Glitches in playback audio
After I updated to MuseScore 2.1 I noticed playback glitches in certain scores and the issue seems to be more pronounced in faster or thicker parts of scores. These glitches do not occur in exported audio from the same scores.
I have reinstalled all soundfonts and MuseScore itself, yet the issue remains. Before this point I had used GeneralUserGS, TimbresOfHeaven, and SalamanderPianoV3 soundfonts with no issues for well over a year.
The glitches always occur at the same points in the same scores in the same ways. I think the issue may be related to the soundfonts, as switching the soundfont used seems to solve the problem in certain cases, but I'm not entirely sure. The most distracting glitches occur while using the SalamanderPianoV3 soundfont, where frequently notes are missed out and a strange reverb plays instead in fast passages. While using GeneralUserGS there are frequent clicks on certain scores at specific note changes. I haven't noticed any glitches that seem to be linked to TimbresOfHeaven so far. I will reiterate that all soundfonts were working perfectly until the update.
While I can work around it, this is a major issue for me as arranging music on MuseScore forms the main part of my meagre income while at university, and the inability to use the soundfont setup that works best for me really hampers my productivity.
Thanks for your help.
Comments
In order to investigate fully we'd need you to attach your score(s) and say which soundfont(s) specifically you are using. But most likely you are seeing the same as #212776: Unwanted string-like sounds when playing and/or #197131: Regression: Bass synthesizer and bass guitar create popping sounds
These are the two scores with the most noticeable glitches.
In Farmer Refuted, Seabury uses the violin from TimbresOfHeaven, Hamilton uses the violin from GeneralUserGS, and the piano part uses SalamanderPianoV3. The only glitches are in the piano part. Two notable glitch spots are bar 8 and bars 89-95.
In The Guardian's Song, all instruments are from GeneralUserGS apart from the piano which is SalamanderPianoV3. In this score there are the clicks, but no piano glitches, particularly in bar 6 on quaver beats 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Possibly related: https://musescore.org/en/node/195711
If so, there seems to be an error in the console repeating constantly when it stutters: "Zerberus: out of voices..."
With bisecting, commits 79f05eba and 65207fe8 seemed to have made it worse, but I doubt the root cause is that.
For this post, I'm just concentrating on Salamander:
Result: The sound struggles.
Note: Though it doesn't seem to sound as bad in comparison (might depend on the system), exported audio is also affected.
Using MuseScore 2.2.1, 2.3 Nightly Build 9aa4bb2 and 3.0 Nightly Build a70b7fd - Mac 10.11.6.
I now attach audio samples (note: I amplified 'MuseScore' for audibility).
Using MuseScore 2.3 Nightly Build 9aa4bb2 - Mac 10.11.6.
BambiTrout, do you still have issues, perhaps other than Salamander?
Chenlung, could you please check the case with last 2.3 Beta? I've made number of fixes for Zerberus and "out of voices" issue is one of them.
It's still a problem.
Here is the SFZ.
If I'm not mistaken, these topics are similar:
https://musescore.org/en/node/195711
https://musescore.org/en/node/263386
https://musescore.org/en/node/267797
Also a problem in the SlenderSalamanderGrandPiano.
I have experienced something similar also, but with the default MuseScore Choral voices. If two basses sing the same note at the same time, a really weird reverb effect is created, which throws off the sound quite a ways... annoying, but not critical to composition or anything. Score attached.
It's an unfortunate fact of life in the audio world that playing the exact same waveform twice at the same time will produce such artifacts. Workaround is to silence or alter one (different dynamic, different tuning, different start time, etc) so they aren't literally identical.
I don't think that's the same issue, though. In the future, better to ask for help in the forum.