Files

Maestro saves scores in its own format, but it also opens Finale, MusicXML and MIDI files, and exports PDF, MusicXML, MIDI and audio. This chapter covers opening and saving, what happens with files from other programs, how autosave and backups protect your work, and how to put together a setlist.

The commands are in the File menu on both Mac and Windows.

Opening a score

• Choose File → Open… (⌘O, on Windows Ctrl+O).
• Or double-click the file, or drag it onto the Maestro icon (Mac) or the Maestro window (Windows).
• Recently opened files are in File → Open Recent.

Open scores sit side by side as tabs in the same window. On the Mac these are standard macOS tabs, and reopening a file that is already open brings its tab to the front instead of opening it twice. On Windows you switch tabs with Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab or from View → Open Documents, and close a tab with Ctrl+W or its ×.

Formats

Format	Extension	Opens	Saves / exports
Maestro	.maestro	yes (also old .partitura files)	yes
Finale	.musx	yes	no
Finale, old format	.mus	no	no
MusicXML	.musicxml, .xml	yes	yes
Compressed MusicXML	.mxl	yes	yes
MIDI	.mid, .midi	yes	yes
PDF	.pdf	no	yes
Audio	.m4a, .wav	no	yes

Finale files

Maestro reads .musx files directly, without going through MusicXML: staves and names, clefs, key and time signatures, notes, chords, rests, layers, tuplets, braces and brackets, transposing instruments, drums with their percussion map, grace notes, articulations, dynamics, slurs, hairpins, text, rehearsal marks, chord symbols, lyrics, repeats, endings, jumps and rhythmic slashes. Page format and layout come across too, with systems and pages as Finale had them. To switch to Maestro’s more compact layout, see Layout and printing.

If anything couldn’t be imported, a message lists it after the file opens.

The old .mus format is binary and undocumented, so Maestro can’t open it. Open it in Finale and save it as .musx (Finale 26 or later), or export it as MusicXML.

MIDI files

A MIDI file becomes a real score: one part per track, named after the track, with the instrument matching its General MIDI sound (and its transposition, such as trumpet in B♭). Piano goes on two staves, channel 10 on a drum staff. Title, tempo, meter and key come from the file; tempo changes become “♩ = …” markings.

Notes are transcribed like a recording, using the quantization grid and triplet recognition chosen in Settings → MIDI (see MIDI keyboard). MIDI files timed in frames (SMPTE) can’t be read.

Saving

• File → Save (⌘S, on Windows Ctrl+S).
• File → Save As… (⇧⌘S, on Windows Ctrl+Shift+S).

A Finale, MusicXML or MIDI file is never overwritten: the first save asks where to save the score in Maestro format. If you close a score (or Maestro) with unsaved changes, Maestro asks whether to save them.

Exporting

Command	Mac	Windows
Export PDF…	⇧⌘P	from the File menu
Export MusicXML…	⇧⌘E	from the File menu
Export Compressed MusicXML (.mxl)…	from the menu	from the File menu
Export MIDI…	from the menu	from the File menu
Export Audio…	⌥⇧⌘E	from the File menu

• PDF: the pages as in Page View. In a part view, the part is exported.
• MusicXML: for passing the score to MuseScore, Dorico, Sibelius or Finale. The file carries the layout too (systems, pages and staff spacing), so the other program opens it with the same systems. In a part view, the part is exported. Compressed .mxl is smaller and read by the same programs.
• MIDI: the notes as they play, with title, track names, key signature, mixer volume and pan, swing, tempo changes and chord accompaniment. Reimported into Maestro, the file comes back with the same notes.
• Audio: M4A or WAV, the whole score, each part alone, or a backing track without each part. See Exporting audio.

For printing and for extracting parts as PDF or MusicXML, see Layout and printing.

Autosave and backups

In Settings → General, under Saving (Maestro → Settings… on the Mac, Edit → Settings… on Windows):

• Autosave: never (the default), every minute, or every 2, 5 or 10 minutes. It only applies to Maestro documents that have been saved once, not to imported files.
• Keep a copy of the previous version at every save (on by default): before overwriting a document, Maestro keeps the previous version. It keeps the last five copies of each document.
• Show Copies… opens the backups folder in Finder or File Explorer.

Each copy has the date and time of the save in its name. To recover a version, open it with Open… and save it under a new name.

Recent documents

File → Open Recent lists the files you opened or saved most recently. You choose how many to remember in Settings → General.

On the Mac, in addition:

• files are found even after you move or rename them; deleted ones drop off the list;
• when two files share a name, their folder is shown too;
• Clear Menu empties the list;
• the same recent files are in the Dock menu (right-click the Maestro icon), together with New Score….

Setlist PDF and audio

File → Setlist (PDF and Audio)… collects several pieces into one PDF, for a gig or a book of tunes.

1. Add the pieces (Maestro, MusicXML, Finale or MIDI files), dragging them into the window if you like.
2. Reorder them with the arrows or by dragging rows, and remove the ones you don’t need.
3. Enter the collection title and choose whether to put an index at the beginning.
4. Choose the content: the full score or a part.
5. Create the PDF. On Windows you can also print the setlist directly.

The PDF starts with the index (title, composer and page of each piece) and has continuous page numbers across all the pieces. The list, title and choices are remembered for next time.

One instrument’s part

Type an instrument name, even just part of it (“Trumpet”, “Sax”): Maestro takes that part from every piece, so each musician gets their own book. The name is also matched in the other language: “Tromba” finds “Trumpet 1”, and “Sax” finds all the saxophones. Pieces without that part are skipped and listed at the end.

Setlist audio

Export Audio… in the setlist window gives you the pieces to listen to, each played as in playback, as M4A or WAV, with or without the metronome. You can get:

• one file per piece, numbered in list order (“01 - Autumn Leaves”);
• a single file with a pause between pieces (0 to 20 seconds) and, next to it, a text list with each piece’s start time.

With a part chosen you can also export the backing track without that part, to rehearse the gig by playing along, or the part on its own.