MIDI import and export bugs.

• Feb 23, 2015 - 00:44

I noticed that while importing a rather large MIDI file into Musescore 2.0Beta that I made with Musescore 1.3, I got some weird bugs. The MIDI imported and played back perfectly, except some of the notes appeared up or down the octave, on ledger lines. They played back fine, though. And when I changed the clef of the measure to bass clef and back, they fixed themselves, but kept on jumping around when I started adding notes to the other measures. As a songwriter it was only annoying, but I bet for people that are trying to print scores it's truly vexing. Also, the imported notes were all in different clefs. It kept switching between bass and treble (My advice to fix this is to have Musescore read the patch/instrument file and use whatever the standard clef is for that instrument. For guitar (MIDI patch 25-32 I think) that's treble 8vb. Of course, I'm no programmer). I'll attach both files along with the files from the second bug. Although, after I saved the file, it seems to work fine now. Although, that was after significant changes.

Second bug: I write guitar parts, so I made a custom instruments.xml that would let me easily switch between guitar mutes, distorted, harmonics, etc.,and wrote a song with three "Distortion guitars" (using the custom xml) and a few other instruments. They all exported fine, except the top guitar, which exported to MIDI under some weird synth voice. I think the mixer got confused with all the different voices.

I hope that this helps the MIDI folks out. MIDI is already extremely useful. Musescore is great for writing MIDIs and they're so useful in all kinds of audio software.

(Oh, and just in case you're wondering, the half-finished song is mine. I'm only posting it on the internet to help the developers. If anyone out there in the infinite internet tries to steal from me then I shall treat them with exceedingly great consternation.)

Attachment Size
musescore files.zip 62.89 KB

Comments

Unless you have a special reason for exporting your MuseScore 1.3 file as MIDI...
MuseScore 2.0Beta should be able to open the MuseScore 1.3 file directly, without the use of a MIDI export from 1.3 -- thereby eliminating many of those glitches which arise due to the very nature of MIDI-to-Notation translation.
These forums contain many discussions regarding the differences between MIDI vs. Notation, and the specific data each considers important.

Conversely ...
If you create a score with MuseScore 2.0Beta (or later) and wish to open it in MuseScore 1.3, then exporting from 2.0 via MusicXML would be the way to go. MuseScore 1.3 can open MusicXML files -- with better results than using MIDI to transfer from 2.0 to 1.3.

Regards.

No, the problem is not cross-compatibility, the problem is that MIDI import has glitches. I only imported the MIDI file because I hadn't saved some of my changes in mscz format.Musescore or my computer crashed or something like that. Anyways, I know about MusicXML and I use it sometimes, I just wanted to help the developers find bugs and fix them.

I use MIDI as an import to a DAW that handles MIDI a lot better than musicxml. And MIDI playback sounds different than internal musescore playback, so it gives me a second opinion on the sound and mix. The drums sound best in MIDI.

In reply to by joseph.branden…

Indeed...
I do agree that for performance playback MIDI and DAWs are better suited for the task - perhaps even for playback while composing (although MuseScore now does a much better job compared to the one instrument 'piano' days). Also, I thought you were using MIDI as a 'bridge' between MuseScore 1.3 and MuseScore 2.0.

Anyway, it is the importation of the MIDI performance data into a scorewriter like MuseScore where problems occur. Each calls upon differing data sets, with some information overlap. Much progress has been made, and we all wish for 100% congruity between MIDI and Notation software, but I don't know if that is possible.

So...
For myself, as a performer, I mostly stick to notation when learning new music. It is only if I can't find suitable notation, or if I hear some great MIDI which I must absolutely learn, that I will take the MIDI transcription route - expecting some glitches along the way.

Regards.

@lasconic said that custom instruments file can be set in addition to the basic instruments.xml file:
1. Open Preferences->Score
2. In the second line (list 2) specify custom instruments.xml file, like yours distortion guitar.xml
3. Restart MuseScore (apparently need)
4. Import your MIDI file: guitar tracks now are in the correct clef:
http://wstaw.org/m/2015/02/23/plasma-desktopJV1937.png
Instruments from the custom xml file will be used instead of the original one, where possible.

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