from musescore 2 to musescore 3
I have used musescore for some time and Im very pleased, and super grateful for the open source approach (and price) compared to - lets not get into that.
Simple question, tho - I have downloaded and installed musescore 3, plus update. Suddenly I find all my scores (100s, literally) need to get updated to open in version 3.
Huh? Will I be glad I did? Is there a batch edit option? These are working files. I convert to PDF for playing gigs, and I go back and revise ...eternally. So flexibility is really important to me. Knowing you guys, I dont expect a software rat-hole, but you cant be too careful. Other platforms play games with my data - recordings, pictures, etc. You know what I mean!
Comments
You can keep on your conmputer both Musescore 2 and 3 and even more, and you can always open your "old" files of MS 2 with MS 2, the scores from 2 or 3 are not in the same folder on your PC
In reply to You can keep on your… by Raymond Wicquart
Thanks! Question is,
1. should I want to keep MS 2? Are there features in MS 2 that are gone in MS 3?
Keeping the scores in 2 different places going forward is not too efficient.
2. Is there a batch process for converting?
In reply to Thanks! Question is, 1… by detepa
You may want to keep MuseScore 2 to be able to do minor edits to your old scores, as sometimes when importing them into MuseScore 3 there is quite some differences in layout to fix.
There is no batch conversion
In reply to Youay want to keep MuseScore… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thanks Jojo!
In reply to Thanks! Question is, 1… by detepa
The one actual feature of MuseScore 2 not yet present in MuseScore 3 is "albums". But even if you never use that feature, it's worth keeping MuseScore 2 around for the sake of your older scores.
Still, if you do decide to load any of them into MuseScore, there is no special process you need to go through to convert them. just open them in MuseScore 3. If you are OK with how they look - in most cases, there will be no obvious change except maybe some subtle improvements here and there - then you don't need to do anything at all. You can choose to save the result or not. totally up to you. If you are sure you like how it looks, you can save right over the old score. If you're not sure, you can save it separately, or not save it at all, your choice. Or, again, don't bother loading it into MuseScore 3 at all, just keep MuseScore 2 for your old scores you just want to open up and print, take advantage of MuseScore 3 for new scores, or maybe old scores you plan to actually revisit and edit further and don't mind spending the minute or two it might take to get them looking the way you want.
In reply to The one actual feature of… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc! Not what I wanted to hear. But good to know - I guess its time I went thru those charts and did housekeeping , who has time for that!
Meaning, "I'll make any excuse to avoid cleaning up after myself "!
In reply to Thanks Marc! Not what I… by detepa
Right, same for me. And that's why I still have MuseScore 2 on my system, and why of my own hundreds of charts, only a (growing) handful have made the transition. If I need to do a quick print, or generate an Eb part, I'll often turn to MuseScore 2. But if I'm going to spend more than a minute on the chart anyhow - adding an intro or ending, background parts, an interlude - I'll invariably bring it into MuseScore 3 and spend an additional minute fixing whatever I might need.
In reply to Right, same for me. And… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks for confirming my conclusion! I was feeling whiney when I 1st discovered the change-over.
But the reality is, it beats the heck out of a platform that holds you old charts hostage for many hundreds of $$. Plus, its a fair bet that an open source software upgrade actually improves user experience. Joy of learning vs fear of change!
In reply to Thanks for confirming my… by detepa
" a platform that holds you old charts hostage for many hundreds of $$."
This is news to me.
In reply to " a platform that holds you… by bobjp
Haha! Sorry - a long standing grudge with other music writing software companies. They may have changed, but I remember being cornered into buying updates in the 100s of dollars, otherwise I couldn't open scores only saved in their program. Maybe in sharing with collaborators, someone else made changes in the newer version, forcing me to buy it, also.
Don't remember the details, only that I was steamed - and so glad to find musescore!!! I had stumbled upon it and was using for some very simple lead sheets, thinking it was a little crude, when Marc said, "Oh no, it's really quite good!" Checked out some of his samples... He was so right!
And Im so grateful!
In reply to Haha! Sorry - a long… by detepa
Sorry about your experience. I have always been able to open older files in the commercial notation software I own. Though not files from newer versions. Sometimes the problem comes from trying to open files from different levels of the software. For example trying to open a file from the top of the line version, in the free version. Though this doesn't sound like your case. Anyway glad you found something that works for you.
In reply to Right, same for me. And… by Marc Sabatella
I have yet to see any big changes - granted Im making pretty simple lead sheets...
In reply to I have yet to see any big… by detepa
Realistically for lead sheets you won't see much difference in existing files, but there are a few nice new features you may want to take advantage of in the future, such as the ability to easily define alternate chord symbols that display above the standard ones (using the Inspector), also the MuseJazz font is now extended to notation as well as text (see Format / Style / Score), if you like the "simulated handwritten" look. or, if you don't, it's now at least possible to get superscript for chord symbols without needing to use MuseJazz or another specialty font (Format / Style / Chord Symbols).
But the more significant improvements overall have to do with reducing the need to make manual adjustments (automatic placement), and making it easier to make them when you do (more controls in the Inspector, less need to rely on dialog boxes).
In reply to You can keep on your… by Raymond Wicquart
Hi Raymond,
Scores on your computer are in any folder you want.
If you set a folder hierarchy by period, genre, ... You can happily mix v2 and v3 files in each folder.
The default folder defined by MuseScore is different between v2 and v3 yes.
I just put all the ms 2 scores on a thumb drive. Open them with 3 as you see fit.