Orchestral Score Instrument Playback Problems
Hi there!
So, I am often working on orchestral pieces of 15 – 20 instruments, and I constantly have the following issue: I will write a part for, say, an English Horn, and the trumpet will also wind up playing that melody. Or for a flute, and the Viola pizzicato is playing with it. It happens all the time with a bunch of instruments. It's usually a string or brass instrument making noise on a woodwind part. I know this is not a problem with my mixer patches—I've checked that—and I also know that this problem is unique to my copy of the software, because I have MuseScore on my work computer and the same score doesn't do that there. This makes it difficult to compose and arrange because I rely on my ear a lot to write stuff and I'm hearing an instrument playing a part it's not supposed to be playing. Any advice on how to get this to stop?
Comments
I'm not understanding the problem - are you saying you don't want the trumpet to play the same part as the English horn? And you're sure you didn't actually write the notes for both parts? Or maybe you're saying, they play together, but do something wrong along the way, like play in different keys, or create audio distortion? In order to understand and assist, we would need you to attach your score and describe the problem in more detail - which specific measures, which specific instruments are doing what specific things you don't want.
You wrote:
It's usually a string or brass instrument making noise on a woodwind part.
By "woodwind part", do you mean you used File -> Parts... to generate the part sheet for that woodwind, and then upon playing back that woodwind part sheet, you hear "a string or brass instrument" playing along with (or instead of) the woodwind? What do you mean by "making noise"?
-OR-
Do you mean if you play back the score sheet (not the part sheet), that you hear a string or brass instrument also playing the woodwind part? What happens when you "Solo" the woodwind in the Mixer. Do you still hear that "string or brass instrument making noise"?
-OR-
Something else, which will require more detailed information.
No Marc, I didn't write the same notes for both parts—I hardly ever use brass and woodwind together.
I won't bother posting the score because the same score won't do this on a different computer of mine, so you wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
No Jm6stringer—by part, I mean instrument.
I'm writing for an orchestra and what each instrument is playing is called it's PART.
Yes—I hear a brass instrument playing along with my Cor Anglais.
I've had the same problem, except a pizzicato viola (or violin—not sure which) playing with my flute.
It has nothing to do with the part sheet. When I play the SCORE (all the parts together) I hear a Cor Anglais and a brass instrument playing, when the only notes on the score are on the Cor Anglais line. And yes—when you solo the instrument, it does the same thing.
And like I said, I had the exact same problem on another score—except it was a pizzicato string sound playing with my woodwind. But the details were the same.
Thanks!
Ashton
In reply to No Marc, I didn't write the… by BlueFalcon5433
There is no way for us to ascertain whether or not something in your score is triggering the problem without seeing it, so please, if you’d like help, do attach it. Just because it doesn’t happen on one other system doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem and that we can’t diagnose it.
But as it is, one possible guess is that you have a non-standard soundfont installed on the computer you are having problems with. Be sure to use only standard GM-compatible soundfonts unless you’ve specifically set up your score to use an alternative system (which we can tell by examining it).
In reply to There is no way for us to… by Marc Sabatella
Ah... I do have the free Aegean Symphonic Orchestra Soundfont on my computer, but I'm not sure If MuseScore is actually using that. I can attach the score, but I can almost guarantee you won't hear it.
In reply to Ah... I do have the free… by BlueFalcon5433
The way to check your current soundfont is View / Synthesizer, check the Fluid and Zerberus tabs. If you see anything but MuseScore_General, it's because you installed it, and that's probably the issue right there.
Meanwhile, I've loaded up your score, and you're right that I don't hear a problem - not that problem, anyhow. But I can see via the Mixer that the English Horn is set to the non-Expr version of the sound, which won't work correctly with respect to dynamics. Shouldn't affect the sound otherwise, though - unless, again, you are using a non-standard soundfont. In which case you'd need to adjust the sounds in the Mixer to work with that soundfont.
In reply to No Marc, I didn't write the… by BlueFalcon5433
...by part, I mean instrument.
I'm writing for an orchestra and what each instrument is playing is called it's PART.
True, a part is an instrument, but you could be talking about a "part" as a sheet generated for only that instrument, or you could mean the "score" sheet which contains that same "part" (i.e., instrument) along with all the other "parts" i.e., instruments)..
Your attachment is of the whole score - so all the "parts" together.
Try using the default soundfont.
In reply to ...by part, I mean… by Jm6stringer
I'll try that. I'm on my work computer now, so I don't have that problem, but I'll check it when I get to my home computer.
Thanks guys!
Ashton