where/when does does MuseScore read instruments.xml?
I've been trying to create a customized instruments.xml, but I haven't succeeded in getting MuseScore to pay any attention to edits I make in the copy in the templates folder. Searching around, I see references to MuseScore maybe using precompiled version of this by default, but is there *any* way to get it to read mine?
BTW, the reason I am doing this is that I'm trying to create a Big Band template, and I want an instrument that uses the pizzicato contrabass sound by default. In jazz, that's the norm; an explicit "arco" is required to get the bassist to use a bow. For now, I've generated my template as an mscx file and edited that by hand to get the effect I want. But it seems to me this shouldn't be necessary.
Comments
To read your instruments.xml you need to select it via Edit > Preferences > General tab, Instruments list (click on the browse button on the right hand side).
MuseScore only reads the specified instruments.xml at start up, so you need to restart MuseScore if you want to make any changes. If it is possible that the changes to you are making might be integrated into future versions of MuseScore, I recommend using SVN trunk.
In reply to To read your instruments.xml by David Bolton
Thank you! I knew there had to be a way, but I was mostly looking in Style.
I do think I'll eventually want to incorporate my changes into the trunk, and contribute my template too, but I'll likely have a couple other related changes I'll want to make as part of this, so I think I'll hold off until I have a better handle on things.
I found that despite my being an Administrator, I did not seem able to save a modified instruments.xml in the default template directory under C:...\MuseScore. I need the ability to indicate divisi choral parts, and the provided voice parts are much too basic. What I found, though, is that I could put a copy of instruments.xml elsewhere. As an example, I put the copy in the My Music library (we're talking Windows 7 libraries), which I have on my F drive, in the MuseScore directory I created there. There I have full edit/save permissions. I then had no trouble making the enhancements to the Voices group in the copy and pointed to the copy location by making the directory change in the Preferences. (Edit|Preferences, General tab, Instrument list and browsing to the new location)
It's a nice workaround and preserves the ability to go back to the original (default) instruments.xml with a simple change back to the default directory.
I wonder if this needs clarification in the documentation in terms of edit/save permissions with regard to enhancing/customizing the instruments and/or voices and doing so through an instruments.xml copy and directory change.