Is this the end?
I may be at the end of my "affair" with MuseScore. Today I seem to have totally lost the file I was working on around lunchtime. I was using MU4 - that is version 4.1.1.
I get the feeling that this is beyond a joke - it's just so unreliable. I can do better things with my time and my life.
I'm not sure that I can face moving to Dorico, so I am completely losing the motivation to carry on with trying to write and arrange music.
I might change my mind, but right now I don't feel inclined to.
Comments
Use MuseScore 3
In reply to Use MuseScore 3 by frfancha
You're not the only one to suggest reverting back to MU3 - though as I recall that wasn't exactly bullet proof either. The sounds available in MU3 are adequate, though not always as good as the sounds from Muse Sounds, so to get better results I'd have to use a DAW - which in itself is not a huge problem, though does add to development time.
I am surprised that I can't find the file which went missing - even using roll back tools like Time Machine. It is possible that there was something about that file which made it difficult to handle, but it's still a shame that it disappeared.
The other thing which bugs me is that I'm not always sure which version gets saved. Exiting MuseScore - most versions - frequently gives a message that a file hasn't been saved. I have on several occasions wondered if that in itself causes a problem, as I usually try to save files periodically into named files, so that I should have a sequence of numbered files. Even a very small "change" - possibly such as moving a cursor - seems to trigger the message about files not having been saved. I have wondered at times if what has actually happened is that I have overwritten the wanted file which was already saved, with an unwanted one - possibly an earlier version, and that is a reason why I lose files.
Since Musescore files are generally quite small it wouldn't bother me if two files were stored - one before any putative change, and one after - as at least then one might actually be the one which I wanted to keep.
In reply to @frfancha You're not the… by dave2020X
I have been using MS3.7 for months now. It is yet to crash and I have had no file losses, (but I do save with sequence number versions just in case.) It can coexist with MS3.6.2. I will have no use for MS4 until there is a piano roll editor with plugin API support.
In reply to I have only been using MS3.7… by yonah_ag
I know a PRE is a great way to go. I have paid software that has one. My poor old brain can't make any sense of it. I just want to put down notes.
In reply to I know a PRE is a great way… by bobjp
I'm with you there - I prefer notes. Though I do have tools with PREs - such as Logic and others.
It seems there are people who are fluent in their use of PREs, and some may not really "do" notes at all.
In reply to I know a PRE is a great way… by bobjp
My brain doesn't do notation: only TAB and PRE, (although I would prefer GRE https://musescore.org/en/node/299027).
It may not mean much, but in my normal use of MU4, I have never lost a file or had a crash. Or had a file get corrupt. I know there are many reports of such things. Just know that it is possible to not have problems.
And I have no use for MU3. It's not even installed.
In reply to It may not mean much, but in… by bobjp
It could be that MU3 is the problem. I have that installed as well, and there may be interaction between the programs - either directly or indirectly.
The particular thing I was working on may have had inherent problems, but I thought I had got at least one working copy in MU4 - which should not have crashed or disappeared.
I'm not saying that MU4 can't work satisfactorily, but counter to your statement that it is possible to not have problems I will add that it is possible to have problems. It is always possible to not have problems - just don't do anything!
In reply to It could be that MU3 is the… by dave2020X
"It could be that MU3 is the problem. I have that installed as well, and there may be interaction between the programs - either directly or indirectly."
I doubt that. MuseScore versions have always co-existed happily together.
Personally I am still using MS 3.6.2 for all my serious work, because I really cannot do without some features which are still missing in MS4. But I have MS 4.1.1 installed and I use it to check problems reported on these forums. I have not met any problem in running both MS versions on the same laptop.
In reply to "It could be that MU3 is the… by DanielR
I tend to agree with you - but it's difficult to be sure.
I've not given up yet, and am trying to rework what I was doing yesterday.
However having now got it back into MU4, and hopefully saved it for sure now in multiple versions [but can I really be sure ...?] - I can definitely say that this has crashed once or twice, so that does seem to show that there are still gremlins in MU4.
When I suggested an indirect interaction I was meaning that versions converted from one version to another might cause problems. Direct interaction would be just having the two programs installed - possibly sharing code or resources - but that doesn't seem to happen. The particular score I've been working on most recently originated from a very much earlier version of MuseScore, so it's possible that it contains data codes which neither MU 3.6.2 nor 4.1.1. like very much.
In reply to It could be that MU3 is the… by dave2020X
I use MU4 almost every day. When I finish a session I save it with a different version number. So that means a Save As. When I'm done I can get rid of earlier versions. And I never save to the cloud. I don't trust it. I'm not always online when I work. This is part of why I don't care about the save button being missing. Of course it is possible to have problems. I just haven't had any.
In reply to I use MU4 almost every day… by bobjp
Sometimes, to get stability, I have to save a score with a different file number after almost every change - every few minutes. Even then there can be crashes and MU4 crashed a few times yesterday. However I have largely reworked what I was trying to do, and possibly the results are better or going in the right direction than before. Nevertheless there were several hours of effort lost by the initial failures. I am up to at least number 16 for the recovery score I started yesterday.
In reply to I use MU4 almost every day… by bobjp
Just noted your comment about clouds - I try to avoid clouds as if they are going to give me Covid 23 or the Bubonic variety, so I'm with you there too.
One thing which may make MU4 more prone to crashing is trying to work on several different scores at the same time - for example even just trying to listen to a score from someone else might bring it down, even though that score would work in isolation. I don't know whether anyone else has noticed problems with trying to have multiple scores open. This is a particular problem for Mac systems - which might be avoided by people using Linux or Windows.
That title reminded me of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VScSEXRwUqQ
In reply to That title reminded me of… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thanks for that - an interesting diversion. I enjoyed watching/listening to it.