Can Instrument Audio Settings from MuseScore 3 Transfer Directly to MuseScore 4? (+ MDL Compatibility Questions & Observations)

• Dec 19, 2022 - 00:58

Hello everyone!
While I'm quite excited to try out the new features of Musescore 4 (especially "Muse Sounds"), is there any straightforward way for me to preserve the original settings of some of my compositions created in Musescore 3, especially the panning and volume settings of each instrument part?

For example, whenever I open a MuseScore 3 file in Version 4, none of my audio settings transfer, leaving every instrument to default to "0" pan and "0" volume, the new default values of MuseScore 4. Of course, this can greatly offset the audio balance of my pieces, sometimes making the playback sound very uneven and... unpleasant (despite the new Muse Sounds).

Also, is there a decent replacement for the MuseScore DrumLine (MDL) extension that would work (and be easily recognized by) MuseScore 4?

One of my current Works-In-Progress (named Starstruck Ordeal) heavily relies on the MDL Drumset (and the MDL Sampler, though that isn't as significant) for its percussion line. In fact, many of my pieces use the MDL extension for their percussion, but the current edition of MuseScore 4 (v4.0.0) fails to even notice MDL in its mixer, forcing me to replace it with one of the built-in/native percussion instruments.

I presume this happens because of MS4's current abandonment of .sf3 files and the synthesizer, though I'm hopeful that there is a way for MDL to still work within MS4 (MuseScore 4).

*I only learned about the Zerberus compatibility issue (and what Zerberus was) after I watched MuseScore 4's reveal trailer.

Finally, I strongly feel that the audio settings should transfer smoothly from version 3.6.2 to v4.0.0, as I'm certain that instrument panning and volume is linked to each individual Musescore (.mscz) file.

Anyway, thanks in advance for the assistance--it's greatly appreciated!
Timothy D.

P.S. - Attached are two pictures regarding MDL: one from MuseScore 3, the other from MuseScore 4.
For the MS4 picture, please note how MDL isn't featured in the general mixer, and how the engraving and stemlines are "glitched out" throughout featured above the mixer. The MS3 picture primarily serves as a reference for what the engraving should resemble.


Comments

The beaming glitch is not related to MDL itself, but affects more percussion instruments.

As for using the MDL sounds, it seems that using the free Sforzando or Sfizz VST3s works to load the relevant SFZ file from MS3.

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