MuseScore for UMC music composing

[lipk]

Wesnoth has great and unique soundtrack, but the state of the Music & Sound forum isn't that cheering. A professional or semi-professional sometimes appears from the mist, drops a track which does or does not go mainline and that's all. Granted, digital audio editing is maybe the most complex task of all - it requires the technical skills of a coder and the talent of an artist. It would be naive to expect really good, several minutes long, high quality tracks from the hobby musicians probably hiding there, but short theme songs, taylored-to-scenario music could find their place. Also, I believe that our well-respected Lords of Music would enjoy their lordship much more if their dominion didn't look like a wasteland.

So, if there's anybody who has been prevented from UMC composing only by the frightful user interface of professional DAWs, here's a pretty good alternative: MuseScore. It's free, multiplatform and multilanguage.
Main features:
- Virtual note sheet
- Export to MIDI and PDF (under Linux, even OGG)
- Can perform dynamics and tempo changes
- Many instruments
- Can instantly play your composition

Of course, despite its great advantages, it's still a notation editor, so don't expect yourself creating really high quality tracks, but it's good enough to spice up your campaign with some custom melodies.

Here's a sample, created purely with MuseScore (you can use MuseScore to play it ):

song_from_wesnoth.zip

(2.75 KiB) Downloaded 629 times

Disclaimer: I'm playing on trumpet for a long time, but I'm not particularly educated in harmonies and such

[Boldek]

what version are you using? I downloaded 1.1, and they won't let me play music, make sounds, or even compose. I was able to do this before, so have no idea why I can't now. I thought maybe it was the version, but it would make no sense why they would not allow me to compose or play music on it.

[averyimaginativename]

what version are you using? I downloaded 1.1, and they won't let me play music, make sounds, or even compose. I was able to do this before, so have no idea why I can't now. I thought maybe it was the version, but it would make no sense why they would not allow me to compose or play music on it.

Are you using Linux?

It farted on PulseAudio for me, but works with YIFF. Saying that, most things fart on PulseAudio and work with Yiff...

[Boldek]

yeah, I use linux.
Yiff?

[averyimaginativename]

yeah, I use linux.
Yiff?

yiff-server is the package name under Debian/Ubuntu. A sound server for UNIX games and applications I find to be more stable, and less buggy than the alternatives. Importantly in the context of this thread, with PulseAudio installed MuseScore didn't work, but with Yiff, it did. Their website has been down for some time now, however, there are only three bug reports at Debian, and two of those are fixed in Testing.

My system is "mostly Debian", in that it's Debian but with lots of bits compiled from newer source, so YMMV.

[Boldek]

Aha! Thanks for the help!

[Tyler Johnson]

Well, this is a professional project. If you're intimidated by a DAW, then you're not going to go very far composing music professionally, it's just the times. And music notation software is definitely NOT the way to go for Wesnoth music.

-Tyler

[lipk]

Well, you misunderstood me. I didn't recommend MuseScore for composing for Wesnoth mainline - I'm aware it's not sufficient for that. However, it's good enough to sequence some custom music for a non-official campaign or add-on. I believe there're some people here who can't produce anything with a whatever supermodern DAW, but might be able to occasionally create something acceptable with a simpler program.

[West]

I believe there're some people here who can't produce anything with a whatever supermodern DAW, but might be able to occasionally create something acceptable with a simpler program.

Apples and oranges, my friend. A DAW and a score editor are two completely different types of programs, and the difference lies not in ease of use (a score editor is only easy and useful if you can read and write notation) but in application. A score editor is used for composing or transcribing music, not for outputting a polished, musical-sounding final product. It might appear easier than a DAW, but this is because it focuses on one aspect only. FTR I see nothing wrong with using a score editor, I just don't want people getting the wrong idea of what you can acheive with it.

The score editor is the camera. The DAW is Photoshop.

[lipk]

I may be mistaken about some facts, but the main point still stands: more people can use a notation editor than a DAW. And no, I'm not trying to imply that MuseScore can replace professional software. Or that music composed with it will ever find a way to mainline.

I'd just like to see some acceptable quality UMC tracks. Not to raise the standards, just to bring some variety.

[averyimaginativename]

I'd just like to see some acceptable quality UMC tracks. Not to raise the standards, just to bring some variety.

QFT.

Until now, I've relied on recording something with audacity, messing about with it a bit, and making do with the resulting lump of crap. Worse, I only have cheap pickups, and only play six instruments which limits what you can do dramatically, and makes the quality dreadful.

While MuseScore is never going to produce anything close to mainline standards, it's a step up from what most of us had, and it's more than enough to produce relatively high quality music by amateur/UMC standards.


I don't disagree with Tyler or West at all, I just don't want anybody to be put off using this for UMC either.

[West]

I may be mistaken about some facts, but the main point still stands: more people can use a notation editor than a DAW.

You say this like it's a universal truth. What do you base this on? And what is your experience with DAW's? Not trying to pick a fight or anything, I'm just curious. There are far more musicians who can't read music than musicians who can so your statement simply does not hold water. A DAW with decent midi support and a piano roll editor will let *anyone* make music, regardless of notation skills.

Secondly, working with a DAW is not rocket science. Some are easier to use than others but generally speaking, most people with at least some grasp of music and computers will be able to learn how to use one (on a basic level) within days or at the most weeks. Yes, DAW's usually have a lot of advanced features and functions but when doing fundamental things -- like working with software instruments and midi tracks -- you can just ignore all the complex unrelated stuff. In fact, if the DAW is any good you won't even know the advanced features are there until you need them.

Having said that, I see no reason why a score editor couldn't be used for making some decent music. Just putting things in perspective here as I don't want you making people think DAW's are scary. They're not

And no, I'm not trying to imply that MuseScore can replace professional software. Or that music composed with it will ever find a way to mainline.

No need to get defensive, MuseScore is a great score editor AFAIK, I have heard many people praising it. I'm just trying to say that score editors are limited by nature and a DAW is likely a 100 times more intuitive for someone with little or no notation skill.

[lipk]

And what is your experience with DAW's?

In fact, I've only tried Ardour so far. It was hard to even make it start up (JACK & co.), and once I've got it working, I encountered totally the opposite thing than "let *anyone* make music": hundreds of buttons and sliders, but heck, where goes the song? Maybe it's just because of this bad first experience, but 'simplicity' is not the word I generally associate with DAWs.

There are far more musicians who can't read music than musicians who can so your statement simply does not hold water.

Strange. It might be just a local speciality, but here, in Hungary, notation is taught in elementary school, so even if music isn't the most seriously taken subject, I can hardly imagine a person who's interested in music and can't read it. If this isn't the case for the rest of the world, well, yes, then my statement isn't true.

[perseo]

Strange. It might be just a local speciality, but here, in Hungary, notation is taught in elementary school, so even if music isn't the most seriously taken subject, I can hardly imagine a person who's interested in music and can't read it. If this isn't the case for the rest of the world, well, yes, then my statement isn't true.

Well I have to say one thing, here in Spain people usually don't have ANY idea of music and sometimes (I'm explaining a fact) when someone sees a rumanian playing music in the street (with an acordion, singing or with a trumpet...) says: "Well it's easy for them they only know music..." It's a very offensive comentary and I don't agree with it but it can make a idea of what other countries music teaching.
For working with MuseScore I only can say one thing, rather than putting the whole score in only one file, create a lot of .ogg tracks with one musescore for each voice and then use an audio program for put them together, this will help you to obtain a better result.
I say it and I know what I'm talking about coz I use musescore a lot for making score standarts for my jazz ensamble and I some time ago I tried to compose some choral music for my armony & fundaments of composition clas.s.
If I can I will upload one file this week If I can acces to my father's computer.
¡Salud!