MIDI Channel Assignment missing in MuseScore 4
Reported version
4.0
Type
Functional
Frequency
Many
Severity
S3 - Major
Reproducibility
Always
Status
GitHub issue
Regression
No
Workaround
Yes
Project
In MuseScore 3, the Mixer comprised functionality to assign MIDI Ports and Channels as well as Reverb and Chorus to a certain instrument. This functionality is seemingly missing in MuseScore 4. When playing a score with more than one MIDI instrument, every note is sent to all instruments, which makes MIDI playback unusable.
Example attached.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| C8 V2.mscz | 23.13 KB |
Comments
Yes, this is a known limitation. It remains to be seen if that functionality will be returning in a future update or not. However, I am not understanding what you mean about information being sent on all channels. That should not be the case. Can you explain in more detail what specific problem you are encountering that would require an explicit channel assignment to fix? Are you trying to connect to a DAW, or to a physical MIDI synthesizer? Is you device set to single, multi, or omni modes?
In reply to Yes, this is a known… by Marc Sabatella
I created a score with 3 instruments, each of which is a physical synthesizer with dedicated MIDI channels 1, 2 and 3 (see example attached to the ticket). Of course I want only the notes of the staff of a certain instrument to be sent to this instrument and not to the other two. In MuseScore 4, the notes of all three staves are sent to every instruments, which results in chaos.
In reply to I created a score with 3… by achimrbuerger
Is your synth in multi mode as opposed to single or omni modes?
The synths only support dedicated MIDI channels and normally don't respond to other channels. There is no possibility to change between single or omni mode.
I was looking how to use vst3 software instruments. It seems to be that all staves in a score use MIDI channel 1 to send notes to VST3 software instruments. So there are parallel and separate MIDI channel 1 streams, as many as there are staves in the score. This works OK with software vst3 instruments.
Obviously this doesn't work OK with external hardware synths. I suppose the parallel and separate MIDI channel 1 streams are no longer separate after they have passed through a MIDI cable. But the synths should give no sound on other than channel 1. If they play no matter what channel they are set to receive, then the MIDI channel number gets lost somewhere or gets converted to omni.
I made also further tests and have to correct myself. My first impression, that the notes are sent to all devices was wrong. In fact, only MIDI device 1 is active. Since this is polyphonic, notes form all three staves where played in parallel on that instrument, which led me to the wrong impression (the outputs of the synths are mixed together).
Anyway, there is no proper distribution of the staves to the corresponding instruments. If I set all three synths to MIDI channel 1, they really play the notes of all staves on every instrument. Reconfiguration to the channels 1, 2 and 3 in the instruments returns to the initial problem.
Isn't it possible to re-implement the simple MIDI channel selection feature for each instrument in MuseScore 4?
The MIDI channel selection is a must, I agree.
I think the mixer should have signal router capabilities. It acts as a switch box between the score and the instruments, connecting each score staff to some instrument. It should make possible to change the midi channel, let one staff drive several instruments (including MS Basic, Muse Sound, VST3), let several staves drive the same instrument (multitimbral, multichannel) and build effect chains (FX - instrument, many FX - one instrument, one FX - many instruments).
Absence of MIDI out channel selection for each stave in MuseScore 4 is the only reason I still have to stick with Sibelius.
It is crazy that they released MuseScore 4 with less functionality than MusesScore 3. At least they should add an "Save as MuseScore 3" option to go back to MS3!! I converted some scores to v4, created some new, but I'd go back to v3. Too many issues in MS4. Really sad.
MuseScore 4 does have more functionality than 3 am/ lots of new things added. But some things didn’t make the transition indeed. If they waited until literally everything was ported, we’d still all be waiting, instead of enjoy the new improvements today. Meanwhile you can of course continue using MU3 if you prefer not to enjoy the improvements today. If you wish to open an MU4 score in MU3, export it to MusicXML.
I arrange for my blues band's horn section. I tried using the new Muse sounds, but the trombone was SO low that it was pretty much useless. So instead, I used my VST3 Chris Hein Horns (Kontakt 7). And now this issue has popped up - since it's all on the same MIDI channel, when the horns do a unison part the volume drops down considerably.
I'm glad this thread was started - perhaps they will be able to "fix" this missing option. There are some really nice improvements in version 4, but this is big problem if you want to hear a decent preview of what it will sound like. BTW - anyone know how to fix that issue with the trombone? Aside from jamming the volume all the way up, which still doesn't provide the right volume against a tenor and trumpet?
In MuseScore 3, the Mixer comprised functionality to assign MIDI Ports and Channels as well as Reverb and Chorus to a certain instrument. This functionality is seemingly still missing in MuseScore 4.1 Update.
This issuie tracker has been discontinued, re-report it over on GitHub
I was able to work around this problem by exporting my Musescore 4 file to an XML file, and then open the XML file in Musescore 3. I could then assign the midi channels. I almost started to rewrite my song in Musescore 3, luckily the XML file saved me. :)
Just install the latest version 4.2.0-233521124. The channel /port assignment seems still to be missing. Had to revert back to Musescore 3.
MIDI channel assignment / control is a vital feature for MIDIs played back on any modern digital keyboard. The channel selection buttons on a digital keyboard become useless if the MIDI file lumps all notes into one channel!
If I may ask, please put this feature back into Musescore at the earliest opportunity.
This issue tracker here has been discontinued so better report again on GitHub
In reply to This issue tracker here has… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thanks for the heads up.
For anyone interested to follow this up, the relevant issues raised on GitHub at this moment are:
* https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/18382
* https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/19262
In reply to MuseScore 4 does have more… by Marc Sabatella
Hi Marc,
I don't understand the reasoning
"MuseScore 4 does have more functionality than 3 am/ lots of new things added. But some things didn’t make the transition indeed"
MIDI channels are basic/essential in midi-files. Without the option to set channel assignments, all you great new features become worthless and a waist of effort, as I have to stick to mscore 3.6.
We use the channels to help in choir rehearsals: each voice has it's own channel. When using a midi-player, (s)he can choose to play only the music of it's own voice, or louder than the others. To do so my fellow choir members can use their midi-player of choice, without the need to learn musescore.
How hard can it be to KEEP a certain feature, compared to removing it? And apparently I'm not the only one who's considering this problem as serious.
I hope you'll fix this omission, so I can keep using mscore to create midi-files (as well as sheet music) for fellow singers, instead of having to look for another tool.
MuseScore Studio is a notation program, with amazing built-in playback. Probably less than 1% of users would ever have a need to to export MIDI, and probably less than 1% of them would need to override channel assignments. You can still have great notation and great playback without this.
So no, it's not a basic feature. The basic features are producing great notation and great playback, and these are improved tremendously. I can see you have a special and highly unusual use case. But, can't your MIDI device be set to use the channels MuseScore chooses? If not, that seems like something to take up with the designer of that product.
As for removing a feature, it's important to realize that almost everything about the playback engine was rewritten from scratch. Each original feature designed and reimplemented. So the focus was on the features that most people need for great playback.
I'm not saying it won't be nice if the developers choose to re-implement this, but you said you didn't understand, so I'm trying to explain.
If you have further questions about MuseScore, please use the forums, as this issue tracker was closed long ago.
>> Probably less than 1% of users would ever have a need to to export MIDI
@Marc Sabatella is this based on a recent user telemetry data you collect?
I am very surprised that users hardly ever export Musescore sheets for digital use, since Musescore is a digital sheet editor.
No, like 68% of all statistics, it’s just a made up number to emphasize a point. But you can get an idea for yourself just by seeing what percentage of forum posts even mention the term. My number is probably not very far off.
MuseScore is a “digital” sheet music editor, sure, but the vast majority of people care about either the printed score itself (and hence also PDF export) or else it’s playback using the sound libraries available for use within MuseScore (and hence also WAV/MP3 export). Very few MuseScore users have any use for MIDI.
Anyhow, again, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a welcome enhancement someday is someone interested in this feature should decide to implement it. But most effort thus far remains focused on the core notation and playback features relied upon by virtually everyone. Since MueScore is open sourc,e if it turns out there is a large percentage of users who care about fine details of MIDI export, then presumably one of them will turn out to have programming experience and will volunteer to help implement this.
In any case, if you have further things to discuss with the community of MuseScore users, please use the forum, not this discontinued issue tracker. Or if you have discovered a new bug and have steps to reproduce it, you may report it on GitHub.
In reply to In any case, if you have… by Marc Sabatella
Sure. I stopped using MS4 and went back to MS3 long ago anyway. More stable, more features, easier to use, no back compatibility issues (is MS4 capable of writing MS3 files?). I am sure some day MS4 will be worth the change but not right now, not for me at least.
Best wishes
Jorge
In reply to No, like 68% of all… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc for the time to answer.