piano stave dynamics problem
Using the SF3 sound in musescore 2. Yamaha concert grand. Treble clef plays quiet while bass clef plays loud. I can apply a separate dynamic to correct this and maybe make the bass clef dynamic invisiblein inspector but I didn't have this problem in 1.3.
| Attachment | Size |
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| would you care to dance - main theme.mscz | 18.75 KB |
Comments
MuseScore 1.3 did not have the Yamaha concert grand (FluidR3 soundfont) available as an instrument sound - TimGM6mb.sf2 was the default soundfont.
In MuseScore 2.0, the default Yamaha piano sound is definitely 'brighter' - and, as a result of several forum comments, it is being tweaked:
https://musescore.org/en/node/55096#comment-256291
where you can get the latest version.
Anyhow, with regards to perceived dynamics problem(s) between MuseScore1.3 and MuseScore 2.0, it seems to me that a comparison between the two should at least be based on using the same piano sound in each version of MuseScore. That way, you can make a valid comparison, eliminating any differences in the samples themselves. (Maybe you, like others, simply prefer the old piano sound.)
So... if you wish, you can download the TimGM6mb.sf2 soundfont here:
https://musescore.org/en/node/36171#list
(it's the 5th one listed and does not have to be unzipped/uncompressed)
and add it to the MuseScore 2 soundfont folder. See:
https://musescore.org/en/node/50721
Then you will be able to compare the two 'on the fly' - switching back and forth in the MuseScore synthesizer while the score is playing.
(Also, you can check out the others on the soundfonts page.)
Regards.
In reply to MuseScore 1.3 did not have by Jm6stringer
I am perfectly happy with the FluidR3 soundfont it's just the different dynamics that bother me.
I converted a score from 1.3 and the dynamics were ok and the sound was shockingly good! My bravo to Churchorganist for that. So it looks like it's a problem with just this score.
In reply to I am perfectly happy with the by johnbarto
OK... so you 'converted' a different piano score from 1.3 and the dynamics were ok in 2.0, but it's just this one particular score that has an imbalance between treble/bass clef volume levels?
So if it's a problem with just this score, posting the score would help (especially if you did not create it yourself) as sometimes there are hidden things like invisible dynamic markings, or changed note velocities.
Regards.
In reply to OK... so you 'converted' a by Jm6stringer
I did post the score, when I try new scores they don't have this problem so it must have been a problem with creating the score at the beginning. I don't recall all the steps, so I can't guess what I did wrong, but the finger of suspicion points at me.
You have conflicting dynamics present, so I'm not sure the results would be deterministic. If I remove the "p" and leave only the the "f" in the first bar, it sounds normal to me - both hands the same volume, or LH very slightly louder as to be expected because it is playing lower notes with longer strings that are inherently louder. So I am not hear a probkem.
If you wish to have the LH play at a different volume than the RH, you would need to set the "dynamic range" propery of the two dynamic markings to "Staff" using the Inspector. Or select the notes and use the Inspector to increate the velocity offset.
In reply to You have conflicting dynamics by Marc Sabatella
I was thinking that the OP had placed the conflicting dynamics to 'overcome' the dynamics problem.
So, I did actually remove the conflicting dynamics, when I compared the soundfonts. That's the way to do it, and I should have mentioned that.
BTW: I don't think that longer strings are *inherently* louder. They are longer because a longer string vibrates at a lower frequency than a shorter string. The amplitude (loudness) is determined by the force of the hammer upon the string - which is why the longer (and more massive) strings have much larger (more massive) hammers than the higher notes. It is the piano builder's skill that chooses the hammer size/mass across all the notes to obtain a *consistent* volume.
For example: Remove a hammer from a low note and replace it with one from a high note - more energy would be required on this (re-hammered) low note to produce a volume equal to its low note neighbors. In fact, on an acoustic piano, the lower keys even 'feel heavier' so I would intuit that the tendency would be for low notes to have an inherently lower volume.
Of course, digital (electronic) keyboards do not have this graded action effect, although digital pianos can be purchased with weighted keys - to give the feel of a 'real' piano.
Regards.
In reply to I was thinking that the OP by Jm6stringer
You are quite right the conflicting dynamics were put there as my temporary fix. Without the dynamics as marked the treble is pp and the bass is f. It seems to be just this score as I played a 1.3 score converted version with no problem. My version of MuseScore is 2.0.0 and the revision is be47f74, which I uploaded very soon after the release. So no problem with operating system or hardware ( laptop speakers or headphones same results). Was it too soon? I wonder. I believe I created this score from a template in the Getting Started panel but I don't recall which one, sorry
In reply to You are quite right the by johnbarto
Well, as I said, when I remove the "p", it sounds balanced as I expect - more or less equal volume between the two staves. Are you sure you uploaded the correct score? Did you try downlaoding the one you uploaded and opening it?
BTW, yes, true, I overstated the case when I said the lower notes were inherenly louder. Of course, it *is* possible for longer / heavier strings to nonetheless create a quieter sound than shorter / lighter ones. But the way pianos are actually designed, this doesn't tend to happen. So we pianists do constantly have to work a bit to make right hand melodies heard over left hand accompaniment.
In reply to Well, as I said, when I by Marc Sabatella
I tried creating a new score and copying and pasting from the old one and it works perfectly now so I suppose it was something I did when I created the old one. I'll submit the new one but it;s working as expected. I suspect the xml version of the old one might give more evidence, but I'm quite content with the results I have now.
Thanks to everyone for all the help and advice, especially as it was probably something stupid I did. I think the new piano sound is a winner and so is Musescore 2.0. Congratulations.