Problems with Clarinet pitch (Timbres of Heaven (XGM) 3.94.sf2)
Hi, Gang!!!
I use MuseScore 3.5.4 Portable AppImage inside Ubuntu Studio 20.04.1 LTS (64 bits Linux).
Also, I often use "Timbres of Heaven (XGM) 3.94.sf2" soundfont, because my personal taste.
BUT... "Houston, we have a problem."
The CLARINET pitch is awful bad, if you compare notes with the octaves system (like the sample file). This is more noticeable with the mid-high octave and some notes from the higher octave.
I tried to fix it with "Polyphone". And I really got to improve it. BUT... The bad pitch is still noticeable.
The curious thing is... Inside the "Polyphone" software, it sounds so fine. I cannot to hear some pitch problems with the Clarinet pitch when I use the "Polyphone" internal sound system. BUT... It is not the same with the Musescore internal synthesizer. So...
What's wrong, here? ???
What thing could be creating problems in this specific case? ???
This issue is only with "Timbres of Heaven (XGM) 3.94.sf2" soundfont file.
Some idea about this? ???
Blessings and Greetings from Chile!!!
JUAN
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Clarinet Pitch Test.mscz | 8.64 KB |
Comments
The source of the problem is that different synthesizers behave differently due to the close proximity of the loop points.
For the Musescore, you can fix the soundfont's Clarinet patch as follows:
Open the Soundfont with the Polyphone software.
Find Clarinet in the Instrument section.
Delete the "-1"s in the "Loop End Offset" at the very bottom.
Change "Root Key" as follows: order: 48 57 66 71 78 84 88
Set up "Tuning (cents)" as follows: order: 15 22 26 33 12 35 -23
Optional: If you want to remove Vibrato effect: You can also delete "9" in "Mod LFO Pitch".
Make sure there are no tuning settings on the Clarinet1-7 in the "Samples" section. // All must be 0.
Note: Another synthesizer may read tuning differently. These settings are optimized for the Musescore software only.
In reply to Open the Soundfont with the… by Ziya Mete Demircan
If you want to remove Vibrato effect...
Ziya, does this mean it could be possible for MuseScore to remove vibrato on some or all sound fonts? Someone asked about it recently and I told them it wasn't possible.
In reply to If you want to remove… by mike320
Yes, you're right: with samples that are recorded with vibrato, cannot be removed .
In fact, there is no vibrato in these Clarinet samples.
It was later added with the Mod-LFO parameter. So it can be removed.
In reply to Yes, you're right with… by Ziya Mete Demircan
I think this would be a nice option for those who don't want vibrato on the sound fonts it can be removed from. My understanding is that vibrato was the exception during the baroque era.
In reply to Open the Soundfont with the… by Ziya Mete Demircan
Thank you so much, Ziya!!!
Now I've got the right pitch with Clarinet.
The only one doubt I have... Why this issue is this way only with this soundfont file? Where, or what, is the main difference with others? ???
BTW: The "Timbres of Heaven (XGM) 3.94.sf2" soundfont has another issue. I don't have any clue if this "new" issue is only with MuseScore. It is about the Timpani tremolo. When tremolo is used with full orchestra at high volume (level, or velocity, I mean ff or fff), there is a lot of rare noise from the behind, causing a very annoyed sound even to silent other instruments. Try this issue with the attached file, please. If you use another soundfont, there is no problem at all. Some idea about a how to fix it? ???
In reply to Thank you so much, Ziya!!!… by jotape1960
>The only one doubt I have... Why this issue is this way only with this soundfont file? Where, or what, is the main difference with others? ???
The Loop-Cycle's Start and End points are too close to each other. That's the problem. If you move the starting or ending point by one sample sometimes there may be a tuning difference close to half-tone.
Especially for treble notes, Loop should cover more cycles than bass notes. For example: For very low pitched notes: 1 or 2 loop cycles can sometimes be enough, but at least 16 cycles are needed for very high pitched notes). This problem can occur if a loop with only 1 cycle is created on high pitched notes.
The Soundfont interpreter should make sense of this in some way. And each interpreter (sometimes even different versions of the same interpreter) can try different ways. And there will be differences in tuning between them.
Maybe "The Timbres of Heaven" but "Clarinet from Hell". :D
In reply to >The only one doubt I have… by Ziya Mete Demircan
Thank you so much, Ziya!!!
Just a question (excuse my ignorance)... Are absolutely necessary those "loops"? Can we eliminate it, without to degrade the sounds? ???
In reply to Thank you so much, Ziya!!!… by jotape1960
Obviously, the length of the clarinet samples used in this sound font is between 0.12 and 0.58 seconds. Without the loop, we wouldn't be able to hear even a meaningful sound from some. // maybe a click, that's all.
In reply to Obviously, the length of the… by Ziya Mete Demircan
I see!!!
Thank you, Ziya, again!!!
In reply to Thank you so much, Ziya!!!… by jotape1960
In the Timpani instrument (Instrument Section), many samples were used overlapping for the same note coverage area. And this instrument was placed twice in the Preset section, so many existing samples were multiplied by two. And a resonance filter has been added to it. It's normal to have problems.
In reply to In the Timpani instrument … by Ziya Mete Demircan
I see!!!
Can we reduce the volume (or full eliminate) some of those additional timpani samples? How? ???
In reply to I see!!! Can we reduce the… by jotape1960
Of course it can be done.
But it is necessary to spend time on it.
In reply to Open the Soundfont with the… by Ziya Mete Demircan
I did this, but nothing changed.
In reply to I did this, but nothing… by Taylorama257
I've tested it for you one more time and these settings are working properly.
What comes to my mind:
1. Remove the soundfont from Musescore's synthesizer and add it again. (Or close and reopen Musescore). Even when you change the soundfont's settings and save it, Musescore won't know if it's already open. Because it used the old soundfont that was previously loaded into RAM.
2. Make sure the soundfont you are using is the same as the soundfont you saved by changing its settings. If one is in one folder and the other is elsewhere, nothing changes.