the comparison overview.

I always complain about the $100 updates [i]every year[/i], but 2009 looks like a major improvement both in sounds and interface.  It looks like a complete package for most marching band writers/arrangers.

2K9 is now shipping.

The Aria player is a great addition.  Although it lacks some of the more advanced features that KP2 had, it loads samples twice as fast and the interface is much easier to use for the average person.

The redone Expressions Tool is worth the upgrade alone.  Major time saver when editing/applying, and much easier to categorize your custom expressions.

Making of VDL and Finale Videos is currently underway and I will try to get those up as soon as possible.  Sorry for the delay in this.

Small question, but is the Aria player better than KP2?  I heard a lot of hype about the Aria player coming with Finale 2k9, but I am not sure what to make of it.  If it is better, does Tapspace plan on creating Aria player compatible files of VDL 2.5?

Just a question.

Robby

It depends on what you mean by ";better."; Kontakt Player 2 is pretty richly-featured, though it can come off a little overwhelming to some people who prefer simplicity. The NI Kontakt Player has been a very good fit for Virtual Drumline, and all the features it requires programming-wise. The good news is that Finale 2009 has full AU/VST support, so using Kontakt Player directly within Finale (as well as Aria if you wish) works just fine.

The Aria Player is highly simplified.  That means for the average user it makes more sense.  For people who do more complicated work, it isn't very helpful (remove almost all of the KP2 features except for a few controller messages or KS options for an instrument, and you have Aria).

OK, cool.  I use the AU plugins myself, but I heard a lot of hype, and just wanted to know if it was really what it was advertised as.  Thanks for the input.

Robby

I think it manages resources better than KP2 as well.  It's a smaller hit on your RAM, and the Garritan samples load a lot faster.

Going by the comparison sheet, I'm assuming no battery sounds are included in 2K9?