How to get there
From the Window Menu, choose Mixer. Or, from the View Menu, choose Studio View.
What it does
The Mixer contains two parts, a master set of controls and a set of controls for each staff in the score. The master controls can be used to adjust the volume and reverb of the overall output much like the master controls on a conventional mixer. The set of controls for each staff can be used to adjust the volume and pan value relative to other staves in the score much like the volume sliders and panning wheels for tracks on a conventional mixer. All settings defined in the mixer are post-processed and applied over the top of MIDI data that already exists in the score score including MIDI Tool data, Human Playback data and/or expressions and articulations defined for playback. In other words the mixer doesn’t change the contour of the playback, only the overall output or the staff relationship.
Note: Although the mixer displays separate controls for each staff, only staves of unique channels can be adjusted independantly. For example, if your brass quintet contains two trumpet staves, both set to channel 1, all mixer adjustment to one trumpet staff will apply to both. If you want to assign a staff a unique channel you can do so by defining a "New Instrument" in the Instrument List. (To do so, in the Instrument List choose View by Instruments and click New Instrument. Choose the same instrument sound (patch) for your new instrument and assign it a different channel).
Settings applied to staves in the Mixer are dynamically linked to both the Staff Controls and the Instrument List. For example, an increase to the volume for one staff changes the volume setting in the Instrument List and Staff Controls uniformely. The same is true for the other settings.
You can solo more than one staff, if you wish—for example, you can solo two or three staves, and all the others will be silent. In fact, you can solo all staves, although there wouldn’t be much point, since you may as well solo none of them.
If you’re not multitrack recording (Record into One Staff or Split into Two Staves is selected in the Record Mode submenu of the HyperScribe Menu), you don’t need to use the Mixer to specify which staff to record into; simply click the staff in the score that you want to record into. If, however, you prefer to use the Playback Control’s Record button (instead of clicking a measure in the score), then you must use the Mixer’s (or Instrument List’s) R parameter to indicate the staves in which you would like to record. (Note you can use the Instrument List to specify individual layers for recording. See Instrument List).
If you would like to record into two or more staves simultaneously, first, from the HyperScribe Menu, choose Record Mode, and then Multitrack Record. Then click the R button for all staves you would like to record into. The buttons turn yellow, indicating that Finale will record into those staves. Click the Record button in the Playback Controls to begin recording. (Also, when you click the HyperScribe Tool, the HyperScribe frame appears on the selected staves.)
If you’ve assigned several staves to the same Instrument, once again remember that they’re all linked to the same Program. Therefore, if you edit the Program assignment for any one of these staves, the Program for all of them will change.
If you’ve assigned several staves to the same Instrument, by the way, remember that they’re all linked to the same MIDI channel. Therefore, if you edit the Chan. assignment for any one of these staves, the Chan. for all of them will change to match, because any given Instrument can only have one channel assignment. (If you truly want a staff to have an independent MIDI channel, first assign it to a new Instrument.)
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