Release notes for MuseScore 2.0

Updated 5 years ago

MuseScore 2.0 was released March 23, 2015.

MuseScore 2.0 is packed full of new features and improvements.

Continuous view - scroll horizontally through your score with no line or page breaks
Start Center - start-up window which lets you easily pick up your work in progress or create new scores—and includes old MuseScore Connect, which puts a MuseScore composer in the spotlight and links to the MuseScore music sharing website and social media
Inspector panel - easily alter parameters (e.g., positioning) of any element
Piano keyboard - on-screen piano keyboard for note entry
Customizable palettes and workspaces - Basic and Advanced workspaces included by default, or define your own

Selection filter - choose which types of elements to select for copy and paste operations
Re-pitch mode - replace pitches without changing rhythms
Image capture mode - save rectangular selections as graphics
Explode/Implode - separate chords onto multiple staves, or combine multiple staves into chords
More precise manual adjustments - nudge nearly any element any direction with keyboard or Inspector

Tablature support - variety of tab notation styles for guitar, bass, lute, and more
Fret diagrams - easily create diagrams and set up your own palette of commonly used chords
Dynamic text styles - changes automatically apply to all elements with that style
New fonts - three musical fonts to choose from, with matching text fonts
Flexible chord symbols - enter chord symbols using any common spellings, including support for German and solfege note naming and lower case minor chords
Slash notation - fill selection with beat slashes, or convert notated rhythms to slashes on, above, or below staff
Layout improvements - automatic correct positioning and spacing for multi-voice chords and rests, dots, accidentals, ties, articulations, hairpins, pedal markings, voltas, etc.
More supported notations - pedal change markings, grace notes after (trill endings), falls/doits/scoops/plops/bends, bagpipe embellishments, figured bass, ambitus, early music notations, more flexible time signatures, and a huge set of additional music symbols from Steinberg's new open source Bravura music font

Guitar Pro import - supports GP3, GP4, GP5, and GPX formats
Import PDF - addition of an OMR service to import PDF files
MusicXML import/export improvements - greater compatibility with other applications, ability to control degree of layout to be preserved
MIDI import improvements - automatic simplification of rhythms, handling of multiple voices
MP3 export - in addition to other audio formats WAV, FLAC and OGG
Save online - improved integration with musescore.com for online publishing

New SoundFont - MuseScore's own more realistic Fluid R3
Mid-score instrument changes - play a different instrument on the same staff
Flexible swing style - swing eighth note or sixteenth note, set swing ratio
Built-in metronome - one click to turn on metronome during playback
Improved JACK support - for interoperability with other MIDI and audio programs
Playback of more score markings - crescendo, decrescendo, smart tempo text interpretation, tremolo, mordents, improved repeats and voltas, etc.

Linked parts - changes in score automatically reflect in parts and vice versa
Albums - combine several scores, e.g. multiple movements, into albums
Styles - define and apply custom score styles, select default styles for scores and for parts
Split and join measures - divide measure into shorter ones or combine measures into longer one

Keyboard shortcuts - expanded availability of actions and many more shortcuts by default
Documentation - extended handbook, available in print-friendly HTML and as PDF download
Translations - into more than 50 languages, which can receive updates via the web
Screen reader - support for NVDA screen reader (Windows-only) to read the music verbally
Contextual help - new online help (F1) system aggregating online help resources