MuseScore 3.6 Soundfont Errors
I used the exact same process I used in MuseScore 3.5 to load and install the free Aegean Symphonic Orchestra soundfont (which I had already downloaded) and set it as my default as well as saving it to my score in MuseScore 3.6, but it did not actually work. In the mixer, I do not see the correct instrument sound options that should have been in the soundfont (the same ones that showed up in the last version of MuseScore with this soundfont). This has caused some problems, such as not being able to find the sound for the cymbals. Is there something I missed in the installation process for this new version, a workaround, or is this a rather major error that ought to be fixed as soon as possible (at least in my opinion)?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Comments
It seems something might have gone wring in your installation, as you shouldn't have needed to do anything to load a soundfont you already had loaded. So it would help if you described in more detail what you actually did here and why. Also, when you added this soundfont, did you put it at the top of the list or the bottom, and if at the bottom, did you scroll down to the bottom of the list in the Mixer as well?
Also, please give us a link to the exact version of the soundfont you downloaded so we can see if there is something special going on with it.
In reply to It seems something might… by Marc Sabatella
I downloaded the install executable from the website because I understand that the Microsoft Store, where I got my current version, is outdated. A Windows security feature blocked its execution, but I was able to override that with help from the community. MuseScore 3.6 installed, and now I have two versions installed on this device; they are both under the New tab at the top of the menu that appears when you click the Windows icon at the bottom left of the taskbar (sorry, I don't know what that's called).
The Aegean Symphonic Orchestra soundfont had been already downloaded and successfully executed to place a copy under Documents/MuseScore3/SoundFonts. One of my attempted troubleshoots was to redo that process, as I still had the .zip folder, which made there two options under add in the synthesizer, though I then deleted one, I think, because there is only one soundfont in that folder. I did not redownload the soundfont, which I got from here: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/soundfonts-and-sfz-files#orchestral-s….
I went through the same steps, using the synthesizer to load it and put it at the top of the soundfont list. In my last MuseScore version, the first option under the mixer sound was Steinway Grand Piano (or something similar with Steinway); now the top option is Old Grand Piano. There are also a number of guitars and other instruments that might be used for pop or jazz, but not classical, that I do not recall being present before. I did get all the way to the bottom of the mixer sound options, but there was still a lot of different stuff. I remember there being first and second violin options, but they aren't there now. Also, it wants to treat the orchestra cymbal as a drum kit; the sound options are different, I can not place notes directly onto the rhythm line, but only with the keyboard; each key makes a different drum or cymbal sound, adds notes to the same single line, and although they are on that same line, playback plays each one differently according to which key I pressed when I entered it.
I think this is everything, and I hope that it helps you to fix whatever bugs you are having.
Normally 3.6 should replace older 3.x versions, but it could well indeed be that this doesn't happen if what you had previously came form the Windows Store. But 3.5 was never available on the Windows Store as far as I know, so that doesn't really make sense either. Anyhow, if you have both 3.5 and 3.6 installed, something seems wrong, and I would recommend removing both and reinstalling 3.6. But if you actually mean 3.3 or whatever the Windows Stroe version actually is, having both installed together should be OK I guess. But maybe they are using different settings, which could explain why you needed to reinstall the soundfont. Do both your installed versions claim to be using Documents/MuseScore3/SoundFonts as the folder, if you go to Edit / Preferences / General?
Anyhow, "Old Grand Piano" is indeed the first sound in the current version of the Aegean soundfont. If you were previously seeing something else at the top of your list, it must have come from a different soundfont - perhaps an older version of Aegean, I don't really know.
So anyhow, I am not seeing any issue with this soundfont or with what you describe - Old Grand Piano is the correct thing to be seeing at the top of the list. I verified this with 3.5.2 as well as 3.6. If you are expecting something else, it must be you are missing some other soundfont you had previously installed.
3.6 (at least currently) indeed won't replace the 3.3.4 from the Microsoft Store. It may or may not use the same settings though, I'm not sure.
In reply to Normally 3.6 should replace… by Marc Sabatella
Another thing is I cannot open both versions at the same time; I must first close the new one to open the old. Yes, they do both direct to that soundfont folder. I used the same Aegean that I did before; I did not redownload the .zip file. Wow, I tried loading the other soundfont (Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra) and what do you know — there's the Steinway Concert Grand. Well, that was rather foolish of me to have gotten it all mixed up; I didn't know they would all display in the mixer; I figured only one would. This does not change the problems with the cymbal, though. The sound options are entirely different.
Oh yes, one more thing — the symphonic orchestra template does not load the correct sounds for instruments, at least before adding my other soundfont (I haven't tried another since).
So do you think I should go ahead, uninstall both, and then reinstall 3.6?
It's not really expected anyone would have both a Store and "regular" version of MuseScore installed at the same time, not sure that's ever been tested. But it doesn't surprise me they wouldn't run concurrently, that's pretty normal if I have two difficult copies of an EXE file.
Normally, I'd suggest uninstalling the older version here. but unfortunately, there is a known issue with 3.6 that will cause some number of scores to crash on open (anything that has repeats and was saved in continuous view). So I'd keep the older version around just in case you run into one of these, until we can release a 3.6.1 that fixes this bug.
Anyhow, yes, you can have multiple soundfonts loaded at once. You need to make sure you have the exact same soundfonts loaded in the same order between the two versions if you want the sounds to be the same. Somewhere there is a soundfont loaded in one that is not loaded in the other - or is loaded in a different order. Find that, and your cymbal will be corrected.
The templates that come with MuseScore are designed to work with the default soundfont only - or at least, only other GM-compatible soundfonts. Non-standard soundfonnts like Sonatina will require you to set the appropriate channel info the mixer manually - or a custom template already set up this way. Looks like Aegean - which seems to be a hyrbid of GM and custom numbering - at least comes with such templates already within the ZIP file.
If 3.3.4 and 3.6 are infact sharing their settings (and I beliebe they do), this is calling for triuble, as there are differencers between the set of settings, so yes, uninstall both, and then reinstall 3.6, then revert to factory settings, then check again
In reply to It's not really expected… by Marc Sabatella
I have never put any scores into continuous view, if that's where pages get eliminated and it shows as one long strip of music, and don't plan on doing it any time soon.
The soundfonts are in the same order. What I'm saying is all the sound options for the cymbal are different; the violin can be set to all sorts of sounds in the soundfonts, but the mere score-or-so sound options for the cymbal are all different. I've attached a snapshot below; I have no idea where those sounds are coming from, as they're not available for any other instruments.
These are the sound selections for percussions. Usually not too helpful, instead look at the drumset definitions
In reply to These are the sound… by Jojo-Schmitz
You mean check the drumset box in the mixer?
No, during drum input the "edit drumset" button
Then which do I select, or is there a manual I can read for this to spare you the trouble of explaining it?
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/drum-notation#edit-drumset
Thank you, I get it now. Is it still recommended that I uninstall both and reinstall 3.6, or perhaps I should uninstall my old version?
I have no experience with the Windows Store so I can't say, but knowing how out of date it is, and how difficult it seems to be for us to make things available that way, I'd avoid it if at all possible. If you're not forced to use the WIndows Store (some computers I guess are locked into it?) then yes, I'd try to remove the Windows Store version of MuseScore.
In reply to I have no experience with… by Marc Sabatella
Alright, I will do. Question: will 3.6 automatically update and not tell me, or will it ask to update, or will it automatically update and then say so so I know I'm up to date, and if so, does it come with a summary of new features?
I can't speak for the Windows Store, but the regular normal version of MsueScore will never update itself. At most, it will notify you when an update is available (if you don't disable this) and ask if you want to update. The update message does indeed generally include a list of changes. If you say yes you want to udpate, it happens automatically from there, no need to do a separate download.
In reply to I can't speak for the… by Marc Sabatella
Okay, that's cool. I've run out of questions, so I'll stop harassing you now. Thanks for addressing all my problems and getting them all figured out.