Before Finale 2012, changing instruments mid-score was a bit of a process. For example, if I wanted a saxophonist to switch to a flute halfway through a piece, I had to add a Staff Style for the notation to appear correctly, and an Expression to make playback work right. In addition, when using the Garritan sounds I’d have to manually load the new sound into the Aria Player.

In Finale 2012, it’s as simple as click and play:

1. Choose the Selection tool, then highlight the measure where you want the change to occur.
2. Navigate to Utilities menu > Change Instrument.



3. Select the instrument you wish to change to and click OK.

Finale 2012 automatically sets the proper staff attributes AND configures the playback change. Want to go to another instrument or switch back? Just repeat the steps above.

Please let me know how Finale 2012 is working for you by clicking on “Comments” below. Don’t have Finale 2012 yet? Download the free 30-day trial version!