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MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 7:51 am
by stubbsonic
I just got a notification email about this new release. Looks quite good.

https://musescore.org/

The obvious questions would be about feature comparisons with Finale & Sibelius (and others). I'm not sure if anyone has done this yet for this 2.01 release.

I don't use this software but have been keeping it on my radar as I'm often in a position to recommend cheap or free software. Does anyone here use Muse Score and could comment on it generally, and the v2 improvements?

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 1:54 pm
by mikehalloran
One can't knock the price. If it implements MusicXML as well as the documentation claims, then it looks ok.

I would certainly read the manual (aka Handbook)
http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/musescore/han ... ore-en.pdf

Could I recommend it in place of Encore? Perhaps, but not Finale – the feature set does not come close. I have never needed to port a file from Encore to Finale as I know from the beginning which I will need but, if MuseScore can work as well on the simple stuff and it supports the full MusicXML protocol, then going with it on those projects may be a no brainer for me.

I'll give it a workout over the next few weeks but only on new projects where I would otherwise consider using Encore. One of Encore's strengths is MIDI import – being less precise than Finale is an asset so that feature will get a good trial from me. Anyway, I have way too many old church projects including a privately distributed Christmas book that I revise from time to time to ever give up Encore completely – that plus the prospect of teaching my wife how to use something new … yikes!.

If MuseScore will import SmartScore X2 Pro scans as cleanly as Finale, then I could see going forward with it. Encore uses an older version of MusicXML similar to SmartScore Lite bundled with Finale – no support for lyrics and many other current MusicXML features.

A reminder: DP 9 promises MusicXML export. For those without complex notation requirements, this could be an ideal companion. We'll see soon enough.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:19 pm
by bayswater
Thanks for posting this. Pretty good for free. It seems to have a more complete palette of symbols than Quickscribe, and will probably be fine for the simple scoring I have to do from time to time. The intro video tutorials are good. I played around with it for a while, brought in a MuseScore file from the site's forum, did some edits, exported to MIDI and imported that into DP.

It doesn't get along well with DP. The import was missing a track. I was able to create a part in MuseScore for just the missing track, export that, and get the missing tracks into DP. I also got a lot of extraneous tracks on import with long lists of irrelevant events.

I thought it might be a bad export from MuseScore, but the same .MID file imported into Logic was complete, displayed as it did in MuseScore, and showed no irrelevant events in the Event list editor. Maybe DP and Logic interpret MIDI files differently.

I was able to export the same file from Logic as Music XML (Logic can export, but not import Music XML), and load that into MuseScore. It worked fine in "continuous view" (score strung out vertically) but in "page view" it looks like it would take a lot of work to get the layout right.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:34 pm
by mikehalloran
bayswater wrote:It doesn't get along well with DP. The import was missing a track. I was able to create a part in MuseScore for just the missing track, export that, and get the missing tracks into DP. I also got a lot of extraneous tracks on import with long lists of irrelevant events.

I thought it might be a bad export from MuseScore, but the same .MID file imported into Logic was complete, displayed as it did in MuseScore, and showed no irrelevant events in the Event list editor. Maybe DP and Logic interpret MIDI files differently.

I was able to export the same file from Logic as Music XML (Logic can export, but not import Music XML), and load that into MuseScore. It worked fine in "continuous view" (score strung out vertically) but in "page view" it looks like it would take a lot of work to get the layout right.
Image

"A clue, Inspector?"

"That's what I said!"


I'll be asking it to jump through hoops this evening. Hopefully, I'll spend enough time to make any kind of a meaningful report.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:49 pm
by bayswater
The inspector provides many clues. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't always resolve them quickly into conclusions.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 6:39 pm
by mikehalloran
bayswater wrote:The inspector provides many clues. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't always resolve them quickly into conclusions.
:rofl:

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 11:01 pm
by cuttime
And then there's Lilypond, which I have struggled with for years, hoping to attain the promises of the Grail, but have not attained anything but kludgey, inconsistent results that remind me of entering music data on a TRS-80. However, there are those that vehemently disagree with me.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 6:38 am
by bayswater
cuttime wrote:And then there's Lilypond, which I have struggled with for years, hoping to attain the promises of the Grail, but have not attained anything but kludgey, inconsistent results that remind me of entering music data on a TRS-80. However, there are those that vehemently disagree with me.
It's amazing people are still developing updates for a pre WYSIWYG program.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 7:22 am
by stubbsonic
At some point, I thought LilyPond would have been useful for something like creating worksheets or other instructive text; and I've been aware that development for LP has been consistently active.

However, with the easy ability to capture screen selections of notation excerpts, and Finale & Sibelius can both create worksheets and flexible notation things, LP doesn't really have the edge there.

I suppose there is a certain type of learner that likes the idea of using concise code to render things. It is fascinating-- from a distance.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 8:19 am
by mikehalloran
The problem with Lilypond is the same that hampered notation before the Renaissance: sheet music is drawn, not written. That will always be the problem with Lilypond.

I played with MuseScore last night. MusicXML is well implemented. I'm not impressed with much else..

I tried it on some sketches of a new performance score for the Beggars Opera that I am preparing for 2017. The plan is to create a new score where I can set the keys to the numbers after casting to match the voices instead of the other way around. Encore is too clunky since you can't scale the layout. Finale is certainly the right tool but, if I can make the process easier, it is sixty nine tunes in fifty eight numbers.

The MuseScore look is heavy. Scanned, uploaded, downloaded and printed, it looks worse. Not as bad as a lot of 19th C. scores you find on the internet that are completely useless when printed but it trends in that direction. Finale & Sibelius have much better fonts. Encore is not as pleasing to the eye but, for scores that are often uploaded, it's still the better tool.

So far, I'm giving it a B- . It's absolutely adequate for most needs but not mine.

I know that a lot of schools are using because of the price but that's a mistake. It just doesn't have the features and flexibility that advanced students need.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 8:52 am
by stubbsonic
Thanks for that info, Mike. Very useful, indeed. That part about the notation/fonts specifically is very good to know.

I think someone at MuseScore found this thread and graciously reached out with this VERY useful comparison table.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... li=1#gid=0

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:20 am
by stubbsonic
I wonder if you tried any of the other fonts that apparently Muse Score can load?

I would assume they'd opt for the best as the default, but perhaps there is something about that 19th century look that has "curb appeal"?

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 11:00 am
by mikehalloran
Good link. This is the 'non-feature' that kills MuseScore for most serious users:
Step-time or Real-time (as you play) entry from MIDI device/keyboard MuseScore: Step time only

This may not be quite the issue for Logic (and upcoming DP 9) users. One can do real time entry, then export via MusicXML for corrections and layout. The thing is that, for many of us if doing a project in Finale, you are likely to finish it there, too.

Because of my handicap, I only do step time (along with MIDI & XML); I never tested its real time capabilities and didn't notice it had none. Anyway, lack of real-time entry makes MuseScore not ready for Prime Time. I don't think anyone can argue otherwise.

I might try the other fonts but I find step-time entry easier in Finale and Encore, especially Encore. I do wish that Encore would support MusicXML 3 – I'd pay for that upgrade. That way, I could do most of my entry and lyrics in Encore, then export via XML to Finale.

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 3:51 pm
by stubbsonic
I expect many would want to do the realtime MIDI sequencing outside (I mean, in other software), and import when ready to start making it more visual. But it is a good point.

I should mention that for low cost (possibly no-cost) , Aria Maestosa is a good donationware MIDI sequencer-- while we're in this entry level topic.

http://ariamaestosa.sourceforge.net

I could see Muse Score and Ariamaestosa being a good "pairing".

Re: MuseScore 2.0 released!

Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 8:14 pm
by mikehalloran
I wonder if you tried any of the other fonts that apparently Muse Score can load?
There is nothing mentioned in the manual about this except that there are two, General and Jazz. I found ways to change between the two but they aren't in the "Handbook". If there's a third, it isn't found anywhere.

In the user forum, there is mention of Font Bravura. Ok... how do you load it – or is it the default general font? Not a clue as Bravura is never mentioned anywhere. ?????

Under Style, you can change the chord symbol font but clicking Apply does nothing.

I understand that open source is designed by committee and the manual is likely written by another committee but MuseScore resembles anarchy.

At some point, a person needs to reconcile the software and documentation. This has clearly not been done. Here's the best example: Nowhere does it tell you how to change the duration of rests and there's no rest palate. Huh? :shake: That has to be among the first five things one needs to know about any program. BTW, you click on the note for the duration, then click on the quarter rest symbol, then click on the score. Easy? Yes but the user needs to figure it out. It's also one more step than Finale, Sibelius or Encore (that's a lot of extra note entry steps in a score).

Ridiculous!

I really want to like MuseScore. 180 pages of fairly useless documentation that rarely covers the basics… I have to downgrade it to a C-.