Using a midi controller to control the instrument volume in real time?
Is it possible to use a midi controller for instrument volume in real time? I know you can use set midi controllers for playback, etc, but I cannot see how I can do this. Any help will be much appreciated, thank you.
Comments
Not sure exactly what you mean here, but volume in MuseScore is controlled by entering actual dynamic markings into your score. I don't see how on would be able to do that with a MIDI controller?
In reply to Not sure exactly what you… by Marc Sabatella
Hi Marc
Sorry, I wasn't very clear but let me correct that, and thank you for getting back to me. My orchestral scores have, of course, dynamic marks, e.g., P, PP, F, etc., but there are times when making videos for YouTube to use my Alexis external midi controller to change an instrument volume in real-time. It is not a significant problem as I eventually import the Musescore midi into the Reaper Daw, but it would be very useful, nevertheless, to be able to change the volume on the fly!
Regards
Paul
In reply to Hi Marc Sorry, I wasn't very… by tobinpau
Hmm, I'm still not really understanding - are you talking about fine tune exactly how loud is ff, etc? Instead of trying to manage that for a couple of dozen instruments in real time (sounds almost impossible!), why not simply make the required velocity adjustments to the notes themselves in advance, then you can just press Play and relax? Doesn't work with Muse Sounds but does for sounfonts, and presumably also in Reaper.
In reply to Hmm, I'm still not really… by Marc Sabatella
Ok, thanks, Marc, I'm not sure why you cannot understand my question, but perhaps I'm not making myself clear. Here is a typical scenario: I've written an orchestration involving string and wind sections and solo instruments and I'm recording in real-time, a video of, say, an animated score of the piece. However, I then find a section is too loud, or I want to increase the solo instrument volume. If this was in a studio I would tweak the fader in real-time. I'm presuming from your response that one cannot control a Musescore instrument volume using midi CC, which is a pity.
Thanks
Paul
In reply to Ok, thanks, Marc, I'm not… by tobinpau
Hi Marc
I just read what I'd written and I'm still not being clear. I use Screen Cam to record the score on the screen as it progresses in time, so I cannot use the MS faders to change the dynamics. The videos are shot with the metronome so that the orchestral musos can practice a particular piece. Examples of this can be seen on my YouTube site (my YT name is tobytone). If I use the faders then this will appear on the video, which I don't want. Anyway, it's all academic if I cannot use a midi CC in MS to do this. Maybe at some future point, it might be included in this fine piece of software.
Thanks
Paul
An example of the above can be seen by selecting the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIYcEA3_sMc
You can see how the mixer faders appear when I wish to change a dynamic.
In reply to Hi Marc I just read what I'd… by tobinpau
"one cannot control a Musescore instrument volume using midi CC" is the key.
In reply to "one cannot control a… by xavierjazz
Thank you.
In reply to Hi Marc I just read what I'd… by tobinpau
I do understand what you say you want to do, what puzzles me is why you'd actually choose to do that. Seems very clumsy and old-fashioned - an 90's approach to mixing, with the engineer having his hands hover over the sliders painstakingly moving one up, another down, etc, over the course of a performance. Viable when it's just something as simple as a four-piece rockk band and you want to bring the guitar level up for the guitar solo or whatever, but I can't imagine trying to manage all 20-something sliders for an orchestra piece that way. The automated way seems so superior, it's hard for me to imagine choosing to forgo automatiation in favor of manually moving sliders in real time.
So anyhow, I'm not talking about using MuseScore sliders - I'm talking about actually putting the desired dynamics markings into the piece, and then actually using the velocity controls in MuseScore to provide additional overrides where necessary (when using soundfonts), so everything simply works automatically, no need to painstakingly manage sliders while recording.
In reply to I do understand what you say… by Marc Sabatella
Thank you Marc for your interest in my question. I totally agree, putting in the correct dynamics is a must but these might require last-minute tweaking. Also, sampled libraries are not consistent when it comes to level. I'm not talking about adjusting all instruments but mainly sections. In a sense, this is why orchestras have a conductor, to control the orchestra and timing dynamically, even though the score is properly marked but I don't have to tell you that, being a very experienced musician!
Of course, I will use the Musescore for setting the instrument levels but I just thought when I'm making a screen cam video and I hear something needs adjusting then midi CC would be handy rather than dropping down the mixer. stopping the video and restarting.
It's not a big deal and it doesn't require further discussion if it is not available then that's ok. I thought that maybe it was on a menu somewhere and I couldn't find it. Thanks again
Paul
In reply to Thank you Marc for your… by tobinpau
It seems you might still be misunderstanding what I am saying. I agree dynamics alone aren’t always enough. But surely dynamics *combined with velocity adjustments are? With velocity adjustments made on the notes (via the Properties panel), there should never be a reason to fiddle with mixer levels during playback. Like, literally never.
As I said, these currently don’t work with Muse Sounds but are expected to in an future update - along with a more sophisticated DAW-style automation lane for creating the necessary curves graphically.
In reply to It seems you might still be… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks, Marc, I look forward to these changes which will make a great program even better.
In reply to Hi Marc Sorry, I wasn't very… by tobinpau
Hi Paul, i am also Paul from Prague. I totaly get your idea, i search the same solution. Typical scenario is: While arranginng the string qartet for a pop song, sometimes it would be grat to see: How does the lead vocal go with the viola and bass? Or lets hear just violins together in these 2 bars. It would by so practical to move faders on my desk, other than slide them in the software. Thats a bit of a pain. Was this the point of your question here? In the meantime, did you find anything that works - USB or bluetooth mix that you could recommend? Thanks a lot. Pavel