Vocal Sound Quality

• Jun 16, 2022 - 22:26

Hi Everyone,

This is for MuseScore 2.3.1 which I'm still using since my scores are in that version.

Question: the sound on SATB chorus (Choir Aahs) seems rough to me, as if there's static. I find instrumentation renders well but not voices. Is this a known issue, or is it perhaps my sound card? I've tried different volume settings and sound fonts but that doesn't make any difference. I've uploaded scores in MuseScore 3 with no improvement. Different types of audio files have the same problem. And I've run the files through Audacity without much luck.

Any suggestions? Attached is a test score plus screenshot.

Thanks.

David

Attachment Size
Vocal Sound Test.mscz 6.71 KB
Vocal Sound Test.JPG 138.95 KB

Comments

It's not your equipment. I don't use ahhs because of the quality.

"Different types of audio files have the same problem." What does this mean?

I don't hear anything I'd describe as static. I meant, there are any number of more subjective reasons to not like the synthesized choir sound, but there shouldn't be any static or other noises. Can you maybe do a screen recording and post to YouTube so we can hear what you are hearing?

One thing to watch out for - don't turn up the volume past the default, in the synthesizer, play panel, or mixer windows. It's already set about as high as it can go without clipping. If in doubt, open any of these windows and double-click the control to return it to its default value (-40 dB).

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Thanks Marc. Helpful, as always. I find that setting the volume any lower than in the example is too low for conversions to other programs (like Camtasia and Audacity) and doesn't make any difference in sound quality. But you're right about clipping when it is a straight audio export out of MuseScore. Strangely enough, it varies from piece to piece and seems to be confined to vocal scores using that sound font (Aahs). It is subjective, I suppose. I don't like other vocalizations because I can't hear timbre and consonance as well. But that's me. I know MuseScore is primarily meant to produce scores, not performance audio. Yes, at some point I'll post a screen recording to this thread. Thanks again. David

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