Will this problem be going on forever?
Well, first of all, I in no way intend to sound negative or unappreciative of MuseScore here. It was solely thanks to MuseScore that my interest in classical music was revived, because it provided me with a free, eye-opening way to deconstruct classical pieces and learn from them through "reverse engineering". It’s been an enlightening experience to download classical pieces, experiment with the Mixer by muting some instruments and listening to others, and, in this way, truly appreciate the arrangements.
Moreover, MuseScore has given me the chance to write my own pieces and hear how they would sound if played by real musicians—something I would definitely feel embarrassed to ask someone to perform in real life. But with MuseScore, it’s like having a whole orchestra of professional musicians ready to play anything you give them, without laughing at your work or charging you a dime! It's been genuinely amazing!
Recently, MuseScore has been nothing short of outstanding, continuously improving with each update and offering even more fascinating functionalities and features. And all of this for free! Every so often, I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m indeed using free software.
However, one thing that has been bugging me is that with almost every new instrument update, my scores—ones I consider nearly finished—are suddenly not finished again. The main issue is with dynamics: after an update, I find that some notes sound quieter or even disappear, while others become too loud. Consequently, I have to re-edit my scores almost with every update. At times, some instruments in certain sections start sounding noticeably out-of-tune, which is an even bigger hassle to correct. This is particularly true for solo strings (not sections).
I wonder, is this something we simply have to accept as inevitable, or will it eventually stabilize? If not, how should we go about publishing scores then? I haven’t published any of my scores yet, partly because I have to adjust them after every update. The idea of publishing a MuseScore file, only for others to download it later and have it sound different due to subsequent updates, somewhat discourages me from publishing at all.
Comments
One way to look at it is that once you publish something, it is no longer strictly yours. And subject to interpretation. Let's say you had a group play one of your pieces. They would probably not play it just as you intended. Every group would play it differently. Some might even play it better than you thought possible. That's the thing about music, It isn't static. It should be a living, breathing thing.
I know that there is a big deal about "composer's intent". But once the music is out there, "composer's intent", While important, seems to me to be only part of the picture.
Just my thoughts.
In reply to One way to look at it is… by bobjp
But innerthought has not published it yet so the idea that it's like an alternate interpretation does not apply. It's more like an artist who leaves a finished painting drying overnight only to wake up the next morning and find that someone has gone over it with different colours.
In reply to One way to look at it is… by bobjp
@bobjp:
-- I understand that. In fact, you’ve already successfully educated me on this point several times on this forum, and I completely agree with you. However, there is one nuance: a MuseScore file, unlike a score written on physical paper, includes the playback. This playback is not merely a reference over which the composer has no control; rather, it is highly adjustable and customizable, especially with the MuseScore Studio's staff text feature. In other words, MuseScore is no longer just notation software—it's much more than that now. Given this, the composer—even though his piece no longer belongs solely to him after publication—can still communicate how he personally intended the piece to sound. While performers are, of course, free to interpret the piece in their own way, MuseScore enables the composer to convey his preferred interpretation, unlike composers who lived before digital or analog recordings were possible.
I wonder, once a piece is published on MuseScore and linked to YouTube, will it continue to sound there on YouTube the way it did when it was first published, or will it change with every MuseScore sound or application update?
In reply to @bobjp: -- I understand that… by innerthought
If you publish to YouTube the audio will not change but will remain exactly as it was when you uploaded the video.
In reply to If you publish to YouTube… by yonah_ag
@yonah-ag: "... will remain exactly as it was when you uploaded ..."
-- That's great news for me! Thank you!
In reply to @bobjp: -- I understand that… by innerthought
Probably you could try this approach: use Muse Score for creating the final score for your music. Then create a duplicate of the file in order to work on the best possible file for audio export. That´s my solution to all the problems with dynamics. I export the best possible version of each track out of MuseScore and import it in my DAW to adjust there the things I can´t adjust in MuseScore. And from there I export my final Audiofile. Then you can create a videoscore by editing it yourself, incorporatin the PDF of the "score-only" file. It is of course much more work, but at least you can quickly get a much better result, instead of waiting MuseScore to fix it (which probably never happen).
In reply to Probably you could try this… by artstill
@artstill: "Probably you could try..."
-- Thank you. I've always been tempted to try editing some of my scores in Audacity, but each time, I'm sidetracked by the need to explore new features arriving in MuseScore, hoping that with these updates, I won’t need to use a DAW.
There has been much discussion about dynamics in MS4 and it still seems to be an area which is under development. I'm sure that it will settle down eventually but I appreciate how frustrating it must be.
In reply to There has been much… by yonah_ag
@yonah_ag: "I'm sure that it will settle down eventually..."
-- I am glad to hear that. Thank you.
Let me clarify.
Of course you should mark your scores to reflect your intention. We all do that. I've been writing in notation software for some 17 years. Much of it in software far more capable than MuseScore. The point is that often I listen to something I wrote some time ago and wonder what on earth I was thinking. I'm not really interested in the the .com site. I have three pieces there as an experiment. I already have newer versions of them on my computer. I write for video work or for my own hobby. I have had a few of my works performed live. it's a real eye-opener.
MuseScore is my preferred software right now. Yes, every update brings some changes. I find the staff text system to not be very useful. I've used Sibelius since V4. And every time there was an update, there were new sounds that changed the way my pieced sounded. Sibelius has Legato and non-legato fonts. I can also slur over a group of notes and they are phrased together. Also vibrato or non-vibrato fonts. MuseScore can't do these basic things. So I don't write anything expecting them. That's the way it is.
Yes, software gives the composer the ability to write something just the way they want. But I think that can be a blessing and a curse.
In reply to Let me clarify. Of course… by bobjp
But you wouldn't expect the MuseScore software to wonder, "what on earth were you thinking", and then alter your score dynamics without your permission. Maybe MuseScore 5 AI will do that sort of thing but I don't think that MS4 has quite reached that stage.
In reply to But you wouldn't expect the… by yonah_ag
And sometimes MuseScore just ignores dynamics, without any update. AI? Argh.
In reply to And sometimes MuseScore just… by bobjp
MS3.7 Evolution never ignores dynamics 😉
In reply to MS3.7 Evolution never… by yonah_ag
I know. But I'd rather deal with dynamics than basic sounds.
In reply to I know. But I'd rather deal… by bobjp
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
In reply to But you wouldn't expect the… by yonah_ag
Any AI that can not be turned off and overridden by your own intentions is no good. It becomes a tool of terror, not a tool. And this has to be the main guiding principle of the design, in all aspects (dynamics or anything other).
In reply to Let me clarify. Of course… by bobjp
@bobjp: "Let me clarify..."
-- I see. Thank you for this input.
"I have had a few of my works performed live. it's a real eye-opener"
-- If it's not too much of a burden, can you please share a bit about what things exactly were eye-opening at that time?
In reply to @bobjp: "Let me clarify..." … by innerthought
I have played various instruments in different kinds of groups, performing many different kinds of music. For the past 60 years or so. This has led to the statement I have often made that notes on a page are meaningless. They only matter if someone or something performs them. Breathes life into them, so to speak. And no musician plays anything the same way twice. Which is not to say that recordings do not have a place. But they are static. Music is ever changing. Evolving. We do not play Beethoven the same today as he did.
The first piece I completed after I got notation software was a piece for orchestra. The local high school band director asked me to arrange it for his concert band. I did and I got to direct it in their next concert. Was this what I intended when I wrote it? Not at all. Did they play it perfectly. Not really. But it was a total, absolute, blast. And it was well received. That piece will never be played again. But that's OK because it is already out there. It did its job. I listen to my version of it every once in a while.
As for MU4? Whenever I end a work session on a piece, I do a Save As with a different version number. And make a recording of that version. I have one piece that is up to version 30. Yes sometime I have to fix things that an update changed. I think that is part of using notation for playback, I don't have a DAW. So I can't make small adjustments. If something I am writing doesn't come out the way I want. I write something different. Partially because recorded sounds don't blend the way real players do. I don't write for real players the same way I write for playback.
All to explain why I think "composer's intent" may just depends on the situation.
In reply to I have played various… by bobjp
-- Thank you for this input. Very interesting!