MuseScore 4 string sound, export time, file compatibility, screen space
I got an email about MuseScore 4 which promised sound improvements. I tried it on a string trio arrangement, letting it load the new default sounds for violin, viola and cello (solo versions). It sounded terrible, somewhat like beginners "trying" to play, and there seemed to be a HORN in there.
The score is attached. You can hear what it sounded like here http://mc1soft.com/share/We_Three_Kings_of_Orient_Are%20vvlac%20alt%20M…
If you want to compare the MuseScore 3 version it is here
http://mc1soft.com/share/We_Three_Kings_of_Orient_Are%20vvlac%20alt.mp3
Second problem is the export took approximately 2 minutes on a brand new Intel(R) Celeron(R) N5105 @ 2.00 GHz with solid state disk.
Third problem is the file, when saved in MuseScore 4, could not be opened by MuseScore 3 (I clicked "ignore" but only got a blank screen). There has to be a way back, or I will never be willing to give it a more extensive try.
Fourth problem is a lot of screen area is taken up with controls that used to take up half the space, and with sound widgets that I have no intention of becoming expert on and actually using. I want to write music, not software. I consider fiddling with a widget on screen writing software. I did that for NASA for 45 years and I'm retired now. To write music, not software.
Spend more time writing music than you do programming. Then you will know if your software is usable.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| We_Three_Kings_of_Orient_Are vvlac alt MU4.mscz | 38.79 KB |
Comments
The way back is (A) do not overwrite your 3.x files, but Save As instead
(B) Export to MusicXML from 4, open that in 3
In reply to The way back is (A) do not… by jeetee
Thanks!
I don't hear any horn?
In reply to I don't hear any horn? by Jojo-Schmitz
Here is a three second excerpt of the worst of it. The problem is the violin part, or anyway, in the beginning. It was so bad I could not even listen to the whole thing. http://mc1soft.com/share/We_Three_Kings_of_Orient_Are%20vvlac%20alt%20M…
In reply to Here is a three second… by rlshuler
Some things to think about.
Only you know what this piece is supposed to sound like. I listened to it using a few different headphones. And with Muse Basic and Muse Sounds. No horn sound to me. I write for playback, and not primarily for real players. As a result, I open something in MS4 that I originally wrote in MS3 and sometimes wonder why I wrote things the way I did. I often end up re-writing parts to fit the sounds better. I also often have to re-enter dynamics and hair pins to get them to sound right. I'm told that is not the way to do it, but, Oh well. Even Beethoven would re-work things after he heard them performed. In general, I think that MS4 solo sounds still need work. Tutti sounds are much better. Some orchestra pieces that I gave up on in MS3 have the punch that I wanted in MS4
The long export time seems to be just the way it goes.
I found that after panning your score, I was able to pick out parts better. As violin and viola parts overlap so much of the time.
In reply to Some things to think about… by bobjp
First, when I say horn I mean trumpet or cornet, not French horn. That might have thrown you off. Even a real violin can at times sound a little like a trumpet if played that way (I wrote a whole piece with that theme). But this one was egregious and unpleasant.
Second, I write exclusively for live musicians. Many of my pieces have been played by various contract musicians. See https://www.youtube.com/@RobertShulerMusic . I also write for my sister and I but we only play privately. I play violin and piano. She plays cello and guitar. I used to play cornet and recently bought a C-trumpet. So I'm very familiar with all the sounds I use in composition, and my comments about hearing a horn (trumpet) are based on frequent experience with the real instruments.
You use MuseScore differently. Mayber MS4 is fine for you. But because you use it for a different purpose, your comments don't actually apply to my comment. Are you a developer? Then you could not know or meet my needs. Please pass the comment on to someone who can. Thanks for your interest in my comment.
In reply to First, when I say horn I… by rlshuler
OK, I'll play.
First, I play trumpet. I've played all kinds of music in all kinds of groups. I know exactly what various instruments are supposed to sound like in various combinations. I also know that trying to blend recorded sounds is not the same as real players. That is the "horn" you are hearing. I suspect that if you listen to this piece through a different system, it would sound different. Listen to it in your car. Listen to it through a good stereo system. Listen to it through earbuds on your phone. Each will sound different. The cello might be too loud on one system. The fact that your viola and violin parts overlap so much range-wise might not be the effect you want hearing it on an other system.
Second. MS4 is most certainly not fine. There are many problems. I'm just trying to help you deal with what you are hearing. I have professional notation software as well as MuseScore. They all sound and work, vastly different. And to get good results you have to spend a lot of time learning how to use them. Just because you might not use a particular feature, doesn't mean it shouldn't be there. Besides, notation software has never been meant to replace real players. It can't.
Not that it makes any difference, but I write for the fun of it. That doesn't mean I don't know what I am doing or that I don't want the best results. The solo sounds in MS4 are just too sloppy. And there is too much reverb.
In reply to OK, I'll play. First, I play… by bobjp
I have listened to Musescore string arrangements in everything from car to cheap to expensive headphones to a high end audiophile system. My opinion is unchanged. If it is different than yours, that is subjective. My opinion stands. The MS4 default rendering is terrible in my opinion. I would not use it under any circumstances. Hopefully I can use MS3 for the rest of my life (I'm 72, and have a life expectancy of 81. I still use Picture Publisher 9 which came out in the late 90s). I wanted to let the MS4 developers know that they had lost my following on 4 counts (one was later answered satisfactorily, I think). If you are a user, we don't need to waste time arguing. I've been using Musescore nearly 5 years and the chances of my changing my opinion are as close to zero as it gets. I was writing to the attention of developers, That was the ONLY forum I could find, and I spent a good amount of time looking.
In reply to OK, I'll play. First, I play… by bobjp
BTW, your comment about the solo sounds in MS4 being sloppy with too much reverb is spot on. I did not have the words to describe it that well. The harshness I hear in the violin that I'm calling a horn/trumpet sound is likely due to the reverb, now that you mention it.
In reply to OK, I'll play. First, I play… by bobjp
Also BTW, for 15 years I designed computer chips for NASA to withstand radiation effects. I spent only 2 weeks learning to use the design tools. There are tools that take years to learn in that field also, but not all of them. And when that vendor started making useless upgrades, which they did, I dropped maintenance and froze the version. This is old hat to me, complaining about software upgrades. It is by now very hard to actually improve most software.
In reply to OK, I'll play. First, I play… by bobjp
Version 4.4.1 seems to have corrected violin sound issues, and all sounds are slightly better, or more realistic anyway.
This post referred to an early version of Mu 4. Version 4.4.1 seems to have corrected sound issues.