SOME ISSUE FIX TO IMPROVE MUSESCORE
Hi! I changed from Sibelius to Musescore last year and I'm really exited about the project. Here's a list of issues that would help a lot to improve a lot the software:
1) Pallets:
First problem i found goes with the functioning of some elements: For example, if I select multiple notes and add to them a Staccato, but i then want to remove them, i have to delete them one by one, while i simply could select the notes again and click on the staccato button again, but sadly this doesn’t happen. Same happens with other elements just like accents.
Other problem that i find annoying and less intuitive for new users is that the only way to add something from pallets to the score is first clicking on the note/s and then on the element. Is not bad, but i think that it could be much better: For example, would be great if i could simply press on the element i want, and add it to the score by simply clicking on the place where i want it to be all the times that i need it. This would be particularly useful in lot of situations, for example, when adding pedal markings, when i have to add several of them and each time i have to i need to click on the note and in the element lots of times. The same system could be added to the items in the “Add” menu, instead of showing a window advising that I forgot to click on a note first.
Finally, i found that most of Musescore users i know don’t even realize that they can create a personal palette, which is truly a pity due to it's an awesome feature that makes working incredibly easy and customizable. I think that adding a customizable "Main pallete" would be a really good idea too.
2) Recesable panels and windows
Something that i think should be improved is that there are too many recesable windows for everything. For example, the play panel is an enormous recesable window that makes it too invasive, so I have to open it and close it several times. In software like sibeiuls it’s just a little floating window. Same happens with the text panel and selection filter panel. Due to it’s a recesable panel, it sometimes may be in conflict with other ones. Would be great if the text editing options appears in a little window beside the text box that i want to edit when i click on it. By the other hand, other windows like the mixer are impossible to use receased, which would be much more comfortable.
3) Other
_The 4 voices switch buttons in the note introduction panel could also active the note introduction automatically, so I don’t have to click on it first. It would make much less painful and faster writing in multiple voices.
_Sibelius has a really easy system to make little adjustments to the score, where yo can simply click and drag on the staff. Would be great to add something similar in the following versions!
_ An advantage from musescore over sibelius is that playback is much better. In siebelius you need a 40gb sound package to have a decent playback, while musescore does it much better with a simple soundfount. It’s a point to master. Musescore plays crescendos, and diminuendos, while sibelius doens’t. Would also be great now to play rittenutos, acelerandos, and calderons. Notion has and awesome system to add rittenutos: If you double click on the rit. Text you can select how much do you want the tempo to decrease in a very simple way: “Rit to(insert tempo)”. And when you click enter it automatically selects the “A tempo” text so you can add it immediately.
_ Finally, a great function to add would be a full night mode in wich colors invert, leaving notes white and paper black. Really helpful to not strain your eyes and I didn’t see this in any other software.
Hope this little review helps! the software is amazing! Greetings for Argentina ;D
Comments
Thanks for the feedback. it's better, though, to make separate posts for separate topics. Otherwise the discussion gets way to hard to follow and track.
A few specific points, though:
You don't need to remove staccato markings individually, it's easy to select multiple ones at once (eg, click / shift+click) and delete them together.
You are free to dock or undock the play panel and other windows.
The voice buttons perform a very important function when not in note input mode - moving notes from voice to voice. This would be lost if they just put you in note input mode. Normally you would simply use the voice buttons while in note input mode, so there wouldn't be any extra keystrokes required anyhow unless you choose to leave note input mode.
Some of the other things you request are already on the way (smart tempo markings and white-on-black are both being worked on as we speak, as part of the Google Summer of Code).