Imported Text Fonts
I know the default text font in Musescore is FreeSerif, and it is fine for dynamics, system texts, and the like. However, for a more distinctive look for titles, headings, lyrics and such, I like to use a different font; my preference is Cardo, a free font. However, whenever there are two lines of text -- two verses of lyrics, or a text frame with two lines -- the lines do not space properly, and overlap. Any thoughts or quick fixes?
(In general, I find the text functions in Musescore more frustrating and counter-intuitive than the musical notation ones.)
Comments
Spacing should be according to the information in the font. Do other fonts work normally for you? If so, probably there is an issue with how the spacing info is represented in that font. Unfortunately, there are multiple settings used, and different problems and different OS's rely on different versions of those settings, so it's a pretty common issue in designing fonts to end up with something that works in one place but not another, because only some of the information is entered correctly.
Feel free to attach your score and provide a link to where you got the font from (different versions can behave differently, also TTF versus OTF, etc). And also feel free to explain what else you are have trouble with regarding text. MuseScore isn't a word processor so it certainly lacks some of the finer controls you'd find in one, but overall the styling facilities are pretty sophisticated for a music notation program.
In reply to Spacing should be according… by Marc Sabatella
Marc --
Here is the score I have been working on (I've been going through a back catalogue, typesetting them); notice the final text frame. I haven't tried working with fonts iother than Cardo and Free Serif, so I can't say what else doesn't work. I can't remember where I downloaded Cardo from, but it didn't come already bundled with
Windows10, which I use. Is it possible that it will not display on your computer, if you don't have the font already loaded?
As for general text issues, I've found that if I want to deviate from the default font/style/pt. size, I have to type the text in using the defaults, highlight it, and THEN change it using the F8 inspector. Even then, sometimes the moment I close the inspector, the text will revert to its former style. I get very frustrated.
I'm pretty new to Musescore, and music software in general -- I skipped over Fin and Sib entirely -- and I'm still learning, but I continue to be impressed with how powerful and flexible a tool it is, and what subtle adjustments and fine-tuning I'm able to accomplish! (notice those elegant slurs in mm. 14-16.)
In reply to Marc -- Here is the score I… by wfazekas1
The general problem you describe is easy to solve: don't try to use the Inspector while you are editing text. Highlighting has no effect on the Inspector either. The Inspector is for changing the properties of the text element as a whole, and currently must be applied after you finish editing the text. If you have formatting you wish to apply on just a portion of the text while editing, that's what the text toolbar at the bottom of the window is for. Also, if you wish to use a particular font for all lyrics, you don't need to do that one syllable at a time. Just do it once then press the "Set as style" (icon "S") button. That automatically applies the change to all other lyrics, past and future, for that score. Save it as a template and it's that way for future scores using that template. Save a style file and you can apply the change to existing scores. You can also set the style file to be the default for all scores not created form a template. All very simple and yet very powerful.
Anyhow, I don't have that font so I can't say what its issues might be. But perhaps the fact that you didn't use the "set as style" on your lyrics is part of the problem - MuseScore might be using the line spacing for the style font rather than the line spacing for any particular syllable. You can also control spacing of lyrics in Format / Style / Lyrics. But, you say you see the problem in other text? I don't see any multi-line text here so I can't say.
In reply to The general problem you… by Marc Sabatella
Actually, one of the frustrations I have with text editing concerns the bottom text toolbar: when I create a line of text (ctrl-T or ctrl-L), the text toolbar opens up, but when I try to reset font/style/size on it before I type in the text, I lose the cursor on the main screen; when I click on that to reestablish it, the f/s/s returns to the defaults. I end up typing the text in the default form, then using the shift-back arrow to select what I've typed and change it either with the text toolbar (if it's still open), or afterwards using the Inspector. What am I doing wrong? BTW, I was using "highlighting" and "selecting" interchangeably, and I am comfortable using the "select all. . ." modes so I don't have to change things individually.
As I said, I am still learning my way around the program, and I have yet to explore the "set as style" features, partly because I haven't gotten that far yet, partly because I have been waiting until I have, in fact, developed preferences worth saving.
thanks for your time.
In reply to Actually, one of the… by wfazekas1
When you adjust the font or the font size, that field is given focus for you to be able to use the keybaord to adjust the entries. For example, you can press T to get closer to Times New Roman in the font field if you want. When the field is the way you want it, press Escape to return focus to the text item.
In reply to When you adjust the font or… by mike320
Aha! Using Esc rather than clicking the mouse to return to the text item -- that's what I wasn't getting! The rest I can figure out pretty well.
In reply to Actually, one of the… by wfazekas1
If your goal is to change the font for the whole text, not just a few characters, don’t use the text toolbar, and don’t try to do it before typing your text. Type the text then press Esc. Then use the Inspector to try different fonts etc. When you find what you want to use for other elements of this type, press “S”. It only affects this score, and you can can change it again at any time, so no reason to hold off. quite the contrary, better to do it to avoid having mismatched lyrics. If after typing more lyrics you change your mind, that’s fine. Same process applies - use Inspector, hit S.
In reply to If your goal is to change… by Marc Sabatella
I will try this.