Musescore breaks when plugging out an audio device during playback
Reported version
3.6
Type
Performance
Frequency
Once
Severity
S2 - Critical
Reproducibility
Always
Status
needs info
Regression
No
Workaround
Yes
Project
As stated in the title, everything bugs out when you plug out an audio device during playback(I only tried this with my headphones though). You can still add notes and other elements to the score but playback is completely broken and there is no sound at all. Afterwards when you try and quit Musescore just hangs and stops responding, and you have to just end it via Task Manager. However once you load Musescore back up it all works properly again. So far ending the Musescore task is the easiest method to solve this.
Comments
Toggle (off and back on) the MIDI button in the toolbar (that 5-pin DIN connecto icon)
Critical is for crashes and corruptions
oops, and hangs of course
It works fine for me to plug headphones in or out during playback, so the issue is apparently specific to something about your system or perhaps your score. In order for someone to investigate, we'd need more information - version of MuseScore, which OS, any non-default settings you have in View / Synthesizer, your settings in Edit / Preferences / I/O, and attach a sample score that demonstrates the problem along switch precise steps to reproduce (where to start playback, when to plug in the headphones, etc).
In reply to It works fine for me to plug… by Marc Sabatella
I'm using Musescore 3.6.2, OS is Windows 11 Home. Haven't edited any settings in I/O. And I don't think there's a need for a sample score because I've tried this on a lot of my scores and they all have the same problem.
How to reproduce:
1. Load up any score.
2. Start playback at any location.
3. Plug out earphones.
That's all.
Again, it doesn't happen for anyone else, so it has to be something unique to your setup. Could well be all your scores have something in common that is unique to your way of working, so attaching one of them would still be an excellent starting point so we can at least rule that out if that turns out to not be the case.
And as mentioned, we'd need to know your settings in Edit / Preferences / I/O. Even though you didn't change them, they are different on every system, because they on details of your operating system, devices, drivers, and other software installed, and hence are different from everyone. So, check it before plugging in the headphone, check it again while they are plugged in, and one more time after unplugging them. Also try clicking the "restart audio and MIDI devices" after any problems occur.
In reply to Again, it doesn't happen for… by Marc Sabatella
Settings in I/O
API: MME
Device: Headphones(Realtek(R) Audio)
No MIDI input or output
The settings don't change when I plug it out or back in, and pressing "restart audio and MIDI devices" when the issue occurs just makes Musescore crash.
The two attached scores are completely different in nature but have the same issue regardless. So it most likely can't be a score problem.
Sorry for the late reply
I also have this issue, and yes, it is setup-dependent. If your computer sees the speakers and headphones as two separate devices, MuseScore can't dynamically switch between them--it will lose audio and need restarting after plugging/unplugging the headphones (this occurs on my laptop). But if your hardware handles the switch, e.g. plugging headphones into your speakers or into an audio interface, then it's fine (this is the case on my desktop). It occurs in both MuseScore 3.6 and 4.0.