Editing score
Hello. I still think there is much to do with editing the look of the score before and after you complete or start your work. The systems should be completely movable by selecting one and being able to move it around like an object. The spacers you have are not only confusing about where to place them for the desired effect, but also what they actually. do. For example, I write choral music and imported a score from Muse 3.6. On the page opposite the title page I needed to move the first system up. There appears no way to make that happen using the system up icon no matter here I put it. I should not have to edit all other system placements to do such a simple thing. This also goes for number of measures per line as the default seems to be arbitrary at best. While I love MuseScore overall, the setting-up my work for printing is excruciating! I spend more time doing that than entering the piece itself. At least, there should be better documentation of how to do this. I also watched the tutorial on your website and when the video gets to this, it glosses over the topic and is woefully incomplete. Perhaps that would be a good way to help, at least to start.
Also, the page sizes should probably not be a copy and paste list of items from a MS Word doc or something. Who uses Envelope size, etc? Why are the setting defaulted to mm, etc? Seems odd to me. How about just listing things like Octavo, Orchestra parts, etc. Things we understand. A4? What size is that?
Finale does a decent job at some of these. Maybe take a look and incorporate some? Or better yet, allow me to treat any system I want as an object, etc.
Hope this makes sense and is understandable.
One last thing, I don't see a way to download the manual.
Comments
"A4? What size is that?"
It's the ISO 216 size that most of the world other than USA uses. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size
"I don't see a way to download the manual."
Where have you looked?
How about here? https://musescore.org/en/download-handbook
If you don't find what you need in the handbook come back and start a new thread describing a specific problem you are having and there are many users who can put you on the right track. Just don't expect everything to work the same way as another notation program. Some things will be the same or similar, some will be different and easier, some will be different and less easy.
In reply to "A4? What size is that?" It… by SteveBlower
That handbook is for 3.x and very outdated see #328598: PDF handbook generation stopped working
Use https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4 instead and https://musescore.org/en/print/book/export/html/329209?toc=1 for local save, but note that this handbook is far from complete
In reply to "A4? What size is that?" It… by SteveBlower
Well thanks for trying on the paper size, but that size is not octavo size, which finished is 6.75 x 10.25 in. I was looking for the manual under "Download," which seems like it's where it should be to me I suppose, so thanks for the info there. As for the other, I expect a program that is as complete and wonderful as this is to have not only a tutorial that would go into some detail for the finished product, but also some better thought out controls for making that happen. Perhaps those changes are coming (I hope they are), but at current they are far from intuitive as most of the program is. My mentioning another program is only a means by which the development team could take a look to possibly develop something that works like a graphics program all the way around. It needs to be developed with a "MAC" sensibility, in my opinion. It is currently in a "PC" mindset, which to me is like driving my father's Buick. I want to spend my time quickly dealing with all the musical aspects, but what good is it if creating the final product (that I need) is so cumbersome whether the program is free or not? And finally, I don't expect things to be the same as other programs!
In reply to Well thanks for trying on… by pwargo
Interesting. Your familiarity with Finale explains your confusion. You appear to not know anything about paper sizes. Or that notation software is not a graphics program. Or that mac is not the end all OS (gasp!). Or that right next to the "Download" heading is the "Support" heading. Under which the Manual is the first listing. Why would anyone try to download the manual from the software section.
I suppose you could just poke around and figure things out instead of posting something full of cheap shots, like I'm doing.
In reply to Interesting. Your… by bobjp
You're right, I don't know much about paper sizes. Why should I in this sense? The only paper sizes that are needed are things like,"Octavo," "Full Score," "Parts," "Custom," etc. I don't need ENVELOPE,etc. Why? I hsvven't counted but there have to be at least 20 sizes there. This is a music scoring and publishing program. In the past (version 3.6), I created a custom size for octavos and guess what, it did not save it. I had to recreate it every time. Sound smart to you? Also, looking at "Download" to DOWNLOAD a manual makes more sense than SUPPORT. After a previous post I was told where it was (thank-you) and downloaded it as a PDF. When I click on a section in the manual, it takes me back online. I don't really care what you think of Macs, it's a better OS and is easier to use than a PC. I know this intimately as I was a HS teacher who taught both in music tech classes as well as a MS Office classes, etc. I remember sitting with our IT guy to create an instruction sheet for teachers to upload their grades to an online system we were using. PC's 18 steps; Macs 4. That type of thing is the same across the board, so don't comment on what you seemingly are unaware of because you don't like what I'm saying. And BTW, I "poke around" some, read the manual some, visit youtube some, and have posted about this same issue before (with a wish list for page set-up, etc.). Whether you like it or not, that part of MuseScore (and I really like the program overall!), needs a real overhaul. I bring up Finale as an example to look at for a possible guide to create something like it (but better). Stop being an ass. I'm being friendly and giving good suggestions, period.
In reply to You're right, I don't know… by pwargo
Interesting. Just because you don't use envelope size doesn't mean someone else might not.
I don't know, but I I suspect that most people don't download the manual. I finally did not long ago. I'm not sure why you are having trouble with it. It just opens as a PDF document. Maneuverable on my computer as is any other PDF.
I never said that one OS was better than another. Like you did. That has been your experience. Great. I have experience with both systems in a school setting. Part of that experience was that PC's did certain things automatically. iOS had to be told to that same thing every time. That doesn't mean one was better than the other. Just different. But school computers and networks are so locked down that it is hard to use that environment as an example.
Sorry, but where I come from, calling someone a name isn't considered "being friendly". You seem to have a problem if someone disagrees with you.
If you have suggestions, great. As for the rest....
In reply to Interesting. Just because… by bobjp
The PDF handbook is pretty outdated (check the date on the 1st page) and for 3.x
I mentioned this further up already
In reply to Interesting. Just because… by bobjp
I don't recall calling someone a name, but ok. If I did, sorry about that. I also come from a school setting where I taught song-writing etc. in a MacLab, but also had a general computer class where PC's were used. I was also a trainer for teachers using some specific software that we had, so I'm well-versed in both platforms. Mac outshines PC's in nearly every setting and especially music programs, but that's neither here nor there. Also, "envelope" size is not a musical term for any score that I know of, so why include it in a program like this? You can if you want I suppose, but why then not make choices that are common to printed music? General octavos are 10.25 in. x 6.75 in. I believe, etc. And, the section of a program for completing layout etc., is a graphics section of the software and should at least have those common functionalities. A staff is an object, just like a note, or a time signature, etc. and should be able to be moved. Allowing this accessibility is a function of computer code, not anything else. Having said that, we all appreciate the donated time etc., that the creators of this program have made over the years to get it to do things really well in many cases. I'm merely saying that the completion of a score for publication purposes shouldn't be taking the kind of time I'm having to spend. Of course I would need to adjust things to make them workout for my particular score, but as an example, the ability to make more or less space between a score or choose a certain number of measures per system should not be that difficult (and yes I've looked at tutorials and read the manual, etc.). Perhaps my program isn't working correctly. The spacers DO NOT work as explained. Either that, or someone is skipping some info in the explanation. Either way, that part of the program needs work. I hope it's on the way.
In reply to I don't recall calling… by pwargo
See your words above: Stop being an ass
I guess that is meant by "calling names"...
In reply to I don't recall calling… by pwargo
To answer a couple of your questions:
" On the page opposite the title page I needed to move the first system up."
Try a different approach: reduce the top margin instead:
Menu path: Format > Style... > Page > Music top margin
"I created a custom size for octavos and guess what, it did not save it. I had to recreate it every time. General octavos are 10.25 in. x 6.75 in"
You have two choices here:
a) Use the nearest template size:
JIS B5: 257 mm x 182 mm (10.12 in x 7.2 in)
b) Create your own custom template and save it to your template folder. On Windows (sorry, not a Mac user) the folder is here:
MS3: C:\Program Files\MuseScore 3\templates
MS4: C:\Program Files\MuseScore 4\templates
A sample Octavo template score is attached.
In reply to To answer a couple of your… by DanielR
I just noticed that the New Score creation page when using a template differs between MS3 and MS4.
MS3: File > New... > Next > Custom Templates
MS4: File > New... > Create from Template > Category = My Templates