Instrument Change Gone Awry
I'm using a change instrument method to insert a "chk" sound on acoustic guitar. Everything works as intended until the playback hits measures 28 and 29. The A#2s are meant to be a high-hat "chk" sound for the guitar like all the measures before them, but, suddenly and somehow, they switch to a guitar of some sort.
I've tried deleting the content of those two measures and re-inserting by hand, but, not only does it not work, it moves the problem back 2 measures every time. In other words, if I delete the problem measures, the previous 2 measures start behaving badly, too.
I'm not sure if it's related, but you'll notice that the 4th staff labeled "Chords" at the beginning randomly changes to "Guit." and "D. Set," even though the full part name is still "Chords."
Any help resolving these issues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
| Attachment | Size |
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| Dos Locos - main.mscz | 49.55 KB |
Comments
Wow!
![Mixer.png]( "Mixer.png")
You have 5 instruments in your score and it contains a vast number of instrument changes!!
If you click the arrow button on top of the track control for the 'Chords' instrument, the mixer expands to a tremendous number of tracks.
Crd.-normal, Crd.-mute, Crd.-jazz, D. set-normal,Crd.-normal, Crd.-mute, Crd.-jazz, D. set-normal, Crd.-normal, Crd.-mute, Crd.-jazz, D. set-normal, Crd.-normal, Crd.-mute, Crd.-jazz, D. set-normal, etc...
See:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mixer#track-area
Instead of using 'Mid-staff instrument changes': https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mid-staff-instrument-changes
you should consider using the 'Mid-staff sound change':https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mixer#mid-staff-change. (I don't know if your use of the high-hat is supposed to represent a percussive 'rap' on the guitar while playing the 'Chords' staff.)
Anyway,
I have looked at your score and used a percussion staff for the high-hat. If you go to Edit -> Instruments and check the 'Visible' box you can see the percussion staff. The x noteheads in the 'Chords' staff were all selected and then 'Play' was unchecked in the Inspector so they remain silent during playback. (The high-hat is what actually sounds them.)
Have a listen:
Dos Locos - main_copy.mscz
In reply to Wow! You have 5 instruments… by Jm6stringer
Hi, jm6stringer,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review my score.
I had read a thread where the instrument change was used as a workaround for the lack of a toggle option to just make each note play whatever you wanted. So, I took that and simply implemented an instrument change at each note, making sure to change back on the very next beat. While I did notice that the number of tracks had inflated, I didn't understand that each instance of the back-and-forth switching was creating a separate instrument. I assumed it just used the same tracks each time it switched.
The goal was to add a percussive rap to the guitar (so, yes, confirming what you questioned about the Chords staff) without adding a separate percussion staff. I know I can hide the percussion staff, and, in fact, I'm hiding the Chords staff, too. It's only meant for playback for the slash notation in the staff above.
I had already taken a look at 'Mid-staff sound change,' and, while I understand the concept, I wasn't able to set it up like I needed. If you or anyone can confirm that I can set it up originally as a violin staff with multiple channels but change the output to 'acoustic guitar' and use one of its additional channels to play a drumset high-hat, then I'll give that a shot.
Thanks again for your reply.
In reply to Hi, jm6stringer, Thank you… by benitosm
As MuseScore has matured through the years, so has users' desire for nuanced playback. Gone are the days of "piano only" playback intended for note/harmony/rhythm checking. Concomitant with proficiency in notation, the developers have, along the way, introduced playback features which, in turn, further the appetite for even more -- i.e., an ultimate desire to produce a studio quality audio file from a written score.
With that in mind, there do exist features nowadays which can be used to produce more realistic score playback. The desired result often depends on the effort required.
First off, it's important to note the differences among:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/staff-part-properties#change-instrume…
and:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mid-staff-instrument-changes
and:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mixer#mid-staff-change
Getting back to your score...
You wrote:
I didn't understand that each instance of the back-and-forth switching was creating a separate instrument.
Yes, this relates to the 'Mid-staff instrument change' feature in MuseScore which is used where a musician doubles on a different instrument for a section of a piece:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/mid-staff-instrument-changes
There exists a feature request for returning to the original instrument without causing "mixer bloat":
https://musescore.org/en/node/42301
That's why I used a hidden percussion staff in the score I posted above (Dos Locos - main_copy.mscz) -- to avoid the "mixer bloat" which you encountered in your posted score..
You also wrote:
The goal was to add a percussive rap to the guitar (so, yes, confirming what you questioned about the Chords staff) without adding a separate percussion staff.
For a percussive 'guitar rap', if you insist on not adding a separate percussion track, you can use one of the already 'built-in' channel tracks available for guitar. This requires use of the 'Mid-staff sound change' feature. There is no need to first set it up as a violin (as was necessary with older versions of MuseScore). Depending on which guitar you choose, the number of tracks differ. For instance, 'Electric Guitar' has distortion and overdrive tracks, which are unavailable for 'Classical Guitar'
Here is an example of a percussive 'guitar rap' created without using a separate percussion staff:
More Than Ghost Notes.mscz
The example uses 'Mid staff sound change' and its 'mute' channel for the staccatissimo 'raps'. Voice 2 is used so all can be selected as a group and edited independently of the voice 1 notes. (The 'rap' is actually a palm muted guitar note to which staccatissimo is added to shorten the note and thus emphasize the sound of the note's attack. Use menu item: View -> Show Invisible to see the hidden staccatissimo.)
You also wrote:
If you or anyone can confirm that I can set it up originally as a violin staff with multiple channels but change the output to 'acoustic guitar' and use one of its additional channels to play a drumset high-hat...
As I mentioned earlier, you no longer need to co-opt the channels of a violin staff. Nowadays, guitar has 'built-in' channels available.
However, if you insist on playing a drumset high-hat on a guitar channel, have a listen:
Dos Locos - main_copy2.mscz
The example uses 'Drumset' for the mute channel, then the high-hat notes are entered for all the x notes (the x's are then 'fixed' to the second space from the top of the staff).
You also wrote:
I know I can hide the percussion staff, and, in fact, I'm hiding the Chords staff, too. It's only meant for playback for the slash notation in the staff above.
OK...
If you are hiding staves - even the Chords staff - then it really doesn't matter if score elements are invisible, or noteheads are changed to 'x'.
Also, it doesn't matter if you have a hidden Chords staff and a hidden percussion staff. No one can see either. You say they are there for playback only. So use the easiest method for the desired result.
In reply to As MuseScore has matured… by Jm6stringer
Thank you for the detailed response, jm6stringer. I've seen nothing but helpful comments from forum veterans that seem open and willing to investigate new playback options. Playback versatility is very helpful in situations where I can't communicate immediately (such as during this quarantine) with fellow musicians to elaborate on how certain sections should sound. Our ensemble uses a lot of percussive raps on guitar.
In the example where you used 'Drumset' for the mute channel, where exactly did you toggle the 'Drumset' option? I don't see the option toggled in the 'Crd.-mute' playback track or in the Staff Text Properties.
My ultimate takeaway is your sound advice to "...use the easiest method for the desired result." In most cases, this saves time, disk space, and hair.
Cheers.