Changes in MuseScore 3

This document lists the user-visible changes in MuseScore 3.0 as compared to 2.3.2. The goal is to be able to use this as a guide to updating existing documentation for 3.0, to creating new documentation aimed at getting existing users up to speed, to help identify the code we need to work extra hard to test, to help with promoting MuseScore 3 releases, etc.

This document is a work in process, as new features are still being added, so if you notice something missing, please go ahead and edit this page to add it.

The changes are organized in a way that is intended to be “logical”, to keep related things together. It does not necessarily represent any sort of priority list in terms what documentation to work on first, what is most interesting to highlight in a press release, etc. However, the first section on major new features is probably a good starting point for anything.

Major New Features

Automatic placement

  • Automatic collision avoidance & style settings
  • Above/below positioning & style settings
  • Inspector override
  • Stacking order

Improved text style facility

  • Merging of general and text styles
  • Incorporation of text properties into Inspector
  • Ability to set individual properties as style defaults
  • User styles

Timeline

Score comparison tool

Timewise note input

Parts from voices

New Notation Features

  • Noteheads
    • New notehead groups
    • Pitch/degree name (Staff Properties / Advanced Style Properties / Notehead scheme)
  • Multiple augmentation dots
  • MuseJazz score font
  • Barline span changes (?!)
  • Capo settings
  • New Palette Symbols
    • Clefs
    • Accidentals
    • Articulations
    • Ornaments (new palette)
    • Breaths & Pauses
    • Lines
    • Text
    • Expression
    • Tempo
    • Textual markings

New Page Layout Features

  • Staff properties
    • Hide when empty
    • Cutaway
  • Staff type change element
  • System dividers
  • Staff spacer fixed
  • Don’t break
    • Above/below placement

New Playback Features

  • Improved play panel layout
  • Piano Roll Editor (not in Handbook yet) + Improvements
  • Improved mixer
    • MIDI port/channel assignment
    • Voice playback
    • Channels
    • Simplified controls
  • Improved synthesizer window
    • Up/down buttons for SFZ
  • Other?

New Usability Features

  • Searchable palette
  • Single page view
  • Incorporation of properties dialogs into Inspector
  • Play Panel moved to Inspector
  • Startup wizard (shortcut localization?)
  • Tours
  • Performance improvements (?)
  • Menu layout changes
  • Online help (TODO)

New Commands

  • Add expression text
  • Split/join measures by adding/deleting barlines
  • Timewise insert/delete
  • Remove empty trailing measures
  • Next/previous element (accessibility)

New Score Settings

  • Mark irregular measures
  • Format / Style - many changes!

New Customizations

  • Advanced preferences
  • GUI (font)
  • Toolbar
  • Menu (via configuration file only?)
  • Workspace settings

Moved/Changed menu items

  • Style/General -> Format/Style
  • Style/Text style -> Format/Style

Other Changes

  • PDF Transcribing Assistant (experimental)
  • Albums (experimental)
  • Wave in pianoroll (experimental)