Finale 2K9 is dropping soon.

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

There are battery sounds included. Check the comparison sheet again - you may have misread, but you'll see the included articulations for snareline, tenorline, bassline, and cymbal line there.

Hm.  Well, from what I see, ";YES"; is only next to a few select keyboard percussion instruments.  Am I paying attention to the wrong thing?

I'm not sure what to tell you. The information is there. Please read every row.

I found on the official Finale website a PDF that shows the actual instruments that definitely are included.  That helped a lot. 

It's right here, for anyone else wanting more insight:

http://downloads2.makemusic.com/finale/2009/Finale2009_TapspaceSounds.pdf

So how are the sounds accessible in the program?  Is there somewhere you can choose the ";VDL template"; or something?

They'll be in the ARIA player that comes included with Finale 2009. One of the easiest ways to access them is to simply use the Smart Wizard setup tool when you're creating a new score. From there, you'd choose the option that says ";Tapspace Sounds for Finale 2009."; Alternately, you can just manually load the sounds from within the ARIA player if you choose.

[quote author=TylerDurden link=topic=2579.msg13969#msg13969 date=1217450454]
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).
[/quote]

What are some of the ";more complicated"; things? I'm just wondering what there is that I may not be taking advantage of.

Also, a separate but somewhat related question, can Finale playback hairpin crescendos/decrescendos? I know that when I first stared using it a few years ago, it used a different midi controller (volume as opposed to velocity, if I remember correctly). Is this still the case and is there any way around it?

[quote author=mcp link=topic=2579.msg14233#msg14233 date=1219418401]
What are some of the ";more complicated"; things? I'm just wondering what there is that I may not be taking advantage of.
[/quote]

In KP2 you have more control over tuning, attack and release, EQ, output effects such as compressors and reverb, and so on.  Aria has some of these controls, but they only appear if the instrument supports them.

Also, I find it easier to change channels in KP2 since you change the channel on the instrument itself.  In Aria, you have to unload the instrument from the bank then re-load it in the new slot.  Plus with KP2, you can have VDL and any other library going at once in a single bank.

Aria works great and all, it's just a bit dumbed down.

[quote author=mcp link=topic=2579.msg14233#msg14233 date=1219418401]
Also, a separate but somewhat related question, can Finale playback hairpin crescendos/decrescendos? I know that when I first stared using it a few years ago, it used a different midi controller (volume as opposed to velocity, if I remember correctly). Is this still the case and is there any way around it?
[/quote]

Depends on your Human Playback settings.  You can set Finale to playback crescendos/decrescendos as Key Velocity or Volume Controller.

Generally they work fine for me, however on occasion you can run into problems, especially with the battery stuff (like a measure with diddles, flams, and hairpins going all at once).  Using the SmartPlayback plugin along with the Marching Band HP setting usually works fine.

I wasn't aware I could make Finale use velocity. I'll check
it out. I also wasn't aware there was a marching HP. I'll
have to start to pay attention.

Now I remember why I wasn't using HP. The diddles don't play back.
I usually use the TG tools smart playback to get the slash notation
to play correctly. Is there another way to do this if I use the HP
to get the crescendos to playback?