TallMetricFonts

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The following is a summary of the family of TallMetricFonts' characters, their use and positioning within text strings in FINALE. Click on any (low-resolution) example on this page to link to a PostScript rendering of the example, which may be viewed by dowloading the rendering to any PostScript printer.

This family of nine fonts was designed to allow for the notation of large-sized time signatures on conductor's scores and in multi-stave parts. The fonts may be thought of as a collection of progressively narrow MetricFonts or, consistent with their use, as taller versions of the familiar MetricFont, from which each face is derived. The fonts are numbered from MetricFont(One) to MetricFontEight. An additional font, MetricFontZero, is provided to assist with the implementation of the TallMetricFonts.

MacOS users should note that the TallMetricFonts Supplementary Set also includes a set of MultiMaster TallMetricFonts, which allow for incrementally percise sizing of fonts from a selection of eight hundred custom font designs.

Character Set

Each TallMetricFont has a character set identical to MetricFont, with the exception that the tall fonts lack MetricFont's barlines, stafflines and clefs. Expressions are generated as one would type them in MetricFont itself. The fonts are proportionately scaled according to their numerical order -- MetricFontFour being twice as tall as MetricFontTwo at a given point size (see the example at right).

Using the Tall Fonts

The following instructions provide a general outline for installing large timesignatures in FINALE:

Layout and notate the file as per usual in finale. Print the file for future reference. On a copy of the prepared file: Under the [Options] menu go to [Select Default Fonts...]. In the "Select Default Fonts" dialog, choose the "Time" item from the "Notation:" pop-up menu and click the "Set Font..." button. Set the font for time to 48pt. MetricFontZero. This will cause the time signatures to disappear, though finale will continue to allot space for time signatures --twice as much space as is normal. Recalc the music ([Edit] menu, "Update Layout"), so as to allocate sufficient space for the large time signatures. Referring to the printed score, create ScoreExpressions for each group of staves. Use 48pt. size (the same size selected in step 2). The specific MetricFont used at this point size will necessarily depend on the number of staves to be covered by a single time signature. MetricFontTwo normally spans the default interval between two staves in finale's NewInstrumentTool. MetricFontFour therefore covers 3 staves -- MetricFontSix, 4 -- and so on.

Extensive documentation and instructions on fine-tuning TallMetricFont expressions are provided with the purchase of Tall MetricFonts.

Macintosh users have an added option for fine-tuning their TallMetricFont ScoreExpressions because the tall TallMetricFont Supplementary Set for MacOS also includes MetricFont MultiMaster fonts which spans the effective range of MetricFontZeropointFive (0.5) to MetricFontEightpointFive (8.5) in 0.01 increments. A MultiMaster MetricFont Calculator is included with the MultiMaster fonts, to facilitate selection of best equivalences from among the 800 fonts contained in the MetricFont MultiMaster definition. Adobe Type Manager 4.0 or Adobe's Font Creator utility are required to utilize MultiMaster fonts.

Detailed instructions for the use of MultiMaster MetricFonts are included with the The Really Loud User's Guide, and may be viewed in PDF format by clicking here.