Changing soundfonts doesn't seem to change instruments
Following the documentation, I changed the soundfont from the default (TimGM6mb.sf2) to another one (FluidR3_GM.sf2). I changed it using the synthesizer window, closed MuseScore, then re-opened it. The synthesizer window showed the path to the new soundfont.
When I tried to use the instruments, I got the same ones as in the default. When I went to Staff Properties, Create Instruments, or Change Instrument, the default instruments appeared. Only when I opened the mixer window did I see the instruments in the new soundfont. I find this behavior puzzling.
Is there some reason why this happens? Is it a misfeature? I would appreciate any information that might clarify this for me.
Thanks.
-Baruch
Comments
I'm not quite sure what you were expecting. Changing soundfonts doesn't change instruments - it just changes the specific sounds produced by the instruments you are already using. That is, if your score is for alto saxophone, electric guitar, and tuba, it remains for alto saxophone, electric guitar, and tuba even if you change soundfonts - it's just that when you actually play it back, it will sound like a *different* alto saxophone, electric guitar, and tuba than it was before. In particular, changing from TimGM6mb to FluidR3_GM, they will all sound more realistic. But the actual selection of instruments would be pretty much identical - the "GM" in the soundfont names indicates they both implement the standard General MIDI set of instruments.
If you were expecting something different, maybe you could explain in more detail what you were actually trying to do.
In reply to I'm not quite sure what you by Marc Sabatella
Well, there are two situations. First, let's say that I want to use the bright piano instead of the Yamaha piano. When I select "piano" through the "Create Instrument" option (or try to change instruments through the "Staff Properties" option), I don't get to choose. All I get is "piano," no choice between the two possibilities in the FluidR3_GM soundfont.
Then, let's say I don't want pianos at all, but would rather change the instruments to (for a silly example) ocarina. Again, that's not in the Create Instrument or Staff Properties option.
I see that I *can* change instruments through the Mixer, but even there it's confusing. For instance, let's say I've got "Violas," and prefer to switch to harpsichord. "Violas" in the mixer shows "Violas," "Violas-Pizzicato," and "Violas-Tremolo." How do I change that to harpsichord?
Sure, I can work around this by adding staves, copying and pasting, and then deleting the unwanted staves, but that seems awfully awkward. Surely there's a better way..
Thanks for the reply.
-B
In reply to For example... by baruch60610
I think there might be some confusion about the difference between an instrument and a sound. They are really different concepts. Think in terms of writing scores for actual musicians playing actual instruments - that is, after all, the main point of MuseScore. A score for real musicians playing real instruments never says "bright piano" - it just says "piano". The specific real piano the real musician plays might be broght or nit, it mighht be an upright or a grand, etc. But the music just says "piano". So the instrument list is designed primarily to let you make that sort of choice - whtether you want a piano or, say, an oboe. This is the choice you'd need to make even if you never planned to use the computer playback at all - it's what you'd expect to see in the score itself. So maybe that's a good way of thinking about it - the instrument list is where you make choices you'd need to make for the benefit of real musicians playing real instruments, even if you never planned to use the computer playback feature at all. The mixer is only for computer playback purposes only and has no bearing on anything else about your score.
So that's why there aren't separate "piano" and "bright piano" options in the instrument list - at a fundametal level, these are *not* different instruments at all. They are merely different MIDI sounds that can be used for computer playback, should you wish to use that particular feature.
Ocarina is a different instrument entirely, of cours,e so it *does* belpng in the instrument, and in fact *is* there. It is found under Woodwinds - a whole slew of different versions, in fact - but only if you first click the "show more" option (uncommon instrumens like that are not shown by default or the list would be overwhelmingly long, making it harder to find the more common instruments).
Smilarly, viola and harpsichord are entiely different real instruments, not just different MIDI sounds. S you'd make that change in the instument list, not the mixer.
In reply to I think there might be some by Marc Sabatella
I'm not convinced that the main use of MuseScore is for "real" musicians playing "real" instruments. I'd say that the computer is (or can be) just as "real" an instrument as a grand piano. But let's say you're right. Why would they even bother to provide a means for changing soundfonts or instruments,? It seems like a lot of trouble to go to, if the point of MuseScore is just to allow a person to create scores for musicians.
But again - there's such a thing as creating arrangements. A person could easily decide that the instruments he chose don't work for whatever reason, and want to change them. This is for real musicians, but it's not at all unreasonable to think that such a composer/arranger might want to make such changes.
So there are any number of reasons why a person might want to change the instruments he originally started with, even if he's writing for actual musicians playing physical, real instruments.
In reply to Still... by baruch60610
I think you are misunderstanding me. I am not saying that people wouldn't want to change instruments just beause they are writing for real musicians. I am simply saying you need to understand the distinction between things that affect the score "for real" versus the things that just happen to be true of MIDI playback. Anything having to do with selecting the instrument itself is in the former category and you do it through the instrument list, which never changes (well, it *can* be customized, but it's a lot of work, and requires a restart to take effect, and you'd normally never need or want to). Anything having to do with soundfont is in the latter category and you do it through the mixer.
So, if you want to change from flute to clarinet, that's a real change, and you do it through the instrument list. When I say it's a real change, I mean, the insteuments have different ranges, different tranpositions, etc. But if you want to change the particular piano sample sued from Acoustic Grand Piano to Bright piano, that's something that is just a matter of computer playback, and you do it from the mixer. These are not different instruments - just different samples. All GM soundfonts by definition define the same set of instru,ents - that's what GM is, an instrument specification. so no chane from one agm soundfont to another should ever affect the instrument list.
In reply to I think you are by Marc Sabatella
I was misunderstanding. Thanks to your explanation, I think I'm beginning to understand these differences.
Thanks for your patience.
-B