Muse Sounds - Muse Choir Playback
Going through MuseScore 4 I do love the new Muse Sounds-- but composing for mostly Choral stuff, I find myself stuck with a few things that need to be looked at. I know it probably isn't remotely close to top priority but I thought it should be further mentioned (If it hasn't been mentioned already):
-Choir is extremely too soft, I have my SATB voices on max faders at 12, a Piano at 0, and Master at 0... piano still overpowers and I still need to crank up my computer's volume to as high as it can go to hear piano-- let alone, pianissimo
-Choir doesn't seem to follow certain notations, like staccato, marcato, etc.
-Choir makes ends or transitions of almost everything into a legato when no slurs exist between measures or in measures
***While unrelated... an Option for Ooos and Ahhs like MS Basic would be a nice feature
At the time being, I know I can use Muse Sounds Strings (which sound gorgeous by the way-- put a number of my VSTs to shame) or MS Basic sounds... but MS Basic doesn't follow dynamics (like forte-piano) and Strings can't properly convey some vocal things (plus, also has the legato ending--- but for whatever reason, works nicely for strings at the moment.
Comments
That's what the mixer is for. And don't forget dynamics.
In reply to That's what the mixer is for… by bobjp
I have been using the faders- on the mixer… and it’s too low that I have to crank up the computer volume… I turn up the master fader on the mixer and it distorts the sound. Piano and pianissimo (examples) of dynamics I am using. Wouldn’t forget either of them.
In reply to I have been using the faders… by RichardRisiMusic
Please post a sample score. Yes the choir sounds are soft. But I haven't had that kind of problem. Your not using pp dynamics for vocals are you?
In reply to Please post a sample score… by bobjp
Posting a sample score and screenshot of my computer's volume and the mixer faders... something I'm working on... and I am using pp dynamics (I understand that may be a good majority of the reason) but it barely peaks to 54 with all of this-- altos almost non-existent, 58/59?
Not sure if it helps, but:
-iMac Late-2014
-macOS Big Sur v. 11.7.10
In reply to Posting a sample score and… by RichardRisiMusic
Some thoughts for consideration.
I think Soft Piano blends better with vocals better than Grand Piano. less harsh attack.
Leave the piano part at pp in measure 11. Bring it back up later.
Take the reverb off of the voices.
Staccato makes everything softer. But I know you need it.
Plenty loud in my headphones.
You might consider a different font. There is KBH Real choir. Found at "Soundfonts 4U" on the web.
In reply to That's what the mixer is for… by bobjp
Have you tried that? The difference is too big for the mixer too fix. A choral note on fff with the mixer all the way up will be quieter than a piano on mf with the mixer on -6.
It's not unreasonable for choral to be the roughly the same loudness as other instruments with the same dynamic and mixer settings.
Ahhs and oohs! And mms! They’re here!!!
I agree with the loudness issue 100%. This is a bug / error. It is not a subjective issue.
I've attached a score file with some simple stuff on the piano, then the Soprano. At the very end is Soprano and piano - you barely hear the Soprano. The dynamics are the same for both parts; the mixer settings as the default.
You can hear the Soprano part is much quieter than the piano. The same is true for Alto/Tenor/Bass voices. The piano isn't loud - I've noticed the same issue with other voices (e.g. organ).
If I crank the voice part up to +12 it's... almost as loud as the piano on long notes; short notes are still quieter.
In reply to I agree with the loudness… by tompw1
Currently the “women” sound doesn’t play at all. See my recent post about the 4.3.0 bugs.
In reply to I agree with the loudness… by tompw1
https://musescore.org/en/node/363755
In reply to I agree with the loudness… by tompw1
Here is the choir against orchestra. Check the mixer settings and score dynamics.
finale.mscz
Richard is absolutely right: the base level of the choral soundfonts is way too low. And here's another bizarre fact about the choral fonts: the difference between mf and f is huge -- and it comes with a radical shift in tone and style! To demonstrate, I've supplied a little excerpt from a pop song (appropriately titled "The Joke"!) in an arrangement for TTBB and piano. In the first bar of the excerpt, the voices and the piano are marked mf, and even with the choral parts set at +3.3 and the piano set at -3.3 on the mixer, the piano overpowers the voices. But after a couple of bars, the dynamic increases to f. Look out! You can hear them now, alright! Because they've suddenly morphed into a Wagnerian opera chorus, producing a sound more suited to The Ring than The Joke!
In reply to Richard is absolutely right:… by doc867qu
Yes, for now, vocal volume is wimpy. So what. Those of us that have worked with live sound in the booth, know what the faders on the mixer are for. So run the faders up to +6 for the voices. Then use appropriate dynamic marks.
Many Muse sounds differ in tone between volume levels. A horn player (or a singer) doesn't play (or sing) the same way at different levels.
In reply to Yes, for now, vocal volume… by bobjp
True. But neither does a horn player (or a singer) play (or sing) a pop ballad the same way as The Ride of the Valkyries!
In reply to Richard is absolutely right:… by doc867qu
Sounds like ... Muse Sounds.
Just raise the dynamic one level (from mf to f) and suddenly the effect is out of the park.
AND, at the rollout of MS4, we've lost the ability to set the intensity/velocity of various dynamics.
Is there a question as to why we feel hemmed in?
In reply to Sounds like Muse Sounds. One… by scorster
Hmmm. I'm not hemmed in.