Musescore & Crashing
I tried out MuseScore (on XP) about a year ago or so, but got frustrated by crashes, and carried on using Finale Notepad. Coming back again, I see the last release claims to have fixed 30 (!) crashes, but for the widest range of reasons .
As as software engineer, this makes me wonder if there might be something fundamentally wrong with how MuseScore was designed - that the standard way to deal with unexpected circumstances is just to crash.
- Am I wrong?
- Was my experience of crashes unusual?
- Is MuseScore now a really stable program?
I can't emphasise how important that last question is to me. There is no way I want to be spending an hour or so entering music into MuseScape to have the whole stuff disappear because I click one time in a wrong place.
Finale Notepad might be a retarded, functionally-restricted PoS but at least it doesn't crash.
Comments
Hi. See my post below regards crashing. Even after I put the 'preferences' page back to its defaults MuseScore is still crashing my computer on startup. I'm now inclined to think that the first crash had nothing to do with me playing around in the 'preferences' page at all, that was just a coincidence before it crashed for the first time. Now what happens is that every three or four starts, when I click on the desktop shortcut icon the MuseScore banner appears for a few seconds then it crashes, the computer goes to a blue screen, runs the hard drive check and reboots. I then get a system message saying that it suffered a serious error probably due to a device driver.
This has stopped me using the program. It's such a shame because this is a fantastic application provided by some obviously dedicated, generous people. All I can do now is wait for V6 to appear to see if it resolves this crash problem.
In reply to Crashing by Peter B
MuseScore current stable release is 0.9.5 and it's a lot more stable than 0.9.4.
0.9.6 will be more stable than 0.9.5. MuseScore is still in development, even if it has a lot more feature than Finale Notepad.
All the development is done by the community for the community.
MuseScore is totally free : 0$ and everybody can modify and extend the code. So your scores are and will be be always exportable to open format such as MusicXML. You'll have updates for free too. Well, if you really are a software developer, I don't have to advertise Free Software to you...
Try MuseScore 0.9.5, it's free... If it's not stable enough for you, get involved and buy your freedom with your effort, a lot of people will help you to do this on this forum. If you prefer sacrify your freedom for your confort, it's your choice and nobody should blaim you.
In reply to MuseScore current stable by [DELETED] 5
> it's a lot more stable than 0.9.4
Good.
> 0.9.6 will be more stable than 0.9.5
Err, OK, so 0.9.5 is still not so stable then, huh? What are we talking about? A crash per day? Per hour? Or a list of "don't-do-thats" to obey?
Otherwise, I fully take your points about free software. If I had more time I would get more involved, but right now, I just need to type in some tunes.
While I'm here, can MuseScore do playback now? Of all voices/instruments together?
In reply to > it's a lot more stable than by ralphb
If we knew when MuseScore crashes, then it would not crash at these places... See the bugs average lifetime.
I use the last beta version on daily basis for simple leadsheet and MusicXML export and it does not crash.
Since 0.9.4, MuseScore can playback different instruments but you need to install a Soundfont .
In 0.9.4 and 0.9.5, the default/included soundfont had only piano sound because there were not free and compact soundfont. For the next version 0.9.6, after a lot of efforts, MuseScore will be packaged with a complete and lightweight soundfont. Of course, you can still use other Soundfont s like the one listed in the handbook for better sound.
If you want to try MuseScore 0.9.6, a beta2 is available. If you want to know when MuseScore 0.9.6 is out subscribe to the newsletter, tweeter or facebook account.
You might be interested to know that 0.9.6 will have crash control on board now. A recent testimonial from someone who encountered a crash.
Maybe it is the kind of scores I use with MuseScore, mostly chamber music: few staves (3 or 4), no lyrics, and the like, but I felt compelled to say that my experience with MuseScore is not so bad.
I'm using it since 0.9.4 and I remember to have lost some work only twice and in both cases it was of course annoying but nothing more, also because I try hard to NEVER trust software and I automatically press Ctrl-S every few minutes and not just with MuseScore but with everything.
I had many more crashes, but almost always I was playing with plugins, pushing and pulling the edge to test the interface, so I can hardly blame the programme for this.
I lost work with Microsoft Word, with OpenOffice, with Visual Studio, with Eclipse, more or less with any programme I use; so I do not feel MuseScore to behave worse than the average 0.smtg version of a programme, actually it is definitely better than most.
OTOH, music is mostly a hobby for me, I do not rely on MuseScore for my work or my job, so I understand I can be less exacting than a person using it for his 'serious' work.
Best,
M.
I have used 0.9.5 frequently since last summer for marching & concert band arrangements, and have found it to be quite stable. I don't mean a crash a day, or even a week, for me it's more like a crash a month at most. And when it does, generally it's because of a bug that will cause a consistent crash (so I find a work around). It's not perfect - I refer to it as "quirky" - but then again so is Finale, and MuseScore doesn't want me to pay $149 a year to fix those quirks!
In reply to Stability by newsome
Just a final thought on my MuseScore crashing problem. After the first crash, 10 days or so ago, I accepted the usual invitation to send a report to Microsoft, pressed send, and was surprised how long the report took to send. They are usually quite short but this one took quite a long time so it was obviously a pretty big dump of data.
A couple of days ago I received an 'updates are ready for your computer' message from Microsoft which I downloaded and installed and guess what - MuseScore hasn't crashed since. Now I have no idea what goes on inside my computer box, but is it possible that that Microsoft 'update' fixed whatever conflict there was in my box which was causing the crash?
Anyway all I care about now is that, for reasons unknown, my MuseScore seem to have become rock solid stable.
Strange things, computers !!
In reply to Just a final thought on my by Peter B
So, I installed 0.9.5 and used it for a couple of hours. No crashes yet, I'm please to report.
Not that it isn't without other frustrations. The user interface is, shall we say, a little quirky. Not sure why the selected note types keep changing between N and non-N mode. Not sure why sharps and flats have to be added after the note is added, rather than before. Not sure why I can't mouse-select a set of notes, rather than using shift-arrow. Not sure why the direct playback voice is piano, but saved midi voice is Aahs. ... I could go on.
BTW, Is it possible to independently change the instrument volumes before saving as a MIDI? (For our choir, I like to save each voice at volume 101, with the other voices in the background at 30 or so.) Not a vital feature, as I can adjust it afterwards with GNMIDI, but I've got used to doing it with Finale Notepad's instrument view dialogue.
In reply to No Crashes Yet by ralphb
You can change the volume in Display -> Mixer. I didn't test but it should change the MIDI volume when you export too.
If you want to hear something more than Piano, install a Soundfont .
In reply to No Crashes Yet by ralphb
"Not sure why the selected note types keep changing between N and non-N mode."
Feel free to give an example with steps so that others can reproduce the behavior you are talking about.
"Not sure why I can't mouse-select a set of notes, rather than using shift-arrow. "
Shift+drag selects notes with the moues
In reply to Just a final thought on my by Peter B
Peter B: The report goes to Microsoft not MuseScore developers. It is highly unlikely that the lack of crashes is related to your updates from Microsoft. Probably you are using MuseScore in a slightly different way. If you work out the steps that cause MuseScore to crash for you then please report them on the forums.
In reply to Peter B: The report goes to by David Bolton
Well yes, I realise that the crash report went to Microsoft and not to MuseScore - I may not be a computer wizard, but I have at least that much understanding. I can categorically confirm that I have changed nothing in the way that I am using MuseScore. I have a desktop shortcut to it, I click on that and the program loads. Before I received the Microsoft 'update' it crashed every one in 3 or so attempted starts, since the 'update' it has not crashed once in several starts. Ergo, in the absence of any other influencing factors, the Microsoft 'update' has to be the prime contender for the change in MuseScore's performance and not me.
I'm not only new to it, but to Linux as well. I'm curious as to why it crashes EVERY time I try to input a note.
Thank you
Chris
In reply to New to MuseScore by BassBugleGuy
Because you are using and old, unstable version of MuseScore. As recommend above, you should upgrade to MuseScore version 0.9.5. Instructions are on the download page of this website.
In reply to Because you are using and by David Bolton
I downloaded Version 0.9.5. The version at the top right of my page.
In reply to I downloaded Version 0.9.5. by BassBugleGuy
I'm not sure why it is crashing for you then. I don't remember anyone else reporting this problem. What operating system are you using? What version? Please see //musescore.org/en/handbook/how-report-bug-or-ask-support
I'm running Ubuntu for Netbook.
In reply to I'm running Ubuntu for by BassBugleGuy
You will need to report the exact step-by-step instructions that cause the crash, including what buttons you press, where you click with the mouse, etc.
Include the version and revision number as reported in the Help > About. Also you should report what version of Ubuntu you are using.
http://musescore.org/en/handbook/how-report-bug-or-ask-support