Old 07-29-2014, 01:01 PM   #1
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Default Finale/Reaper sync

Has anyone tried to sync notation software (such as Finale) with Reaper so that they can play simultaneously? Finale can send MTC and MIDI sync. How do I get Reaper to receive what Finale sends?

Thanks for your help.

I use Win 7 64-bit, Finale 2011b.r2, and Reaper 4.71.
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Old 07-29-2014, 08:33 PM   #2
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Has anyone tried to sync notation software (such as Finale) with Reaper so that they can play simultaneously?
Hi!

Not with Finale, but I work everyday rewiring Sibelius with Reaper and I can say it works really great - leaving aside, of course, some little quirks here and there that arise from syncing two complex programs such as these -. The basic rewire procedure is described here : http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=137265 . Maybe some of the info there can be of help to you...
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Old 07-29-2014, 10:09 PM   #3
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This is excellent !

Thanks for sharing this ... and thanks HOPI for making a PDF for the stash.

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Old 07-30-2014, 07:03 AM   #4
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You´re welcome!

Anyway, the thread has a copule of things explained in the main post that weren´t updated in the PDF, just in case you want to compare it...

Hope it helps!
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Old 07-30-2014, 02:05 PM   #5
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Yes, thanks so much chaps for the thread, links and that PDF. I haven't even had a chance to install it yet, but I got Finale 2014 recently and am sort of excited about the prospect of pumping out written scores and such by feeding MIDI into it over and over.

Aside from all else Finale will do and the bevy of included Garritan instruments (including the accordion, of course), I basically bought it because I am far too lazy and too poor a scribe to score my arrangements and far too cheap to pay someone to do a pro job of it for me.

Of course, I haven't a clue how to operate anything about it yet, but I have used ReWire. And it does allow MIDI input -- this much I know. My past scoring efforts look like complete slop compared to what someone good with a pen or marker who scores as a job can do!
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:21 PM   #6
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but I have used ReWire. And it does allow MIDI input -- this much I know.
Yes, it does, but that depends also on the slave´s ability to send MIDI. Sibelius, for example, won´t stream it via rewire, but as I explain in the tutorial, you handle that via LoopBe30 (or LoopBe1 if you don´t need more than 16 channels). In that case, rewire serves as a syncing protocol and all the MIDI goes through the virtual port. If you use LoopBe30, it´s better to turn off the automatic shortcut detection, since it can create some annoying issues if there are sudden jumps of the playback line. Apart from this, I can say it works great and you combine the best of both worlds - a top notch score editor and a top notch DAW like Reaper -.
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Old 07-31-2014, 09:01 AM   #7
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Looking forward to working on this. Never used LoopBe but did use MIDI Yoke a lot in the bad old days when everything seemed to need a workaround.
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Old 08-01-2014, 11:15 AM   #8
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Looking forward to working on this. Never used LoopBe but did use MIDI Yoke a lot in the bad old days when everything seemed to need a workaround.
Well, if you´re on Win x32 I think MIDI Yoke will do it fine. I don´t know about its performance though, since I´m on Win 7 x64 and LoopBe is one of the few x64 options regarding virtual ports. CopperLan seems to be an interesting alternative, but it seemed to have no compatibility with Sibelius when I tried it - and confirmed that in a forum somewhere -.

LoopBe is really affordable and works very well, at least in my experience, just in case you ever want to try it.
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Old 08-06-2014, 06:34 PM   #9
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... I got Finale 2014 recently...

... but I have used ReWire...
Let me know if you discover anything amazing. I've stayed with 2011 mostly because I am comfortable and have figured out workarounds to most of the quirks I've come across.

The MakeMusic forum is of course an indispensable resource, along with the user manual.

In what capacity have you used ReWire before?

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Well, if you´re on Win x32 I think MIDI Yoke will do it fine. I don´t know about its performance though, since I´m on Win 7 x64 and LoopBe is one of the few x64 options regarding virtual ports.
Have you tried loopMIDI? I downloaded it because I have 64-bit, although I have not gotten it to do what it's supposed to yet...

Thanks for posting that thread, though! I have bookmarked it in case I ever switch to Sibelius.
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How To: Sync Finale and REAPER using MTC (PDF)
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Old 08-06-2014, 07:35 PM   #10
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Have you tried loopMIDI? I downloaded it because I have 64-bit, although I have not gotten it to do what it's supposed to yet...
Well, my first, brief test shows that it works just as LoopBe...nice! I´ll have to use it in a big project to see how it perfoms in comparison. If it´s up to the job, I´ll update the thread to mention it for sure...
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Old 08-07-2014, 09:32 AM   #11
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ASCap, I used ReWire to hook up Reaper to Podium, back when Podium was my main DAW and I was just figuring out things about Reaper. I just wanted to see how it worked. There's plenty of printed info about using ReWire, all I've seen not very long either.

Isn't there some free version of LoopBe? It's been a long while but I seem to recall trying to do something with it before. I am still using 32-bits on my Win 7 for all this audio and still have MIDI Yoke archived away some where. I do remember how that worked and could use it again if needed. It was stable and simple enough.

As regards the newer Finale, does the 2011 come with all the Garritan instruments? In any case, it does now -- loads of them, perhaps even too many. Time will tell. The manual also states that several bugs were fixed in this new edition. Perhaps they are some of the ones you were referring to. I've only just installed it, set up preferences, and looked it over a couple of times. It's a far cry from software like the free version of MuseScore and the like that I had tried to make work before.

When I first began using a DAW all on my own I started with Cubase and didn't last very long with that one, but I do remember it had a score writing system within it. It didn't work very well then, but it showed me the possibilities of having this.

Last, I don't expect I'll try it, but I suppose JACK might work. I tried to wade into it last year but found it confusing and much more complicated than any of these other methods. I will avoid it at all cost.
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Old 08-08-2014, 07:10 AM   #12
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I´ve been already using loopMIDI in a medium-sized project and I can say that it works really smoothly! Since it´s free I think it´s a very good recommendation and it´s extremely simple to use... If you ever want to try it out with Finale I think it will be perfect for your needs...
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Old 08-08-2014, 11:02 PM   #13
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Telenator, Finale 2011 comes with Garritan Personal Orchestra. There are a few neat little mutes for brass (cup, harmon, bucket) in there, too, though the entire Jazz and Big Band VSTi set is sold separately. Check out their website for more, if you're into that kind of thing: http://www.garritan.com/ The CFX Concert Grand is scintillating, but I need to save up a bit before I can indulge in such niceties...

SDG, you're the best! Would you mind quickly running down how you have set it all up? Ins and outs, and such. Explain it to me as you would... a noob. Haha.
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How To: Sync Finale and REAPER using MTC (PDF)
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Old 08-10-2014, 08:33 AM   #14
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Hi AsCap! Well, since I use Sibelius I can´t tell you anything about Finale´s workflow, but I can throw here some ideas to see if they can be of help. First of all, I have updated my Rewire thread with some comments about loopMIDI just in case you want to take a look.

I have searched briefly on Google about Finale and Rewire and I guess it still doesn´t support it, so that leaves it out of the question. If you´re going to sync by sending MTC from Finale, then the reasoning is :

- You first have to enable the ports you create on loopMIDI (with the "+" button) in Finale - I don´t know of course how you do that -. You surely have to define the ports as outputs only, to prevent any MIDI infinite loop with data coming from Reaper by error. You have to enable them in Reaper also, but as inputs (Options - Preferences - Audio - MIDI Devices). You double click on the port and enable input with control messages from the device.

- As I don´t work with MTC, I can only guess this, but if you right click on Reaper´s Play button on the Transport you have many options to enable sync with different timecodes. There you will see something like "MTC : loopMIDI port [n]" as an option. The thing is that you have to know clearly how Finale manages the MTC send.

- If you have some kind of mixer in Finale, you have to assign one of the channels of the port (or ports, if you´ll have more than 16 instruments) to the ouput of each instrument or staff.

- In Reaper, each corresponding track will have that same port/channel as input and will be record-armed with monitoring on.

For example :

In Finale you have two staves of a piano. In its mixer (assuming it has one) you´ll assign each staff to channel 1, or maybe channels 1 and 2 if you want to control each piano´s hand separately. Then you have various options :

- You create one track in Reaper if you´re going to use only channel one, set the port/channel as input, record-arm and turn monitoring on.

- You can create two tracks for further control of each channel and proceed as stated above with each port´s channel.

- Also - and this is my favourite - you can create a single track and set "loopMIDI port - All Channels" as input. Then on the FX Chain of the track you can put a MIDI filter (for example "MidiNotchFilter" from Insert Piz Here) and let only events from channels 1 and 2 pass. Record-arm, monitoring on and you´re done.

This is the basic reasoning. Then on practice, there are always quirks here and there that you have to solve with each app´s specifics. Try investigating with this guidelines and then you can tell me.

Hope it helps...
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Old 08-10-2014, 09:15 PM   #15
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Got it to work! Thanks a bunch - that's pretty cool. I will post some Finale-specific instructions for anyone else trying to work this out.
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Old 08-11-2014, 12:07 PM   #16
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Thanks so much to both of you!

I'm just now reading the latest responses here and can hardly wait to go set this up.
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Old 08-11-2014, 07:52 PM   #17
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Quote:
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I will post some Finale-specific instructions for anyone else trying to work this out.
Excellent! That´s a fantastic supplement to the Sibelius thread! I´m glad you could easily find the way. Your set of instructions was really needed here for all Finale users, right now Telenator will put it soon to good use as he says...

If any of you need anything else, just pm me!

Greets!
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Old 08-12-2014, 06:19 PM   #18
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I'm just now reading the latest responses here and can hardly wait to go set this up.
I have finished writing the How To, with Finale-specific instructions! It should show up in my signature in this post. *previews post* Aha, yes, there it is. Follow the link at the bottom of my signature!
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Old 08-12-2014, 06:22 PM   #19
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If any of you need anything else, just pm me!
Thanks again, SDG! Will do.
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