Violoncello behaviour
I'm working on a short string quartet, using the instrumentation and settings as provided in the score templates. Things are mostly the way I expect them to look and sound, but for some reason, the arco Bb2 in the 'cello part seems noticeably late compared to other notes. It's probably not an issue, but as the movement is essentially a ground, with the same note pattern occurring throughout, it really stands out in my mind. (in the attached score, measure 5, 7, 9, etc.) I understand that strings are generally a "slow" sound, but this one note seems quite out of place. Is this even possible, or am I imagining it?
Another small issue is that I really have to mess with the dynamics and mixer for the pizzicato cello part to be balanced with the other instruments. (Mixer at full, dynamic Fortissimo) Again, this is not so much a problem, but I will have to enter different dynamics for live performers.
Thanks,
Tom
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Lament.mscz | 28.12 KB |
Comments
I'm not sure this is a help, but I listened to it twice. First without reading the specifics of the problem so as not to suggest something to myself and I noticed nothing wrong. The second time after focusing on a late 'cello, I still noticed nothing.
It could be your equipment, but I'm sure someone else would be along for another opinion.
As for the mixer, two things I noticed.
1) the pizzicato effect seems to be the same as with MIDI...it is not a solo 'cello, but a 'cello section which is pizzicating (if that's a verb). Hence the extra volume and a slight reverb-type sound.
2) adjust the volume in the INSPECTOR. See under velocity within the inspector, which is the amplitude (volume) which can be adjusted up or down with the numbers. This may (should) help.
But it sounds okay.
In reply to I'm not sure this is a help,… by penne vodka
Thanks, P. V.
I'm not ruling out that this may be entirely in my imagination, but it still remains noticeable to me. I'm fairly sure it is not my equipment, as it occurs using the computer speakers and a bluetooth home theatre system. (unless there's a timing issue in my system... but why just one note... one instrument? )
I had not noticed that the pizzicato cello was more of a section than a solo sound. The arco sound is definitely solo. I do use the inspector quite a bit to adjust individual notes. Shouldn't the dynamics be the tool of choice for changes?
Also, it may be relevant that I am using the default MuseScore_General.sf3 soundfont.
Thanks again,
Tom
In reply to Thanks, P. V… by toffle
Some things to note. First, I didn't notice any difference in the attack point of the notes on the cello. I even isolated the viola and cello to see if there was a delay in the cello I didn't notice with the violins playing and there was no difference. I would suggest that the Bb is in the sound font you are using. Try a different sound font. I use the Aegean symphonic orchestra when I care about solo pizzicato as in a string quartet and this is the sound font I'm listening with. See https://sites.google.com/view/hed-sounds/aegean-symphonic-orchestra. It was made by a MuseScore user.
The other thing to note with any soundfont is that the mixer allows you to adjust all of the instrument and play style volumes so the dynamics, which are all relative, will sound correct. When you have the mixer adjusted properly, there should be no difference between human and computer playback as far as dynamic marks are concerned.
Sounds ok here... what soundfont are you using?
Here's a few measures of what I hear using MuseScore_General.sf3 (the default soundfont ).
It's an mp3 file, so rename the file extension from "Lament2.mid" to "Lament2.mp3" if it doesn't open in your player. (mp3 is not allowed for uploading.)
In reply to Sounds ok ... what soundfont… by Jm6stringer
Ok... first of all, I am such a LIAR! The score was not started on Musescore at all, but on the iOs app iWriteMusic. (It's a handy, but very limited score tool that I use when I'm away from my desktop.) This is a midi import from a file started using one of their templates. This may have some bearing on what I'm hearing.
What I hear with my file on my system is definitely different from the one you uploaded.
I will try the Aegean sound font to see if it makes a difference.
Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate the help.
In reply to Ok... first of all, I am… by toffle
@ toffle, maybe it's useless but...
if the file was imported from MIDI, right click on a note, select all similar elements and, from Inspector, reset the velocity.
In reply to @ toffle, maybe it's useless… by Shoichi
Shoichi, I think you found the volume problem now that we know it came from MIDI. For others who are lurking, always give as much info as possible so we can give good help. Note to self: Make sure you look at the source of the score in Score properties from now on since it tells you that it came from a midi file.
In reply to Shoichi, I think you found… by mike320
I agree Mike. The source is definitely relevant. I totally forgot that this is the way I began this score. (How hard is that, considering it was only two nights ago!?)
The Aegean font sounds great. I think I'll have to learn to tweak it, but it looks great.
Thanks again.
In reply to Ok... first of all, I am… by toffle
Glancing at the info on iWriteMusic I see it's actually a rather neat phone app. Almost makes me wish I had an iPhone. One problem you need to watch for is the dynamics being assigned to each note when you export a song to MIDI. I was hoping you could export to xml so import to MuseScore would be better, but it doesn't look like you can.