Muse Sounds, from a clarinet player and arranger's perspective

• Dec 21, 2022 - 20:28

Having just installed Muse Sounds (which I'm very much grateful was given to us for free), I have some thoughts.

There are many moments where when I'm listening to my old scores with the new sounds and I sit back in awe. In those wonderful moments, it really does sound like real instruments! That's a pro that I can't understate. The tone is generally great.

However, I do have some criticisms. In my arrangements, I'm not afraid to use the clarinet's entire register. However, Muse Sounds doesn't seem to go up to its highest note. After a high E6 above the staff (or a D6 in concert pitch), the soprano Bb clarinet sounds are completely silent. With bass clarinet, the cutoff is a C6 above the staff (B4 in concert pitch). And there are issues notes right below that threshold. With the aforementioned E6, there seems to be a small scoop/gliss/grace note before the note sounds, delaying the actual note. Notes below the silence threshold tend to be piercing and squeaky, meaning they frequently overpower the lower notes.

On the topic of lower voices- at least with clarinets- they tend to be fairly quiet with very faint attacks, as the new sounds interpret dynamics as extremes. Piano is sometimes inaudible, even with my laptop's volume at 50% (I usually keep it at 20)! Dynamic escalation is drastic and exponential, making a crescendo from piano to forte very jarring. The sounds interpret the dynamics in a manner far, far more extreme than actual musicians. Bass clarinet with one or more leger lines below the staff grow especially loud with dynamics. For my style of composing, the dynamics are too polarized. But that's just how I feel.

Massive Success:
-Phenomenal realism and beautiful tone!

Issues:
-Hard cutoffs in note range
-Squeaky and piercing high notes
-Extreme high and low notes are amplified by jarring dynamics that are either too loud or far too soft

I've attached some scores as examples. Overall, Muse Sounds are an obvious, massive improvement over the old Musescore Basic sounds. However, there are some issues (ones Musescore Basic didn't have) that I'd like to see resolved. These sounds are phenomenal and a privilege to receive for free, but I'd love to see them be the best they can.

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