MuseScore notes are different in Cubase 12.0.4/Studio One 5.5.2
I created a very simple score using the Alto Flute instrument with the following whole notes: A C D C A G F E
These notes play and sound as expected in MuseScore 3.6.2
I exported that as .mid
Then I did the following in both Cubase and Studio One
I added Scaler 2.6 and an instrument track to each project/song
In Scaler, I drag and drop the .mid file and it analyses and comes up with notes: E G A G C B A G which it says is an A minor scale
I also created an instrument track with HALion Sonic SE that has a flute preset and dropped the .mid file onto that track and the notes are: E G A G C B A G
Although the original notes E G A G C B A G were imported as E G A G C B A G they sound the same as what is in MuseScore even though transposed down.
Can anyone tell me if MuseScore has a setting or is exporting the notes like this?
Does it depend on the sound preset I use in MuseScore?
I am expecting that when I create the notes E G A G C B A G in MuseScore, that they will be the same in Cubase, Studio One, and Scaler.
Please let me know if I am missing something.
Thanks!
Comments
The Alto Flute is a transposing instrument (by a perfect fourth). This means that for the player to play the sound of a C (concert pitch) that player needs to see the F above that written on his/her notation sheet music.
By default MuseScore accounts for that and thus shows you the notation as how the player would need to see it; but of course, when you export midi, it exports the sounding pitch.
You can toggle between "concert pitch" (what you hear) and transposed notation (what the player sheet music needs to be) with a toolbar button. For your purpose, it is likely easier/better to write using Concert Pitch.
See also https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/concert-pitch
In reply to The Alto Flute is a… by jeetee
Thank you so much for helping with this. Now it makes sense. I just started using MuseScore about a month ago so have lots to learn. I think I had seen something about concert pitch in a video or the help and forgot about it.
To your point about the flute transposing, I recreated the scenario with a piano and see that concert pitch has no effect. Now I need to find a list of transposing instruments.
Thanks again for you help!
In reply to Thank you so much for… by GL4
"Now I need to find a list of transposing instruments."
Open a score. Press I or Edit >Instruments. Underneath the Search box, click on the button and choose All Instruments. You can then see what instruments MuseScore has definitions for and many of them are transposing. If you really do want a list then see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transposing_instruments, although it only has a couple of tin whistles and no ocarinas, which come in just about all keys.
In reply to "Now I need to find a list… by underquark
Thank You! Things are starting to make sense.