“How do I get patch names for my keyboards into Finale? Are there any preset instrument lists?”
Finale does not contain any preset patch (instrument) lists other than General MIDI. Here’s how to make your own instrument list in 7 easy steps:
1. Go to Window – Instrument List.
2. Under Instrument, there is a pull-down menu that says None. Pull this down to New Instrument.
3. Here you can type the name of the patch/instrument you are adding, e.g. Solo Trombone.
4. For the Patch pull down menu, select the method your keyboard uses to select bank numbers, if applicable. For example, Kurzweil uses Bank Select 32, Program Change. This is the most common, with Bank Select 0, Program Change being the second most common. Some Roland and high-end Yamaha keyboards (like the Motif) use Bank Select 0, Bank Select 32, and Program Change. Check your keyboard’s manual to find out which method they use, and they might even provide a table of all necessary information. (If you’re not sure how bank change commands work, just do a search on them in the inSync archives – there have been several articles covering this.)
5. Ignore the General MIDI menu and channel number and press OK.
6. You can choose to add more as necessary.
7. When finished, go to File – Save Library and choose Instruments, press OK. Name your file something easy to remember- you’ll want to load this at the beginning of each new piece you start and add to it as needed. This basically saves only the instrument list you are creating.
By the time you have created several pieces (or after a long night of adding patch names), you should have a fairly lengthy list of patches for your specific keyboard and in the future can just select the instrument name and begin working – remembering bank change methods will be a thing of the past.