Voice/Choir too soft
I was playing around with some older scores of mine from MuseScore 3, and found that after downloading the new sounds pack, the choir voices were just too soft to hear above the piano, even when they're at the same dynamic level. This could obviously be fixed by just turning down the piano volume slider in the mixer, but I wonder if this is just how it's supposed to be, since the voices sound wayyyyy too soft, only barely evening out with the voices at a mezzo-forte dynamic and the piano at a piano dynamic, yet even then, the piano still very loud.
Comments
This is indeed a commonly reported perception, so I suspect it will be tweaked over time.
Same here. I have an TTBB score and set the mixer and the laptop volume to max on all four voices. SA and B voices are soft with the second tenor is barely audible, but the Bari comes in way too loud. Playback is almost unusable. If I use the mixer to balance things the score is too soft to be usable.
In reply to Same here. I have an TTBB… by fcgiii
Well. I went back and put in dynamics markings and now the score plays back fine.
In reply to Well. I went back and put in… by fcgiii
In my case, STAB staves are pp and the orchestra is p, but I can not still hear the choir at all. It is too soft. The same file played OK with MuseScore Version 3.x but not with MuseScore 4.0.2.xxx. I use the Mixer to bring the volume of Choir (SATB) to MAX but I still can barely hear it. When I change the Dynamics of Choir to f or ff, I can at last hear it but the harmony is terrible (it sounds like some interferrence noise).
In reply to In my case, STAB staves are… by yoichi123
Your "sostenuto" marking appears to be causing a playback glitch. I tried to remove it and now it plays back normally, although still very quiet (see attachment). I've noticed the same thing in some of my own scores, where adding an expression text to a part messes up the playback in some way. Hopefully there's a fix soon
In reply to Your "sostenuto" marking… by forlandsigbjo
Thank you for that. What you describe is surprisingly true! I haven't noticed the same effect of "Expression" text
on the produced sound before. Maybe this version (4.0.2) is different. It still does not explain why Ah-oh Chorus sound is still too soft, even when the Dynamics sign is "f" (forte).
In reply to Thank you for that. What you… by yoichi123
As noted above, this is a known quirk of the choir sounds, they are indeed very soft. Turn them up in the mixer for now.
In reply to As noted above, this is a… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks for the info.
In reply to Your "sostenuto" marking… by forlandsigbjo
The predefined expression texts from the palette are not meant to be used for any purpose other than they were intended for. Adding a marking intended for one purpose and changing the text to say something else won't defeat the original playback purpose. And if that purpose isn't defined for the instrument you are adding it to, undefined things can happen indeed. To add your own expression text, use Ctrl+E (or Ctrl+T for staff text); don't try to repurpose the predefined elements.
In reply to The predefined expression… by Marc Sabatella
Hi, thanks for that. I don't think that I am repurposing "Expression" text. The intended purpose of that item is, indeed, to change the Text when one uses it. I am adding "Expression" (which is meaningless and the mere place holder", meant to be changed) from the Palette and changing the Text to "sostenute". I am not changing a pre-defined text, such as, "tremolo" to "sostenute". By the way, Ctrl+E does nothing to a selected note. Nothing happens. (I am using MuseScore for MacOS v 4.0.2). Also, examining "Properties" of either "Expression" or "tremolo" shows only the characteristics of its appearances. That is, the function of the item is not defined there (it's different from some other items, which show the functions of them in Properties, and sometime they can be tweaked or changed by selecting another pre-defined function from the list there). So, I am still at a loss, why adding "Expression" changes the play back at all, unless this is a bag. The situation is different from adding something like "cresc. ---", etc., which defines the function, as well as, it actually can exert the intended effect on the playback. Properties of "cresc. --" shows its function as well.
In reply to Hi, thanks for that. I don't… by yoichi123
Yes, you are repurposing something. The thing in your score that says "sostenuto" is not expression text at all - check the status bar. It's actually a "playing technique annotation". So, you must not have added actual expression text from the palette, you must have (perhaps accidentally) applied something else from the palette - apparently, "tremolo", which is not defined for voice. So it's messing the playback up, because even though you changed the text, it's still trying to do the thing it was originally designed to do: apply tremolo.
Ctrl+E is the shortcut for expression text on most systems, but as usual, when using a Mac keyboard, any time we mention "Ctrl", you need to substitute "Cmd".
In reply to Yes, you are repurposing… by Marc Sabatella
Hi, Marc. Thanks for that!!! Indeed, it says Playing Technique in the Status bar, although I was 100% certain that I selected those notes and clicked Expression from the Palette. As you mentioned, Cmd+E works, indeed. When I repeated (1). Select a note, (2). Click "Expression" from the Palette, now the element shows as Stave Text in the status bar (but with the style of Expression), as well. So, I can't reproduce the "Playing Technique" showing for them at all by using the Expression from the Text on the Palette! As you pointed out, I must have selected "tremolo" back then@#$%^&! Thanks again!
In reply to Hi, Marc. Thanks for that!!!… by yoichi123
You're welcome! One possibility as to how that happened: was this score originally created in MuseScore 3?
This "playing technique annotation" is a new feature in MuseScore 4; previously these playback changes were accomplished via staff or express text with specific properties set. Conversely, those old-style properties aren't supported in MuseScore 4 anymore. So there is code to automatically the old-style staff/expression text in MuseScore 3 files into the new playing techniques annotations. Maybe somehow that code converted something that was indeed original an expression text into a playing technique. But even so, that should have happened only if the score came from MuseScore 3, and also only if you specifically had the properties set to be triggering tremolo.
In reply to You're welcome! One… by Marc Sabatella
Ah, I think that the score was originally started with MuseScore 3.x, but I left it unfinished for quite a time. Then, recently I re-started the project to try to complete.
In reply to Ah, I think that the score… by yoichi123
I found that with many MS3 files, it is better to use the MS Basic soundfonts, is the voices are not only soft, but very numb and unarticulated.
In reply to I found that with many MS3… by Corps d'Esprit
I see. I didn't consider that it could have been the cause. I will use the MuseScore Basic sound fonts.