MakeMusic’s Finale 2014.5 (http://www.finalemusic.com), a free update for all owners of Finale 2014, is the latest version of the acclaimed music notation software. It incorporates new features, bug fixes, and significant modernization of Finale code, including many Mac-specific updates resulting in performance improvements and full compatibility with Mac OS X El Capitan.

Finale 2014.5 adds the ability to save SmartMusic accompaniments with premium VST/AU instrument sounds, including the provided Garritan sounds. It also provides: a means to reorder staves; enhanced MusicXML and EPUB support; options to automatically create double barlines before key changes; and updated SmartScore X2 Lite scanning software, with many improvements in core musical features such as beams, augmentation dots, and tuplets.

All plug-ins provided with the update have also been modernized, and many have been enhanced, including FinaleScript, Global Staff Attributes, Latin Percussion, TG Tools Lite, Band-in-a-Box Auto-Harmonizing and more. Finale’s documentation was also overhauled, offering vastly improved search results and compatibility with any device, including smartphones and tablets. The release also resolves more than 120 bugs, prioritized by customer requests.