play back Musescore through external keyboard?
Newbie MIDI questions I'm sure, but assistance would be greatly appreciated.
I have scores I'd like to play back through my digital keyboard (Casio Privia PX560, great voices).
I am able to trigger the PX560 to play through the Preferences / I/O settings (screenshot attached).
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Can I send a specific voice change (patch number) through my score as a nominated voice for that stave (Mixer only seems to allow me to choose generic / standard MIDI voices)
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Do I need to assign each stave to a separate channel?
Thanks in advance
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Comments
Each staff is already a separate channel. The program assignments are based on the General MIDI standard, but if your keyboard uses different program numbers, I guess you could look put the numbers and use the Mixer to change the sounds to the equivalent. Will look strange in the Mixer, but should output what you want.
In reply to Each staff is already a… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc. Within the Mixer, in the MIDI section, changing the Channel changes the sound. Changing the port does not.
(I understand how to change sounds by clicking the "Sound" label on the LHS of the mixer and selecting sounds from the list presented. This does not affect the MIDI playback voice).
I'm assuming these sound changes are parameter driven but can't see where they are in the Musescore program directory (and understand they may be hidden, in a .dll or elsewhere).
Is it possible for the MIDI channel data be replaced (locally, my machine only) with references to my internal sounds? (I have the mappings).
Thanks in advance.
I run W10, Musescore V3.6.2.548021803
In reply to Thanks Marc. Within the… by jandg001
Changing port isn't suport to change the sound, it changes the port. Only if your synthesizer happens to be set up in such way that receiving on a different port automatically changes the sound would that occur.
So as I said, you need to consult the manual for your keyboard, find the patch number for the sound you want, then use the Mixer to select the correcting General MIDI sound. For instance, if you want the Rock Organ 9 sound (just making one up), and the manual for the keyboard tells you that sound is at patch number 41, then select Violin in the Mixer, because that is General MIDI sound 41.
In reply to Changing port isn't suport… by Marc Sabatella
Interesting comment about the General Midi assignments. Wouldn't it make more sense if MuseScore could also refer to "instruments" by a reference such as "External 1 - GM41" or "Casio - PX560 - GM41" specifically to avoid the mental gymnastics of having (say) a Trumpet playing a Violin sound in the MS Mixer, and then on the keyboard it would be translated in to Rock Organ 9? Feature request perhaps.
In reply to Interesting comment about… by dave2020X
The mixer is being completely redesigned for MsueScore 4, so anything is possible!
In reply to The mixer is being… by Marc Sabatella
That hopefully will be really good.
I think that some issues are perhaps not "just the mixer", but also the configurations. I just downloaded a file from the .com site, and when I tried to play it the sounds were clearly wrong. I should have heard four recorder sounds - which I heard when I listened directly from the .com site, but instead I heard some percussion.
The reason is obvious - I happen to have set up different soundfonts within the Sythesiser, and these are being used - in the configuration I have had recently - for the downloaded file.
I should be able to reconfigure the soundfonts - or remove them - within the Synthesiser, and then play the downloaded piece correctly, but then other files which may require the particular configuration I had previously would presumably then not function as required or expected.
So technically I think the current Mixer is (arguably) working reasonably OK - but it's not always being matched to the correct soundfonts for each piece being played.
This is probably not really a major issue for me, as I have been trying various experiments, so I didn't expect everything to be perfect, but it would be a real nuisance for anyone who was not testing out different experimental configurations.
Users shouldn't have to reconfigure all the soundfonts in the Synthesiser if they exchange files.
In reply to That hopefully will be… by dave2020X
> "I should be able to reconfigure the soundfonts - or remove them - within the Synthesiser, and then play the downloaded piece correctly, but then other files which may require the particular configuration I had previously would presumably then not function as required or expected."
That's why you have the save to score and load from score buttons there...
In reply to > "I should be able to… by jeetee
Duplicate - deleted
In reply to > "I should be able to… by jeetee
So does that mean the configuration becomes bound to each score?
Also, if I download a file from MS.com, shouldn't the configuration bound to that take precedence - unless of course it doesn't come with an embedded soundfont, and there isn't the same or an equivalent one on the local machine?
I feel there are some modest information and usability issues here - but it's not life threatening!
In reply to So does that mean the… by dave2020X
When you save the configuration to the score, the configuration indeed becomes embedded into it; but only the configuration, not the soundfonts themselves. Aside from a possible super bloat in file size (having sound libs of several Gigabytes is not uncommon) there are also legalities involved if one wishes to do so.
So while you can load the configuration from how it was uploaded to .com out of the file if it was saved into it; if you don't have those soundfonts locally, you won't hear the same thing.
This is one of the reasons why we so often advise to keep a General MIDI soundfont as the default one in the list, to minimize the compatibility changes between systems.