Installing Soundfonts
I downloaded soundfonts and they are in a subfolder "Sounds" in the Musecore folder. I don't see how to activate them in musescore. Please give me exact steps. Unfortunately this is not a user-friendly aspect to the program. I think there should be a menu option to activate soundfonts. Common sense initial stuff in my opinion.
Comments
Maybe this would help
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/soundfont
Probably what you are missing is the View > Synthesizer step
In reply to Maybe this would help by jim.weisgram
Nope, it's in the list, I saw it, but still piano sound.
Are you trying to have 2 soundfonts active at once? This caun but needs extra steps not specified in the handbook.
Note this how-to, which describes activating a soundfont that is in the sounds folder: https://musescore.org/en/node/50721
Then this forum thread: https://musescore.org/en/node/36331
which describes how with 2 soundfonts loaded (you can have more), the one listed on top will take precedence if there are instruments that use the same patch number within both soundfonts. If both soundfonts comply with the GM standard (many do, some don't), then they will have most or all instruments using the same patch number in both soundfonts.
And that thread describes that to override precedence, you need to use the mixer. It doesn't specify how. That is described in this part of the handbook: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mixer
In reply to Are you trying to have 2 by jim.weisgram
I am just trying to get sounds other than piano.
Only one soundfont selected and listed it is FluidR3Mono_GM.sf3
However, I only hear piano sounds.
In reply to I am just trying to get by tigerprowl
In that case, I'd assume your soundfont is installed and ok and look at how you have your instruments defined in your score. Do you have a score that you can attach?
In reply to I am just trying to get by tigerprowl
Indeed, that soundfont (which is the default) contains hundreds of sounds - not just piano at all. If you are only heairng piano but created the score for other instruments, then something in your score must be set up incorrectly, so attaqching it here would allow us to see what. Normally, though, you should never need to load another soudnfont just to hear instruments other than piano - the default soundfont should work just fine. So whatever is going on here is not normal, which is why the documentation isn't helping - this is supposed to just work.
In reply to Indeed, that soundfont (which by Marc Sabatella
"Indeed, that soundfont (which is the default) "
Then why did I have to download it? If it is the default, it should be automatically downloaded and installed, no?
Here is a screenshot of my problem:
https://s31.postimg.org/z6fib87d7/musescore1.jpg
In reply to "Indeed, that soundfont by tigerprowl
Indeed it should be automatically installed when you first install MuseScore. But just to be clear: is it possible that you're hearing piano sounds because you're only working with My_First_Score? Try creating a new score (File - New) and choose different instruments, and see if those work.
In reply to "Indeed, that soundfont by tigerprowl
You didn't have to download it - it was already installed assuming you installed MuseScore correctly. Your personal "Soundfonts" folder is *supposed* to be empty; it's for *additional* sounds above and beyond the default. The default soundfont is installed in one of MuseScore's own folders, which is not normally something you'd be accessing yoursel.
Assuming MuseScore was installed correctly, then everything should work correctly with no need to mess with soundfonts at all. For example, go to File / New and then scroll all the way down to find one of the orchestra templates. Create a score, and enter notes onto any of the flute staves - you'll hear the corresponding instrument, assuming MuseScore was installed correctly.
If this isn't working for you, then something is wrong with your installation. First step would be to try to fix it by using Help / Revert to Factory Settings. If you get to that point and still have problems, let us know.
Or, if doing what I described above works fine but you some some *other* score that is only playing piano even though it uses other instruments, please attach that specific score so we can understand what the problem might be. But again, assuming MuseScore is installed properly and the score is set up properly, everything should work right out of the box.
In reply to You didn't have to download by Marc Sabatella
If I didn't have to download anything else, then supplying a link to download something else proves the perversion, no?
Come on, let's see you give me a program without piano as the default.
This is my challenge to you and you repliers to this thread.
Where is 1 singular download without piano sounds? I CHALLENGE YOU!!!
I WANT TO DOWNLOAD MUSESCORE WITHOUT PIANO DEFAULT SOUNDS.
In reply to If I didn't have to download by tigerprowl
Could you answer my question from https://musescore.org/en/node/115271#comment-519271 ? Of course you'll get piano sounds if you're in a piano score (which My_First_Score is), but all the other sounds for all the other instruments are there by default, too. Create a trumpet score and tell me if it plays with piano sounds.
In reply to Could you answer my question by Isaac Weiss
I put in notes and now I want it to sound like a different instrument than piano. Why is Piano the default?
In reply to I put in notes and now I want by tigerprowl
Could you just answer the question?
In reply to Could you just answer the by Isaac Weiss
Yes I can, now answer me this. What is "the question"?
In reply to Yes I can, now answer me by tigerprowl
Do you get sounds for other instruments if you create a score with other instruments?
In reply to Do you get sounds for other by Isaac Weiss
I can get other instruments, I have to make a new staff and start all over or copy and paste. This would be fine for a few measures, but when you end up composing a lengthy piece of music there should be a way to change the instrument on the staff without having to make a second, third, fourth etc...
In reply to I can get other instruments, by tigerprowl
right-click into the staff, staff properties, change instrument
In reply to I put in notes and now I want by tigerprowl
For the record: piano is not the "default". When you create a score, you are free to select any instrument you like. However, it *is* true that the sample score that loads by default "My First Score" is indeed set up to use piano. If you prefer MuseScore to start up with a different score, or with whatever score(s) you were working on last, or to start up empty, simply go to Edit / Preferences to tell MuseScore how you would like to start. "My First Score" is provided as a convenience, but you are by no means required or expect to use it if it does not suit your purposes.
So, if you know when you create a score what instruments you will want, just select them - or a template that already is set up for you, like the String Quartet template - and playback is all taken of for you.
If you decide *after* creating or opening a score - and this includes using the sample "My First Score" - that you would liek to change the instrument used for any given staff, right click the staff, "Staff Properties", then "Change Instrument", as described elsewhere in this thread.
Again, at no point should you need to use alternate soundfonts or the mixer as part of this basic process - those are more for special / advanced usages. The information is provided in the Handbook for the benefit of the users who do required the advanced features, but from what you are describing, you shouldn't need either.
In reply to If I didn't have to download by tigerprowl
It would depend on how the score you are working on was created. You can create a new score using a template, in which case you may get a set of pre-selected instruments, depending on how the template was set up.
Or you can create a new score where you are prompted for important items which are presented for you to choose, including which instruments are to be used. You could call that the new score wizard.
Once you are editing your score, you can change the instruments using the mixer. Or you can edit a staff's properties and change the instrument. Right click near the clef symbol in the first Measure to find the staff properties option. Then you will get a dialog, one option is to change the instrument.
In reply to It would depend on how the by jim.weisgram
"you can change the instruments using the mixer"
Ahh, that's what I was looking for. That's completely insane why they have it called "mixer". Why not go to "Edit", add an "Instrument" option, then have a list of instruments? This would make more sense than having to figure out for 12 hours where and what things are labeled just to get one crucial feature that should be more user-friendly to happen.
"you can edit a staff's properties and change the instrument"
When I right click I get no such change instrument option. It would be nice to see that though, along with the above suggestion in this post. A right click would do the trick.
In reply to "you can change the by tigerprowl
This is just to change the sound of an instrument away from ist default sound. See above for the proper method, besides creating the staves for the right Instrument from start...
In reply to This is just to change the by Jojo-Schmitz
You completely missed my point. I would like to be able to change the instrument to hear what a melody sounds like. This is not a matter of me knowing what to write for each instrument.
I want to be able to put in the notes, right click and easily simply change the instrument. Right now that option is not there. When I go to "Instrument" under Edit, I get the option to uncheck an instrument, but it does NOT allow me to change the instrumentation. This is an ideal spot to allow this to happen since all instruments and staves in use are listed in a condensed list without the notes.
Instead of adding a different instrument and copying and pasting the notes, I am sure there could be a way to program in a change in an existing staff for a different instrument.
In reply to You completely missed my by tigerprowl
no need to add instrument, and then copy/paste the notes accros, as said above: just right-click into the staff, selecte staff properties and in that dialog then hit the change instrument button and there select the desired instrument. It can't get much easier than that, really
In reply to You completely missed my by tigerprowl
Glad you clarified; as you can see from the responses towards the top of this page, you had us convinced you were having playback problems where all instruments used a piano sound. So now I don't understand why you were trying to install new SoundFonts if you did have the other sounds all along.
Assuming we've nailed it down that all you really wanted to do was change one instrument to another, then indeed the "Change Instrument" button in Staff Properties is the way to go. Or, for playback alone (without changing transposition or instrument name), you can switch any instrument to use any of the built-in sounds (which includes non-musical instrument sounds) from the Mixer.
In reply to "you can change the by tigerprowl
Re: staff properties
You have to right click in the proper place. Earlier I said to right click near the clef symbol in the 1st measure. Wrong. You need to me more to the right, in the area where the notes are displayed. When you get the pop-up Staff/Measure menu, Staff Properties will be the 3rd option from the top.
Re: Add an Instrument
You wrote: Why not go to "Edit", add an "Instrument" option, then have a list of instruments? This would make more sense than having to figure out for 12 hours where and what things are labeled just to get one crucial feature that should be more user-friendly to happen.
There is an Edit > Instruments menu option that does have that feature. The keyboard shortcut for that is I. Use it to add new instruments/staffs or remove existing instruments/staffs. It doesn't let you change an existing instrument.