Trombone Playback Issues

• Jun 14, 2015 - 02:16

I was really excited about this update because the instruments sound much better. And I was most excited for the brass instruments because that's what I usually deal with in my music. And as a trombonist, I really wanted to hear a more realistic trombone tone.

I don't know if this is a mistake, or if y'all are taking a jab at trombonists and their blasty playing, but I about laughed my butt off when I heard my first trombone playback with MuseScore 2.0.

greathalls.mscz

Take a listen to that. The trombone overpowers the other instruments and gets to sounding really wonky. The baritone and horn sound just fine. Now my settings haven't been touched, so I didn't make the trombone sound like this.

Listen to this next track and note every low Bb. In fact all the low notes sound especially blatty.
Renaissance_Trombone.mscz

It's the Bb that makes me fall out of my chair XD. I don't necessarily mind it, I would just like the trombone to sound like the rest of the brass instruments and not stick out so much. There's a lot of weird things I notice about how it sounds. I can hear a weird, wispy quality that sounds like the air layer in the flute playback (if that makes sense. listen closely and you'll hear it). Not to mention that electric sound on the low notes. And the weird dynamics...some notes stick out more than others.

There's a project I was working on for a long time using 1.3 and it sounded great, but now listen.

Dragon_Age__Inquisition.mscz
((Still a WIP, ignore the first part of Empress of Fire. It's under construction.))

I had to turn the volume down and I played with the mixer a bunch, but I can't get it to sound right! Listen to the low G. XD Come on, the stereotype isn't true for everyone! Not all trombone players play like this!

I tried composing a new piece, in case it was just a problem with the old files, but it sounds just the same either way. Here is a video of what I'm getting, in case it isn't happening to everyone.
Example of Trombone Playback (Youtube Video)

If this sound could be fixed somehow, or if someone can confirm that this is how it's supposed to sound, that'd be much appreciated ^-^. And if it's the latter, well :P


Comments

Trombones are definitely loud in the mix compared to horns in FluidR3, which is the soundfont used by MuseScore 2.0. You can turn then down in the Mixer. They are also indeed quite "aggressive" in sound. They work well for jazz, maybe not so well for a brass choir. You are welcome to try other soundfonts to see if one suits you better - MuseScore 2.0 allows you to have multiple soundfonts loaded and use sounds from each, so you can mix and match as you see fit.

"There are two sides to a trombonist's personality. There is the one that lives only to lay waste to the woodwinds and strings, leaving them lying blue and lifeless along the swath of destruction that is the trombonist's fury... And then there's the dark side".

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