muted brass
I hope this is not in the wrong section. I cannot find any information about MuseScore having ways to use mutes for the brass instruments, such as straight, plunger, cup, or any others. Can someone point me in the right direction?
Brian
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Take trumpet, for example.
In the 'Text' palette, use 'mute' and 'open' to get different sounds.
See:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/mixer#mid-staff-change
In reply to Take trumpet, for example… by Jm6stringer
Thanks. That's a great start. Brass can use several different types of mutes, each with its own sound, so I'm wondering if that's possible in MuseScore. This mute made my trumpets sound like accordions and I didn't see a mute option for trombones. Anyway, for now, this is at least one additional color to add.
In reply to Thanks. That's a great start… by bjanko
No, there's just that one mute sound in General MIDI soundfonts
In reply to Thanks. That's a great start… by bjanko
While the General MIDI standard only has muted trumpet - shouldn't sound like accordion, though, should be harmon mute I think - there are no doubt any number of special-purpose soudnfonts you could download that include other muted sounds. So see the Handbook under Soundfonts to learn more about how to find and use alternate soundfonts (it will also require use of the Mixer to tell MuseScore which sounds to use for which instruments).
In reply to While the General MIDI… by Marc Sabatella
The trumpet doesn't sound like a trumpet, either, IMO :) so I thought applying a mute might disguise that somewhat. Anyway, I'm behind the curb learning about some of these technical solutions, but I will check out the handbook on soundfonts and see how it goes. Thanks.
In reply to The trumpet doesn't sound… by bjanko
The trumpet is a recording of an actual instrument played by an actual musician, just as most other instruments are. The problem is that of course, every trumpet and every trumpeter sounds different, plus the fact that any given trumpeter on any given trumpet will sound different depending on the embouchure and air stream he or she chooses. Plus, since every note is sampled individually, they are all tongued, so slurred passaged don't sound "right".
And my point here is, every soundfont will suffer these same inherent limitations.
But certainly, replacing an open trumpet sound with a muted one won't make it sound more like an open trumpet - that's would be an enormous flaw if that ever happened. Luckily, I don't think any soundfont would make that mistake.
In reply to The trumpet is a recording… by Marc Sabatella
Sorry, I didn't mean to offend any human musicians.
While all soundfonts share these limitations, the result is still that some instruments sound more realistic than others. It's just a computer music reality. To overcome it, I look for ways to modify or replace the sound. (It's certainly not a MuseScore problem. I think MuseScore is fantastic.)
Anyway, I never thought muting a trumpet would make it sound open. I thought the open trumpet didn't sound like a real open trumpet; so, I wondered if the muted trumpet might sound like a real muted trumpet. I have been experimenting with the mute sound and finally figured out how to do it to the trombones. When I got both the trumpets and trombones muted playing 4 and 5 part backgrounds, it was very useful. I just had to mess around with it several times, because MuseScore is still new to me.
Maybe I am stating the obvious because I am rather new to Musescore myself. Why would it be important for you to customize the sounds of various parts (in Musescore)? I use this software for arranging music score correctly. The playing features allow me to preview and correct my arrangements. Once I have a finished score, I will export a midi file to a sequencer/DAW (like Cakewalk) to render individual audio files from each of the parts. That is where I will choose the actual voices to represent the different instruments. These rendered files eventually get mixed into a final version, which is what my audience will hear.
In reply to Maybe I am stating the… by Chris_Clawson
The difference is that I'm not using MuseScore to create scores, but to arrange my own compositions so others can enjoy playing them, hopefully, in a standard computer format like mp3 or wav. As for Midi, sequencers, DAW, etc... I have no clue what that stuff is or does. Some equipment has been recommended to me but it is all out of my price range. MuseScore is a very impressive program, so I'm hoping to learn more and learn about some of the other equipment that will help me. For now, in some cases, I find that the sounds simply won't pass for real instruments, so I'm trying to partly re-imagine my arrangements. I also find that doubling different instruments together creates a sonorous timbre; also I have used instruments way out of their range for some unique effects, (e.g., I used the bassoon 2 octaves higher than you could play one in real life, but in MuseScore the sound was perfect for a quiet pastoral melody I was working on). I might be reinventing the wheel here since I have little experience with digital equipment for music. I am open to any resources you recommend.
In reply to Maybe I am stating the… by Chris_Clawson
@ Chris_Clawson
wow I'd love to know how you did that export. Maybe an email might be required rather than discussing it here. I have downloaded Cakewalk but the look of the thing just blew my mind and I quickly returned home to Musescore. I have an orchestral score that I'd love to give the DAW treatment. It matters less for my Big Band scores as I have them played by my own amateur Big Band.
In reply to Maybe I am stating the… by Chris_Clawson
wow I'd love to know how you did that export. Maybe an email might be required rather than discussing it here. I have downloaded Cakewalk but the look of the thing just blew my mind and I quickly returned home to Musescore. I have an orchestral score that I'd love to give the DAW treatment. It matters less for my Big Band scores as I have them played by my own amateur Big Band.