Hello Gabriel!

I was able to reproduce that Finale 2011 brings VE Pro to show "Mixdown" in the lower right corner. Nevertheless the CPU usage was not high according to the Windows 7 Task Manager and the playback was fine here. With Finale 2012 the CPU usage is shown correctly in VE Pro. It's hard to say what causes the clicks and pops. Which OS are you using? Which application actually uses the most CPU? To find out details about this take a look at the Windows Task Manager or the Apple Activity Monitor. Please also make sure to use the latest versions of Finale 2011 and our software.
http://www.vsl.co.at/en/68/428/1093.vsl

Best regards,
Andi

I've also been having pops and clicks with Finale 2011 and VEP 5. I never used to have that problem, so this is something new.

Hello Bill!

You have written in your signature that you are using Finale 2012. Did you try it with Finale 2011 and Finale 2012? Is there a difference? Did you take a look at the Task Manager? Are there processes with high CPU usage? If yes, which one(s)?

Best regards,
Andi

Hi Andi,

I went back in Fin2011 because of the export audio bug in 2012. I haven't had much time for music lately, so will have to look more carfully, and will post what I find out.

Hello Andi,

Here are some details of my machine: I am using Windows 7 enterprise SP1 on a i7 2600K @ 3.40 GHz with 24 GB RAM. I am using Finale 2011b.r2 and VE Pro 5 5.1.12684 aug 23 2013. I am getting the worst clicks and audio dropouts with a simple score which has only 3 VIPro instruments, two saxophones playing melodic lines and strings playing whole notes chords. At every bar there is a dropout. I noticed that the audio drops outs started when I added the strings instruments. CPU usage is very low 34% and also memory usage is only 4.81 GB of the total 24 GB. So it is not definitely a hardware issue. With the regular VE I didn't experience any issues, even with more complex scores. Also, I don't experience any issues using Sonar X1 instead of finale. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Best regards,

Gabriel.

OK, no clicks and pops in Fin2012c, and it doesn't say MIXDOWN in VEP...

Here is an update. I downloaded and installed from the archive the previous version of VEP 5, 5.1.12337 Jun 24 2013, and it works perfectly fine with Finale 2011. No "MIXDOWN" text, and it shows the CPU usage. Playback is fine with no dropouts. So it seems that this is a bug introduced in the last version of VEP 5 (5.1.12684).

Best regards,

Gabriel.

We will look into it. I can't say though if the issue is on our side or on Finale's side.

Best,

Andi

Sounds like broken or incorrectly implemented VstProcessLevel flags in Finale 2011.

It's natural to blame MM in such matters, but in this case, it was working previously, and obviously Fin2011 hasn't changed.

Hello Bill!

We have made some changes to the implementation of the kVstProcessLevel flags in the last version. Some manufacturers have broken or no  implementation of this essential flag. It seems MakeMusic has implemented this flag with Finale 2012, but not with Finale 2011.

Anyway, I have sent you a VE Pro beta version that might work better with Finale 2011. Did you try it?

Best,
Andi

Thanks Andi,

I'll give it a try when I get home in a couple of hours...

Hi Andi,

Thanks for the beta version. But  unfortunately there are still some audio dropouts and the CPU indicator is again in MIXDOWN. I sent you an email to the support email with a sample file in which the problem can be reproduced. For the time being I will stick to version VEP 5.1.12337 which works fine with Finale 2011.

Gabriel.

Hi,

I'm new to both Finale and VEP 5, and have a problem getting started.

I've set up VE Pro 5 on a Mac, and intend to use it with Finale 2011 (on the same Mac) and Kontakt 5. I've been able to load Kontakt into VE Pro, and can play on the on-screen keyboard to get sounds, but I can't seem to create a connection between a Staff in Finale.

The Staff in Finale says "PC1" now, and I've set Finale to play through AudioUnits. In Finale (in the Audio Unit Instruments window), I've tried both to set up Vienna Ensemble Pro and Vienna Ensemble Pro Event Input (not that I know the difference between these two options yet) - without any success. 

I haven't set up any external MIDI gear yet. Whatever I do, I can't find a way to enter a note in Finale (with the mouse) and hear it in VE Pro/Kontakt.

Hello Zen!

Please check the following things.
- Did you start Vienna Ensemble Pro 5 Server from the Vienna Ensemble Pro 5 Applications folder?
- Did you load the Vienna Ensemble Pro 5 plugin in Finale and connect it to the VE Pro Server?
- Did you leave the MIDI port in VE Pro at "Omni" or "1"? With Finale the MIDI ports 2 and higher can only be accessed with help of the VE Pro Event Input. More details about the VE Pro Event Input can be found in the Vienna Ensemble pro 5 manual.
http://www.vsl.co.at/en/68/428/2022/1709.htm
- Did you set up the same MIDI channels in Kontakt and Finale?

I hope this helps.

Best regards,
Andi