Quality of strings sound
One of the greatest deficiencies of MuseScore is sound quality or the strings, especially violins (violins are soul and backbone of orchestra!) (sic). They sound very unnatural, they have a disgusting kind of plastic echo, especially at heights. Sound of piano was greatly improved (older versions sounded like harpsichord) and clarinets too since version 2.0 (all winds are very well), but strings section showed no improvement at all. Each new version of MuseScore doesn’t improve violins, or strings in general, nor solo, nor ensemble.
Although even some payable VST software like Mixcraft or Sonar have bad strings (and music notation software like Finale), that is not apology.
I wonder why no-one till now complained about that main problem of MuseScore. I have composed few string quartets ("Piran" for instance) with present software, but the sound isn’t satisfying at all.
Comments
Getting good string sounds is especially complicated because so much depends on bowing - a sound that works well for a legato passage will sound terrible to a more forceful passage and vice versa. But you are welcome to look around for alternative soundfonts you can use within MuseScore - there are tons of other options available, including many good free ones. See the Handbook under "Soundfonts" for suggestions.
In reply to Getting good string sounds… by Marc Sabatella
No matter if legato or pizzicato, sound is bad, especially legato, which is most common.
Yes, strings are most difficult to imitate with electronic sounds (only first class synthesizers can approach to certain degree to original sound, Korg or Ketron for instance), but still something can be improved; in low registers violin and cello sound acceptable (cello is much better), but higher we go sound becomes more and more surreal, plastic, unbearable.
Soundfonts can be or not a solution, I’ve tried some (Sonatina symphonic orchestra, Orchestra Combo) and they sound really bad, worse than original. Searching for good soundfonts can take lot of time and includes too many failures.
vst support would be a better solution imo
or rewire