Request on playback, sound, and instruments in general

• Jan 21, 2016 - 03:15

I've talked to a few devs and learned that it's currently not possible to create your own instruments (Like to use/ add in the mixer) in musescore without going to that specific file and modifying it there. What I was going for was the idea that you may have a certain soundfont you like, and for every new song, it can become quite nettlesome to have to scroll each time. That's why it'd be really nice to have an "instrument builder" or something more convenient and easier to deal with than the file itself. And really, all (it seems) we'd need on it is a channel adder/selector, maybe a sound-changer (choose a different sound in the soundfont or among the soundfonts in the synthesizer). With this in mind, you could also edit existing instruments and their channels, to produce an even bigger and better sound for those without having a duplicate of everyone.
With that above comes another suggestion for more channels to add to instruments. I realize that we don't want to crowd up the mixer (or so this would be more like something for an instrument adder/editor suggested above), so if there was something like a page of channels for every instrument (with all the articulations and ornaments for every instrument) that'd be great (considering you can apply a different soundfont to each). There are some really good soundfonts out there and some are meant specifically for, say, marcato, stocatto, accents, up-bows, down-bows, etc. If there were a way to apply a different soundfont to a specific channel rather than always relying on musescore's system, (which is really good) though I sometimes would rather be able to have a specified sound for an articulation/ornament without having to deal with having a whole other instrument with a different soundfont equipped using the mixer (which is okay as it's all only for the sound). This would also be really useful for those using vst's with jack and musescore as they would be able to use these different sounds from the VSTs and would be able to get the most of each sound.
I do realize that this suggestion is completely based on sound/playback, but I'd really like to be able to get those sounds; regardless of what program I use (fl studio, musescore, kontakt) I usually have add another channel in fl studio and a whole instrument in musescore. With FL studio, this makes sense, as the program can't change channels on it's own as musescore can, for a different sound, and can't modify the sounds with its own system (- some effects that function differently). Musescore does have these capabilities: It changes channels on its own based on what you put it the sheet music itself (text w/ staff text properties), so you don't have to make a whole other instrument because all the channels are "routed" to one midi track. So if your pizzicato channel (or possibly future) up-bow channel has a certain soundfont or VST sound, you can automatically here it as you watch the music progress on the screen. In fact, my favorite part about this, though is that musescore is all about the score, and I understand that a lot better than other softwares like FL or something like that, which is more geared for recording only rather than the visuals as well. Musescore already has the visuals down so if it could take in better, more specific sound for each action it would become a lot better for those who make sheetmusic for the sound you get from real people playing it as well as the sound that initially comes out.

So yep that's pretty much it:

1. A "channel" or changeable [soundfont loaded] for each (if not many) articulations/ornaments and an option to use musescore's built in effects (like it turns of musescore's stocatto and uses the soundfont)

2. An easier, in-software (not by the instruments file) way to add instruments to/ edit the instruments in the instrument menu and basically save configurations we make such as changing the default soundfonts(or VSTs w/ jack) for the channel they use, the main soundfont, the name pitch, etc...

And I understand if this is simply not possible, but this would make musescore just as useful, soundwise as it is visually with making sheet in the first place.

P.S. - It would be even cooler if along with different channels/soundfonts for different articulations and ornaments, we could have the option for not lengths too. Perhaps a specific soundfont sound best with eight/sixteenth notes and another sound better with whole notes and longer. This here would be even better for someone with VSTs and much more flexibility with note length as well.

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