Tam-Tam Soundfont

• Mar 21, 2019 - 19:43

Cheers everyone! I am currently working on this particular composition that features a part for the Tam-Tam. Since Musescore hasn't a proper Tam-Tam soundfont (I'm using Musescore 2 because my computer can't afford Musescore 3, since it is 32 bit), I've been searching for one, and found a lot of good soundfonts that feature the sound I want, though they're all melodic soundfonts, therefore I can not use it with a percussion staff or instrument. Can I convert the soundfonts to drumset soundfonts or is there any way I can make this work?

I really would like this problem solved, thanks for your attention.

Comments

• Mar 21, 2019 - 20:13

Create a pitched percussion staff (you will have to have a treble or bass clef, but you can live with that).

Change the names on the staff to Tam-tam and whatever abbreviation you want

Change the mixer sound to the correct soundfont sound.

It works the same in both versions 2 & 3.

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• Mar 21, 2019 - 20:40

One final workaround. After you are happy with the score for the tam tam, you can change the instrument to a tam tam in the Staff Properties. I don't remember, but you may need to reassign the sound you want to the instrument with a percussion clef. Uncheck "drumset" and change the sound to your tam tam sound.

As an alternative, you can write the score for the original tam tam and live with the terrible sound, then when you are done change the sound as above.

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• Mar 21, 2019 - 22:09

There have been requests to allow any clef on any staff. This would make all of the workarounds unnecessary. It doesn't seem to be too common of an issue and the workarounds are not very bad.

It would be better if the soundfont had been put in the proper place by it's creator. You can do it yourself with a program like Polyphone, but I've never used it.

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• Mar 21, 2019 - 20:17

I don't understand if you are talking about the African "Tam-Tam" drum, or the Chinese "Tam-Tam" great cymbal.

Whatever... If the "melodic" soundfont you're talking about is an standard ".sf2" or ".sf3" file..., then, you should be able to use it with MuseScore synthesizer.

You just have to use the right "patch" of the "Tam-Tam" sound in the MuseScore mixer channel you are using to this instrument.

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• Mar 21, 2019 - 20:29

Hi jotape1960! I'm talking about the Chinese one, the one that is normally used in orchestral pieces.
And yes, the soundfont that I'm talking about is an ".sf2", and I'm using it with the synthesizer. The real problem is that when I want to use the soundfont, it doesn't affect any of the percussive instruments that I'm using, and I can only use it if change those insturments to not-percussive ones in the mixer.

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• Mar 21, 2019 - 20:34

Juan, the problem is that the GM standard has the Tam tam as a percussion instrument, which means you have to use a drumset sound to hear the instrument sound. While you can change the sound to a pitched instrument, it makes it so the MuseScore instrument cannot have notes added to the staff for some reason. The workaround for this is to make a pitched instrument and assign the sound in the non-GM standard sound font to the instrument.

When the OP said the soudfont was "melodic," it means the sound is not defined in the drumset but rather in another channel, like flutes and marimbas.

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• Jul 15, 2023 - 17:27

Every time I try to use tam-tam in Musescore 4.1 I get a note telling me there is no such file. Since this instrument is an essential element I must be making a mistake. How do I get the instrument to play?

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