Violin Solo Sound Issues Musescore 4 Musesounds
Using:
Mac OS Sonoma 14.4.1
Musescore 4 Version 4.2.1. 240230937
I have found some issues, some of which have been mentioned before in other forums, I attempt to describe them briefly below. I do understand the difficulties and that Musescore is principally for notation. The reality is that many people use it for its very good playback qualities as well.
The Violin Solo:
1) Does not produce any sound above B7 (I know it is very high but it is not uncommon (Beethoven Concerto for example). In the "stave/part properties" box the settings show that the "professional" range should handle G3 to G7.
2) Uncontrollable sliding ( this is more than a "portamento") between notes. This is not the case with all the violin options ("sections"). The Musesounds Violin Solo sound is fundamentally very good apart from the issues highlighted here and therefore (IMHO) deserves to be improved.
3) Has uncontrollable volume surges in small groups of fast notes.
4) Has difficulty in playing grace notes and trills accurately.
5) Creates a break in sound when a dynamic change (eg "f" ) is positioned at the beginning of a bar
Examples of 1 and 2 above are attached (indicating some temporary fixes/compromises).
I hope the above helps.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Musescore 4 Musesounds Violin Sliding Issues.mscz | 32.54 KB |
| Musescore 4 Musesounds Violin Solo High Notes Issue.mscz | 41.18 KB |
Comments
Indeed, most of the solo 1 fonts have major problems. I use solo 2. Which seems to be a bit better. Any of the fonts labeled 1 or 2 do not refer to desks, but rather playing styles. 1 is more expressive.
I write for playback. Sometimes if playback demonstrates problems, I just write something else. Not a major problem. Yes I know, I should be able to write what I want. But think about it. You write for what you have to work with. You wouldn't write the same for a junior high band as you would for a professional band.
In reply to Indeed, most of the solo 1… by bobjp
Thanks, comments much appreciated. I agree with what you say and I have worked around the issues of solo 1 with some degree of success. Given that I mainly do transcriptions and "editions" rather than original compositions I probably focus more on "work-around" rather than "compose-arounds" to solve these issues. I have to say, as a violinist, I do prefer the solo 1 sound as a whole...the "expressiveness" has its place but is a bit out of control!
Thanks again