Format question
When I save a score, I notice it is saved twice automatically- once as MSCZ file, and once as Compressed Musescore File. What is the difference between the two?
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see: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/file-formats-0#mscz
In reply to see: by Shoichi
Thanks for the response. Do you have any advice for a non-expert on working with one format over the other, e.g. editing, printing, exporting, etc.?
In reply to Thanks for the response. Do by [DELETED] 389906
What you described as "MSCZ" format, really is called "MSCZ," format (.mscz, extention, notice the comma at the end, but alsi the . as the first character of the filename) by Windows' Explorer (and hidden by default) and this is the backup file, nothing you can or should save to yourself.
MuseScore's native format/extension is ".mscz" and Windows by (dangarous) default hides this from users and calls it Compressed MuseScore File. And this is the format to use to save scores in general, and esp. for futher editing.
You could also save as Uncompressed MuseScore File, (.mscx extension), but I wouldn't recommend this, unless you have special needs to store the score as a plain text file.
For sharing with others (taht may or may not have MuseScore installed) you may export to PDF format (i.e. with a .pdf extension) and send them that.
For sharing with others that are using other score editing Softwares, like Sibelius or Finale, you shgould probably export to (Compressed) MusicXML, (.xml or .mxl extension)
In reply to What you described as "MSCZ" by Jojo-Schmitz
Good point, Jojo. I share several scores with a fellow musician who uses Sibelius. I send my scores to him as .xml files. They work flawlessly for him. The reverse is true. I can open his .xml files in Musescore, with the odd text element out of place only. It only takes a few minutes to clean things up, and that's rare. Great program!
Also, all my Musescore files starting with a period, are displayed in my Windows 10>File Explorer. For example, ".Country Roads" I assume is a backup file of Country Roads. After I complete Country Roads, I delete the backup file.
In reply to Good point, Jojo. I share by Lee Batchelor
Whether or not Windows Explorer shows hidden files can get configured (and defaults to not show them). I've configured mine to show them.
Ah, and whether backup files are hidden under Windows depends on MuseScore Version, not sure exactly since when this got implemented.
Edit: it got implemented in 3dfba0a3, so was in 2.0 beta 2 already, but not in 1.x
In reply to What you described as "MSCZ" by Jojo-Schmitz
Thanks for the info. The only exporting I have done to date is by converting the score to PDF, and even then, just rarely. I don't know anyone else who uses any music notation programs.
So, should I continue to save both the .MSCZ, and Compressed Musescore File formats? BTW, I'm running W7 Home Premium and Musescore 2.0.3
In reply to Thanks for the info. The by [DELETED] 389906
You don't save in .MSCZ, format, MuseScore does create these backup files for you when you first hit save on a changed score. You just save as .mscz files, Compressed MuseScore File. Just ignore the ".filename,mscz," files unless you need to recover from a bogus change
In reply to You don't save in .MSCZ, by Jojo-Schmitz
My thanks for the info. I'm a retiree scratching a long-standing itch to play the piano, started about three years ago, but couldn't find a teacher who knew what to do with a geezer beginner, so I'm practicing on my own. Since I am familiar with how music works, etc. (from long ago), I have been making arrangements suitable for my playing level using scores from various sources. The first piece I learned was "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin.
It has dawned on me only in recent years that there has always been some tune playing in my head, in the background, usually something from what is called the "American songbook" or some show tune. This tune or that repeats for a while, then some other one comes along. Anyone else out there similarly afflicted?
It is my dim recollection that the file-format fundamentally is an XML file, and that a “compressed” file has been subjected to gzip lossless compression to make it physically smaller.
These are industry-standard file formats and compression techniques which should be well-known to any other notation software.
I have noticed that many XML tools know to look for gzip-compressed files and they simply un-compress them “on the fly” without saying anything. “It just works.™” XML is a rather-wordy format with a lot of redundancy that therefore compresses very well.