Mention "Mixer" in help files, along with resolving problems with changing Soundfont

• Sep 5, 2009 - 22:30

I had difficulty changing the soundfont. The imported SF would work with MuseScore's included Demo score, but not in my score. It was only after great frustration that I stumbled over a mention of the Mixer menu. I tried this, and fount my score had no selected instrument, so of course I assigned the correct instrument, and now no more problem.

But this would have been easier if the Mixer had been mentioned along with other Soundfont-problem-suggestions.

Please forgive me for the newbie error. These few days using MuseScore to adapt a piece for my son's viola are the only exposure to music I have had in 30 years. So of course, I depend greatly on the Help files, both local and online.

Comments

• Sep 5, 2009 - 23:16

The mixer is mentioned in the handbook (see Change and adjust sounds ). What version of MuseScore are you using?

Any idea why your score had no selected instrument? Are able to reproduce the problem? If others are able to reproduce the problem then we will add documentation to the handbook (or better yet, fix the problem). However I am reluctant to add information to the handbook until we better understand what was happening for you.

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• Sep 6, 2009 - 13:14

Yes, it is mentioned, but people do not always read the right things in the right order - myself being a case in point :) So I had no idea about the mixer, having thought I did not need to know about this for the task I was doing.

I am using 0.9.5 on XP.

During the initial setting-up of the score, Viola was selecte as the instrument. But of course, it played-back with piano, so I searched for info and soundfonts. I installed the soundfonts, but when I followed the instructions on how to change over, I had no playback sound at all, on SF after SF, each time thinking the fault was with the SF. On a whim, I eventually tried playing the Demo score - and it worked! But switching back to my score I was working on, no sound at all unless I switched back to the default SF.

The search feature in the local Help file, and searching the online Handbook, did not help at all, as of course I was searching for Soundfont issues.

Eventually I encountered a Forum mention of the Mixer (on a barely related topic), and tried it, to find no instrument selected. That was the solution.

I don't know if I can reproduce the problem. I will try when I am next on the appropriate computer.

No, I was not suggesting adding info to the manual - just a brief cross-reference to the appropriate section (Mixer) from the Soundfont-problems section.

Anyway, I was successful in creating a Viola instrumental version of Rolling Stones "Paint It Black" from a piano version. Thanks MuseScore! I'm pretty pleased with myself, for learning the software and learning the music knowledge to do this, all in a few days. The score plays back nicely too, with all dynamics working, though the slurs just don't seem to slur much (yes, I know this is a known issue).

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• Sep 7, 2009 - 03:50

I should correct a wording error: Rather than having no instrument selected for the piece, I think it is more accurate to say that I had no sound selected for that instrument in the mixer.

To test duplication, I have created a new score, selecting Contrabass during creation. I placed a few notes on the staff, and pressed the p[layback button.

Silent playback.

I open the mixer. It shows that I have Contrabass selected as the instrument, but that there is no SOUND selected for that instrument. I use the pull-down menu to select Solo Viola. (Am I correct in thinking this feature, of selecting between possible sounds, is a redundant feature so long as we can only have a single soundfont linked to the application at one time?)

Now I play-back the mini-score. But it is still silent.

I go to the I/O preferences and select the default piano1.sf2

I playback again. Still silent. But the Demo score and my Viola piece are both correctly playing, correctly using the Viola sound.

Yesterday I thought finding the Mixer and selecting a sound was the solution, but today I am not so sure. There must be more steps involved to make sure that playback works.

I create another Testing score, this time selecting Viola as the instrument. I enter a few notes, and playback. Silent.

I use the Mixer to select Solo Viola sound. Now playback works.

What's going on? I can play a piece written for Piano, using Viola. I can play a piece written for Viola, using Piano. But I cannot play a piece written for Bass using Viola or Piano.

Confused Newbie.

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• Sep 11, 2009 - 03:32

Thanks for the link. I had read that before, but re-reading corrected one problem I had: I didn't realise a soundfont could be for multiple instruments. The ones I tried were GM soundfonts, but were for Viola only.

I currently have my "real" scores working properly, but never did get the Contrabass score to playback. Perhaps something in the software prevents me using a mismatched instrument ie trying to play contrabass on a viola sound. The problem was not due to the pitch range - I experimented within the Viola's range, though on Bass clef.

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• Sep 14, 2009 - 21:39

No sorry, I didn't save it. It was just experimenting to find the replicability of the problem. When I have the problem again I'll attach a copy.

I have since not seen the same problem again. Importing MIDI files has not shown the same problem as when I created from scratch, even when the instruments are mis-matched with the soundfont. BUT I still have to remember to go to the mixer when the playback does not work, to make sure a sound is selected, so I still think that tip should be included for troubleshooting in the "Playback not working" type topics in the Help files.

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• Sep 14, 2009 - 21:40

deleted duplicate post

Either a problem with forum's server, or maybe at my end. Sending reply produces error 400 Bad Request "Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand." Thus no indication that reply has successfully sent.

Could a mod please delete this post for me?

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