Tied notes are shorter than they should be
When I tie two notes they sound like a single, tied note and not like two notes in succession. However, the tied note often ends before its full duration has sounded. Long, sustained notes end too soon and syncopated, 8th note passages sound choppy if ties are involved.
Is there a way to rectify this problem?
Comments
After some experimenting, the problem only seems to occur when I use the 'swing' function. If set to 'straight' then the ties sound correctly. I don't want to rewrite everything in 12/8, so is there a fix?
In reply to After some experimenting, the by Gerry_
Could you post a sample file, or exact steps to reproduce?
In reply to Could you post a sample file, by Marc Sabatella
I've attached a file demonstrating the problem. The first 4 bars show how I'm having to notate syncopation that is tied, in order to get a swing feel. If I use the swing function, it sounds choppy (listen to the next 4 bars with the swing function engaged).
In reply to I've attached a file by Gerry_
I think I see what you mean. It's subtle, but it definitely doesn't come off as being quite as legato when using the "Swing" feel. I can submit as issue for you.
I'd say, though, that if you're changing the notation to get it to playback correctly, you're probably using the wrong program. MuseScore is first and foremost a notation program. It's goal is to help you produce the notation you want, with playback being something of an afterthought. If your primary goal is to get the playback you want, with notation being the afterthought - and the fact that you're willing to produce more awkward notation in order to get the playback you want suggests this is true - then you're better off using a MIDI sequencer that gives finer controls over such details. You might use MuseScore to get the basic notes in place, then find another program to tweak the playback.
In reply to I think I see what you mean. by Marc Sabatella
On further investigation, it looks like this is already fixed in the (unstable) nightly builds for the next version.
As a workaround meanwhile, rather than write out triplets, you can also get smoother playback by writing quarter notes instead of two tied eighths, even though the latter is indeed preferable when writing syncopated rhythms like yours. Obviously, that doesn't help if the note ties across a barline, but I also find that the playback isn't as bad in those cases.