Mid-staff instrument changes

When a musician is required to double on a different instrument for a section of a piece, the instruction to switch instruments is generally placed above the staff at the beginning of that section. A return to the primary instrument is handled in the same manner.

MuseScore enables users to insert a special class of text called Change Instrument text for this purpose. This class of text is different from either Staff or System text in that it links the text to the playback and changes the sound to the new instrument.

Effect of instrument change

When an instrument change is made:

• The sound played will be changed to that of the new instrument from that point onward, but the mixer display remains unchanged.
• Subsequent notes are automatically adjusted to indicate the correct written pitch for the new instrument (but the new key signature still needs to be added manually—see below).
• The new instrument name will be displayed in front of the following systems.

Add an instrument change

1. Select the start point of the change by clicking on a note or rest;
2. Open the main palette by typing F9 (or from the View menu), and click on Text to open the text sub-palette:
   
3. Click on Change Instr (double-click in versions prior to 3.4);
4. The words "Change Instr." will appear above the anchor note or rest;
5. Double-click the text, then type Ctrl+A to select all of it;
6. Type the actual text you wish to be displayed, and exit text edit mode;
7. Right-click the text and choose "Change Instrument…":
   
8. Choose the instrument, then click OK:
   ;
9. Insert a new key signature, if required, at the change, for the staff in question.

Note: Mid-staff instrument changes are limited to the same type of staff. For example, you cannot change between a percussion staff and a pitched instrument staff or vice versa.

See also

• Change instrument
• Mid-staff sound change

External links

• How to change instrument sound (e.g. pizz., con sordino) midway through score (MuseScore HowTo)

Mixer

The Mixer allows you to change instrument sounds, adjust volume and panning, and make other adjustments to the playback for each staff.

Opening the Mixer

To display/hide the mixer, use one of the following:

• Press F10 (Mac: Fn+F10).
• From the main menu, select View→Mixer.

The Mixer is split into a Details Area on the top and a Track Area below.

Track Area

The track area is at the bottom and displays the Master Gain as well as a row of tracks. The Track Area displays allows you to adjust the volume of the instruments used by your staves. Clicking on one of the panels selects it, and also allows you to edit other instrument parameters, such as choice of instrument, name, pan, chorus, reverb, etc. in the Details area.

MuseScore creates one "part track" for each staff in your score. These part tracks can be further subdivided into "channel tracks" corresponding to the different sounds used within the staff. While many staves only need a single channel track, others require multiple channels so that the instrument can play more than one sound (e.g. a violin which can play in arco, tremolo or pizzicato voices); or because of a Mid-staff instrument change. These extra channel tracks can be shown or hidden by clicking the arrow button on top of the track control.

Expanded part track, showing the child tracks in pink.

Master Gain

The Master Gain controls the overall output volume. To adjust it, click and drag the slider handle or enter a value in the box underneath.

Channel display arrow

Every part track has a button on the top with an arrow on it, enabled, when that instrument has multiple channels, like e.g. violin (for arco, pizzicato, tremolo), disabled otherwise. When clicked, this will toggle whether the channel tracks of the staff are displayed next to it. Channel tracks do not have an arrow button. Instead, the name of the track they are a part of is displayed.

Mute and Solo

At the top of each track is a green solo button and a red mute button: each can be toggled on or off. If any Solo button is checked then only tracks that have solo lit will play. If no solo is lit, all parts can potentially play. Mute does the opposite: any track that has mute lit will not play. By using a combination of mute and solo buttons, you can control which instruments are heard during playback.

Pan

The dial below the mute button controls panning left and right. You can click and drag on the dial to change the pan value. Note: MuseScore does not yet support pan values for the part track, so the part track displays the pan value of the first channel instead. Setting the pan value of the part track will automatically set all of its children to the same value as well.

Volume

The slider in the middle of the track controls the playback volume. Note: MuseScore does not yet support volume values for the part track, so the part track displays the volume value of the first channel instead. Setting the volume value of the part track will automatically set all of its children to the same value as well.

Track name

The text box at the bottom of the track contains the current name of the track's part or channel.

Details Area

The details area displays and provides finer control of the currently selected track.

Name

The name of the part this track is associated with. Both part tracks and channel tracks display the part name. Note: The part name is editable, but this only have effect for the Mixer. The channel name is not editable.

Channel

If a channel track is selected, the channel name is displayed here.

Drumset

Indicates if this part represents a melodic instrument or a drumkit. For regular melodic instruments, each pitch in the same patch usually has the same timbre, while drumkit patches usually have different timbres for each pitch.

Sound

To change the sound in a track:

1. Click on the desired track so that its details appear in the Details area.
2. Click on the "Sound" dropdown list and select another instrument.

The "Sound" drop-down menu lists every instrument supported by your current SoundFont. If you have multiple SoundFonts loaded in the Synthesizer, all the patches from all the SoundFonts (and/or SFZ files) will appear in the order set in the Synthesizer.

Tip: To find an instrument, click on the "Sound" list and type the first letter of the instrument name. Repeat as required.

Volume

The overall loudness with which the sound is played.

Pan

The panning applied to the part.

Track color

To change the change the color of the track area:

• Click the colored rectangle to enter the color palette, and make the desired changes.

Setting the color of a part track will automatically change the colors of all its child tracks as well.

Port and Channel

The output MIDI port and channel the part is played on.

Reverb / Chorus

The reverb/chorus value sent to MIDI out. This is information sent to MIDI devices and will not affect MuseScore's built in audio playback

Mute Voice

This allows you to mute individual voices within each staff. Each row represents a different staff within a part. So pressing '2' on the top row will mute the second voice on the first staff of the part.

Hide Details Button

At the bottom of the detail area is a wide button with a tiny triangle on it. Clicking this button will hide the detail area to give you more room. Clicking on it again will restore the detail area.

Mid-staff sound change (pizz., con sordino, etc.)

Some instruments come with multiple channels in the Mixer that can be used to change sounds midway through a score. For example, a staff for a stringed instrument (violin, viola, cello etc.) is allocated three channels: one for "arco" (or "normal"), another for "pizzicato" and another for "tremolo." A trumpet staff will have one channel for "normal" and another reserved for "mute," and so on.

The following instructions use pizzicato strings as an example, but the same principle can be applied to any other instrument staff that allows sound changes.

1. Select the first note of the section you want to be pizzicato;
2. From the main menu, choose Add→Text→Staff Text;
3. Type "pizz." This text is for visual reference only and does not affect playback;
4. Right-click on the applied staff text and select Staff Text Properties…;
5. In the "Change Channel" tab of the "Staff Text Properties" dialog, select one or more voices on the left;

6. From the dropdown menu, select pizzicato;

   

7. Click OK to return to the score.

Every note after the staff text you added now sounds pizzicato. To return to a normal strings sound later in the piece, follow the same guidelines as above except type "arco" in step 3 and select arco in step 6.

See also

• SoundFont
• Synthesizer
• Change instrument

External links

• How to change instrument sound (e.g. pizz., con sordino) midway through score (MuseScore HowTo)

Piano Roll Editor

The Piano Roll Editor allows you edit individual notes and tweak aspects of their playback.

Opening the Piano Roll Editor

To open the Piano Roll Editor (PRE), right-click on a measure in the score and choose the Piano Roll Editor option from the context menu. The Piano Roll Editor will open showing the staff and measure where you clicked. If the Piano Roll Editor is already open, it will be updated to show the new staff and measure you clicked on.

Overview

The Piano Roll Editor is divided into several sections. At the very top is a row of buttons and controls that affect playback and can modify notes. The name of the part being edited is at the top right.

The central portion contains the Note Display Area which allows you to view and edit notes. Each note is displayed as a block, with yellow blocks representing selected notes, and darker green blocks representing unselected notes (these colors can be changes in the Preferences). Given sufficient space, each block will display its pitch on the left and the voice it is assigned to on the right. Changing the size of the note blocks is covered in the navigation section.

To the left of the Note Display Area is the Keyboard. By clicking on a key in the Keyboard, you can hear a sample of that note playing. As you move the mouse in either the Node Display Area or the Keyboard, a key on the keyboard will light, corresponding to the pitch you are over. You can also hover your mouse over a particular key to get more information about that pitch. If you are using a Drumkit, the keys of the keyboard will show the name of the drum assigned to that particular pitch. For instruments that are not concert C, the keyboard will be adjusted so that the C of the keyboard matches the C of the instrument.

Along the top of the Note Display Area is the Measure Ruler which displays the current position of the playback head, as well as the current looping range if it set.

The bottom of the editor contains the Levels Display Area. It is a bar graph showing extra data values assigned to each note, such as its velocity or cutoff time. To the left of the Levels Display Area is a dropdown menu allowing you to select the type of data you wish to see displayed or edited.

Navigation

There are several ways to move about in the Piano Roll Editor. First of all, you can click and drag on the scroll bars on the edges of the Note Display Area.

The mouse wheel can also be used to pan and zoom as follows:

• Scroll vertically: Mouse wheel.
• Scroll horizontally: Shift + mouse wheel.
• Zoom vertically: Ctrl + mouse wheel.
• Zoom horizontally: Ctrl+Shift + mouse wheel.

To jump to a particular measure, switch back to score view and find the measure you wish to see. Then right-click on the measure and select Piano Roll Editor. The Piano Roll Editor will scroll to center on the measure you clicked.

Selecting Notes

In the Note Display Area, you can click on single notes or click and drag to select a group of notes. Holding down the modifier keys will affect how your selection changes:

• Shift: Invert existing selection: i.e. notes that were previously selected are deselected, and notes which were not selected are selected. Useful for toggling a note between selected and not selected.
• Ctrl: Add notes to selection.
• Ctrl+Shift: Subtract notes from selection.

Editing Notes

To change the pitch of a selection of notes: Drag a selected note up or down to a new pitch; or press the ↑ or ↓ arrows. Note: Dragging the note horizontally to change the start time is not supported at the moment.

To delete a selection of notes: Press the Del key.

To move a note selection to another voice: Click the desired voice number button at the top of the editor.

To add notes:

Notes can be inserted by clicking in the Piano Note Area with the modifier keys held. These edit operations will use the beat or subbeat line to the left of the spot where you click as the point where a note is altered:

• Ctrl: A note of the current insert note duration will be added at the subbeat and pitch where you clicked. The note insert length is the same as the one you use to add notes in note entry mode in the score. If you wish to change the duration, you will need to select this in the Score View as the Piano Roll Editor does not currently have these buttons. If notes already exist in this location, a chunk will be cut out of them to make room for the note you are inserting, unless they happen to have the same start time and duration of the note you're adding, in which case the new note will simply be appended to the existing chord. Tuplets are currently not supported, and so will be ignored.

  

• Shift: Looks for a chord that already spans this subbeat line. If it finds one, appends a new pitch to the existing chord. Otherwise, this is a rest and the rest will be replaced with a note of equal start time and duration to the existing rest.

• Ctrl+Shift: Looks for a chord or rest that spans this subbeat. This chord will be cut in two at this subbeat line. Tuplets are currently not supported, and so will be ignored.

To edit note event data:

Note event data can be changed in the Levels Display Area. To edit event data such as velocity or cutoff time, first select the notes you wish to edit in the note area. Then click in the Levels Display Area on the corresponding bar; the value of the level will changed to correspond to the point where you clicked. You can also click and drag in this area to change the levels of several notes with a single gesture. If you want the levels to all be set to the same value, hold Shift while dragging. Only selected notes will have their value changed - this is to prevent you from accidentally changing the values of other notes.

The Levels area can display the same data in multiple ways. For example, velocity data can be displayed both as absolute (i.e., relative to the output midi volume) and relative (i.e., as an offset to the dynamics value). You can switch between these display modes as you see fit.

Controls

From left to right the controls have these functions;

First Row

Undo

Undoes the last action

Redo

Redoes the last action

MIDI Toggle

Toggles MIDI input

Rewind

Rewind to start of score.

Play

Starts/stops playback.

Loop Playback

Sets the range of and toggles looping playback.

Play Repeats

Toggles whether repeats are played.

Pan Roll During Playback

If set, the window will automatically scroll to center on the playback head during playback.

Metronome

Toggle metronome.

Wave

Currently does nothing.

Voice Numbers

Moves selected notes to chosen voice.

Part

Name of part currently being viewed/edited.

Second Row

Cursor

Provides feedback on the current measure and pitch of the position of the mouse within the Note Display Area.

Subdiv

Subdivides the beat by adding extra divisions to the Note Display Area. The value indicated the number of time the beat will be subdivided. So for 4/4 time, a division of 2 will draw grid lines at every eighth note; a division of 3 at every sixteenth note, and so on. Setting the subdivision is necessary for some editing operations if you wish to place notes off the beat.

For larger numbers of subdivisions, you may need to be zoomed in to see the extra grid lines since grid lines are not drawn below a certain density. Combines with the tuplet control which also affects grid line placement.

Tuplet

Adds additional grid lines, subdividing the beat to show the rhythmic placement of tuplets. For example, setting tuplets to 3 will show the beat subdivided into three parts. Combines with the subdiv control to show subdivisions of the tuplet. For example, setting tuplets to 3 and subdiv to 2 will draw grid lines showing the tuplet beats subdivided into two parts - i.e., the beat will be subdivided into 6.

Selecting a tuplet mode other than 1 will disable some of the note insertion tools for the Piano Roll Editor. For larger numbers of subdivisions, you may need to be zoomed in to see the extra grid lines since grid lines are not drawn below a certain density.

Stripe pattern

Changes the pattern of stripes shown behind the notes in the Note Display Area. By default the pitches of C major are highlighted, but you can change this to highlight the pitches of a different key, or even scales such as the diminished or whole tone.

Velocity

Shows the velocity of the currently selected note (only one note may be selected). Indicates the loudness of the note. This can be expressed as 'Offset' or 'User':

• Offset: Value is treated as a multiplier for the velocity already set by the dynamics.
• User: This is the raw value being sent to MIDI and overrides the dynamics value. Values are between 0 and 127, where 64 is "middle, neither loud nor soft".

When you switch from User to Offset or vice versa, the value will be recalculated to best match the value in the other system. This way you could, for example, switch to User mode to set the value as you would like it to sound in MIDI output and then switch to Offset so that this value respects the dynamic marking instead of overriding it. At the moment you switch back, the offset value will be recalculated to match the User value in loudness but will no longer act as an override so you may later change the dynamic.

Pitch

Shows the pitch and octave of the selected note in text format (i.e. f#4).
The pitch will change if the note is dragged Up or down to a new pitch. Currently cannot be edited.

OnTime

Shifts the start of the note in time, which can be used to modify the playing style. Negative values will make the note sound earlier, positive will make it sound later. The duration of the note corresponds to a value of 1000 (e.g. setting the value to 250 will make the note sound 1/4 of its duration later).

Length

Set the time that the note is sounding, which may be used to modify the degree of "legato". Lower values will make the note sound more staccato, higher values will make it sound more legato. The duration of the note corresponds to a length of 1000, but the value can be set higher. 950 is usually considered "non-legato".

Keyboard

Some keys are hooked up to perform special actions:

• ↑: Move selected notes up one semitone
• ↓: Move selected notes down one semitone
• Del: Delete selected notes
• Space: Start/stop playback

Customization

The Piano Roll Editor will display in both normal mode and dark mode. If you wish to change the colors the Piano Roll Editor uses to display in these modes, they can be adjusted in the Preferences under the Advanced tab. All the Piano Roll Editor related properties begin with ui/pianoroll/light for light mode and ui/pianoroll/dark for dark mode.

Play mode

Playback toolbar

Basic playback functions are accessed from the Play toolbar located above the document window:

From left to right, the icons are:

• Toggle 'Midi input':
• Rewind to start position: Playback returns to the beginning of the score, or to the start of the loop (if one is set).
• Start or stop playback: See Start/stop playback.
• Toggle loop playback: See Loop playback.
• Play repeats: Turn off if you want playback to ignore repeats.
• Pan score during playback: Turn off if you want the score to remain stationary.
• Play metronome: Toggles metronome ON and OFF.

Playback commands

Start/stop playback

To start playback:

1. Click on a note, rest or the blank part of a measure to establish the starting point. Note: If no selection is made, playback returns to the place it left off; or, if no previous playback, to the start of the score.
2. Press the Play button; or press Space.

During playback you can jump to a specific note or rest in the score by simply clicking on it.

To stop playback:

• Press the Play button; or press Space.

During playback

Once playback has started, the following commands are available:

• Go back to previous chord: ←
• Advance to next chord: →
• Go back to start of previous measure: Ctrl+← (Mac: Cmd+←)
• Advance to start of next measure: Ctrl+→ (Mac: Cmd+→)
• Rewind to start of score: Home (Mac: Cmd+Home); or press the Rewind button (playback toolbar).

During playback you can still use keyboard shortcuts to open and close panels, such as Play, Synthesizer, Mixer etc.

Loop playback

• Playback should be off, and the "Loop playback button" on.
• Select the desired region of the score for loop playback.
• Press the playback button.

Playback will now cycle within the region marked by the blue flags.

• Use the "Loop playback" button to toggle the loop on or off.

See also: Play Panel (below).

Play panel

To open the Play Panel use one of the following options:

• Press F11 (Mac: Fn+F11).
• From the menu bar, select View → Play Panel.

The Play Panel allows you to make temporary changes to tempo and volume, to loop playback between specified points etc.

• Loop playback: Select a start note and click on the Loop in button; select an end note and click on the Loop out button. Press Play to hear the loop. The controls also work during playback.
• Rewind, Play: Playback controls.
• Metronome: Toggle metronome playback ON or OFF.
• Count in: (Conductor icon) Adds a count-in when you start playback at the start of a measure. Extra beats are added if you start mid-measure. Toggles ON and OFF.
• Tempo: Make temporary change to tempo. This is displayed as a percentage and as a bpm (beats per minute). Double-click to reset. (Note: Permanent changes to tempo should be made using tempo text)
• Volume: Make temporary change to volume (resets when program is reopened). Note: To change the default playback volume of the score, see Synthesizer.

Playback: Chord symbols / Nashville numbers

As of MuseScore version 3.5, both chord symbols and Nashville numbers (but not Roman numerals) automatically sound when you play back the score.
As of MuseScore 3.5.1 this only happens with scores initially created with MuseScore 3.5 or later, for older scores you'd need to enable it, using the methods described below.

Turn playback on/off

Note: Settings made below also affect Audio and MIDI export.

For all scores (as of version 3.5.1)

To enable or disable chord symbol playback for all scores:

• Select Edit (Mac: MuseScore)→Preferences…→Advanced); then the following options, as required:
  • To disable/enable playback of pre-version 3.5 scores: Check/Uncheck score/harmony/play/disableCompatibility (default is checked—no playback)
  • To disable/enable playback of version 3.5 or later scores: Check/Uncheckscore/harmony/play/disableNew (default is unchecked, playback)

For the current score

As of version 3.5.1

To turn playback of ALL chord symbols on/off:

• Tick/Untick Format→Style…→Chord Symbols→Play.

As of version 3.5

To turn playback of ALL chord symbols on/off:

1. Select a chord symbol or Nashville number
2. In the "Chord Symbol" section of the Inspector check/uncheck the "Play" box.
3. Click on the associated "Set as style" button (to the right of that box, you may need to scroll a bit)

Alternatively, you can mute the playback track(s) in the mixer—see below. This might be necessary, for example, when you have chord symbols on more than one staff and want to have playback for only one of them. Score parts need to be adjusted separately.

To turn playback of a SELECTION of chord symbols on/off:

1. Select a range of symbols.
2. Right-click a chord symbol or Nashville number.
3. Click on Select→Select all similar elements in selected range, OK.
4. In the "Chord Symbol" section of the Inspector check/uncheck the "Play" box.

or

1. Click on first chord symbol or Nashville number in that range.
2. Shift+click on last chord symbol or Nashville number in that range.
3. In the "Chord Symbol" section of the Inspector check/uncheck the "Play" box.

Note: This does not affect the parts which need to be adjusted seperately.

Change playback sound

The default sound for chord symbols is "Grand Piano". As of version 3.5.1, scores created from Guitar solo templates, use "Nylon String Guitar" instead.

To change the chord symbol playback sound:

1. Open the Mixer (shortcut: F10, Mac: Fn+F10)
2. In the Track area locate the track for the part in question.
3. Click on the "Show channels" arrow to display all the child tracks for that part.
4. Click on the track whose name contains the words "harmony" or "Chord syms." (may be truncated, should be the rightmost).
5. Select a new "Sound" in the Sound drop-down list.

This setting is shared between score and parts.

Change playback volume / Mute track

1. Open the Mixer (shortcut: F10, Mac: Fn+F10)
2. In the Track area locate the track for the part in question.
3. Click on the "Show channels" arrow to display all the child tracks for that part.
4. Click on the track whose name contains the words "Chord syms." (may be truncated, should be the rightmost).
5. Adjust the volume slider; or press the "M" button to mute the track.

You'd need to do this for the score and/or the parts, separately.

Turn symbol sound on/off when editing

To turn the sound of the symbols on/off when editing:

1. From the menu, select Edit (Mac: MuseScore)→Preferences…→Note input.
2. Check/Uncheck the "Play chord symbol when editing" option.

Interpretation and voicing of chord symbols

If desired, you can adjust the playback properties of selected chord symbols as follows:

1. Select one or more chord symbols.
2. In the Inspector make changes as follows:
   • Interpretation. The options are:
     • Literal;
     • Jazz. This adds color tones (e.g. the major 9th) but may also omit certain notes—this depends on both the chord itself and the context (the next chord in particular).
   • Voicing. Options are:
     • Auto
     • Root only = Just the bass note;
     • Close = arranges the notes within the span of an octave;
     • Drop 2 = lowers the second highest note of the chord by one octave;
     • Six Note;
     • Four Note = 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th intervals;
     • Three Note.
       Note: All voicings include a bass note, 2 octaves below the root note of the chord.
   • Duration: Options are
     • Until next chord symbol
     • Until measure end
     • Chord/rest duration.

The following shows how the Interpretation and Voicing options affect the playback of a C major seventh symbol (Cmaj7 or CM7).

Note: The "Close" and "Auto" Voicing options are the same for this particular chord, but this isn't necessarily the case for every chord. So if you specifically want "Close", it is best to make the option explicit.

SoundFonts and SFZ files

Audio playback is provided by MuseScore's onboard synthesizer, which houses a large selection of virtual (or software) instruments—including percussion and sound effects.

MuseScore supports virtual instruments in two formats:

• SoundFont (.sf2/.sf3): A single file containing one or more virtual instruments.
• SFZ (.sfz): A set of audio and definition files containing one or more virtual instruments.

SoundFonts

MuseScore comes with its own GM (General MIDI) SoundFont, MuseScore_General.sf3, containing over 128 instruments, sound effects and various drum/percussion kits.

GM (General MIDI) is a universal format, so once your score is set up for correct playback using MuseScore's native Soundfont, you should be able to export it in a format of your choice and have it play back on any other user's computer.

Many different Soundfonts are available on the Internet: some free, some commercial. For a list of free soundfonts, see below.

Install a SoundFont

After finding and decompressing a SoundFont (see →below), double-click to open it. In most cases, the SoundFont file type will already be associated with MuseScore, and MuseScore will start and a dialog will appear asking if you want to install the SoundFont. Occasionally an application other than MuseScore will be associated with the SoundFont file type; if this is the case, you will need to right-click or control-click on the file, so as to display a menu from which you can choose to open the file in MuseScore. In either case, when the dialog appears asking if you want to install the SoundFont, click "Yes" to place a copy of the SoundFont file in MuseScore's SoundFonts directory. This directory can be viewed or changed in MuseScore's Preferences, but the default location is:

• Windows: %HOMEPATH%\Documents\MuseScore3\Soundfonts

• macOS and Linux: ~/Documents/MuseScore3/Soundfonts

In contrast to user-added SoundFonts, the initial default SoundFont installed with MuseScore is located in a system directory, meant only for that purpose, which should not be modified. This directory and its default SoundFont file is:

• Windows x86 (32-bit) / MuseScore x86: %ProgramFiles%\MuseScore 3\sound\MuseScore_General.sf3
• Windows x64 (64-bit) / MuseScore x86: %ProgramFiles(x86)%\MuseScore 3\sound\MuseScore_General.sf3

• Windows x64 (64-bit) / MuseScore x86_64: %ProgramFiles%\MuseScore 3\sound\MuseScore_General.sf3

• macOS: /Applications/MuseScore 3.app/Contents/Resources/sound/MuseScore_General.sf3

• Linux (Ubuntu): /usr/share/mscore-xxx/sounds/MuseScore_General.sf3 (with xxx being the MuseScore version)

Uninstall

To uninstall a SoundFont, simply open the folder where its file is installed and delete it.

SFZ

An SFZ is a collection of files and directories, an SFZ file and a bunch of actual sound files in WAV or FLAC format, with the SFZ file being a text file that basically describes what sound file is located where and to be used for what instrument and pitch range.

Install an SFZ

After downloading an SFZ (see →below), you need to manually extract all the files that belong to the SFZ (the SFZ file(s) and all the sub-directories and other files) into the directory listed above. Leave the sub-directories and their contents as they are. Note, however, that on occasion, an SFZ file in its folder may seek the actual WAV sound files inside the SFZ sub-directory itself, usually in a folder labeled "Libs". If the SFZ zip file you download has a Libs folder in it, move it into the main SFZ sub-directory.

Uninstall

To uninstall an SFZ, simply open the folder where its files are installed (see above) and delete them all.

Synthesizer

Once a SoundFont has been installed on your system, it also needs to be loaded into the Synthesizer. See To load a soundfont.

Mixer

The Mixer allows you to easily change the sounds for each staff (even while the score is playing). For further details, see Mixer.

List of downloadable soundfonts

GM SoundFonts

The following sound libraries conform to the General MIDI (GM2) standard. This specification gives you a sound set of 128 virtual instruments, plus percussion kits.

• GeneralUser GS (29.8 MB uncompressed)
  Courtesy of S. Christian Collins
• Magic Sound Font, version 2.0 (67.8 MB uncompressed)
• Arachno SoundFont, version 1.0 (148MB uncompressed)
  Courtesy of Maxime Abbey
• MuseScore 1 came with TimGM6mb (5.7 MB uncompressed)
  License: GNU GPL, version 2
  Courtesy of Tim Brechbill
• MuseScore 2 (up to version 2.1) came with FluidR3Mono_GM.sf3 (13.8 MB).
• MuseScore 2 (as of version 2.2) and 3 come with MuseScore_General.sf3 (35.9 MB) (SF2 version (208 MB)) and are being updated from time to time (see the Changelog).
  License: released under the MIT license
  Courtesy of S. Christian Collins
  MuseScore 3 on top offers an HQ version of that soundfont as an extension
• Timbres of Heaven, version 3.2 (369 MB uncompressed)
  Courtesy of Don Allen
• Soundfonts4U (12MB up to 1GB, depending on which package you choose)
  Collection of beautifully sounding acoustic guitars as well as pianos, basses, strings, harps and many more.

Orchestral soundfonts

• Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra (503 MB uncompressed)
  Downloads: SoundFont | SFZ format
  License: Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0
• Aegean Symphonic Orchestra
  Courtesy of Ziya Mete Demircan (352 MB uncompressed)

Piano soundfonts

SF2 Pianos

• Acoustic grand piano, release 2016-08-04
  Description: Yamaha Disklavier Pro Grand Piano, sf2 format, 36MiB compressed, 113MiB uncompressed, 121 samples, 5 velocity layers
  More information: http://freepats.zenvoid.org/ including other soundfonts.
  License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
  Courtesy of Roberto Gordo Saez
• Salamander C5 Light
  Courtesy of Ziya Mete Demircan (24.5 MB uncompressed)

SFZ Pianos

• Salamander Grand Piano
  Downloads: version 2 | version 3
  Description: Yamaha C5, 48kHz, 24bit, 16 velocity layers, between 80 MB and 1.9 GB uncompressed
  License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
  Courtesy of Alexander Holm
• Detuned Piano (244 MB uncompressed)
  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
• Plucked Piano Strings
  Description: 44.1kHz, 16bit, stereo, 168 MB uncompressed
  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
• The City Piano
  Description: Baldwin Baby Grand, 4 velocity layers, 696 MB uncompressed
  License: Public domain
  Courtesy of Big Cat Instruments
• Kawai Upright Piano, release 2017-01-28
  Description: 68 samples, 44KHz, 24bit, stereo, 2 velocity layers, 58MiB uncompressed
  License: GNU General Public License version 3 or later, with a special exception
  Courtesy of Gonzalo and Roberto

Unzipping downloaded soundfonts

Since soundfonts are large, they are often zipped (compressed) into a variety of formats, including .zip, .sfArk, and .tar.gz. You need to unzip (decompress) these files before they can be used.

• ZIP is standard compression format supported by most operating systems.

• sfArk is a compression format designed especially for compressing SoundFont files. To decompress it, use Polyphone (cross-platform software); or this online service: https://cloudconvert.com/sfark-to-sf2

• .tar.gz is a popular compression format for Linux. Windows users can use 7-Zip; Mac users can use The Unarchiver, or macOS' built-in Archive Utility. Note that if using 7-Zip, you will need to apply decompression twice—once for GZip and once for TAR.

Troubleshooting

If the toolbar play panel is greyed out, or not visible, follow the instructions below to get your sound working again:

1. Right-click on the menu bar and make sure there is a check mark next to the Playback Controls menu item. If this step does not solve your problem, go to Step 2.
2. If the play panel disappears after changing the SoundFont, go to Edit → Preferences... → I/O tab and click OK without making any changes. After restarting MuseScore, the play panel should reappear.

If you are setting up a SoundFont for the first time, please use one of the recommended SoundFonts listed above.

If playback stutters, then your computer may not be able to handle the SoundFont being used. The following advice may help:

• Reduce the amount of RAM (memory) used by MuseScore by using a smaller SoundFont. See the list above for suggestions.
• Increase the amount of RAM available for MuseScore by quitting all applications except MuseScore. If you still have problems and a large SoundFont is important to you, consider more RAM for your computer.

See also

• Synthesizer
• Mixer

External links

• How to change the SoundFont or add another (MuseScore HowTo)
• The SFZ Format (for details about the sfz specification)

Swing

MuseScore's swing feature allows you to change the playback of your score from a straight to a swing rhythm. Swing can be applied globally or only to a section of the score, and is fully variable.

Apply swing to a score section

To apply swing to all staves in a system:

1. Click on the note where you want swing to start;

2. Click Swing in the Text palette (double-click in versions prior to 3.4);

   

3. Edit the Swing text as required;

4. If you need to vary swing from the default setting, right-click the Swing text and select System text properties... Click on the "Swing Settings" tab and adjust note duration and "Swing ratio" as required.

   

To apply swing only to specific staves in a system:

1. Click on the note where you want swing to start;
2. Add Staff text;
3. Edit the appearance of the text as required;
4. Right-click on the text, select Staff Text Properties..., and click on the "Swing settings" tab. Modify as required;
5. Repeat steps 1–4 for other staves if needed.

Swing text can be edited and formatted just like any other text object.

Triplet in tempo marking

Often this notation is used to indicate swing:

MuseScore does not have a way to include a triplet in text as a tempo marking, but there is an easy workaround:

1. Add Swing text as described above and make it invisible (shortcut V, or untick "Visible" in the Inspector);
2. Add an appropriate Image of the required tempo marking to the score. These can be downloaded from the bottom of the "How To" page: How to create a visual swing marking.
3. Resize and reposition the image as required.

Return to straight rhythm

If you want playback to return to straight time after a swing section, use one of the following options:

Use and modify a Swing text. (prior to version 3.4).

1. Add Swing text to the first note or rest of the "straight" section (see above).
2. Edit the text to indicate a return to straight time: e.g. "Straight."
3. Right-click on the text and select System Text Properties…. Click on the "Swing Settings" tab and set "Swing to "Off."

Use the Straight text as per version 3.4.

• Add Straight text from the Master palette text to the first note or rest of the "straight" section (see above).

Apply swing globally

If you wish to apply swing to the whole score, you can do so from the menu:

1. Select Format → Style... → Score.

2. In the "Swing Settings" section, set the desired note value and "swing ratio."

   

External links

• How to create a visual swing marking (MuseScore HowTo)
• Swing (jazz performance style) (Wikipedia)

Synthesizer

Overview

To display the Synthesizer: from the menu, select View→Synthesizer.

The Synthesizer controls MuseScore's sound output and allows you to:

• Load and organize different sound sample libraries to play back the music.
• Apply effects such as reverb and compression.
• Adjust overall tuning.
• Alter the output volume.
• Select Midi Continuous Controllers to use with Single Note Dynamics (versions 3.1 and above).

The Synthesizer window is divided into the following sections/tabs:

• Fluid: A software synthesizer that plays SF2/SF3 SoundFont sample libraries.
• Zerberus: A software synthesizer that plays SFZ format sample libraries.
• Master Effects: Used to apply multi-effects to the score.
• Tuning: Used to adjust overall playback tuning.
• Dynamics (versions 3.1 and above): Used to configure Single Note Dynamics Midi controllers.

Save/Load Synthesizer settings

The buttons at the bottom of the Synthesizer window have the following functions:

Button	Function
Set as Default	Saves all current synthesizer settings as the default settings. These are automatically applied to the Synthesizer when you open MuseScore.
Load Default	Loads the last saved default settings to the Synthesizer.
Save to Score	Saves all current synthesizer settings to the current score only.
Load from Score	Loads the settings from the current score to the synthesizer.

Notes: (1) "Synthesizer settings" include the order of SoundFonts and SFZ files, effects set-up, master tuning and volume. (2) Only one set of Synthesizer settings can be in effect at a time—i.e. if multiple scores are open at once, it is not possible to make changes to the Synthesizer in one score and leave other scores' settings untouched. (3) Changes to synthesizer settings will not be heard in exported audio files unless saved to the score first (see table, above). See also Tuning (below).

Fluid

Click on the Fluid tab to access the control panel for SF2/SF3 SoundFont sample libraries. By default, the SoundFont MuseScore_General.sf3 should already be loaded.

You can load, rearrange and delete soundfonts as required. Playback can be shared between any combination of different soundfonts (and/or SFZ files). The order of soundfonts in Fluid is reflected in the default order of instruments in the mixer.

To load a soundfont

1. Click on the Add button
2. Click on a soundfont in the list.

To be able to load the soundfont, it first needs to be installed in your Soundfonts folder. This will ensure that it appears in the list in step 2 (above).

To reorder the soundfonts

1. Click on a soundfont
2. Use the up/down arrows (on the right-hand side) to adjust the order.
3. Repeat with other soundfonts in the list if required.
4. Or use the double up arrow (on the top right-hand side) to move any SoundFont to the top of the list.

The order of virtual instrument sets in the Synthesizer is reflected in the order of instruments listed in the Mixer. So, if playback of a score depends on a mix of instrument sets, it is advisable to save the Synthesizer configuration to the score in question by pressing the Save to Score button. When you next wish to play back the score, press the Load from Score to load the same configuration. However, remember this only sets the order of instruments—not the instruments themselves, which should be in place on your computer.

To remove a soundfont

1. Click on the name of the soundfont
2. Click on the Delete button.

This removes the soundfont from the synthesizer but does not uninstall it from the Soundfonts folder: it will still be available if you wish to reload it later.

Zerberus

Click on the Zerberus tab to access the control panel for SFZ sound sample libraries. You can add, delete or reorder files in a similar way to the Fluid tab. Note that, as with Fluid, the SFZ files must first be installed in your soundfonts folder before they can be loaded into the synthesizer.

Volume

The slider on the right of the Synthesizer controls the playback volume: any changes made here last only to the end of the session, unless saved to the score or set as the new default.

Effects

The Master Effects tab of the Synthesizer allows you to add reverb and compression to your score.

Master Effects with Zita1 Reverb and SC4 Compressor.

To turn an effect on or off:

• Select an option from the drop-down list next to Effect A or Effect B (the effects are applied in series, A → B).

To store and load effects configurations, use the buttons at the bottom of the Synthesizer window. See Synthesizer settings (above) for details.

Zita 1 reverb

The Zita 1 stereo reverb module allows you to simulate the ambience of anything from a small room to a large hall. The pre-delay, reverb time and tone of the reverb can be finely tuned using the controls provided:

• Delay: Set a pre-delay for the reverb from 20-100 ms.
• Low RT60 (Low frequency reverb time): Use the grey control to adjust the center frequency (50–1000 Hz) of the low frequency band which you want to affect: the green control adjusts the reverb time (1–8 secs) of this frequency band.
• Mid RT60 (Mid-range reverb time): Adjust the reverb time (1–8 secs) of the mid-range frequency band.
• HF Damping: Adjusts the high frequency component of the reverb. Increasing this value increases the frequency of the cut-off point and makes the reverb appear brighter and longer.
• EQ1: Allows you to cut or boost (-15 to +15) a frequency band (center = 40 Hz - 2 KHz) in the lower part of the spectrum.
• EQ2: Allows you to cut or boost (-15 to +15) a frequency band (center = 160 Hz - 10 KHz) in the higher part of the spectrum.
• Output: Controls the amount of effect applied. "Dry" is no effect. "Wet" indicates 100% reverb. "Mix" is a 50/50 balance of wet/dry signal.

Note: EQ1 and EQ2 affect the tone of the reverb only, not the dry (unprocessed) signal.

To quickly set up an effects patch, set "Output" to "Mix" and adjust the "Mid RT60" control to the desired reverb time. Then fine tune the effect as explained above.

SC4 compressor

The SC4 stereo compressor gives you fine control over the playback's dynamic range, reducing the volume variation between loud and soft sounds. It offers the following controls:

• RMS: Adjusts the balance between RMS (0) and Peak (1) compression. In the former, the compressor responds to averaged-out levels in the signal; in Peak mode, the compressor responds to peak levels.
• Attack: (1.5–400 ms) The length of time it takes for compression to engage fully after the signal exceeds the threshold level.
• Release: (2–800 ms) The time it takes for compression to return to zero after the signal falls below the threshold level.
• Threshold: (in dB) The signal level above which compression starts to take effect. Lowering the threshold increases the amount of signal that is compressed.
• Ratio: The amount of compression applied to the signal above the threshold. The higher the ratio, the greater the compression. Varies between 1:1 and 20:1.
• Knee: Allows you to select a range between "soft knee" and "hard knee". The softer the knee, the more gradual the transition between uncompressed and compressed signal.
• Gain: Compression tends to lower the volume, so use this control to boost the signal as required.

To quickly set-up, try setting RMS = 1, Threshold = -20 db, Ratio = 6. Increase Gain to restore the lost volume. Then fine-tune as explained above.

Tuning

The Tuning tab is where you can adjust the program's master tuning. For Concert Pitch instruments, A4 = 440 Hz by default.

To change the Master tuning:

• Enter a new value in the Master tuning field, then press Change Tuning.

Notes: (1) This tuning applies to all scores in the current session only. To make this the program default or to store it to a particular score, see Save/Load Synthesizer settings. (2) To apply the new tuning to exported audio files (WAV, MP3, OGG), press Save to Score before exporting.

Dynamics (versions 3.1 and above)

Click on the Dynamics tab to access the control panel for Single Note Dynamics:

• Dynamics method: You can choose either between 1) Default (single-note dynamics and velocity), 2) Velocity only (no single-note dynamics), 3) CC events only (constant velocity).
• CC to use: Depending on the SoundFont you use, you may have to choose the Continuous Controller to use, 1) CC 1, 2) CC 2 (default), 3) CC 4, 4) CC 11.

In the Advanced Settings box, you can choose to enable or disable the Expression Controller for Instruments Sound:

• Switch all patches: Select 1) To Expressive (to enable for all instruments sounds), 2) To Non-Expressive (to disable for all instruments sounds), 3) Reset All (Reset all instruments sounds to defaults)

See also

• SoundFont
• Mixer

External links

• How To: Using Single Note Dynamics (SND) (MuseScore HowTo)

Tempo

Tempo markings can be found in the Tempo palette of the Basic and Advanced workspaces. They are supplied as metronome marks, but can be subsequently edited to display any tempo or expression you want. Playback tempo can be varied throughout the score by using multiple tempo markings, visible or invisible.

Add a tempo marking

Use any of the following methods:

• Select a note or rest and press the keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+T.
• Select a note or rest, and from the menu bar choose Add→Text...→Tempo Marking.
• Select a note or rest and click an appropriate metronome mark in the Tempo palette (double-click in versions prior to 3.4);
• Drag-and-drop a metronome mark from the Tempo palette directly onto a note or rest.

Note: If a tempo marking is applied from the menu or using a keyboard shortcut, the beat note automatically follows the time signature. The advantage of applying from a palette is that you can choose which beat note to use.

Edit tempo

To change the tempo of an existing metronome mark in the score:

1. Go into Edit mode on the tempo mark in question;
2. Edit the metronome number and/or the beat note as required;
3. Exit Edit mode.

You can also override the tempo of an existing metronome mark from the Inspector:

1. Select the tempo mark;
2. Untick "Follow text" in the Tempo text section of the Inspector;
   
3. Set the desired playback tempo in the "Tempo" field underneath.

Note: Playback may be faster or slower if the tempo setting in the play panel is at a percentage other than 100%.

Edit tempo text

Tempo marks can be edited and formatted just like any other text object. To set text properties or text style, see Text styles and properties.

The tempo indicated by a metronome mark usually persists even if overwritten by an expression—such as Andante, Moderato etc. You can also add further text to a plain metronome mark. e.g.

Overriding the tempo marking

You can temporarily override the indicated tempo, and play the score back at any tempo you like using the play panel:

1. Display the play panel: View→Play Panel or F11 (Mac: Fn+F11):

   

2. Move the tempo slider up or down as required. The tempo is shown both as an absolute value and as a percentage of the currently indicated tempo mark. Double-click the tempo slider to reset it.

Note: BPM is always measured and displayed in quarter note beats per minute, regardless of the (denominator of the) time signature in effect.

Ritardando and accelerando playback

You can simulate ritardando ("rit.") and accelerando ("accel.") playback by adding hidden tempo markings to the score. The printed indication to the musician should be added as staff/system text in addition.

In the example illustrated below, the tempo was originally 110 BPM (beats per minute). At the ritardando, the tempo decreases by 10 BPM on the first note of each measure. Each tempo change is made invisible by unchecking the Visible checkbox in the Inspector, so that only the ritardando shows on the printed score:

A plugin has been developed to automate this process: TempoChanges

Fermatas

Fermatas, available in the Articulations and Ornaments palette, have a Time stretch property that can be set via the Inspector. By default, this property is set to 1.00. To have MuseScore play back a fermata for twice its normal duration, click on the fermata and set "Time stretch" to 2.00. This of course does not work for fermatas applied to barlines, as barlines don't have a duration to stretch.

See also

• Play mode
• Time signature

Dynamics

Dynamics are symbols indicating the relative loudness of a note or phrase of music. They can be found in the Dynamics palette in either the Basic or Advanced workspace.

Additional dynamics are available in the Master Palette (Shift+F9).

Note: if you wish to adjust the overall playback volume of the score, use the volume slider in the Play Panel, or Synthesizer.

Add a dynamic

To apply a dynamic to the score, use one of the following methods:

• Select a note and click a dynamic symbol in a palette (double-click in versions prior to 3.4).
• Drag a dynamic symbol from a palette onto a note.

To create a crescendo or decrescendo, see Hairpin.

Adjust properties

The default dynamic of the score is mf (mezzoforte)—set at MIDI velocity 80 (out of 127). Depending on the dynamic governing a particular section of the score, velocity (and the resulting loudness) may be less than or greater than this.

To edit the velocity of a dynamic

• Select the dynamic and, in the Dynamic section of the Inspector edit the Velocity value—higher for louder, lower for softer.

To adjust the range

Note: Range = the staves in the system affected by the dynamic.

• Select the dynamic, and in the Dynamic section of the Inspector, choose an option from "Dynamic range". The default is "Part," which means that all staves for a particular instrument will be affected. "Staff" limits the effect to the staff attached to the dynamic. "System" means that all staves in the system will be affected by the dynamic.

To change the placement (above or below stave)

• For a single dynamic mark: select the dynamic, and type X to flip the placement or use the Inspector, see below.
• For all dynamic marks on a stave:
  1. Right-click on one dynamic, then choose Select > All Similar Elements on Same Stave
  2. In the Dynamic section of the Inspector choose the required option Above or Below from "Placement"
• For all dynamic marks in the score:
  See above, then use the "Set as Style" button of Inspector

Customize a dynamic

Dynamics can be edited just like any other text object. Special character shortcuts can be used to add the following symbols:

• Ctrl+Shift+P (Mac: Cmd+Shift+P): Piano p.
• Ctrl+Shift+F (Mac: Cmd+Shift+F): Forte f.
• Ctrl+Shift+M (Mac: Cmd+Shift+M): Mezzo m.
• Ctrl+Shift+R (Mac: Cmd+Shift+R): Rinforzando r.
• Ctrl+Shift+S: Sforzando s.
• Ctrl+Shift+N (Mac: Cmd+Shift+N): Niente n.
• Ctrl+Shift+Z (Mac: Cmd+Shift+Z): Z z.

You can also edit the velocity and range etc. (see above). If desired, you can save the result for future use in a custom palette.

Single Note Dynamics (SND)

As of version 3.1, MuseScore supports single note dynamics. In addition to editing the velocity, you can also edit the velocity change in the inspector. Entering a number into this field will change the velocity of the note by approximately that amount after the initial velocity is played. A negative number can be used to lower the volume after the initial note and a positive number will make the note play louder after the initial volume. See links (below) for further details.

External links

• Video tutorial: Lesson 10 - Articulations, Dynamics and Text
• Using Single Note Dynamics (SND) (MuseScore HowTo)
• How to restore correct playback of dynamics and hairpins in an imported MIDI file (MuseScore HowTo)
• Dynamics (Wikipedia)

Capo playback

MuseScore allows you to transpose the playback of a staff, without affecting the music notation. This simulates the effect of a capo (Wikipedia) on the instrument.

Add capo to a single staff

1. Add staff text to the note/rest from which you want capo playback to start;
2. Click on "Properties" in the "Staff Text" section of the Inspector, or right-click on the staff text and select Staff Text Properties...; then click on the Capo Settings tab;
3. Check the "Capo Settings" checkbox, and set Capo fret to the fret number you wish to apply the capo at (each fret increases the pitch by a semitone);
4. Click Ok to apply your changes;
5. Edit the wording of the text as desired.

Add capo to linked staff/tablature

• Same method as above, but in step 1, add the staff text to the music staff only.

Add capo to unlinked staff/tablature

• Same method as above, but apply the staff text to both staff and tablature.

Note: Capo playback will apply from the note that the staff text is attached to, until either the next staff text with "Capo Settings" enabled, or until the end of the score.

Remove capo

To remove capo playback from a staff, returning the instrument to its normal tuning:

• Add staff text with a "Capo fret" setting of "No capo".