Alex:
Below is something I posted here and on various other forums with basic instructions for slaving Logic's Audio Instruments to Finale. Note that I use the shareware program MIDI Patchbay to "buffer" Finale's outputs and avoid stuck and/or missing notes. Finale 2007 supposedly has fixed the bug that caused this problem. (One of the manifestations of this bug was that Finale was sending extraneous Sync messages to Logic even when "Send MIDI Sync" was turned off in Finale. This required turning off "auto-enable receive external sync" in Logic (Logic/File Menu/Song Settings/Synchronization). Also, one important feature that Finale has is the ability to create hidden symbols for channel changes so one is not limited to one channel per staff.
How to slave Logic to Finale (may not work as reliably with Finale 2006) on a single PowerMac:
Obtain a copy of the shareware program MIDI Patchbay at:
http://pete.yandell.com/software/Activate the IAC driver in Audio MIDI Setup. Create the requisite number of ports. (These ports are just like ports on a MIDI interface – 16 MIDI channels per port)
Open Finale.
Go to the MIDI Menu.
Choose MIDI Setup
Under input devices for channels 1-16 select your MIDI Controller; under output devices for Channels 1-16, select IAC Port 1, under output devices for channels 17-32 choose either IAC Port 2 etc.
Open MIDI Patchbay:
Using the Edit Virtual Outputs command under the flip menu on the right hand side of the dialog box create outputs for Logic. (e.g Logic Port 1, Logic Port 2. Create and enable a Patch that directs MIDI data to go from IAC Port 1 to Logic Port 1 repeat this action for any other Finale Output you want to go to a Logic Port. Save the document. When reopening MIDI Patchbay you will always get a default document. Close this default document and open the saved document you created.
Open Logic:
Go to the Clicks and Ports page of Logic’s environment. On the Physical Input you will see the IAC ports. Wire these ports to monitor objects. Create a corresponding number of Channel splitter objects - - naming them Finale Port 1, Finale Port 2, etc. . Connect these to the monitor objects you just created. (Take the wire from the monitor object output and stick it in the back of the Channel Splitter Object.)
Go to the Audio layer of the Environment. Create 16 or 32 or however many audio instruments you wish, instantiate EXS24, or whatever AU plugin sampler you wish in these instruments. Make sure the AI’s are assigned to different channels. Move the Channel splitters to the Audio layer. (select the channel splitters and hold down the option key while selecting the Audio layer: using this procedure you can move any object from one layer to another). Wire the Channel Splitters sequentially to the Audio Instrument Objects. (Use the front ports on the Channel Splitters which are labeled 1-16, do not use the SUM port). Thus Channels 1-16 on the Channel splitter Finale Port 1 are wired sequentially to Audio Instruments 1-16 and the MIDI Channel selection for each Audio Instrument corresponds to the port on the Channel Splitter. Do the same for the each Channel Splitter. Load whatever samples you want into the multiple instances of EXS 24 or VI instruments or any other virtual instrument plugins you wish.
Move the Channel Splitters back to the Clicks and Ports Layer. Play something on your keyboard controller and check to see if the Monitor Objects show MIDI data. The port is live when you see MIDI data appearing within the Monitor Object. When you have determined that the ports are live go to Logic’s Arrange Window. In the Arrange Window create a NO OUTPUT Object. Select the NO OUTPUT track – as if this were to be the live track in the Arrange window. This avoids creating a MIDI feedback loop.
Return to Finale and set the instruments to those you want to hear in the Instrument List. Playback and EXS24 (or whatever other virtual instrument plugins you have instantiated) will play what you have written. To play different instruments within EXS 24 from your MIDI Controller, set the MIDI controller to send on the same Channel as the desired instrument.
I have been using variants of this setup successfully since October 2004 with Finale 2004, then Finale 2005 and, less successfully - - because of problems with stuck and missing notes - - with Finale 2006. It gives you access to all of Logic’s plugins and all third party AU plug-ins. It also allows you to play back from Finale while simultaneously bouncing a stereo audio file into Logic.