Implement ability to include count-in and metronome with export to audio file

• Apr 19, 2019 - 18:04

I'd like to add my voice to those who've already requested the feature add of optionally including count-in and metronome clicks on exported audio files.

I understand that primary focus of MuseScore is (and should be) music composition. But the reality is that there are, I believe, many of us who use MuseScore to help us learn to play music selections. I'm a new musician (just over three years), and often find myself struggling with playing more complex rhythms from charts for which I don't have recordings to listen to (especially so for my instrument part within an ensemble). MuseScore has been a godsend for this. I enter the phrases I am struggling with into MuseScore, then play it - and viola, I can hear (and learn to play) the rhythms.

But it is frustrating that while I can enable count-in and metronome functions in the MuseScore player, I am unable to include these same functions when exporting the very same score to an audio file. Since the count-in and metronome functions are present somewhere in the code for playback, I'm puzzled why it isn't a reasonably straightforward task to make these available when exporting audio files as well. It would be ever so nice when I'm exporting a score to an audio file that I get presented with a dialog box that, like the built-in MuseScore player, gives me check boxes to selectively include count-in and metronome clicks, along with a slider to adjust metronome volume. Or just incorporate the settings currently active in the player - I could easily live with that (e.g., if I've enabled count-in and/or metronome at some volume level in the player configuration dialog box, use those same settings in audio file export operation to optionally include those functions in the exported audio.

Regards,
John


Comments

FWIW, it would no doubt be straightforward indeed, but it's probably not what most people would want most of the time, so it would have to be an option I think. Anyhow, if some sufficiently motivated programmer wanted to implement this, I have no doubt it would get included in a subsequent update.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Thanks for the feedback. But hey, I think MuseScore has many features that are "not what most people would want most of the time" (when's the last time you used those bagpipe embellishments, for instance?). So I'm not persuaded that's a reason for not implementing this. And I am one of numerous users who have requested this feature, FWIW.

Easy enough to code the default values for the count-in and metronome check boxes to cleared in an audio file export dialog. Or leave it to the user to manage the count-in and metronome settings in the player dialog if this feature were to be implemented inheriting the settings from the player dialog.

In reply to by jb_motohead

I think you misunderstood me. I'm didn't say it's a reason to not implement it; I simply it's a reason this shouldn't be the default behavior but should instead be an option. The only reason it isn't implemented yet is that so far no one has volunteered to do so - apparently most developers are finding other issues to be higher priority.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

"I simply [said] it's a reason this shouldn't be the default behavior but should instead be an option."

Yup. I have no problem with that. That's why I suggested that the proposed export to audio file dialog have the check boxes for including count-in and metronome be cleared by default, which would then produce the identical result, by default, as is the case now (no count-in and/or metronome clicks included).

I do hope some developer sees the numerous requests for this feature over the past several years and takes this request on. Unless I'm missing something, it seems as though this should not be a huge coding task.

Regards,
John

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