In [ add] - [instrument] menu, allow someone to hear a scale played by the instrument before adding the selected instrument

• Mar 7, 2015 - 01:14

In [ add] - [instrument] menu, allow someone to hear a scale played by the instrument before adding the selected instrument.

This way I can browse the possible instruments, testing the sound before deciding to use it.

Also is there a method to expand the midi sound library in windows 8?
Looked at http://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/virtualmidisynth#download but I think it requires a special sound card?

Thanks!


Comments

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

With version 2, if download from musescore the bach toccata and fugue or mozart reqium examples and play it , it uses the last instrument I last used in another piece, and the bass sounds horribly distorted? This must be in the works to be fixed already,,. right?

It would be nice to place the mute check box or hide check box at the first measure of every instrument, rather in a separate popup menu.

Also, one should be able to change the instrument of a staff without copying the all the measures for that instruments and paste it into another instrument - the desired instrument change.
The staff should have a properties window, where one can change its intrument.

In reply to by victor pierobon

I don't know of a bug like you describe, could be a temporary glitch on your system

If you can still reproduce it, please post the specific score(s) you are having problmes with and precise step-by-step instructions to reproduce the problem.

As for changing instrument of a staff, right (Mac: ctrl) click the staff, staff properties, change isntrument. No need for copy & paste.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

thanks

If you download lacrima or toccata from you library, and do not change anything... play it and instrument sound is awful... but if you select staff change instrument and play... again awful sound ... not change.... you have to save and close the piece and then reopen, play to hear the correction. the mscz file instrument sound from previous version does not work in new version.

Change instrument only takes into effect after you close the file and then reopen it!... The [apply] does not work, dynamically while editing it.

In reply to by victor pierobon

Sorry, there are many possible scores that have those words in their titles - can you please post specific links to specific scores you are having problems with?

Changine instrument should not require a close & reopen. I just tried it and it worked fine for me. So again, if you are having problems with one specific score changing one specific staff to one specific instrument, please post the score you are having problems with and *precise* step by step instructions to reproduce the problem you are seeing. It is possible you are simply doing something incorrectly.

In reply to by victor pierobon

OK, I've done that - sounds great to me. Infinitely better than the same score in 1.3, where the trombone sounds were *much* less realistic. Is there a specific measure or specific part I should be listening for some sort of problem with? You said something about MuseScore using the sound of other instruments from another score? I hear four trombones.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

It looks like you can't repeat the problem. It didn't happen with some other pieces I downloaded.
Maybe it has to do with my ACER laptop or windows 8.1.
It seems that version 2 fixes the problem if it saves it in version 2 and then opens it in version 2.

I don't know why.

By the way, musescore allows you to open more than one instance of it, if you repeat open very quickly. Once fully opened and live, it does not allow another instance to happen.

I am still waiting for a way of listening to a scale of the instrument before I add it to my staffs from the add tan instrument pallete. Not all instruments on my pc are any good, having shallow sounds. Is there any software to go thru the instruments within musescore or outside the app to choose nice sounding instruments without adding one in the staff anf then play a note or two... and then delete the instrument because it stinks!

In reply to by victor pierobon

The instrument sounds you get from MuseScore are dependent upon the sound font(s) loaded for that instrument. MuseScore usually assigns the sound for an instrument you added from the instruments box that sounds like it from the sound fonts you have loaded, though there are the occasional exceptions. You can test different sound fonts by adding any instrument you like. You can then open the mixer and apply any loaded sound to that instrument by changing the Sound field in the mixer. If you add only a single instrument to your score, you can alternate back and forth between the mixer and your score and listen to every sound loaded. You can have several sound fonts loaded and listen to each French Horn in each of the sound fonts if you like, so you can pick the sound font that has the best one. One thing to remember is that the first sound font in the list has it's instruments listed in order, then the next sound font in the list has it's instruments listed and so forth. You have to use a non-pitched percussion to access the drum set sounds.

In reply to by mike320

Here is EXACTLY what I want the software guys to do:
1. in the instrument panel by selecting [EDIT] , [INSTRUMENTS...], under the [All instruments] selection on the top right of {instruments] popup window move mouse to highlight one instrument, e.g. contrabass flute (see attached image).
2. Normally a double click will add this instrument to your staff, but I am asking the software guys to add a RIGHT MOUSE CLICK event when clicking on one instrument in this instrument selection part to automatically play the bottom note possible for the instrument, and then play fifths up until the upper note possible for the instrument with a one second pause between notes. This will give me an idea what the sound will be like in my score and whether the sound is good enough for me.
Thanks!

Attachment Size
step 1.png 16.14 KB

I got you half way covered since I thought the same thing too when I first started to use musescore...
I attached a musescore file tha thas all of the pitched percussion instruments, all the keyboard instruments, and all of the electronic instruments ( except for the "percussion" or last electronic instrument listed under electronic instruments) play a short audio sample of notes (one measure) , so people are able to hear what each instrument sounds like....
Each measure is played by a different instrument with the same notes being played (but with different octaves to match the range of notes that instrument can play for pitch), so you're able to compare more easily what each instrument sounds like compared to another instrument. The notes played in each sample has a two octave range from the highest note to the lowest note played. The sample consists of playing the note C as the first note and jumping up a fifth to play the note G for the second note, then repeats playing those same two notes one octave higher for the third and fourth note, then ends by playing a chord with the top note in that chord being a high C (two octaves higher than the first C that was played in that sample of notes for each instrument). This way, a fairly decent range of notes is covered by each instrument.
I have it set up, so once can easily see what notes are being played along with the Instrument name as the notes are being played by that instrument. You see, what I did was added a treble clef part, a bass clef part, a part that uses both treble and bass clef, and a part that uses a treble clef with two bass clefs. Then, I muted all of these parts in the mixer, so you don't hear them at all.... Then, I added all the instrument parts, and copied the notes from each of the instrument part to the matching muted part that used the same clef(s) as that instrument. For example, I pasted the notes for the glockenspiel instrument part to the muted part that was a treble clef since the glockenspiel uses only the treble clef for instance... I did it this way, so you're able to see what notes on which clef are being played along with the instrument name for each part without having to scroll down a long list of instrument parts in order to see what notes every instrument played...I also, checked off all of the actual instrument parts to not be shown in the score in order to simplify the sheet music, so you can be able to see which instrument is playing.
I've done a few other sampling documents of instruments as well like the plucked stringed and bowed stringed instruments that have the actual instrument part being shown and played, but it's rather messy looking and confusing...so yeah. Hope this helps you.

I made a file that covers all the musescore pitched percussion, keyboard, and electronic instruments to hear what every instrument in those categories sound like. Each measure is a sample of the same notes being played by a different instrument so you can hear what each instrument sounds like...i am also starting a sample for all the brass instruments too but only have a rough draft...obviously half of the instruments aren't named "brass" or "bugle" and I doubt that there's an instrument called "balloons" or "snazzed" so ignore the names for the brass rough draft...also, I need to adjust the octave of notes played for some of the instruments to adjust the note pitches that are best for that instrument's range.... but it's better than nothing.

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