Instrument Sound Level
Are the playback sound levels normalized in any way such that they are relative to a given reference. E.G. a single violin playing forte and a single tuba playing forte create a sound each with a different sound energy. They would record with different decibels (which is an absolute standard.) So in a score if I have multiple instruments all playing forte, is the sound level of each consistent with their sound energy. In other words, would the sound playback of several instruments be in proportion so it would sound like I would hear if listening to them in a recital where some are "louder" than others. That also raises a question about modify playbacks to account for the number of instruments being played. The sound produced by 16 violins and 8 cellos is not the same as 1 violin and 1 cello so what happens in a score with a violin staff and a cello staff to compensate as would occur in an orchestra.
Comments
It seems to me that a recording of a cello is not the same as hearing it live. Too many factors involved. In a playback situation, recorded instruments don't blend together the same way real instruments do. There can be odd overtones and other audio artifacts that can happen. It depends on the quality of the sound font and playback system. Sometimes you have to do things in playback score that you wouldn't do to a score you hand to real players. Playback in notation software has always been mostly for reference. If you are composing, it helps to already know how instruments blend and write accordingly. As far as a string section goes? The fonts probably are audio manipulations rather than string section samples. There's a reason orchestra libraries for DAW's cost several hundred dollars.
In reply to It seems to me that a… by bobjp
I fully understand. I am merely a "hobbiest" with Musescore. I like to create scores to listen to to appreciate the general sound of the piece, certainly not the equivalent of a true recording. But it dawned on me while doing a Mozart Adagio and Rondo which features a glass harmonica, that the single flute, oboe, viola and cello were dominating the playback over the harmonica and then realized that with full symphonic scores the apparent loudness of a violin section sounded just like a single violin in a single instrument score. In other words there was no way to accommodate variation of the contribution of a single staff to the total to reflect the underlying number of instruments in the composite piece. Of course in the mixer you could play with individual instruments but I do not believe there is a way for these settings to be saved with a score so you do not have to redo the settings the next time. Anyhow the playbacks are good enough for what I am doing. Just thinking outside the box perhaps....
In reply to I fully understand. I am… by msokol
Yes, the very first time you open a score you should open the mixer and set the instruments the way you want. In the default font there are several different string section sounds. As well as solo sounds. And the apparent loudness is not always accurate. When you finish a session, if you hit the save icon in the tool bar it saves your mixer setting also. Plus you can hit the save to score button in the mixer, if needed.
I, too, am a "hobbyist". I use MuseScore to compose. More for therapy than anything else. But than doesn't mean we don't want as good results as we can get. If you've never used notation software before, spend some time in the manual.
You can use the internal MuseScore audio processor you have inside the MuseScore Synthesizer option.
Open "SEE" menu, and click on the "Synthesizer" option.
Look for the "Master Effect" tab.
There is something called "SC4", which you can use inside the "Effect A" or "Effect B" areas.
The SC4 is an standard audio processor which let you to rise the lower audio power moments (ppp) and decrease the high level power moments (fff).
See the attached file to have some starting idea to set the parameters of SC4 processor.
Also, you can use some external MuseScore audio processor. There are a plenty of that, free and not free (hihihi). Just look for Software Audio Processing.
Whatever, it is obviously a machine, just a machine. We never will be able to get the real human players sound. But... Some kinda.