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Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I fix the "Music Font Not Found" at startup?
  Sometimes the installer fails to install the AloisenNew music font or the font has been accidentally deleted from the fonts Folder or you have improperly installed the program. Please download the AloisNew font on the Downloads page and install it using the Fonts Control panel. Be sure to reboot after installing the font.
• How do I share files with other programs?
  Overture 3 and Score Writer 2 share the same file format and can be read directly.
  In older versions of Score Writer or Overture, choose File | Export, and export your file as an .MID (Standard MIDI) file. You can then open this file in other programs. In other programs, choose File | Save As and save the file as an .MID (MIDI Format 1) file. You can then open this file in Score Writer or Overture from the File | Open menu.
• How do I get my MIDI instrument's patch name to appear in Score Writer or Overture?
  Go to Options | Instruments | Define | Import, double click on the keyboard manufacturer’s name and choose your instrument. Click on Close, and in the Assign Instruments screen click and drag to select items 1-16 on the left. On the right, click on your instrument. Now under Windows | Tracks, make sure that the device says the name of the instrument, and choose a Channel, Bank, and Patch.
• How do I tie or slur two notes together that are on different systems?
  Click on the Selection tool (Arrow) then click on the first note until it is red. Next, hold down the CTRL key (Command key on Mac) and click on the second note. Both notes should now be red. Finally, choose Notes | Group | Tie or Slur.
• How do I extract parts in Score Writer?
  If you have Score Writer version 2.0 or higher, click on the track you want extract, and choose the File | Extract Parts... menu command. The current track is selected and if you want other tracks to be extracted, simply click on the selector beside each track name. Score Writer version 1.0 does not have an an option to extract parts. In order to achieve the same results you will need to delete all the unwanted tracks/staves, choose File | Save As, and type in a new name.
• How do I move my lyrics from other programs into Score Writer or Overture?
  1) In other programs locate the lyrics.
  2) Select all the Lyrics and press Ctrl+C.
  3) Close the other program and open Score Writer/Overture.
  4) Choose Window | Lyrics Window.
  5) Choose Insert Lyric.
  6) Click Ctrl+V.
  7) Choose Apply.
• How do I insert separate rhythmic lines such as a quarter note against two eighth notes?
  Voices are used to separate multiple lines of music in a single stave.
  In Figure above we have two voices per stave. Voice one is in red and voice two is in black. Multiple voices allow you to enter two separate rhythmic lines into a single stave. To insert multiple voices in a track, make sure the track allows multiple voices using the Tracks Window. You can also set the default stem direction for each voice in the Tracks Window. To insert voice one, set the Voice Indicator at the bottom of the main window to either All or Voice 1. Now insert voice one notes and rests with your mouse. To insert the second voice, set the Voice Indicator to Voice 2 and insert the notes and rests. Be sure to reset the Voice indicator back to All when you are done with Voice two. When All is selected, all voices are show as normal, can be edited, and inserted notes default to voice one. Note that when voice two was selected, voice one notes were disabled (shown in gray), allowing you to work only in voice two.
  
  Note: If you wish to have a second voice start after the beginning of a measure and not show its rests such as voice two in Figure 1, you need to enter its rests and then hide them. Only preceding rests are necessary. You can hide a rest (or note) by selecting it and choosing Make Invisible from the Edit menu. To unhide rests, drag the selection tool around the rests to select them and then choose Make Visible from the Edit menu.
• How do I delete a track or staff?
  If you have Score Writer 2.0 or higher simply click on the track you want deleted and choose the Score | Delete Track menu command. In Score Writer 1.0 choose the Eraser tool (next to Arrow tool) and click on the center staff line at left edge of staff. You can also use the Eraser tool in version 2.0 and higher.
• How do I tie or slur two notes together that are on different systems?
  Click on the Selection tool (Arrow) then click on the first note until it is red. Next, hold down the CTRL key (Command key on Mac) and click on the second note. Both notes should now be red. Finally, choose Notes | Group | Tie or Slur.
• How do I setup MIDI input and output?
  If you have an external MIDI instrument, make sure that your MIDI cables are plugged IN to OUT and OUT to IN. On the PC, go to the Options menu and select Midi Devices and choose the MIDI In and Out of your sound card/MIDI interface on both sides. Make sure you have speakers connected to your MIDI instrument.
  
  If you are playing back to the onboard synthesizer of your sound card, select that item on the output side of Options | MIDI Devices. Make sure you have speakers connected to your computer. Next, select Windows | Tracks Window. Under Devices, choose 1:General Midi or 1:Keyboard Name.
  
  Finally, select a Channel (a different one for each patch), a Bank (if you have a keyboard using different banks), and a Patch (Sound) for each track. You should now hear music from the speakers connected to your instrument or computer. Note: On the PC version there is a small icon (a piano with two LEDs) on the Status Bar. The left LED blinks when MIDI data is being sent to the current Output Device and right LED blinks when MIDI data is being received from the current Input Device.
• How do I record my Overture/Score Writer scores onto a CD?
  If you own Overture 4 or Score Writer 4 for windows and use VST Instruments you can save your playback as a wave file using the VST Menu option "Record to File". If not, and you want to save your scores to audio CD you must record the playback using an audio recording program. This isn’t as simple as it sounds because Overture and Score Writer use MIDI data to playback and audio CDs required digital audio. Here how:

  • On Windows, most sound cards support full duplex which allows you to record its own MIDI playback and save it to a .wav file. For more details see your sound card’s documentation.

  • On Windows you can also use Awave Studio at www.fmjsoft.com, to convert MIDI to digital audio.

  • On Windows and Mac you can use Apple's QuickTime Pro to convert MIDI data to digital audio and save a .wav file to your hard disk, which you can then burn onto a CD.

• How do I create copyright and trademark symbols in text?
  It is easy to add special text like the copyright symbol to your headers and footers.
  
  Windows provides a handy accessory, called the Character Map, to help you locate and insert uncommon symbols like the copyright in your text. You can usually find the Character Map accessory in the Start menu, inside the Programs folder's Accessories folder.
  
  When you launch the Character Map, you can see all the various characters that aren't readily accessible from your QWERTY keyboard, like copyright, trademark, and registered trademark. The Character Map will tell you what keystrokes you make to add a symbol into your text. You can copy any symbol in Character Map, ready for pasting, or you can learn the keystroke needed to make the symbol yourself.
  
  On Windows:
  To enter most characters, Hold the Alt key, press four number keys, and then release the Alt key. Some common symbols in most text fonts include:
  
  Copyright symbol: Alt-0169
  Trademark ™ symbol: Alt-0153
  Registered trademark symbol: Alt-0174
  
  On the Macintosh:
  Copyright symbol: Option-g
  Trademark ™ symbol: Option-@
  Registered trademark symbol: Option-r
• How do I create a graphic files such as a TIFF, to import into another program on Windows
  You'll need to install a Printer Driver that prints graphic files. Once installed, choose Print... from the File menu. Select the installed Graphic Printer Driver as your printer. Click on the Properties button to set the Graphic Printer Driver parameters and type of graphic file, depending on the driver. Finally click on the Print button and select a location and filename in the Save As dialog. Once saved, you can alter the graphic file with any graphic program such as Paint, Photoshop, etc. Be sure to reset the print driver back to your normal printer after creating the file. We suggest PEERNET.DRV eTIFF 5.0. found at www.peernet.com.
  
  On the Macintosh:
  You'll need to have LaserWriter 8 printer driver installed. Once installed, choose the LaserWriter 8 as your printer using the Chooser. Now choose Print... from the File menu. Select File as the Destination in the print dialog. LaserWriter 8 can write several file types such EPS and PostScript. To set the type, select Save as File from a preferences popup menu and then select the file type from the Format popup menu. Finally click on the Print button and select a location and filename in the Save As dialog. Once saved, you can alter the graphic file with any graphic program such as Photoshop. (back to top)
• How do I connect staves in a system with a barline?
  Choose the Cross Staves Barline tool from the Staves palette. Now drag over the staves you wish to connect starting with the bottom staff, working upward. For example, if you have four staves and you wish to connect the top two staves with a barline and the bottom two staves with a barline, drag over the bottom two staves first, and then over the top two staves. You can break the barline connections by clicking between staves with the eraser tool.
• How do I use patch names in OS X?
  Versions 3.5.1 and above under OS X uses the system MIDI resources and Apple's Audio MIDI Setup (AMS). Versions 3.5.1 and above support XML for storing patch names for external MIDI devices. The factory names reside in Home/Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Sonic Scores/<manufacture> folder. Also supported are names from Pro Tools and Digital Performer, although we have not tested them thoroughly. To use the names, name your device in Audio MIDI Setup the same as found in the appropriate Patch Name document.
• Why can't I find the Score Writer tutorial files?
  When you choose File | Open in Score Writer, the Open window defaults to your My Documents folder. You will need to click the arrow to the right of Look In and navigate to your Score Writer folder. You will then see the tutorial files listed, and you can double click one to open it in Score Writer.