Need help setting staves for imported MIDI file

• Mar 22, 2019 - 22:12

When I import a MIDI file of a solo piano performance, the display of notes looks crazy. It starts with two bass staves, one above the other, and in other places, there are two treble staves, one above the other. Even when there is a treble staff above a bass staff, which is what I want, bass clefs are inserted in the treble staff, and treble clefs are inserted in the bass staff. When I recorded the MIDI file in Cakewalk, all the notes were displayed on the two staff format that I want, treble above bass, with middle C in the middle. How can I make MuseScore do that, instead of arbitrarily using crazy combinations of staves? Where it has a bass staff where the treble staff should be, the notes are all on ledger lines above the bass staff. It doesn't make sense.


Comments

In order to understand and assist better, please attach the MIDI file so we can see what is going on. Normally, MuseScore uses the information in the MIDI file about the instruments to decide what staves to use. MIDI itself doesn't contain information about staves.; it's not designed for notation.

In reply to by steven_brown1

I see one track, two staves here - are you saying you expected something different? I guess maybe you don't want to see clef changes, you just want notes displayed with a lot of ledger lines? To do that, just disable "clef changes" in the import panel and hit Apply. Or maybe you were hoping MuseScore would magically know which notes to display on which staff, but unfortunately, it seems your MIDi file was created as only one track rather than separate tracks. If you have the ability to regenerate the file as two tracks, then that might help. But right now that information just isn't there. MIDI is, as has been mentioned before, not really a good format for exchange of notation programs, problems like that are just the tip of the iceberg.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I will look for the import panel and try disabling clef changes. All I did so far was open the MIDI file by means of the File menu. Is there anything else I need to do besides put the notes for the treble staff in Track 1 and the notes for the bass staff in Track 2? As for ledger lines, what I am used to in programs such as Cakewalk and Anvil Studio is the 8va and 8vb notation. Can MuseScore do that, instead of changing staves and inserting clefs?

How do I get to the import panel? I could only find "Import PDF" in the menus.

In reply to by steven_brown1

It appears automatically whenever you import a MIDI File, it takes up the bottom of the screen. Trying importig the file again and you'll see it.

Again, MuseScore doesn't change the staves, it honors what is in the file in terms of tracks. So if some note is on a different staff than you expect, check your export settings in the other program. Note MuseScore will split a piano track into two staves though unless you tell it not to (same import panel for that).

And the other option I mentioned will indeed eliminate clef changes.

You imported it. But did you assign the Msc instrument "piano" from the import panel? This links staff definitions for Ms instruments. Beyond that, what sort of instrument did you record it with? You apparently didn't get an error message. It would be better for formatting to import an xml file if you still can.

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