In the Transcription Mode, a click track is nothing more than playback of Time Tags that Finale has placed automatically. You can specify various characteristics of the click: its pitch, MIDI channel, length, and so on.

To hear a click track while recording in the Transcription Mode

1. Click the HyperScribe tool   . The Hyperscribe menu appears.
2. Choose Hyperscribe > Transcription Mode. Click a measure in the score. The measure you click will be the first measure of the transcription when you transcribe the performance. You enter the Transcription window.
3. Click the word In at the lower-right corner of the Transcription window, and enter the time, in hours, minutes, seconds, and thousandths of a second, at which you want the click track to begin. If you want the click track to begin immediately at the beginning of your recording, leave the indicator set at 00:00:00:000. (Instead of typing numbers, you can also specify the appropriate point in the music by clicking in the display area.)
4. Click the word Out at the lower-right corner of the Transcription window, and enter the time, in hours, minutes, seconds, and thousandths of a second, at which you want the click track to stop. In other words, if you guess that your performance will last two minutes, type 2:00:000. (Instead of typing numbers, you can also specify the appropriate point in the music by clicking in the display area.)

Instead of entering numbers with the In: and Out: indicators, you may prefer to simply drag the mouse through the keyboard display area (marked by a piano keyboard at the left side). The In: and Out: numbers will change to accurately record the width of the highlighted area.

4. Enter the tempo in the Set to text box. The number you enter here is a standard metronome marking (beats per minute), and allows you to specify the tempo of the click track. (You set the rhythmic value of this metronome setting—usually quarter notes per minute—using the First Tag submenu of the Time Tag menu.)
5. Choose Time Tag > Click Output. The Click Output Type dialog box appears.
6. Specify the sound of the click track by clicking Listen and playing the appropriate note. Finale automatically takes note of the MIDI channel you used to generate the sample click.

You might want to use a rim shot or other short percussive sound on a drum machine, or a very high note on your MIDI keyboard. If you like, you can change the duration of the click sound by changing the Duration number; the default duration is a half second.

7. Click OK (or press ENTER). You return to the Transcription window.
8. Click Wait Till. When you click Wait Till, Finale places a set of Time Tag note icons across the top of the selected Keyboard region; when you begin to play, it will play each of these back as one click of the metronome.

Finale is now in pause mode, awaiting the first note of your performance. Make sure that the Record at End radio button is selected (under the word Keyboard) and that Play is selected (under the words Time Tag).

9. Record your performance as usual. As you play, Finale will record your performance while generating a click track of the tempo, sound, and duration you specified.

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