AU/VST Playback vs. MIDI Playback

Finale users without prior experience with sampling or digital audio software may be somewhat confused by the new and possibly unfamiliar terminology relating to Garritan playback in Finale.

AU, VST, and GPO

“AU” stands for “Audio Units,” Apple’s system-level audio plug-in architecture. Audio Units are software modules — for instance, virtual instruments or effects — that can be used by any audio application that supports AU plug-ins.

“VST” stands for “Virtual Studio Technology.” VST is an audio plug-in standard developed by Steinberg (creators of the Cubase, a digital audio workstation application). VST plug-ins, like Audio Units plug-ins, can be virtual instruments or effects, which can then be used by any audio application that supports VST plug-ins.

GPO supports both AU and VST. Finale 2009 was designed to take advantage of the best audio plug-in architecture for each OS — on Mac OS X, that means AU, and on Windows, that means VST. But the principle behind AU and VST is the same — both technologies allow Finale to load virtual instruments (like the Garritan instruments) and effects (like Ambience Reverb) directly, without having to rely on a separate application to host them.

Finale also supports a whole range of additional AU and VST samplers, synths, effects, and instruments — see the Finale website for details. Any of these instruments can be combined with the instruments from GPO Finale Edition, full GPO, and JABB — the only caveat being that instruments from separate AU/VST libraries must be loaded into separate banks (unless they have been updated for the Kontakt Player 2) - (see the section on Channels for more information about banks).

AU/VST and MIDI

When Play Finale Through Audio Units/VST is turned on, regular MIDI playback — including SmartMusic SoftSynth Playback, and MIDI sent to external devices — is disabled. That means it is not possible to mix sounds from an external synthesizer/sound card or a software soundfont (like the SmartMusic SoftSynth) with Garritan Instruments. It’s either one or the other — you must choose either standard MIDI playback, or AU/VST playback.

If your score requires instruments that are not included in the AU/VST instrument libraries you own, you may be wondering what to do. Here are a few possible solutions:

• Make substitutions. Play back the staff using the best available substitute instrument. For instance, if your score calls for soprano saxophone but you don't own JABB, you might consider substituting an oboe or clarinet from GPO Finale Edition.
• Purchase a third party instrument library that includes the instruments you require. If you do a lot of writing for orchestra, you may want to upgrade to Full GPO to gain access to the expanded range of orchestral instruments. (GPO Finale Edition Users are eligible for a discount when upgrading to GPO Full). If you are a jazz or pop composer or arranger, you will probably want to acquire the Garritan Jazz and Big Band library. If your music uses a lot of world music instruments, you may wish to purchase a third-party sample library that includes them. Identify VST/AU Plug-ins for use with Finale in the Manage VST/AU plug-insdialog box.
• Purchase a Finale-compatible sampler. The full version of Native Instrument's Kontakt 2 software can also be loaded directly in Finale as an AU/VST plugin, but unlike the Kontakt Player, the full version of Kontakt can import instruments from a variety of sound formats, including soundfonts (like Finale’s SmartMusic SoundFont). This solution will allow you to use soundfont instruments and Garritan instruments simultaneously, or import instrument libraries that are not directly compatible with Finale.
• Use Garritan Studio. This solution is only available to owners of Full GPO or JABB. Garritan Studio is a VST host application that works just like an external MIDI device. While Garritan Studio is not as convenient as Finale's integrated AU/VST playback, this method does allow you to combine GPO instruments with external MIDI devices (like a hardware synthesizer or soundcard), or a MIDI compatible software synthesizer. For details, consult the documentation that came with your Garritan instrument library.
• Join multiple audio files. This solution only works with software synthesizers, like Finale's SmartMusic SoundFont. Create two separate audio files, one including only Garritan instruments, and one including only the remaining, non-Garritan instruments. Then merge the two audio files in a multitrack audio editor, like Audacity. For more details, consult the entry on Saving an Audio File.

Switching between Garritan Instrument Playback and Finale SmartMusic SoftSynth Playback

If you set up your score for Garritan instrument playback using the Setup Wizard, it will automatically be configured to make switching between Garritan instrument playback and SmartMusic SoftSynth playback as simple as possible. Why might you want to switch back and forth? Using high-quality sampled instruments takes a lot of processing power and a lot of memory. If your machine barely meets the minimum system requirements for GPO or JABB, you may wish to use the SmartMusic SoftSynth for note entry and everyday playback, then switch to Garritan instrument playback when the score is complete and you're ready to make an audio demo using the Garritan instruments.

There are, however, a few things to keep in mind if you would like to be able to switch back and forth with a minimum of fuss:

• On Page 2 of the Setup Wizard, you must select Garritan Personal Orchestra, Garritan Jazz and Big Band, or Garritan Personal Orchestra Finale 2009 Edition as your instrument set:

You should do this even if you do not plan to use Garritan instruments during note entry. Once you have completed setting up your score with the Setup Wizard, then you can switch to SmartMusic SoundFont playback by deselecting Play Finale Through Audio Units/VST in the MIDI/Audio Menu:

If you don't choose a Garritan Library in the Setup Wizard, it will be much more cumbersome to configure your score for Garritan Instrument playback later on.

• If your score contains any unpitched percussion staves, you must set the Percussion Map for these staves to General MIDI Entry and Playback whenever GPO playback is turned off. When you want to switch to Garritan instruments for playback, you must then assign those staves to a custom-built percussion map designed for General MIDI entry, Garritan playback - see Percussion for details. Every time you switch between GPO Playback and SmartMusic SoftSynth playback, you must remember to also switch all unpitched percussion staves to the appropriate percussion map. (The one exception is if you are using JABB's General MIDI Drum Kit.)
• If you are trying to prepare an existing score for Garritan instrument playback, but would like to preserve compatibility with the SmartMusic SoftSynth, then you should first consult Setting Up GPO Playback for Existing Scores. Next, read the entries on Channels and Percussion for additional information, especially if your score contains unpitched percussion instruments.