Default plug-in commission: Film scoring utilities
A crucial feature in composing for films is to know when something happens so you can write music for that moment. It is tedious to go back and forth between MuseScore and a video editor/view to locate time stamps. And it isn’t as accurate. I heard that this was a thing at least with MuseScore 3, but it required hooking up to another piece of software. I am not quite sure how this would work, but watch a movie/short film and listen to the score, and how it is synced up with the film and the mood and events line up. For instance, a chord sounds exactly when a person falls into a hole or something. To be able to watch a video with your score and edit accordingly within the same window would be revolutionary for video game and film composers.
Maybe it could be another default plug-in.
I’m imagining a window at the top of the screen with a drop-down window which has such functions as a video editor does. Then the timeline would have any markers you set up in the video. Possibly a click track/timecode instrument old be added with this plug-in.
Comments
not that i score films, but much of my understanding:
- you need a timecode to work effectively - SMPTE or equiv
- an orchestra or other set of instrumentation
- write your scoring for the instruments @ that timecode and hear it quickly thereafter
there are a number of orchestra VST which would have the seating arrangements etc needed for more traditional scoring as well as other VST for smaller groupings, general not "rock" or "pop" type groups though... those would likely need to be a combination of VST or clever use of orchestral VST To simulate.
one would presume adding SMPTE (or equiv) timecode meter onto a score would be straight forward... you might need to have markers for places you need things to start, and compared to simply using measures, you might have timecodes (initially) falling between measures, or simply allowing for "gaps" (and not some weird mix of time signatures to facilitate, but actual "space") between so the parts align with the timecode markers and not specifically a contiguous set of measures.
writing and playing the parts (either as your write, or jumping to the time marker and playing) might be a bit work (or not). for example, could you have a VST per instrument (if needed)? or limited to one? (like you need to use Kontakt (or equiv) for example to access a bunch of separate instruments w/ each instrument being a separate channel)?
This is something we definitely need, and I'm hoping it becomes a native feature soon, otherwise writing music-to-picture is an absolute pain with MS4, even though it is totally capable, musically.