Crescendo-diminuendo in playback not working in 2.0
The attached MS 2.0 score shows an attempted crescendo on a timpani roll. All three hairpin cases (cresc, dim, none) sound the same, in this case as a diminuendo. A crescendo on a sustained horn note gives no change in dynamic level. Is this a bug?
I understand that the primary purpose of MS is notation rather than playback, but the features provided should be operative unless stated otherwise.
In some earlier threads I saw some mention of a plugin to achieve cresc/dim dynamics. Is this correct, and if so, is it still valid as a workaround if necessary?
- dhfx
Comments
The playback only works on a note-to-note basis. Crescendoing or decrescendoing over a single note is currently not possible. To see how playback can work, though, check out the attached score.
EDIT: Looking at your example, I thought I should point out that what you're looking for is probably not a trill, but a tremolo. Tremolos also play back as such, unlike trills (though trill playback is coming soon, too).
In reply to The playback only works on a by Isaac Weiss
Thanks for the quick reply. I tried replacing the trill for the timpani roll with a tremolo, and it works with crescendo.
BTW, I did search the handbook and forums for "timpani roll" and came up essentially empty; either I used the wrong search term, or it might be good to add something saying that the tremolo is the appropriate thing to use here.
Single- (or tied-) note cresc/dim would be very useful, if there's a practical way to implement it.
In reply to Thanks for the quick reply. I by dhfx
As far as "timpani roll" in the Handbook—it's not really a MuseScore-specific thing. It's just standard practice, i.e. common knowledge. That's what that tremolo marking is. A trill would be if you had two timpani tuned to a half- or whole-step apart, and you played alternately between them very fast.
As I understand it, there's no way using the current playback system to do something in the middle of a note—the note is a single object, and it can't be altered between its beginning and its end. You may notice at some point that if you begin playing a score on a beat that's in the middle of a long note, then that note won't sound—because it can't start playing in the middle. See attached example—start playing at the beginning, all's well; start playing at the second measure, in the middle of the tie, you won't hear the first trumpet until it comes the beginning of a new note.
In reply to As far as "timpani roll" in by Isaac Weiss
It's not unusual to see a trill sign used to indicate a timpani roll, for example
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There's no question of an alternation between notes here, because the score specifies that there are only two timpani, and at this point they're tuned to B-flat and E-flat. This score is from 1895, and I think it's probably more usual nowadays to see a tremolo marking to indicate a roll, but even so I have an orchestration book from 1964 that still shows both notations, and doesn't express a preference between them.
You can actually get it to play with a crescendo, it just requires a bunch of tricks that you have to use. I'll be using photos to help you with this.
Start your score with two of the instrument you want to use a tremolo for. Obviously, I'll be using timpani because of context. Next, put 32nd notes in the second timpani for the duration you want to tremolo. Then mark it up with all your dynamics. If you want, you can also click the crescendo/diminuendo, and in the inspector, change it's velocity to make it louder or softer. I have mine set to fifty. This is an image of what I've done so far.
Now, create the tremolo you want for the first instrument, and in the inspector panel, tell it to not play. This will prevent it from playing the tremolo you don't want. Although, if you actually play them back together, they are exactly the same, except the second one plays with a crescendo.
Now, if you go into your instruments list (using view or the keyboard shortcut I), find the second instrument, the one with the working crescendo, and uncheck the box where it says visible. This will not only hide it from your score, but it will automatically reformat your pages as if it's not even there. However, you will still hear the part being played, and the tremolo you don't want will not be played, since you unchecked the play box for the original note. Go back into your score, and reformat your crescendo because musescore has a much shorter measure now.
This can also be used if you mark for somebody to clap in their part or something, and then you can use a clap synthesizer and make it invisible. Then, mark the rest of the notes to not play, and it will play back as if they are clapping.