MIDI Import: Control Change Volume not supported?
Hi everybody
Does musescore not use the Control Change information of midi files, for example of Volume?
It seems, musescore plays all channels with the same volume despite the fact that the midi file contains contrary information. In the attached file for example, channel 2 should be played with the volume of 127, while the others should be played with values of about 16 to 20.
Am I missing a step in the importing process?
Thanks for any help.
Ernst
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| test.mid | 20.77 KB |
Comments
I don't know anything anout the MIDI import process, but is there a reason you are using MIDI volume rather han note velocity, which would be the more standard way of indicating you want different parts at different synamic levels? Adding dyanamic markings after importing your score would the sensible thing to do here, I think. I think of MIDi voume more as a way for copensating for diffeence inherent loudness between syntehsizers or between different patches on a single synth, nit as the geeral way to control dynamics.
In reply to I don't know anything anout by Marc Sabatella
My background is the one of a singer in choir. Since I'm very poor in reading musical notes I need the files to learn the melody by listening. MIDI is perfect; I can regulate the volume of the channels in order to hear my melody louder than the other ones.
Volume is easyer to handle for this and it is the parameter which is regulated by the volume knob in the mixer.
Software like the Sweet MIDI Player also work with Volume.
In reply to My background is the one of a by enaef
Gotcha. In which case, Snce you aren't trying to say instrument X should "really" be louder than instrument Y, but rather, that you want to hear it that way just for the sake of practicing alng with, then you don't want to use dynamics. Instead, using the Mixer window is the way to go. As I said, I have no insight into MIDI import so I don't know if it's possible to get this to happen automatically, but it takes only a couple of seconds to adjust the Mixer settings.
In reply to Gotcha. In which case, Snce by Marc Sabatella
You are right, it doesn't take too much time to adjust the mixer settings. However, when you export a musescore file in MIDI format, the mixer settings are exported. But when you import from midi, existing values do not adjust the mixer knobs. In my view this is an "inconsistency".
In reply to My background is the one of a by enaef
In Musescore, the menu item Display / Play Panel (shortcut is F11) lets you set the playback volume and tempo.
The menu item Display / Mixer (shortcut is F10) lets you set the individual track volume and instrument sound on multi part scores, (as you say you do) to hear your melody louder than the others when learning your part. (Drag the dials to move them)
I have seen your (problematic) midi-to-Musescore attachment(s) and was wondering if you are aware that Musescore can import MusicXML files from other scorewriters.
See: http://musescore.org/en/handbook/file-format
Perhaps your choirmaster has something like that available, instead of you using midi-to-Musescore. MusicXML produces a better score layout than midi when opened in Musescore. It will even handle lyrics.
As an quick example:
Attached are three Musescore files. All contain the same 6 measures of a J.S. Bach composition. [Open them in Musescore. If they don't sound the same, use the mixer and play panel to set up all the sounds (instruments) the same - eg. use 'choir ahs' (since you are in a choir) - along with tempo and volume for all three files]
The 'Bach Air grand staff.mscz' is written on a grand staff - a standard form of notation.
The 'Bach Air midi conversion.mscz' was exported as a midi file, then re-imported back into Musescore.
Notice the difference in the imported midi score - unnecessary duplication of half notes in measure 1, double sharps in measure 2. Reading the musical notes is more difficult, though both scores sound the same.
MusicXML does a much better job at remaining faithful to the original. (You can export/import to see for yourself)
The 'Bach Air 4 part.mscz' has the voices separated out, similar to the scores you use. Since the parts are already separated, a conversion to midi and back does not wreak as much havoc to the score. In any event, MusicXML still works better.
So, if you can get your hands on a XML file (or better still, an .mscz file!), that would be the way to go.
Best regards...
In reply to As previously mentioned... by Jm6stringer
... for your tips.
However, I was aware of Music XML and I use it when there is a possibility.
Fact is, that I seem to be the one who is looking for the "file-stuff" in our choir. When I can find something better than MIDI files, I use it of course. But most often you can find only MIDI files on the internet (at least I do, perhaps I'm not looking at the right places) - if I'm lucky at all. If I'm not, I enter the pieces in musescore by computer keyboard. Barock music for the next concert. All of them with 8 voices (two choirs with four voices). That's quite time consuming ...
In reply to Thanks ... by enaef
I guess you know that, but first place to look would be http://musescore.com
I have to same issue with version 2.0.2.
Will the problem be fixed soon ?
In reply to I have to same issue with by samuelel
Do you mean, you have a MIDI file that for some reaosn has channel volume settings, and you want this information somehow transfereed into MuseScore? For now, I believe you still need to simply set the volumes yourself in the Mixer. Feel free to post the file you are having problems with and describe your problem in more detail if that doesn't answer your question.
In reply to Do you mean, you have a MIDI by Marc Sabatella
I have put different volume for each voice (with mixer) in my .mcsz file and saved it that way. When I export it into a .mid file, It can be read with the proper mixer settings by another music software. Fine. But in MuseScore, when I open back the .mid file that I just exported, the mixer settings are back to default. Is there a way that the mixer settings stays when opening a mid file in Musescore ?
In reply to I have put different volume by samuelel
No. If you want to preserve score information, MIDI is not a good way to do that. Simply re-open the score itself rather than importing the MIDI file. Exporting and importing to MIDI loses a *ton* of information, not just mixer settings.