Changing original Soundfont on MacBook
I'm absolutely horrible with computers. I'm trying to change the MuseScore soundfount to the Fluid soundfont but in the download process, there's a message that says "unable to archive."
I'd be extremely grateful if someone could very slowly and thoroughly explain how to get a good soundfount for macbook, and then how to make it work on MuseScore. (On MacBook)
Comments
It is all explained clearly in the handbook: http://musescore.org/en/handbook/soundfont
No-one can say what is a 'good' soundfont for you. It depends on your requirements.
In reply to Read the handbook by cwhysall
Yes I read the handbook, though how to install it properly isn't explained well enough for me to understand. A good soundfont would be one where the trumpets sound like trumpets, the tuba sounds like a tuba, the timpani actually sound like timpani!! You get the point.
I wish there was some kind of video tutorial on how to set a new soundfont to play more realistic sounds.
In reply to Yes I read the handbook, by Zach Masta
I would like to point out that in the Soundfont handbook, the soundfount "MagicSF_Ver2.sf2 was created with sfArk V1. The decompression software available to mac users (free) only can decompress V2 and up
In reply to I would like to point out by Zach Masta
Zach Masta, Thank you for pointing this out. As a result, I sent an email to the author of the website. If I don't hear back from the website author promptly (two weeks or so) then I plan to change the MuseScore handbook (by remove this particular listing).
In reply to Zach Masta, Thank you for by David Bolton
I went ahead and replaced the Unison SoundFont listed in the handbook. See SoundFont for the latest version.
In reply to Yes I read the handbook, by Zach Masta
How to download and uncompress a soundfont is totally dependent on where you are getting the soundfont from; the site offering them should provide instructions. That really has nothing to do with MuseScore.
But once you have the soundfont downloaded and uncompressed, installing it into MuseScore really is as simple as going to Display->Synthesizer and then browsing to wherever you've downloaded the file. There is nothing else to it - it is exactly as described in the handbook. Perhaps you could explain what specific difficulties you are experiencing?
However, don't expect super realism. No matter how good the soundfont, the main problem using MuseScore to play orchestral instruments is that it has no way of differentiating slurred from tongued notes (wind instruments) or different bowings (stringed instruments). I installed a soundfont that's a little better than the default, but still quite a ways from, say, the excellent Garritan sounds and playback provided in Finale.
In reply to How to download and by Marc Sabatella
Thank you. I finally got a new soundfont to play. I got it from hammersound.com and it's called overture. After getting the soundfont to work, I have discovered a few more problems:
1.) The soundfont overture only plays sound when I use the PIANO instrument on MuseScore. Is there a way to program MuseScore so when I choose one instrument, that the NEW soundfont plays that sound?
2.) Overture only seems to have brass sounds. Is there a way to mix and match soundfonts to arrange an 'ensemble' of sounds? Or do you just have to find one soundfont that can do it all?
In reply to Thank you. I finally got a by Zach Masta
If it says it's a "General MIDI" soundfont, it should work as expected.