Sound and playback
MuseScore has "Sound and playback" capabilities built-in. This chapter covers the playback controls and ways to extend the instrument sounds.
Mid-staff instrument changes
When a musician is required to double on a different instrument for a section of a piece, the instruction to switch instruments is generally placed above the staff at the beginning of that section. A return to the primary instrument is handled in the same manner.
MuseScore enables users to insert a special class of text called Change Instrument text for this purpose. This class of text is different from either Staff or System text in that it links the text to the playback and changes the sound to the new instrument.
Effect of instrument change
When an instrument change is made:
- The sound played will be changed to that of the new instrument from that point onward, but the mixer display remains unchanged.
- Subsequent notes are automatically adjusted to indicate the correct written pitch for the new instrument (but the new key signature still needs to be added manually—see below).
- The new instrument name will be displayed in front of the following systems.
Add an instrument change
- Select the start point of the change by clicking on a note or rest;
- Open the main palette by typing F9 (or from the View menu), and click on Text to open the text sub-palette:
- Double-click on Change Instr;
- The words "Change Instr." will appear above the anchor note or rest;
- Double-click the text, then type Ctrl+A to select all of it;
- Type the actual text you wish to be displayed, and exit text edit mode;
- Right-click the text and choose "Change Instrument…":
- Choose the instrument, then click OK:
; - Insert a new key signature, if required, at the change, for the staff in question.
Note: Mid-staff instrument changes are limited to the same type of staff. For example, you cannot change between a percussion staff and a pitched instrument staff or vice versa.
See also
External links
Mixer
The Mixer allows you to change instrument sounds, adjust volume and panning, and make other adjustments to the playback for each staff.
Opening the Mixer
To display/hide the mixer, use one of the following:
- Press F10 (Mac: fn+F10).
- From the main menu, select View→Mixer.
The Mixer is split into a Details Area on the top and a Track Area below.
Track Area
The track area is at the bottom and displays the Master Gain as well as a row of tracks.
Master Gain
The Master Gain controls the overall output volume. To adjust it, click and drag the slider handle or enter a value in the box underneath.
Track Area
The Track Area displays allows you to adjust the volume of the instruments used by your staves.
MuseScore creates one "part track" for each staff in your score. These part tracks can be further subdivided into "channel tracks" corresponding to the different sounds used within the staff. While many staves only need a single channel track, others require multiple channels so that the instrument can play more than one sound (e.g. a violin which can play in arco, tremolo or pizzicato voices); or because of a Mid-staff instrument change. These extra channel tracks can be shown or hidden by clicking the arrow button on top of the track control.
Expanded part track, showing the child tracks in pink.
Channel display arrow
Every part track has a button on the top with an arrow on it. When clicked, this will toggle whether the channel tracks of the staff are displayed next to it. Channel tracks do not have an arrow button. Instead, the name of the track they are a part of is displayed.
Mute and Solo
At the top of each track is a green solo button and a red mute button: each can be toggled on or off. If any Solo button is checked then only tracks that have Solo lit will play. If no solo is lit, all parts can potentially play. Mute does the opposite: any track that has mute lit will not play. By using a combbination of mute and solo buttons, you can control which instruments are heard during playback.
Pan
The dial below the mute button controls panning left and right. You can click and drag on the dial to change the pan value. Note: MuseScore does not yet support pan values for the part track, so the part track displays the pan value of the first channel instead. Setting the pan value of the part track will automatically set all of its children to the same value as well.
Volume
The slider in the middle of the track controls the playback volume. Note: MuseScore does not yet support volume values for the part track, so the part track displays the volume value of the first channel instead. Setting the volume value of the part track will automatically set all of its children to the same value as well.
Track name
The text box at the bottom of the track contains the current name of the tracks part or channel.
Details Area
The details area displays and provides finer control of the currently selected track.
Name
The name of the part this track is associated with. Both part tracks and channel tracks display the part name. Note: The part name is editable, but this only have effect for the Mixer.The cannel name is no editable.
Track Color
This is a color the user can choose to help distinguish a particular part. Double clicking on this swatch will allow you to choose a different color for displaying the name of this track. Setting the color of a part track will automatically change the colors of all its child tracks.
Channel
If a channel track is selected, the channel name is displayed here.
Drumset
Indicates if this part represents a melodic instrument or a drumkit. For regular melodic instruments, each pitch in the same patch usually has the same timbre, while drumkit patches usually have different timbres for each pitch.
Patch
This is the actual Sound from the soundfont, that is used to render your instrument.
Volume
The overall loudness with which the sound is played.
Pan
The panning applied to the part.
Port and Channel
The output MIDI port and channel the part is played on.
Reverb / Chorus
The reverb/chorus value sent to MIDI out. This is information sent to MIDI devices and will not affect MuseScore's built in audio playback
Mute Voice
This allows you to mute individual voices within each staff. Each row represents a different staff within a part. So pressing '2' on the top row will mute the second voice on the first staff of the part.
Hide Details Button
At the bottom of the details area is a wide button with a tiny triangle on it. Clicking this button will hide the details area to give you more room. Clicking on it again will restore the details area.
Sound
The "Sound" drop-down menu lists every instrument supported by your current SoundFont. If you have multiple SoundFonts loaded in the Synthesizer, all the patches from all the SoundFonts (and/or SFZ files) will appear in a single long list—in the order previously set in the Synthesizer.
Tip: To find an instrument, click on the "Sound" list and type the first letter of the instrument name. Repeat as required.
Mid-staff sound change (pizz., con sordino, etc.)
Some instruments come with multiple channels in the Mixer that can be used to change sounds midway through a score. For example, a staff for a stringed instrument (violin, viola, cello etc.) is allocated three channels: one for "arco" (or "normal"), another for "pizzicato" and another for "tremolo." A trumpet staff will have one channel for "normal" and another reserved for "mute," and so on.
The following instructions use pizzicato strings as an example, but the same principle can be applied to any other instrument staff that allows sound changes.
- Select the first note of the section you want to be pizzicato;
- From the main menu, choose Add→Text→Staff Text;
- Type "pizz." This text is for visual reference only and does not affect playback;
- Right-click on the applied staff text and select Staff Text Properties…;
- In the "Change Channel" tab of the "Staff Text Properties" dialog, select one or more voices on the left;
From the dropdown menu, select pizzicato;
Click OK to return to the score.
Every note after the staff text you added now sounds pizzicato. To return to a normal strings sound later in the piece, follow the same guidelines as above except type "arco" in step 3 and select normal in step 6.
See also
External links
Piano Roll Editor
The Piano Roll Editor allows you edit individual notes and tweak aspects of their playback.
Opening the Piano Roll Editor
To open the Piano Roll Editor (PRE), right click on a measure in the score and choose the Piano Roll Editor option from the context menu. The Piano Roll Editor will open showing the staff and measure where you clicked. If the Piano Roll Editor is already open, it will be updated to show the new staff and measure you clicked on.
Overview
The Piano Roll Editor is divided into several sections. At the very top is a row of buttons and controls that affect playback and can modify notes. The name of the part being edited is at the top right.
The central portion contains the Note Display Area which allows you to view and edit notes. Each note is displayed as a block, with yellow blocks representing selected notes, and darker green blocks representing unselected notes (these colors can be changes in the Preferences). Given sufficient space, each block will display its pitch on the left and the voice it is assigned to on the right. Changing the size of the note blocks is covered in the navigation section.
To the left of the Note Display Area is the Keyboard. By clicking on a key in the Keyboard, you can hear a sample of that note playing. As you move the mouse in either the Node Display Area or the Keyboard, a key on the keyboard will light to corresponding to they pitch your are over. You can also hover your mouse over a particular key to get more information about that pitch. If you are using a Drumkit, the keys of the keyboard will show the name of the drum assigned to that particular pitch. For instruments that are not concert C, the keyboard will be adjusted so that the C of the keyboard matches the C of the instrument.
Along the top of the Note Display Area is the Measure Ruler which displays the current position of the playback head, as well as the current looping range if it set.
The bottom of the editor contains the Levels Display Area. It is a bar graph showing extra data values assigned to each note, such as its velocity or cutoff time. To the left of the Levels Display Area is a dropdown menu allowing you to select the type of data you wish to see displayed or edited.
Navigation
There are several ways to move about in the Piano Roll Editor. First of all, you can click and drag on the scroll bars on the edges of the Note Display Area.
The mouse wheel can also be used to pan and zoom as follows:
- Scroll vertically: Mouse wheel.
- Scroll horizontally:Shift + mouse wheel.
- Zoom vertically: Ctrl + mouse wheel.
- Zoom horizontally:Ctrl+Shift + mouse wheel.
To jump to a particular measure, switch back to score view and find the measure you wish to see. Then right click on the measure and select Piano Roll Editor. The Piano Roll Editor will scroll to center on the measure you clicked.
Selecting Notes
In the Note Display Area, you can click on single notes or click and drag to select a group of notes. Holding down the modifier keys will affect how your selection changes:
- Shift: Invert existing selection: i.e. notes that were previously selected are deselected, and notes which were not selected are selected. Useful for toggling a note between selected and not selected.
- Ctrl: Add notes to selection.
- Ctrl+Shift: Subtract notes from selection.
Editing Notes
To change the pitch of a selection of notes: Drag a selected note up or down to a new pitch; or press the ↑ or ↓ arrows. Note: Dragging the note horizontally to change the start time is not supported at the moment.
To delete a selection of notes: Press the Del key.
To move a note selection to another voice: Click the desired voice number button at the top of the editor.
To add notes:
Notes can be inserted by clicking in the Piano Note Area with the modifier keys held. These edit operations will use the beat or subbeat line to the left of the spot where you click as the point where a note is altered:
Ctrl: A note of the current insert note duration will be added at the subbeat and pitch where you clicked. The note insert length is the same as the one you use to add notes in note entry mode in the score. If you wish to change the duration, you will need to select this in the Score View as the Piano Roll Editor does not currently have these buttons. If notes already exist in this location, a chunk will be cut out of them to make room for the note you are inserting, unless they happen to have the same start time and duration of the note you're adding, in which case the new note will simply be appended to the existing chord. Tuplets are currently not supported, and so will be ignored.
Shift: Looks for a chord that already spans this subbeat line. If it finds one, appends a new pitch to the existing chord. Otherwise, this is a rest and the rest will be replaced with a note of equal start time and duration to the existing rest.
Ctrl+Shift: Looks for a chord or rest that spans this subbeat. This chord will be cut in two at this subbeat line. Tuplets are currently not supported, and so will be ignored.
To edit note event data:
Note event data can be changed in the Levels Display Area. To edit event data such as velocity or cutoff time, first select the notes you wish to edit in the note area. Then click in the Levels Display Area on the corresponding bar; the value of the level will changed to correspond to the point where you clicked. You can also click and drag in this area to change the levels of several notes with a single gesture. If you want the levels to all be set to the same value, hold Shift while dragging. Only selected notes will have their value changed - this is to prevent you from accidentally changing the values of other notes.
The Levels area can display the same data in multiple ways. For example, velocity data can be displayed both as absolute (ie, relative to the output midi volume) and relative (ie, as an offset to the dynamics value). You can switch between these display modes as you see fit.
Controls
From left to right the controls have these functions;
First Row
- Undo
- Undoes the last action
- Redo
- Redoes the last action
- MIDI Toggle
- Toggles MIDI input
- Rewind
- Rewind to start of score.
- Play
- Starts/stops playback.
- Loop Playback
- Sets the range of and toggles looping playback.
- Play Repeats
- Toggles whether repeats are played.
- Pan Roll During Playback
- If set, the window will automatically scroll to center on the playback head during playback.
- Metronome
- Toggle metronome.
- Wave
- Currently does nothing.
- Voice Numbers
- Moves selected notes to chosen voice.
- Part
- Name of part currently being viewed/edited.
Second Row
- Cursor
- Provides feedback on the current measure and pitch of the position of the mouse within the Note Display Area.
- Subdiv
-
Subdivides the beat by adding extra divisions to the Note Display Area. The value indicated the number of time the beat will be subdivided. So for 4/4 time, a division of 2 will draw grid lines at every eighth note; a division of 3 at every sixteenth note, and so on. Setting the subdivision is necessary for some editing operations if you wish to place notes off the beat.
For larger numbers of subdivisions, you may need to be zoomed in to see the extra grid lines since grid lines are not drawn below a certain density. Combines with the tuplet control which also affects grid line placement.
- Tuplet
-
Adds additional grid lines, subdividing the beat to show the rhythmic placement of tuplets. For example, setting tuplets to 3 will show the beat subdivided into tree parts. Combines with the subdiv control to show subdivisions of the tuplet. For example, setting tuplets to 3 and subdiv to 2 will draw grid lines showing the tuplet beats subdivided into two parts - i.e., the beat will be subdivided into 6.
Selecting a tuplet mode other than 1 will disable some of the note insertion tools for the Piano Roll Editor. For larger numbers of subdivisions, you may need to be zoomed in to see the extra grid lines since grid lines are not drawn below a certain density.
- Stripe pattern
- Changes the pattern of stripes shown behind the notes in the Note Display Area. By default the pitches of C major are highlighted, but you can change this to highlight the pitches of a different key, or even scales such as the diminished or whole tone.
- Velocity
-
Shows the velocity of the currently selected note (only one note may be selected). Indicates the loudness of the note. This can be expressed as 'Offset' or 'User':
- Offset: Value is treated as a multiplier for the velocity already set by the dynamics.
- User: This is the raw value being sent to MIDI and overrides the dynamics value. Values are between 0 and 127, where 64 is "middle, neither loud nor soft".
When you switch from User to Offset or visa versa, the value will be recalculated to best match the value in the other system. This way you could, for example, switch to User mode to set the value as you would like it to sound in MIDI output and then switch to Offset so that this value respects the dynamic marking instead of overriding it. At the moment you switch back, the offset value will be recalculated to match the User value in loudness but will no longer act as an override so you may later change the dynamic.
- Pitch
- Shows the pitch and octave of the selected note in text format (i.e. f#4).
The pitch will chance if the note is dragged Up or down to a new pitch. Currently cannot be edited. - OnTime
- Shifts the start of the note in time, which can be used to modify the playing style. Negative values will make the note sound earlier, positive will make it sound later. The duration of the note corresponds to a value of 1000 (e.g. setting the value to 250 will make the note sound 1/4 of its duration later).
- Length
- Set the time that the note is sounding, which may be used to modify the degree of "legato". Lower values will make the note sound more staccato, higher values will make it sound more legato. The duration of the note corresponds to a length of 1000, but the value can be set higher. 950 is usually considered "non-legato".
Keyboard
Some keys are hooked up to perform special actions:
- ↑: Move selected notes up one semitone
- ↓: Move selected notes down one semitone
- Del: Delete selected notes
- Space: Start/stop playback
Customization
The Piano Roll Editor will display in both normal mode and dark mode. If you wish to change the colors the Piano Roll Editor uses to display in these modes, they can be adjusted in the Preferences under the Advanced tab. All the Piano Roll Editor related properties begin with ui/pianoroll/light for light mode and ui/pianoroll/dark for dark mode.
Play mode
Playback toolbar
Basic playback functions are accessed from the Play toolbar located above the document window:
From left to right, the icons are:
- Toggle 'Midi input':
- Rewind to start position: Playback returns to the beginning of the score, or to the start of the loop (if one is set).
- Start or stop playback: See Start/stop playback.
- Toggle loop playback: See Loop playback.
- Play repeats: Turn off if you want playback to ignore repeats.
- Pan score during playback: Turn off if you want the score to remain stationary.
- Play metronome: Toggles metronome ON and OFF.
Playback commands
Start/stop playback
To start playback:
- Click on a note, rest or the blank part of a measure to establish the starting point. Note: If no selection is made, playback returns to the place it left off; or, if no previous playback, to the start of the score.
- Press the Play button; or press Space.
During playback you can jump to a specific note or rest in the score by simply clicking on it.
To stop playback:
- Press the Play button; or press Space.
During playback
Once playback has started, the following commands are available:
- Go back to previous chord: ←
- Advance to next chord: →
- Go back to start of previous measure: Ctrl+← (Mac: Cmd+←)
- Advance to start of next measure: Ctrl+→ (Mac: Cmd+→)
- Rewind to start of score: Home (Mac: ⌘+Home); or press the Rewind button (playback toolbar).
During playback you can still use keyboard shortcuts to open and close panels, such as Play, Synthesizer, Mixer etc.
Loop playback
- Playback should be off, and the "Loop playback button" on.
- Select the desired region of the score for loop playback.
- Press the playback button.
Playback will now cycle within the region marked by the blue flags.
- Use the "Loop playback" button to toggle the loop on or off.
See also: Play Panel (below).
Play panel
To open the Play Panel use one of the following options:
- Press F11 (Mac: Fn+F11).
- From the menu bar, select View → Play Panel.
The Play Panel allows you to make temporary changes to tempo and volume, to loop playback between specified points etc.
- Loop playback: Select a start note and click on the Loop in button; select an end note and click on the Loop out button. Press Play to hear the loop. The controls also work during playback.
- Rewind, Play: Playback controls.
- Metronome: Toggle metronome playback ON or OFF.
- Count in: (Conductor icon) Adds a count-in when you start playback at the start of a measure. Extra beats are added if you start mid-measure. Toggles ON and OFF.
- Tempo: Make temporary change to tempo. This is displayed as a percentage and as a bpm (beats per minute). Double-click to reset. (Note: Permanent changes to tempo should be made using tempo text)
- Volume: Make temporary change to volume (resets when program is reopened). Note: To change the default playback volume of the score, see Synthesizer.
SoundFonts and SFZ files
Audio playback is provided by MuseScore's onboard synthesizer, which houses a large selection of virtual (or software) instruments—including percussion and sound effects.
MuseScore supports virtual instruments in two formats:
- SoundFont (.sf2/.sf3): A single file containing one or more virtual instruments.
- SFZ (.sfz): A set of audio and definition files containing one or more virtual instruments.
SoundFonts
MuseScore comes with its own GM (General MIDI) SoundFont, MuseScore_General.sf3, containing over 128 instruments, sound effects and various drum/percussion kits.
GM (General MIDI) is a universal format, so once your score is set up for correct playback using MuseScore's native Soundfont, you should be able to export it in a format of your choice and have it play back on any other user's computer.
Many different Soundfonts are available on the Internet: some free, some commercial. For a list of free soundfonts, see below.
Install a SoundFont
After finding and decompressing a SoundFont (see →below), double-click to open it. In most cases, the SoundFont file type will already be associated with MuseScore, and MuseScore will start and a dialog will appear asking if you want to install the SoundFont. Occasionally an application other than MuseScore will be associated with the SoundFont file type; if this is the case, you will need to right-click or control-click on the file, so as to display a menu from which you can choose to open the file in MuseScore. In either case, when the dialog appears asking if you want to install the SoundFont, click "Yes" to place a copy of the SoundFont file in MuseScore's SoundFonts directory. This directory can be viewed or changed in MuseScore's Preferences, but the default location is:
Windows:
%HOMEPATH%\Documents\MuseScore3\SoundfontsmacOS and Linux:
~/Documents/MuseScore3/Soundfonts
In contrast to user-added SoundFonts, the initial default SoundFont installed with MuseScore is located in a system directory, meant only for that purpose, which should not be modified. This directory and its default SoundFont file is:
- Windows (32-bit):
%ProgramFiles%\MuseScore 3\sound\MuseScore_General.sf3 Windows (64-bit):
%ProgramFiles(x86)%\MuseScore 3\sound\MuseScore_General.sf3macOS:
/Applications/MuseScore 3.app/Contents/Resources/sound/MuseScore_General.sf3Linux (Ubuntu):
/usr/share/mscore-xxx/sounds/MuseScore_General.sf3(withxxxbeing the MuseScore version)
Uninstall
To uninstall a SoundFont, simply open the folder where its file is installed and delete it.
SFZ
An SFZ is a collection of files and directories, an SFZ file and a bunch of actual sound files in WAV or FLAC format, with the SFZ file being a text file that basically describes what sound file is located where and to be used for what instrument and pitch range.
Install an SFZ
After downloading an SFZ (see →below), you need to manually extract all the files that belong to the SFZ (the SFZ file itself and all the subdirectories) into the directory listed above. Leave the subdirectories and their contents as they are.
Uninstall
To uninstall an SFZ, simply open the folder where its files are installed (see above) and delete them all.
Synthesizer
The Synthesizer is MuseScore's central control panel for sound output. Once a SoundFont has been installed, it needs to be loaded into the Synthesizer in order for MuseScore to use it for playback. To make a different SoundFont the default, load it in the Synthesizer and click Set as Default.
To display the Synthesizer, go to View → Synthesizer. For more details, see Synthesizer.
List of downloadable soundfiles
GM SoundFonts
The following sound libraries conform to the General MIDI (GM2) standard. This specification gives you a sound set of 128 virtual instruments, plus percussion kits.
- GeneralUser GS (29.8 MB uncompressed)
Courtesy of S. Christian Collins - Magic Sound Font, version 2.0 (67.8 MB uncompressed)
- Arachno SoundFont, version 1.0 (148MB uncompressed)
Courtesy of Maxime Abbey - MuseScore 1 came with TimGM6mb (5.7 MB uncompressed)
License: GNU GPL, version 2
Courtesy of Tim Brechbill - MuseScore 2 (up to version 2.1) comes with
FluidR3Mono_GM.sf3(13.8 MB). - MuseScore 2 (as of version 2.2) and 3 come with
MuseScore_General.sf3(35.9 MB) (SF2 version (208 MB)).
License: released under the MIT license
Courtesy of S. Christian Collins - Timbres of Heaven, version 3.2 (369 MB uncompressed)
Courtesy of Don Allen
Orchestral soundfiles
- Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra (503 MB uncompressed)
Downloads: SoundFont | SFZ format
License: Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 - Aegean Symphonic Orchestra
Courtesy of Ziya Mete Demircan (352 MB uncompressed)
Piano soundfiles
SF2 Pianos
- Acoustic grand piano, release 2016-08-04
Description: Yamaha Disklavier Pro Grand Piano, sf2 format, 36MiB compressed, 113MiB uncompressed, 121 samples, 5 velocity layers
More information: http://freepats.zenvoid.org/ including other soundfonts.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Courtesy of Roberto Gordo Saez - Salamander C5 Light
Courtesy of Ziya Mete Demircan (24.5 MB uncompressed)
SFZ Pianos
- Salamander Grand Piano
Downloads: version 2 | version 3
Description: Yamaha C5, 48kHz, 24bit, 16 velocity layers, between 80 MB and 1.9 GB uncompressed
License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Courtesy of Alexander Holm - Detuned Piano (244 MB uncompressed)
License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 - Plucked Piano Strings
Description: 44.1kHz, 16bit, stereo, 168 MB uncompressed
License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 - The City Piano
Description: Baldwin Baby Grand, 4 velocity layers, 696 MB uncompressed
License: Public domain
Courtesy of Big Cat Instruments - Kawai Upright Piano, release 2017-01-28
Description: 68 samples, 44KHz, 24bit, stereo, 2 velocity layers, 58MiB uncompressed
License: GNU General Public License version 3 or later, with a special exception
Courtesy of Gonzalo and Roberto
Unzipping downloaded soundfiles
Since soundfiles are large, they are often zipped (compressed) into a variety of formats, including .zip, .sfArk, and .tar.gz. You need to unzip (decompress) these files before they can be used.
ZIP is standard compression format supported by most operating systems.
sfArk is a compression format designed especially for compressing SoundFont files. To decompress it, use Polyphone (cross-platform software); or this online service: https://cloudconvert.com/sfark-to-sf2
.tar.gz is a popular compression format for Linux. Windows users can use 7-Zip; Mac users can use The Unarchiver, or macOS' built-in Archive Utility. Note that if using 7-Zip, you will need to apply decompression twice—once for GZip and once for TAR.
Troubleshooting
If the toolbar play panel is greyed out, or not visible, follow the instructions below to get your sound working again:
- Right-click on the menu bar and make sure there is a check mark next to the Playback Controls menu item. If this step does not solve your problem, go to Step 2.
- If the play panel disappears after changing the SoundFont, go to Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab and click OK without making any changes. After restarting MuseScore, the play panel should reappear.
If you are setting up a SoundFont for the first time, please use one of the recommended SoundFonts listed above.
If playback stutters, then your computer may not not able to handle the SoundFont being used. The following advice may help:
- Reduce the amount of RAM (memory) used by MuseScore by using a smaller SoundFont. See the list above for suggestions.
- Increase the amount of RAM available for MuseScore by quitting all applications except MuseScore. If you still have problems and a large SoundFont is important to you, consider more RAM for your computer.
See also
External links
- How to change the SoundFont or add another
- The SFZ Format (for details about the sfz specification)
Swing
MuseScore's swing feature allows you to change the playback of your score from a straight to a swing rhythm. Swing can be applied globally or only to a section of the score, and is fully variable.
Apply swing to a score section
- Click on the note where you want swing to start;
- Double-click Swing in the Text palette;
- Edit the Swing text as required;
- If you need to vary swing from the default setting, right click the Swing text and select System text properties... Click on the "Swing Settings" tab and adjust note duration and "Swing ratio" as required.
Swing text can be edited and formatted just like any other text object.
Triplet in tempo marking
Often this notation is used to indicate swing:
MuseScore does not have a way to include a triplet in text as a tempo marking, but there is an easy workaround:
- Add Swing text as described above and make it invisible (shortcut V, or untick "Visible" in the Inspector);
- Add an appropriate Image of the required tempo marking to the score. This can be downloaded from the bottom of the "How To" page: How to create a visual swing marking.
- Resize and reposition the image as required.
Return to straight rhythm
If you want playback to return to straight time after a swing section:
- Add Swing text to the first note or rest of the "straight" section (see above).
- Edit the text to indicate a return to straight time: e.g. "Straight."
- Right-click on the text and select System Text Properties…. Click on the "Swing Settings" tab and set "Swing to "Off."
Apply swing globally
If you wish to apply swing to the whole score, you can do so from the menu:
- Select Format → Style... → Score.
- In the "Swing Settings" section, set the desired note value and "swing ratio."
External links
Synthesizer
Overview
To display the Synthesizer: from the menu, select View→Synthesizer.
The Synthesizer controls MuseScore's sound output and allows you to:
- Load and organize different sound sample libraries to play back the music.
- Apply effects such as reverb and compression.
- Adjust overall tuning.
- Alter the output volume.
The Synthesizer window is divided into four sections/tabs:
- Fluid: A software synthesizer that plays SF2/SF3 SoundFont sample libraries.
- Zerberus: A software synthesizer that plays SFZ format sample libraries.
- Master Effects: Used to apply multi-effects to the score.
- Tuning: Used to adjust overall playback tuning.
Save/Load Synthesizer settings
The buttons at the bottom of the Synthesizer window have the following functions:
| Button | Function |
|---|---|
| Set as Default | Saves all current synthesizer settings as the default settings. These are automatically applied to the Synthesizer when you open MuseScore. |
| Load Default | Loads the last saved default settings to the Synthesizer. |
| Save to Score | Saves all current synthesizer settings to the current score only. |
| Load from Score | Loads the settings from the current score to the synthesizer. |
Notes: (1) "Synthesizer settings" include the order of Soundfonts and SFX files, effects set-up, master tuning and volume. (2) Only one set of Synthesizer settings can be in effect at a time—i.e. if multiple scores are open at once, it is not possible to make changes to the Synthesizer in one score and leave other scores' settings untouched. (3) Changes to synthesizer settings will not be heard in exported audio files unless saved to the score first (see table, above). See also Tuning (below).
Fluid
Click on the Fluid tab to access the control panel for SF2/SF3 SoundFont sample libraries. By default, the SoundFont FluidR3Mono_GM.sf3 should already be loaded.
You can load, rearrange and delete soundfonts as required. Playback can be shared between any combination of different soundfonts (and/or SFZ files). The order of soundfonts in Fluid is reflected in the default order of instruments in the mixer.
To load a soundfont
- Click on the Add button
- Click on a soundfont in the list.
To be able to load the soundfont, it first needs to be installed in your Soundfonts folder. This will ensure that it appears in the list in step 2 (above).
To reorder the soundfonts
- Click on a soundfont
- Use the up/down arrows (on the right-hand side) to adjust the order.
- Repeat with other soundfonts in the list if required.
The order of virtual instrument sets in the Synthesizer is reflected in the order of instruments listed in the Mixer. So, if playback of a score depends on a mix of instrument sets, it is advisable to save the Synthesizer configuration to the score in question by pressing the Save to Score button. When you next wish to play back the score, press the Load from Score to load the same configuration. However, remember this only sets the order of instruments—not the instruments themselves, which should be in place on your computer.
To remove a soundfont
- Click on the name of the soundfont
- Click on the Delete button.
This removes the soundfont from the synthesizer but does not uninstall it from the Soundfonts folder: it will still be available if you wish to reload it later.
Zerberus
Click on the Zerberus tab to access the control panel for SFZ sound sample libraries. You can add, delete or reorder files in a similar way to the Fluid tab. Note that, as with Fluid, the the SFZ files must first be installed in your soundfonts folder before they can be loaded into the synthesizer.
Volume
The slider on the right of the Synthesizer controls the playback volume: any changes made here last only to the end of the sesssion, unless saved to the score or set as the new default.
Effects
The Master Effects tab of the Synthesizer allows you to add reverb and compression to your score.
To turn an effect on or off:
- Select an option from the drop-down list next to Effect A or Effect B (the effects are applied in series, A → B).
To store and load effects configurations, use the buttons at the bottom of the Synthesizer window. See Synthesizer settings (above) for details.
Zita 1 reverb
The Zita 1 stereo reverb module allows you to simulate the ambience of anything from a small room to a large hall. The pre-delay, reverb time and tone of the reverb can be finely tuned using the controls provided:
- Delay: Set a pre-delay for the reverb from 20-100 ms.
- Low RT60 (Low frequency reverb time): Use the grey control to adjust the center frequency (50–1000 Hz) of the low frequency band which you want to affect: the green control adjusts the reverb time (1–8 secs) of this frequency band.
- Mid RT60 (Mid-range reverb time): Adjust the reverb time (1–8 secs) of the mid-range frequency band.
- HF Damping: Adjusts the high frequency component of the reverb. Increasing this value increases the frequency of the cut-off point and makes the reverb appear brighter and longer.
- EQ1: Allows you to cut or boost (-15 to +15) a frequency band (center = 40 Hz - 2 KHz) in the lower part of the spectrum.
- EQ2: Allows you to cut or boost (-15 to +15) a frequency band (center = 160 Hz - 10 KHz) in the higher part of the spectrum.
- Output: Controls the amount of effect applied. "Dry" is no effect. "Wet" indicates 100% reverb. "Mix" is a 50/50 balance of wet/dry signal.
Note: EQ1 and EQ2 affect the tone of the reverb only, not the dry (unprocessed) signal.
To quickly set up an effects patch, set "Output" to "Mix" and adjust the "Mid RT60" control to the desired reverb time. Then fine tune the effect as explained above.
SC4 compressor
The SC4 stereo compressor gives you fine control over the playback's dynamic range, reducing the volume variation between loud and soft sounds. It offers the following controls:
- RMS: Adjusts the balance between RMS (0) and Peak (1) compression. In the former, the compressor responds to averaged-out levels in the signal; in Peak mode, the compressor responds to peak levels.
- Attack: (1.5–400 ms) The length of time it takes for compression to engage fully after the signal exceeds the threshold level.
- Release: (2–800 ms) The time it takes for compression to return to zero after the signal falls below the threshold level.
- Threshold: (in dB) The signal level above which compression starts to take effect. Lowering the threshold increases the amount of signal that is compressed.
- Ratio: The amount of compression applied to the signal above the threshold. The higher the ratio, the greater the compression. Varies between 1:1 to 20:1.
- Knee: Allows you to select a range between "soft knee" and "hard knee". The softer the knee, the more gradual the transition between uncompressed and compressed signal.
- Gain: Compression tends to lower the volume, so use this control to boost the signal as required.
To quickly set-up, try setting RMS = 1, Threshold = -20 db, Ratio = 6. Increase Gain to restore the lost volume. Then fine-tune as explained above.
Tuning
The Tuning tab is where you can adjust the program's master tuning. For Concert Pitch instruments, A4 = 440 Hz by default.
To change the Master tuning:
- Enter a new value in the Master tuning field, then press Change Tuning.
Notes: (1) This tuning applies to all scores in the current session only. To make this the program default or to store it to a particular score, see Save/Load Synthesizer settings. (2) To apply the new tuning to exported audio files (WAV, MP3, OGG), press Save to Score before exporting.
See also
Tempo
Tempo markings can be found in the Tempo palette of the Basic and Advanced workspaces. They are supplied as metronome marks, but can be subsequently edited to display any tempo or expression you want. Playback tempo can be varied throughout the score by using multiple tempo markings, visible or invisible.
Add a tempo marking
Use any of the following methods:
- Select a note or rest and press the keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+T.
- Select a note or rest, and from the menu bar chose Add→Text...→Tempo Marking.
- Select a note or rest and double-click an appropriate metronome mark in the Tempo palette;
- Drag-and-drop a metronome mark from the Tempo palette directly onto a note or rest.
Note: If a tempo marking is applied from the menu or using a keyboard shortcut, the beat note automatically follows the time signature. The advantage of applying from a palette is that you can chose which beat note to use.
Edit tempo
To change the tempo of an existing metronome mark in the score:
- Enter Edit mode for the tempo mark in question;
- Edit the metronome number and/or the beat note as required;
- Exit Edit mode.
You can also override the tempo of an existing metronome mark from the Inspector:
- Select the tempo mark;
- Untick "Follow text" in the Tempo text section of the Inspector;
- Set the desired playback tempo in the "Tempo" field underneath.
Note: Playback may be faster or slower if the tempo setting in the play panel is at a percentage other than 100%.
Edit tempo text
Tempo marks can be edited and formatted just like any other text object. To set text properties or text style, see Text styles and properties.
The tempo indicated by a metronome mark usually persists even if overwritten by an expression—such as Andante, Moderato etc. You can also add further text to a plain metronome mark. e.g.
Overriding the tempo marking
You can temporarily override the indicated tempo, and play the score back at any tempo you like using the play panel:
Display the play panel: View→Play Panel or F11 (Mac: fn+F11):
Move the tempo slider up or down as required. The tempo is shown both as an absolute value and as a percentage of the currently indicated tempo mark. Double-click the tempo slider to reset it.
Note: BPM is always measured and displayed in quarter note beats per minute, regardless of the (denominator of the) time signature in effect.
Ritardando and accelerando playback
You can simulate ritardando ("rit.") and accelerando ("accel.") playback by adding hidden tempo markings to the score. The printed indication to the musician should be added as staff/system text in addition.
In the example illustrated below, the tempo was originally 110 BPM (beats per minute). At the ritardando, the tempo decreases by 10 BPM on the first note of each measure. Each tempo change is made invisible by unchecking the Visible checkbox in the Inspector, so that only the ritardando shows on the printed score:
A plugin has been developed to automate this process: TempoChanges
Fermatas
Fermatas, available in the Articulations and Ornaments palette, have a Time stretch property that can be set via the Inspector. By default, this property is set to 1.00. To have MuseScore play back a fermata for twice its normal duration, click on the fermata and set "Time stretch" to 2.00. This of course does not work for fermatas applied to barlines, as barlines don't have a duration to stretch.
See also
Dynamics
Dynamics are symbols indicating the loudness of a note or phrase of music. They can be found in the Dynamics palette in either the Basic or Advanced workspace.
Additional dynamics are available in the Master Palette (Shift+F9).
Note: if you wish to adjust the overall playback volume of the score, use the volume slider in the Play Panel, or Synthesizer.
Add a dynamic
To apply a dynamic to the score, use one of the following methods:
- Select a note and double-click a dynamic symbol in a palette.
- Drag a dynamic symbol from a palette onto a note.
To create a crescendo or decrescendo, see Hairpin.
Adjust properties
The default loudness of the score is mf (mezzoforte)—set at MIDI velocity 80 (out of 127). Depending on the dynamic governing a particular section of the score, velocity (and hence loudness) may be less than or greater than this.
To edit the velocity (i.e. make playback louder or softer):
- Select the dynamic and, in the Dynamic section of the Inspector edit the Velocity value—higher for louder, lower for softer.
To adjust the range (i.e. the staves in the system affected by the dynamic):
- Select the dynamic, and in the Dynamic section of the Inspector, chose an option from "Dynamic range". The default is "Part," which means that all staves for a particular instrument will be affected. "Staff" limits the effect to the staff attached to the dynamic. "System" means that all staves in the system will be affected by the dynamic.
Customise a dynamic
Any dynamic can be edited after being added to the score, just like standard text. You can also edit the velocity and dynamic range etc. (see above). If desired, you can save the result for future use in a custom palette.
External links
Capo playback
MuseScore allows you to transpose the playback of a staff, without affecting the music notation. This simulates the effect of a capo (Wikipedia) on the instrument.
To add a capo:
- Add staff text to the note/rest from which you want capo playback to start;
- Right-click on the staff text, select Staff Text Properties..., then click on the Capo Settings tab;
- Check the "Capo Settings" checkbox, and set Capo fret to the fret number you wish to apply the capo at (each fret increases the pitch by a semitone);
- Click Ok to apply your changes;
- Edit the wording of the text as desired.
Capo playback will apply from the note that the staff text is attached to, until either the next staff text with "Capo Settings" enabled, or until the end of the score. A Capo fret setting of "No capo" will remove any capo previously set for a staff, returning it to its original tuning.