Playback issues in Musescore 4

• Dec 22, 2022 - 02:57

I downloaded Musescore 4 yesterday. I am loving it so far, but I've found a few issues with playback in this version.

First, when you select a certain note or general spot in the score to start from and then hit play, the playback usually takes a second for the first note to sound. After that, the playback is fine, but when you select, say, the first note in the score, it doesn't sound instantly when you press play; there's a lag of a split-second or so. Usually, though, this doesn't happen if you press play without selecting a note first. (I bring it up because I'm used to having to press play from multiple different locations in my scores).

Second, I'm not totally sure how alternate endings work in Musescore 4 (programming them looks a little different, so I'll have to figure that out), but when I tried to include a repeat and alternate endings in one of my scores, the playback silenced an entire measure and then kept going.

Third, changing instrument sounds in the mixer is not as seamless as it once was. In Musescore 3.6, I could change the way my voice parts sounded (i.e. change it from voice sound to cello sound) and it would keep going. It would glitch a bit, but it would keep going. When I tried to do that in Musescore 4, the visual element of the playback continued as normal, but the actual sound cut back to the start of the score with the new sound.

All of these issues seem to be universal, but if needed, I can create a sample score for further investigation into any of these issues. Thank you!


Comments

I have the same delay issue with playback. It's as if the 1st note in the bar is not played and then after that, it comes right! A little frustrating but hopefully we can get an answer.

I have issues where some parts goes silent. It seems after editing. Then more parts will stop sounding and after some measures even the metronome goes silent. I use Appimage 4.0.2.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I have also experienced this issue with Musescore 4, especially when adding lyrics to an existing score. Sometimes the cursor starts from the note I've selected, but the audio is from another part of the score. Sometimes the cursor jumps to another position when I hit play, but the audio starts from the selected note. Changing the playback tempo always resolves the issue. I have also experienced Musescore changing the tempo in the midst of playing back.

It seems that the currently selected note is played with a delay, when initiating playback. I.e. if you click on a note to position the "now time" at that note and then press Play, that note is played back only after half a second or so. In fact, all notes in the same instrument simultaneous with the selected note are only played with a delay. Notes in the other instruments are played back correctly. If you select notes from several instruments, all initial notes from these instruments are played with a delay.
If you select a whole bar, that does not happen, it all plays back correctly (you have to select the bar in all staves if want to hear them all, otherwise in Musescore 4 only the currently selected stave will sound).

This has been happening to me in every single score I've worked on since I started using Musescore 4, several dozens at least, so it's a problem relating to a specific score. It was quite a nuisance for me at the beginning, as I, like most of us, I expect, was used to click on a note to start playback from there. I don't know of any way of positioning the now time at a specific note other than selecting it by clicking on it (or moving back and forth with the arrows, but the result is the same).

A workaround is to click the bar line immediately before the intended note. You can only start playback from the beginning of a bar this way, of course, but this approach has saved me from going crazy trying to hear the first notes of a playback. Oh, to start playback from the beginning of the piece select anything before the first note (time signature, key signature, clef,...), but not the note itself.

In reply to by josemdavid

In part, it is. The more underpowered the system the wider the delay for the chosen note and the start of playback. Selecting a bar line is a good call I hadn't thought of. On my new system the delay is so slight that I only notice it in a two or three voice situation. Even then, it doesn't bother me.

I also find issues with payback in Musescore 4. The audio is sometime lagging, and extra notes can be heard that are not in the score (at least not at the right place in the score).
I attach a sample musescore file, at measure 29 the tenor voice is clearly not singing what is written.
Any clue is welcome!

Attachment Size
Let_It_Snow par Magnus en Fa.mscz 516.57 KB

I was having an issue with crackling, skipping, not playing in time. I tried all the suggestions and none worked. I turned on the metronome and it played perfectly. Then I moved the mixer so that I could see more of the sheet of music and it messed the playback up. It took me awhile but I figured out that if I dock the mixer and turn the metronome on, it plays fine. So if you are having the same issues that I was, leave the mixer open, dock it, and turn on the metronome. Hopefully this will fix the playback.

Hi!
I think I've got the same issue (OS: Windows 10 Version 2009, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 4.0.2-230651553, revision: dbe7c6d): after editing notes in an alternate repeat, some of the following notes are not played anymore. Touching again some notes may get back to normal. Saving and reloading get back to normal as well. I have a procedure to reproduce this issue on a quite simple score. Should I open a bug in GitHub?

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

I can reproduce it on "OS: Windows 10 Version 2009 or later, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 4.1.0-231790501, revision: 41a5ebe" with a few steps.
I'm really not sure that the issue 17826 is the same. Mine seems really related to alternate repeat, not to volume at all.
I'm going to open a bug in GitHub with reproduction procedure.

Playback crackling. I've tried ALL the options suggested in the forum to stop the crackling on playback without success. The only way I can get it to playback properly is to have the Mixer open, and it plays back perfectly, but unfortunately hides the score.

In reply to by hopefulstrider

Which sample rate are you currently using? Try setting 44.1 kHZ and downloading the 4.1 beta from the Announcements forum. That should give you the best chance of success.

As for the mixer, click the “…” and you can customize its appearance. Lose the slider but add a numeric field instead, etc. then it won’t take as much room.

Jo. October, 2023
I may have solved my playback Issues, but not the software problem.

When the Mixer is hidden I have lagging, static and crackling...
When the Mixer is on view it plays perfectly.

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