Errors: decrescendos / crescendos with specific dynamics
SHORT:
Adding specific dynamics to a hairpin (or to a cresc._ or drecresc._) causes playback issues. For example ...
... if there is no extreme separation between the hairpin (or cresc._ or decresc._) with a specific dynamic at its end and the subsequent dynamic level, the subsequent dynamic level is not played back;
... repeating bars with hairpins (cresc._s or decresc._s) that have a specific beginning/ending dynamic level, the dynamic changes are only reflected during the bar's first instance or last repeat, and even then the change of volume is not gradual, there are often volume spikes;
... specific dynamic levels can't be added to the left side of hairpins (or cresc._s or decresc._s), it is always automatically added to the right side, regardless of the direction of the dynamic changes.
... etc.
DETAILS:
See attached test project and PDF, both with detailed explanations. It is a new project I created from scratch, not imported stuff.
CONCLUSION:
Even if correcting these bugs is not possible, it would be greatly appreciated if hairpin/decresc./cresc. playback options would be available (at least in terms of their strength). We are stuck with using just plain hairpins, which do work as expected, even over the duration of repeated bars, but they do not produce large enough dynamic changes and there's no way to change their behaviour.
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/hairpins#change-playback
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GitHub:
https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/23133
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Related:
2021 - Crescendo from niente not functioning as intended
https://musescore.org/en/node/324942
2023 - Dynamic 'n' starting from nothing.
https://musescore.org/en/node/346009
2024 - Volume spikes slightly suddenly when dynamic is decrescendo-ed to niente on strings(?) #22812
https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/22812
2024 - Fade away to nothing / fade in from nothing, dynamic marking.
https://musescore.org/en/node/364633
Handbook / Dynamics
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/dynamics
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OS: macOS 11.7, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore Studio version (64-bit): 4.3.1-241490902,
revision: 026c26b
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| dynamics-playback-errors-test-MSCZ.mscz | 39.19 KB |
| dynamics-playback-errors-test-PDF.pdf | 59.3 KB |
Comments
on GitHub:
https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/23133
In reply to Posted here: https://github… by ..- ... . .-. …
Just as an interested bystander, I wasn't sure what you mean by "can't add dynamic to left-hand end of hairpin". By clicking on the first note and clicking any dynamic it does it as a matter of course....!?
In reply to Just as an interested… by Ali Wood
Thanks. By clicking on a note and adding a dynamic, it is added to the note. By clicking the hairpin (or cresc._ or decres._) and adding a dynamic, it is added to the hairpin. They behave a little differently in terms of placement and playback too.
In reply to Thanks. By clicking on a… by ..- ... . .-. …
So why not just add it to the note? The placement seems perfect and the playback dynamic mostly works...
In reply to So why not just add it to… by Ali Wood
For example, it's a problem if you want the crescendo/decrescendo to extend over the whole three bar duration of a 3x repeated bar. In this case you need to add the hairpin to the measure and your desired dynamics to the hairpin (not to the notes). But even then it still doesn't work (see example 1 and 2 in attachments).
For me if I add the dynamic to a note while also having added a hairpin to the measure, the dynamic doesn't even have an effect on the execution of the hairpin. For example, in example 4 (see attachments), it doesn't matter if I add a "ppppp" dynamic to the last note of the measure with the hairpin (F5), the decrescendo does not nearly reach "ppppp". I tested "ppppp" in isolation and it's much softer.
In reply to For example, it's a problem… by ..- ... . .-. …
In my experience, adding a dynamic-before to the same note that the hairpin starts on, and a dynamic-after to the note after the note that the hairpin ends on (both in the same voice) works flawlessly, including dim. to pppppp.
In reply to In my experience, adding a… by TheHutch
That's great - if that's what you need musically. All of the examples are different scenarios to what you describe. See example 1 and 2. Maybe by the last note of the bar I want to decrescendo to ppp or niente or some other soft dynamic, and start the next bar in ff.
In reply to That's great - if that's… by ..- ... . .-. …
Put the ending dynamic on the final note. Extend the hairpin to the note immediately before that. Put the next dynamic on the first note of the next measure. If the hairpin ends on a long note (e.g., whole or half) and you actually care about playback, rewrite it as shorter, tied notes. (Perhaps hide the shorter, tied notes in a hidden staff and have the longer notes set to not play in a visible staff.)