soundfont pops ONLY on Musescore 2.03
using revision 3c7a69d
When musescore plays back my trombone soundfont, it sounds like its looping incorrectly - pops all around. However, when I use another soundfont based program - with the same soundfont - it sounds just fine.
What is going on? If it isn't that the soundfont is incorrectly looped, what is Musescore doing to read the soundfonts?
I've exported it as mp3 - the problems were still there. Exported in midi, and played in a third player, windows media player, it played fine with zero acoustic problems. Well, violin was a celesta, but that's because of me assigning things in the mixer, not a computer fault.
Anyway, here's the soundfont I use: https://www.mediafire.com/?xm7mo2puva55332
and here's an mp3 of the score I was working on: https://www.mediafire.com/?pn9mo1xpnm247cx
0:50, for some of the really bad popping from trombone
Here's an mp3 of the exact same score and soundfont, but using a different synth and program (coolsoft, notation composer) to play it: https://www.mediafire.com/?25wdrw44sc8rdos
The soundfont I use is ginormous, sorry. But awesome! There's a bass clarinet, individual string pizz settings(both in bank 1, not 0), The clarinet is the only one I've found anywhere that actually sounds decent. Strings are thick. I modified the UoI trumpet so it loops and releases smoothly. I've got that awesome steinway piano, two variations on aaviolin - I usually use the Fast Violin, bank 1 again. etc. Ethan's Bassoon and Cello... the best flute I've ever heard. Piccolo is a little too reverbish for me, but whatever. Trombone would be beautiful, but Musescore isn't playing it back right for some odd reason. I have no problems with anything else....
Comments
Unfortunately I am unable to download this from Mediafire as the Captcha doodad is not working.
The Mediafire download experience is unpleasant with its forcing of ads (sometimes of questionable ethical material) on the user.
Why not use a reputable sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox? Both are free to use up to a certain limit - Google Drive's being a very handy 15GB.
I have tested this with the original version of SGM-2.01 and am experiencing no pops or clicks in MuseScore 2.03, so maybe you altered something in the trombone when you edited the soundfont?
My best guess without further data is that you have the soundfont output too hot and it is overloading the sound system. This may be because sound output levels were adjusted to be higher in MuseScore 2.03.
Open the Synthesiser window in MuseScore and play the trombone score you are having problems with. Check the level meter and see if it is red lining. If so turn the level down a fraction.
It would also help for you to attach a score that you have been having this problem with.
In reply to Unfortunately I am unable to by ChurchOrganist
sf2: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ecskpzvn1ct7pj/Laura%27sSGM-V2.01.zip?dl=0
score: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zi5aifcahsams42/KingAndI.mscz?dl=0
what it sounds like in my MS2: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q51n1g1nkicjmof/KingAndI.mp3?dl=0
What it sounds like in a different synth: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n6n3detmbog7jbs/TheKingAnd%21.mp3?dl=0
I did try the levels thing, there isn't any clipping. Like I said, it sounds like it isn't looping correctly, but it only happens in Musescore, which is... really weird.
In reply to sf2: by Laurelin
Thanks for that :)
I've done a little testing, and have established that the original version of SGM 2.01 doesn't have this looping problem, whereas it is very plain that that is what it is in your customised version.
I haven't yet looked at the soundfont in Viena, but will do so shortly.
Before we go too far with this, please will you download a recent nightly build and see if the problem is still there? MuseScore's customised fork of FluidSynth has recently been brought more into line with the upstream official version, so it's possible that it has already been fixed.
A nightly build is standalone, so it won't affect your MuseScore 2.0.3 installation, and will happily coexist with it.
They are available from the regular download page https://musescore.org/en/download but you have to scroll to the bottom of the page before you will see them.
I must stress that these are development builds, and so may not behave as you expect, and saving a file in a nightly build may mean you can no longer open it in MuseScore 2.x, so make sure you have backups of your important files, and preferably do a MusicXML copy when saving in a nightly build so that it will transfer.
EDIT
I've now listened to your custom version of the trombone in Viena, and I can hear very slight looping glitches in the F1 sample and on checking the sample data it appears you have the loop set to 8 - 29336, which will produce glitching. For some reason FluidSynth is emphasising the glitches, but they are already there.
Hope this helps
In reply to Thanks for that :) I've done by ChurchOrganist
I think I may have found the problem.
I suddenly realised after some probing that you have used the loop overide properties in the instrument section of the soundfont to produce your loops instead of hard coding it into the sample.
So either FluidSynth is misinterpreting that, or (more likely due to the severity of the loop glitching) is ignoring it all together.
The next step is to establish whether this is a problem in FluidSynth itself, or simply exists in MuseScore's customised version. If it is the former, then all we can do is report it to the FluidSynth team and wait for them to fix it.
I am opening an issue in the issue tracker about this.......
#119116: Fluidsynth misintepreting loop override data in the Instrument chunk
You can follow further devlopments there.
In the meantime (and it is good practice anyway) you should define loop points in the Sample section of your soundfont editor, not the Instrument section.
I think the Trombone you are talking about sounds fine when I used Polyphone, and you are right about the popping in the trombone in Musescore. However, I enjoyed the soundfont and now, I'm editing it by myself, If that's ok. If you don't like the trombone and want a GOOD trombone sound, I would suggest you can use the Trombone from the No Budget Instruments Site: http://www.bandshed.net/sounds/sfz/trombone_sect.zip
Once the zip file has been downloaded, select "SoloTrombone" then if you have the Polyphone app, Open "Trombone.sfz" Note: Most of the No Budget Instruments DON'T have the samples in the .sfz files, If the Trombone.sfz file doesn't have the Samples, Open the trombone samples by clicking on the Import an Audio File Button and then go to the SoloTrombone folder, then find the Sustain Samples, once all the samples have been selected, you can figure out where the samples go in order of each note on the keyboard, etc. Do the same thing for the Solo Viola in Bank 0, The Cello, Harp, and Bassoon by borrowing the samples from the No Budget Instruments Page Because I don't like the way the Viola Sounds because I think it's from FluidR3, The Harp sounds too shiny and bright and has some weird string sounds, and the Cello and Bassoon From Ethan Winer might be week and some of the samples are out of tune, but sound pretty good. http://www.bandshed.net/sounds/sfz/cello.zip http://www.bandshed.net/sounds/sfz/solobassoon.zip http://www.bandshed.net/sounds/sfz/viola.zip http://www.bandshed.net/sounds/sfz/harp.zip
However, the Bassoon.sfz and Harp.sfz files will already have the samples in them.
Enjoy.