please add this feature to preview (preaudit) the instrument before adding it to the score.

• Dec 20, 2017 - 20:15

Please add this feature :
1. in the instrument panel by selecting [EDIT] , [INSTRUMENTS...], under the [All instruments] selection on the top right of {instruments] popup window move mouse to highlight one instrument, e.g. contrabass flute (see attached image).
2. Normally a double click will add this instrument to your staff, but I am asking the software guys to add a RIGHT MOUSE CLICK event when clicking on one instrument in this instrument selection part to automatically play the bottom note possible for the instrument, and then play fifths up until the upper note possible for the instrument with a one second pause between notes. This will give me an idea what the sound will be like in my score and whether the sound is good enough for me.
Thanks!

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Comments

Other than the fact that choosing an instrument does not influence which playback sound and/or soundfont you use for it in the end. It merely select the closest matching GM-compatible sound. you are entirely free to change the playback sound using the mixer afterwards. You could have an oboe played back by the ocarina or piano for all MuseScore cares…

If you are going to be serious about getting "the best" sound quality I'd strongly advise you to consider exporting MIDI from MuseScore to a real DAW anyway.

In reply to by jeetee

I understand that the instrument can be changed (as long as the valid note range is the same) but in composing one wants to get a close match to the instrument what will be finalized.
Please can you put in my request if not too hard. The function to call on the right click event would be essentially the same for all instruments. First part is to obtain instrument selected, then output that same scale to the speakers (bottom note, a few mid notes, and top note). Music is not just the note, but the timbre.

In reply to by victor pierobon

It is not about changing the instrument; its about the sound of the instrument. Something that has nothing to do with the instruments description or range.

Exactly the timbre is what is NOT defined by selecting an instrument, but by choosing a soundfont with the sound you want.
A very simple example is the instrument piano, which can have both mellow and bright sounds whilst still being a piano.. Which one would you sample?

Even one step further, if a user has removed the default soundfont from its preferences and loaded a custom one (perhaps not even GM compatible); his chosen soundfont at score creation might not even have the sounds to play that instrument definition, or has them on a different location.

If this is really important to you, I'd suggest you create a simple score with a scale; put playback on a loop and use the mixer to figure out the sounds you want to use. This will allow you to test sounds between Clarinet(Fluid soundfont) and Clarinet (other soundfont) and still Clarinet (yet another soundfont) for all the soundfonts you have locally installed.
Then create your new score with the instruments for which one of the soundfonts makes you happy and make sure to then also select that specific sound from that soundfont in the mixer of the newly created score.

In reply to by victor pierobon

What I don't understand is how this information will be more useful to you than a simple Google search. If you don't know what a bassoon sounds like, listening to the playback in MuseScore won't be as useful as hearing an actual recording of a bassoon in context. And if you do know what a bassoon sounds like, I don't see how it helps to find out in advance how well the MuseScore default playback happens to capture this. Either you want to write for a bassoon or you don't. If you do want to, then just do it. And if you are unsatisfied with the sound enough to want to experiment with other soundfonts, then you can simply try out other soundfonts.

I say this because you have to realize every new feature that gets added takes time and attention that could be spent on other improvements, and also adds to the length and complexity of the code and makes the program harder to maintain over time. So new features get added when there is strong consensus that the feature would actually be useful to most people. Right now I've only seen a couple of requests for this, and no explanations of how it would actually be more helpful than a Google search. Plus given that it is about playback only, it would tend to be prioritized lower than features relevant to the primary purpose of MuseScore, which is notation.

So instead of just repeating the request periodically, best course of action would be to explain in more detail why you think this would help lots of users, and maybe get more users to agree and support the request.

Also, realize I am speaking only for myself here, as a user and someone who does volunteer some time for development as well. So it's not like I am single-handedly making decisions. But I do understand the process pretty well.

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