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Hot Tip in Music Software!

By Laura B. Whitmore

Scrubbing in Finale
This favorite playback feature in Finale makes it possible to instantly solo an instrument at any point in the music and control the tempo as well. It’s the fastest way to hear a specific section of the music. Plus, the music will play back forward or backward at a speed controlled by the mouse. We call this “scrub” (or scrubbing) playback. In older versions of Finale this was called Audio Spot-Checking. This current feature is named after a technique used by the audio recording world during the days of the multi-track tape. The tape would be manually moved back and forth across the playback head of the recorder to listen to sections of the recorded music and help to determine the best place to make cuts or other physical edits to the tape.

How does this work? With Finale, a shortcut is pressed (the cursor will change to a speaker), and then the mouse is moved across notes on the page. Do not “click & drag.” Simply move the mouse across the notes. As you do this, the notes on the page play back. The speed of the playback depends on how fast you move the mouse. The faster you move the mouse, the faster the notes play back. The direction of the mouse determines if the notes play forward or backward.

Shortcuts:
Mac – Hold down the Option & Spacebar keys, then drag the mouse. This plays the entire score when you drag the mouse across specific music. Next, press the Option & Spacebar, then add Shift as well. This solos the part. Move the mouse across the notes to hear the notes play.
Windows - Press Control & Spacebar, then move the mouse across the music. Add Shift to solo a part.

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