Exporting .wav files with soundfonts with 1.0
Hi. I have had a problem exporting .wav files with soundfonts on Musescore 1.0. When I save a .wav file when I have a soundfont open, the .wav file created has the default Musescore soundfont. I have found a way around this using the program Synthfont to assign the soundfont and save the .wav file. It would be much more convenient if I could save the .wav file without using any external sequencers. Here is my OS configuration and my step-by-step instructions for using Synthfont for making .wav files
System:
Manufacturer: Dell
Model: Inspiron N4010
Rating: 4.5 Windows Experience Index (Not sure if this matters)
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU P6100 @ 2.00GHz 2.00 GHz
Installed memory(RAM): 4.00 GB (3.80 GB usable)
System type: 64-bit operating system
Musescore Version: 1.0
Instructions (for Musescore.com)
See this videoscore for the video that I made with the .wav file: http://musescore.com/node/22007
1) I downloaded the .mscz file from the website and saved it again onto my desktop as a MIDI file.
2) I opened the program using Synthfont (since when my Musescore saves .wav files with soundfonts, the soundfont is not applied.)
3) I assigned the soundfont merlin_gold to the midi file. (I have no idea where to download it, just Google it.)
4) I made sure all tracks had the correct soundfont applied. If there were any "corrupted tracks""(as I call them), which were tracks that somehow had to have the same voice as the track 10 channels above, I muted the lower corrupted track (in terms of numbers) and layered that track with the correct soundfont.
5) Then, I selected "Play to File" from the menu, which played the midi arrangement into a .wav file (with the soundfont.)
6) Finally, I opened Videopad Video Editor and made the background picture and incorporated the .wav file that I had made in Step 5. And thus, I posted it on Youtube and made a Videoscore!
Comments
This sounds like something I am interested in. However, I am completely lost as soon as the author of this comment discussed Synthfont. I do not know what this is or where to obtain it. Why is it advantageous? What does the author mean about making sure the fonts are correct? Why did he choose that one merlin sound font? - just as an example here? - how would I choose the fonts for an orchestra piece. Where do you get Videopad? Is it free? I would like to make the best possible .wav file with as few hassles as possible and post it somewhere on the Internet so that my faculty adviser can listen to it.
In reply to More detailed explanation? by peacenow
Sorry, I thought my explaination would suffice. Let me explain each external program:
Synthfont:
A seuencer used for midi files that can assign soundfonts to midi files, and export them in different ways.
FREE Download here: http://www.synthfont.com/
Videopad
A movie editor, similar to Windows Movie Maker that is compatible with .wav files and can save movies in different formats, such as .avi or .flv. This program does cost money, but I used the free trial version.
Dowload here: http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html
When I sad making sure the fonts are correct, I meant that sometimes, upon importing a midi file, some tracks will share the same assigned soundfont (I.E. Flute and Tuba both assigned to Flute.) When you try to change the assigned font on the Tuba track to Tuba II (the tuba font in merlin_gold), the flute's font will also change to Tuba II. To fix this, you must create a layer over the original Tuba track and assign that track the Tuba II soundfont (in this case) and mute the original Tuba track. You then assign the Flute soundfonts to the Flute. In the end, you'll have a set of 3 tracks: 1 with a matching soundfont, 1 with an unmatching soundfont that is muted, and 1 as a layer of the one with the unmatching soundfont unmuted with the correct soundfont. It's very difficult to explain. I may make a tutorial video on this, so stay posted.
The reason Synthfont is advantageous is because it allows you to assign different soundfonts to different tracks. There are some soundfonts that only apply to one instrument. If you tried using it on Musescore, it would only work for the piano (I.E. no sound would come from any other track). Synthfont allows you to use those soundfonts on single tracks, while retaining the soundfonts on the other tracks.
Onto choosing the right soundfont. There are many different soundfonts on the internet. Some are free, and some are not. I really don't search extensively for soundfonts on the internet, I just take whatever GM (General Midi) Sounfonts I can find and use them. The best soundfont that I've found is my merlin_gold one. I don't remember where I downloaded it, but I can attach it to this post. I have a couple other sounfonts that I use for special purpose (I.E. getting the sax section to sound blended or getting the strings to sound smooth)
Videopad, as aforementioned, is not free, but there is a trial version that I use. You don't really have to use Videopad, you can use another movie editor, such as Windows Movie Maker.
As far as I know, this is the simplest method to make a .wav file with a soundfont incorporated. I hope this explaination has helped.
In reply to A more detailed explaination by insaneintherainCE
(1) What is the issue with the sound fonts in Musescore? What advantages are obtained by finding sound fonts from other places?
(2) Is it necessary to download a separate sound font for each instrument, or for each instrumental timbre or channel type?
(3) Please explain the process of how to attach a sound font to an instrument
(4) I thought a .wav file wa just a bunch of successive number. For a 16-bit linear file, betweem -32786 and 32767, integer values / quantized.
(5) There might be a file header before the information in the .wav file
Please explain all of this to someone who is completely unfamilar with this technology.
In reply to Still way too advanced by peacenow
Okay, here I go again.
1) The soundfont in Musescore sounds terrible, just terrible. If you listen to a song made by Musescore without any alternations, it'll sound horrible. Getting a soundfont from the internet allows you to make playback sound better. That simple enough?
2) No, it is not necessary to download separate soundfonts for each instrument, although you can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Some soundfonts are labeled as GM soundfonts (GM for General Midi). These soundfonts hold instrument samples for all 128 GM instruments. You can find out what the 128 instruments are in Musescore by selecting Display->Mixer, selecting the drop-down bar labeled Sound and looking at the list of instruments there.
3) To attach a soundfonts to a instrument or many instruments, you much select, in Musescore, Display->Synthesizer, and in the Soundfonts window, near the bottom of the synthesizer, select the icon on the right and search for the soundfont that you downloaded from the internet onto your computer. This will only work for GM soundfonts, like my merlin soundfont. For individual soundfonts, you need Synthfont, but let's not get into that right now.
4) I actually don't know the science of .wav files, but I don't think that applies to this matter, does it?
5) What do you mean by a file header?
Oh yeah, the soundfont is available for download somewhere in this discussion. I forget where, exactly.
In reply to Let me try again by insaneintherainCE
It might help to start with why the default sounds "terrible" on your system. While not the highest quality soundfont in the world, it should sound at least decent. So perhaps there is really something fundamentally wrong with the installation. If you listen to the various songs uploaded to msuescore.com (by hitting the play button right there on the site, not by downloading and playing in musescore), do they sound as "terrible" as they do on your system? When you play on musescore.com, you are hearing the default soundfont, regardless of what soundfont you used to create the file.
In reply to It might help to start with by Marc Sabatella
Yes, it sounds just as terrible. The soundfont on Musescore.com isn't "decent", it's RUBBISH!
In reply to Yes, it sounds as terrible by insaneintherainCE
Maybe you use different instruments than I. I think most of the instruments sounds surprisingly good for the file size, and and indeed, some even sound better than some of the larger soundfonts. Hardly anyone else complains about the quality of the soundfont. But whatever. If you're happier with the other soundfonts, you should definitely be able to use them, and I don't know why they aren't working for you.
In reply to More detailed explanation? by peacenow
Sorry, I couldn't attach the soundfont. It's being uploaded on megaupload as I type, so I'll get it to you, eventually.
In reply to No attachable soundfont by insaneintherainCE
You wrote "When I save a .wav file when I have a soundfont open, the .wav file created has the default Musescore soundfont".
Can you explain more precisely what doesn't work.
What I did :
Can you give steps like this to reproduce your behavior?
In reply to You wrote "When I save a .wav by [DELETED] 5
So frustrating...
Anyway,
1) Dowload merlin soundfont and unpack it.
2) Download a mscz file from MuseScore and open it in MuseScore
3) Save it as a midi file
4) Open the midi file with Synthfont, (as explained in the previous post)
5) Save the midi arrangement file created in Synthfont as a .wav file.
6) .Listen to the resulting file : It sounds good ! and different than what I heard with the original soundfont.
I don't know why my Musescore doesn't save .wav files with soundfonts, although I actually prefer the Synthfont method because Synthfont has a bunch of tools that I can use such as mixers and effects to make my .wav files sound better.
Just because I thought this was worth a mention and might hold a problem, sometimes when I have a soundfonts loaded and press I (instruments) and go back to the score, I have to reload the soundfont. The soundfont seems to dissappear from playback when I open a window in Musescore.
Soundfont dowload link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RGS154P6
Thank you for explaining this thread. I will experiment some time and contribute the benefit of my expert ear concerning the sound quality comparison, but right now I have to finish getting the piece out the door.
Re a header:
If a .wav file consists of successive samples, each having the dynamic range of 16 bits, I assume that there is a file header at the beginning consisting of a number of bytes reserved for information about the file. The media players would know to read information from those fields and start the playback after the end of the header. I am not sure whether .wav has a header and how it is structured.
I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but if you mean you cant export your musescore audio files with your soundfounts still attached to the instrument, all you have to do is make sure that all of your instruments have the right sounds in the mixer, and then you go to your synthesizer, and then you click save to score, and finally, once you export your wave file, it will sound like the soundfounts you have.
In reply to I'm not sure if this is what by pandaking505
pandaking, this thread is from 5 years ago; MuseScore back then was very different from the current versions.