Human Playback Preferences

How to get there

From the Window Menu, choose Playback Controls. Click on the button on the Playback Controls. Click HP Preferences.

What it does

This dialog box allows you to customize intricate details of Human Playback’s interpretation. Explicit performance techniques indicated on the score, such as the type of mute or bowing style, can be specified here. But this dialog box controls more subtle nuance as well. In an orchestral rehearsal, aspects of this dialog box would be equivalent to directions from the conductor scribbled on parts, such as how to approach a fermata, or the amount to exaggerate certain dynamic markings. In fact, even MIDI data you have specified manually can be intertwined with Human Playback’s interpretation using these settings.

In general, the settings here are program-wide, but a configuration can also be saved and “attached” to a specific document. Similarly, a configuration can be transferred across documents.

Note: An identical dialog box also exists to control regions to which Human Playback has been applied with the Apply Human Playback plug-in (program-wide, or “attached” to the document). In the Apply Human Playback dialog box, choose Preferences.

Preference Sets Management

HP maintains and stores multiple sets of preferences in a single file ("HP.dat") located in the Component Files folder. Human Playback overwrites the HP.dat when upgrading from Finale 2006 or earlier since the file format is completely different. However, Human Playback Preferences can be imported from Finale 2007 or 2008 to Finale 2009 using the Import function (explained below).

The default Human Playback Preferences set handles playback for SoftSynth, Finale GPO, GPO, and other Garritan products including Jazz & Big Band (“JABB”), Marching Band, Stradivari Violin, and Gofriller Cello - all automatically.

Current. The current Human Playback Preferences Set is displayed here. A Set is simply a configuration of settings from all pages of this dialog box (similar to the Document Options dialog box and Program Options dialog box). All available sets are listed under this popup menu.
Name. Use this text box to name the current set of preferences. Typing in this text box automatically changes the name in popup menu, as well as the dialog box title.
Attach to Active File. When you check this box (and save), the current set of preferences is duplicated and reserved for use with this file instead of the program-wide set. To indicate a Human Playback Preferences Set is attached to a file, “attached” appears in the Current popup menu as well as in the title bar. When a set is attached to a file, changes to this dialog box apply only to the attached set (for the active file only). If you decide to select a different set under the Current popup menu (or uncheck Attach to Active File), you are prompted to either save or discard the set. If saved, the set appears in the Current popup list for all files, and is available for program-wide use or to be attached to another file. If you discard, the set is lost.
Keep this Prefs Set Locked. Disables all dialog commands to prevent any accidental changes on a given preferences set, whether it is attached to a file or not.
Duplicate. Click this button to copy the current preferences set into a duplicate set. Using Duplicate is a convenient way to begin designing new custom sets if only some items require changing.
Default. Click this button to reset all options in this dialog box to their original default settings.
Delete. Click this button to delete the current set of preferences.
Import. Click this button to import Human Playback Preferences from an earlier Finale installation.
Allow Temporary Score Items Adjustments. Check this box to allow HP to adjust the horizontal position of score items while processing the score for playback. Any adjustments made to expressions or other score items return to their original position after playback.
Never Show Messages. Check this box to skip all static messages/warnings that appear while working with the Human Playback Preferences.
Save and Close • Cancel. Click Save and Close to save your changes. Click Cancel to discard changes and return to the active document.