Musescore 4.5.1 The mixer's master reverb is terrible, and there's no apparent way to adjust it

• Mar 28, 2025 - 01:52

There seems to be no way to control the master reverb level in the mixer. With many instruments in a score, it's not feasible to check and change the individual reverb levels.

(Also why did they move the menu from the right side to the left on the mixer? Can't they just add a simple close button?)

Comments

• Mar 28, 2025 - 07:16

At one point I heard that the (excessive) reverb was baked into the samples, so then, no escaping it. And I believe that was that state of play for a lengthy period. In my opinion, such a design would be a huge mistake, and it certainly kept me from using MuseSounds.

But it seems the official word is that the reverb is not baked in. But there's still a rub. The reverb level is set in the sampler, and users have no access and no control over that setting. That is mentioned in this old, closed issue:

https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/14107

Don't know if there more recent reports or discussions on the matter.

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• Mar 30, 2025 - 08:19

This is a four bar example of Muse Harp which I purchased on MuseHub. Clearly there's some reverb in the exported sound file, even though I set the track reverb Aux send to off (in MuseScore Studio's Mixer.)

Domenico_Scarlatti_- with Aux send off and evident reverb.mp3_.zip

The result sounds like decent "laissez vibrer" harp, but the score contains only a monophonic line so I wouldn't expect to hear overlapping notes.

Ergo: Must be reverb ...

The apparent reverb may be recorded in the samples, or it may be set at a fixed level within the MuseSampler—and in the latter case, users lack control over that value.

...

For the record, in sections where Muse Harp works it proves that MuseSounds is perhaps heading in the right direction. But there are way too many artifacts.

• For instance there are whooshing sounds at 1 and 6 seconds, and other places.

• And I'm surprised at variance in volume amongst notes because, on open, MS Studio discards all velocities from legacy scores and sets them to velocity 80, or some such. So I'd expect them to play at a reasonably consistent "volume."

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• Mar 30, 2025 - 20:40

@scorster,
I can't speak to any paid Muse sounds. To my ear, your example seems like an improvement as far as sounding like a harp. But there are way too many odd artifacts. It seems to me that creating a plucked instrument font would be much harder that other instruments. How do you get that ring that can be modified by note value. My guess is that if it kind of sounds like reverb, it no doubt is.
Yes, the first free Muse sounds had reverb built in. you could increase it but you couldn't turn it completely off. After a few updates the built in reverb was gone for almost all free fonts.

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• Mar 28, 2025 - 13:39

Open and close the mixer with F10 or the Mixer button top center. Who knows why the menu was moved.

Yes, there was reverb built in to Muse sounds. But it was removed early on. Control reverb in the Mixer. If you don't see that control, select the three dots next to the word Mixer in the left corner>view>check "Aux send 1"

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• Mar 30, 2025 - 02:28

Yes, I know, I have it selected. When Aux send 1 is clicked, you get a blue button that says "Muse Reverb" when you click it. The problem is that you cannot adjust the level of that reverb. Interestingly there is an option in the Muse Reverb dropdown dialog called "Get more effects" and it takes you to a VST plugins purchase page. I suppose they want to charge you for the privilege of adjusting reverb.

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