ABC files
I am taking the following steps:
1. Import ABC file to the default file (my_file)
2. Create a new file via MuseScore.
3. Select ALL in my_file and copy/paste to the new file.
The result in the new file is exactly one octave below that in my_file. Why?
If I then transpose up an octave so that the display in the new file is correct, and subsequently create a MIDI file, an ABC file created from that MIDI is exactly an octave too high.
Comments
Can you share those files? Which instruments do you use?
Attached files as follows:
m.txt is an ABC format text file
my_file.mscz is the result of importing m.txt to MuseScore (no idea what the instrument is!)
M_pre.mscz is a new file, instrument selected is "Slide Whistle"
M_post.mscz is the result of copying the music in my_file to m_pre
Thank you for your assistance.
AOD
In reply to Attached files as by AOD
Seems MuseScore doen't know what instrument it is either (and the ABC file doesn't have any information about it), so imports as Piano (or at least with a Piano sound).
Slide whistle is using a treble va8 clef, so of course the notes need to get shifted up an octave, to fit that instrument's playable range. This is different from the pitches recoded in the ABC file though, so indeed sounds an octave higher...
Why copy/paste rather than just change instrument (and clef and octave) in the 1st score?
If you want it to sound the same pitches, chose a different instrument, like recorder
In reply to Seems MuseScore doen't know by Jojo-Schmitz
I'm not sure I understand correctly. I tried "recorder" instead of "slide whistle", it is still an octave lower after pasting.
I cannot use the "my_file" for a variety of reasons, including difficulties with changing the format in MuseScore if the ABC file is poorly done (they are a real pain to proof read prior to import). But I don't want to digress too far from this specific topic - one at a time!
If there was a way I could specify "Slide Whistle" in the ABC file, that would probably solve the problem, but I can't find any way to do that.
In reply to I'm not sure I understand by AOD
Oh, sorry, indeed recorder is using treble 8va too. Tenor Recorder might work?
In reply to Oh, sorry, indeed recorder is by Jojo-Schmitz
That does indeed work for the pasting, but the sound is too far different. I think I will just stick with what I have been doing, it's only a few extra clicks. Your help is much appreciated, thank you.
AOD
In reply to That does indeed work for the by AOD
You could also enter them in ABC an octave higher?
In reply to You could also enter them in by Jojo-Schmitz
I don't actually do any of the ABC data entry, just download from those available on public websites. Changing them to an octave higher would be much more tedious than the simple transpose option within MuseScore. Please don't waste any more of your time on this, it's not really a big deal.
Thanks
AOD
See octave clefs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clef#Octave_clefs
From the referenced article:
"Use of octave-marked clefs appears to have increased as computers have become more important in musical transcription. Performers will normally know the right octave to use with or without the octave marking. However, the appropriate use of octave marking ensures that music files (such as MIDI files) generate tones in their proper octaves."
Regards.
In reply to See octave by Jm6stringer
Thank you for the link. Unfortunately a bit over my head. I play the tin whistle and guitar only and have no formal music training.
In reply to Thank you for the link. by AOD
And with that you're play 2 instruments with use such an octave clef, treble 8vb (octave below) for guitar and treble 8va (octave above) for tin whistle ;-)
In reply to Thank you for the link. by AOD
Here's a bit more info.:
If you open your 'M_pre.mscz' you will see the '8' superscript in the treble clef. If you replace it with the regular treble clef, you won't get the octave shift when you copy/paste from 'my_file.mscz'. After all, the original 'my_file.mscz' uses the standard treble clef.
After which, you can play the score and change the instrument sound to whatever you want using the MuseScore mixer. Then export to MIDI and play the file.
Depending on your MIDI player, many instrument sounds will not match precisely to those heard in MuseScore, because MIDI is not an 'actual recording' of the MuseScore playback. It's a set of instructions telling a machine to generate sounds via an event list - e.g. time, pitch, note attack, note duration, etc.
In Windows, the MIDI renderer for Windows Media Player uses a 3MB gm.dls file to play sounds via the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth. Therefore, if you don't like the MIDI playback output sound, go back and choose a different instrument in the MuseScore mixer and export to MIDI again.
(Alternatively, you can acquire a better MIDI renderer for playing MIDI files.)
If you don't need to export to MIDI, you can get the same playback you hear in MuseScore (like an actual recording) by exporting to wav, mp3, or ogg - instead of MIDI.
So, you have to experiment.
See:
https://musescore.org/en/node/36171
for info. and a list of soundfonts.
Also, to change a soundfont in MuseScore::
https://musescore.org/en/node/50721
For info.
http://www.informatics-tech.com/how-to-make-midi-files-sound-better.html
Regards.
In reply to Here's a bit more info.: If by Jm6stringer
Will do. Thank you.