Installation for Macintosh

Installing Finale SongWriter

Installing SongWriter onto your hard disk is easy.

Before you begin installing SongWriter, make sure there’s enough room on your hard disk to hold the program and its associated files. For a full installation, you’ll need about one hundred megabytes (100,000K) of free space on your hard disk. You should also bear in mind that, like many other software programs, SongWriter creates and makes use of “temporary files” during its normal operations, which it then deletes from your hard disk when you exit the program. We recommend having an additional ten megabytes (10,000K) of free disk space for these files.

The Installer sets up a folder called “SongWriter” for the SongWriter program and its associated files and folders. Do not alter this setup.

• Insert the SongWriter disc into your CD/DVD drive. Its icon appears on your desktop.
• Double-click the CD/DVD icon. The contents of the CD/DVD appear on your screen.
• Double-click the Installer icon. You are prompted to enter your computer administrator’s password.
• Enter your password and click OK. In a moment, the SongWriter Installer screen appears.
• Follow the instructions on the screen until the installation is complete. The SongWriter Installer lets you select which files you want installed and where you want them placed on your hard disk. The Installer offers to create a folder called “SongWriter” We recommend that you install all of the SongWriter files into this new folder. For the most part, you can press Return to confirm the defaults. When you open an older Finale family notation file (choose File, then Open and navigate to your older file), SongWriter takes a moment to convert it into the new format, then opens it as an “Untitled” file. If you save the file in SongWriter using the same name as before, you will not be able to reopen that file using an earlier version of SongWriter. It is suggested, therefore, that you save the file with a slightly different name (for instance, “My Score” could become “My Score 2”), unless you are sure that you won’t need to reopen the file in an earlier version of SongWriter.

Preparing for Printing

These instructions cover the basic preparations for printing from SongWriter or any program. If you can print successfully from other programs already, skip ahead to the next section. Before you print for the first time, you must tell the Macintosh where to send its printing information, especially if you have more than one printer.

To Set up Your Printer

• Install OS X drivers for your printer. If the printer is compatible with OS X, you’ll find these drivers on a CD included with your printer. You can also usually download the necessary drivers from the printer manufacturer’s web site. See the printer’s user manual for additional information.
• Navigate to the hard drive, and choose Applications, Utilities, and then Printer Setup Utility. The Print Center dialog box appears.
• If your printer isn’t already listed, click the Add button.
• In the new window, choose the appropriate zone from the pop-up menu.
• Click your printer’s name and click Add.
• Quit Print Center/Printer Setup Utility.

Setting Up Your MIDI System

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s the language spoken by computers and electronic musical instruments. We’ll assume that you’re connecting a MIDI keyboard, although you can use any MIDI instrument. In this manual, “MIDI keyboard” refers to whatever type of MIDI device you are using.

At the very least, you’ll need the following equipment for an operational MIDI system (not including your computer):

A MIDI keyboard

Amplifier/speaker or headphones

Two MIDI cables

A MIDI interface with appropriate USB cable

The last item, a MIDI interface, is a box that translates the signals arriving from the MIDI keyboard into signals the computer understands, and vice versa. Interfaces can be very simple or very elaborate. The most basic ones require no external power and have ports (jacks) for a single MIDI keyboard; more expensive models have ports for multiple MIDI devices or other features. Most Macs have USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports, a standard that allows users to connect devices to their computers without needing to restart for the devices to become active.

• Place the computer, keyboard, and MIDI interface where you want them. Go ahead and plug in any power cords, but don’t turn anything on yet.
• Plug one end of the MIDI interface cable into the interface (if applicable). Plug the other end into the USB or serial port on the back of your Macintosh.
• Plug one end of a MIDI cable into the MIDI keyboard port marked MIDI In. Plug the other end into the MIDI interface port marked MIDI Out. Plug the second MIDI cable into the interface port marked MIDI In and the MIDI keyboard port marked MIDI Out. The most common problem encountered by a new MIDI user is improperly connected cables. The trick is to think of the route the music data is taking. The notes you play will leave your MIDI keyboard from the port marked Out, and enter the interface through the port marked In, then on to the computer. Similarly, when the computer plays back your music, the notes go out from the computer to the interface, leave the interface through the port marked Out, and enter your MIDI keyboard through the port marked In. So, although it may seem contrary to common sense, plug the In to the Out and vice versa.

Your connections should resemble those in this figure:

• Turn on all your equipment.  

Your MIDI system is now configured. To name a MIDI device or configure additional settings, jump ahead to Configuring MIDI in OS X. If you do not wish to name a MIDI device or make additional settings, you can skip ahead to Starting SongWriter.

Configuring MIDI in OS X

You can use helper utilities already available on your computer to configure your MIDI devices by following these steps.

• Navigate to your hard drive, and choose Application, Utilities, Audio MIDI Setup. The Audio MIDI Setup dialog box appears. Now, we’ll add new devices.
• Click the MIDI Devices tab. Audio MIDI Setup will search for MIDI hardware and software. After the search, your MIDI interface will appear.

• In the button bar, click Add Device to add a new device icon to the window below. If necessary, drag the new icon so it isn’t overlapping any others.
• Double-click the new device icon. The New External Device Properties dialog box appears.
• Enter a device name, then select or enter the manufacturer and model. If more options are required, click the More Properties arrow.
• Click Apply and close the dialog box. Repeat the last four steps for any other devices. Now, we’ll connect new devices to the interface.
• If you are using a controller for MIDI input, drag the outgoing arrow of the MIDI controller to the incoming arrow on the MIDI interface.
• If you are using a sound module for playback, drag the incoming arrow of the sound module to the outgoing arrow on the MIDI interface.
• If you are using a device such as a MIDI keyboard for both input and playback, connect the outgoing arrow on the MIDI device to the incoming arrow on the MIDI interface, and then connect the incoming arrow of the MIDI device to the outgoing arrow of the MIDI interface. Now, to ensure your devices are installed properly on your computer, we’ll test the MIDI setup.
• Click the “Test Setup” button on the upper right. The cursor changes into two eighth notes.
• Click the down arrow beneath a device’s icon . Your computer sends a message to your MIDI device. You see the “Out” light illuminate on your MIDI interface and/or a sound played on the MIDI device.
• Click the Internal Speaker icon in the upper right corner of the finder and drag the slider near the top to ensure the volume is up (as shown here).

• Play a note on the external MIDI device. The external MIDI device sends a message to your computer. You see the “In” light on your MIDI interface illuminates and/or hear a beep from your computer’s internal speaker.
• Quit Audio MIDI Setup.  

Now that you have set up MIDI with OS X, skip directly to Starting SongWriter.

Starting SongWriter

• Double-click on the “SongWriter 2012” icon on your Desktop. When you launch SongWriter for the first time, you will see the Authorize SongWriter dialog box. This dialog box continues to appear each time you launch SongWriter until the product is authorized.
• Click Authorize Now! to start the SongWriter Authorization Wizard. Follow the simple instructions to authorize your copy of SongWriter. Or, click Remind Me Later to authorize at a later time. You have 30 days to authorize your copy of SongWriter. After 30 days, printing and saving are disabled until your copy of SongWriter is authorized.

If you have Internet access (and are not running firewall, security, or virus software that would block information from being received back at your computer), simply select this option, and the rest is taken care of automatically.

Otherwise, select one of the other options for Manual via WebSite, FAX, or mail and a window will be displayed containing a User Code. You may enter this code at www.finalemusic. com/register, print out this page and FAX or mail it to us, or call with your serial number and User Code. In any case, we will generate an Authorization Code that you manually type in to complete the process. Subsequently, our system automatically sends an e-mail confirmation of the information. If you selected the internet option, but have a firewall that blocked the information from being received, then you can manually type in the Authorization Code information provided.

Your copy of SongWriter can be authorized on one operating system at a time, but with an Internet connection, authorization can be moved from one computer to another at will. Simply choose Deauthorize SongWriter from the Help Menu to open up a free authorization slot. Your copy of SongWriter can now be authorized on a different computer (or another OS installed on the same computer if, for example, you are running both Mac and Windows on an Intel-based Mac). Also, deauthorize prior to making hardware changes to your computer, such as replacing a hard drive. Doing so will ensure a slot is open to authorize after updating your hardware. When you deauthorize, printing and saving are disabled until authorization has been restored.

PLEASE NOTE that the User/Authorization Codes are computer specific, and will only work on the given computer installation. Make sure that the Authorization Code is typed in using capital letters, and also verify that the correct serial number has been entered. If you have made a change to the computer (replaced the hard drive or motherboard, or installed a new operating system), and didn’t deauthorize prior to doing so, contact Customer Service directly by phone, FAX, or standard mail with your serial number and the location ID for the specific installation in question, and one of our representatives can clear the previous authorization from your account. If the software is not "reminding" you to authorize when you run the program, then the authorization has been successfully completed.

• Click OK. The Launch Window appears. From here, you can choose how you want to begin a new score, continue working on an existing project, or access reference materials. For example, choose Setup Wizard to begin a new custom document by specifying the title, staves, key signature, time signature, and other attributes. You’ll learn more about the Setup Wizard in chapter 1a.

The MIDI Setup Dialog Box

The MIDI Setup dialog box is where you instruct SongWriter which devices you’d like to use for MIDI functions. On the left side of the dialog box, you’ll choose the MIDI input device. On the right side, you’ll choose the desired output device. What you choose here will determine on which device SongWriter will play back your music.

Setting Up MIDI with OS X

• Start SongWriter.
• Navigate to the MIDI Menu and choose MIDI Setup. The MIDI Setup dialog box appears.
• For the MIDI System, choose CoreMIDI.
• Select the proper input and output devices from their respective menus. If only ports are listed, select the port on your interface to which your MIDI device is connected.
• Click OK. You’re all set to explore SongWriter on your own.

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