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Document Options-Layers dialog box

How to get there

Choose Document > Document Options and select Layers.

What it does

The easiest way to notate simultaneous independent voices on a single staff is to use Finale’s Layer mechanism. Using these options, you can define the behavior of music in each layer—for example, you might want the second layer’s note stems always to go down, and you might want to make sure that second layer rests are out of the way of the upper layer. Note that the system of Voice 1/Voice 2 uses a completely independent method of flipping the stems.

Settings for Layer 1 • Layer 2 • Layer 3 • Layer 4. Using this drop-down list, choose the layer for which you’re establishing your settings. For example, you may decide that stems in Layer 1 should go up, and stems in Layer 2 should go down. How you handle Layers 3 and 4—since there aren’t any more stem directions to choose from—depends on the structure of the inner voices in the particular piece you’re working on.
Freeze Stems and Ties • Freeze stems Up/Down. When you select this checkbox, you can choose an automatic stem direction for stems. Choose either Up or Down from the drop-down list. Most of the time you’ll want to freeze Layer 1’s stems up and Layer 2’s stems down, and also to select Apply Settings Only if Notes are in Other Layers; with this setup, Finale will flip all stems up only when necessary—when there’s another voice (that is, in another layer) on the same staff.
Freeze Ties in the Same Direction as Stems. When there’s only a single voice on a staff, a tie customarily arcs away from the noteheads it’s attached to—hence, in the opposite direction from the note stems. If there are two voices on the staff, however, ties that followed this scheme would overlap and be difficult to read. This option, then, tells Finale to flip ties the "wrong way"—in other words, if notes in Layer 2 are present, you’ll want ties in Layer 1 to flip upward, even though the Layer 1 stems are upward.
Adjust Floating Rests by ___ Steps. If you select this item, you can enter a number in the text box that tells Finale, in lines and spaces, how much higher (or lower) than usual you want it to position rests in this layer. For example, you may want to enter a 4 in the text box and also select Apply Settings Only if Notes are in Other Layers; with this setup, Finale will move the upper voice’s rests up out of the way only when there’s a second voice on the same staff. (Of course, you could accomplish the same thing manually, by dragging any rest vertically using the Speedy Entry Tool; position the insertion bar on it and then drag it up or down.) A typical setup might be an Adjust Floating Rest setting of 4 for Layer 1, and –4 for Layer 2.
Hide Layer when Inactive. When this item is selected, the notes in this layer will only appear when it is the active editing layer. When this item is not selected, the notes in a hidden layer will appear as greyed notes when you are editing other layers.
Apply Settings Only if Notes are in Other Layers. Select this option if you want the other options—involving stems, ties, and rests—to apply only when there’s another voice (in another layer). If you don’t select this option, Finale will flip all Layer 1 stems (for example), or adjust all Layer 1 rests, even when Layer 1 is the only voice in a measure.
Ignore Layers Containing Only Hidden Notes • Ignore Hidden Layers. Check Ignore Hidden Notes to have Finale skip Layer Options settings for measures where only hidden notes appear in other layers. Uncheck this box to have hidden notes affect when Finale applies the Layer Options settings, if the Apply Settings Only box is checked. For example, you may wish to check this box if you’re using hidden notes in another layer for playback of a notated trill. Check Ignore Hidden Layers to have Finale skip Layer Options settings if the entire layer is hidden by the Hide Layer when Inactive checkbox above.
Playback. If you select this item, notes in this layer will playback as normal. If you uncheck this item, notes in this layer won’t playback. For example, you may wish to leave layer 1 unchecked for playback for a notated trill. Note that the Play setting in the Score Manager provides the same function.
Affect Music Spacing. If you select this item, notes in this layer will be considered when music spacing is applied. If you deselect this item, notes in this layer will be ignored during music spacing. For example, you may wish to leave layer 4 unchecked for Affect Music Spacing for written-out playback-only trills.