Musescore has a new look, but it’s not just this. Version 4 released in December 2022 is amazing and leaving paid software at a clear disadvantage. One of the top new features is this version is the use of VST instruments and soundfonts, which make it possible to use professional instrument samples. If you already use Kontakt, Spitfire, Decent Sampler and others, now you can also use them in Musescore. Not to mention Muse Sound which is a free Hub with instrument sounds that can be downloaded for free to be used in your mixer. Of course, you can also export to audio or MP3 with professional sound.
It is important to say that this is the first release of this new version and there are still problems to solve, but the proposal is fantastic. Congratulations to the group of developers and musicians who dedicated themselves to leaving it with new features.
In this post we will give an overview of the changes and new features of the software.
About Musescore
MuseScore is free and open source software, which means you can even use it professionally. It was developed for creating and editing musical scores and was created as a fork of the MusE synthesizer base code. This means MuseScore developers started with MusE source code and created a copy of the project to work on a modified software version. The purpose was to create an independent music notation program from MusE code base, while MusE would remain a synthesizer.
Musescore was first released in 2002, allowing users to create and edit their music scores in a high quality graphical environment, i.e. “What you see is what you get”. The software was created with features such as unlimited staves. This is useful if you want to create a score with many pages or if you need to add a lot of detail to your score.
The software is also designed with links between the various parts and instruments. This means that MuseScore is able to link different parts of your score, such as the violin score and the piano score, so that they are displayed together on the screen, but both have their own details. This can be useful for easier editing and viewing of the complete score. Parts can also be extracted from the main score file, which means you can create a separate file for each part of your score if you wish.
In addition, the software has an option to create tabs, is prepared for MIDI input and output, percussion notation, automatic transposition, lyrics, fretboard diagrams, tablatures and much more. MuseScore also has the ability to play sheet music through its internal sequencer and Soundfont sample library, with support for MIDI output to external devices and software synthesizers. It can import and export to a variety of formats, including MusicXML, MIDI and other music software’s native formats, and it can also export audio and graphical representations of scores. The software is available for Windows, MacOS and Linux and is translated into over 40 languages.
The New Version
The new MuseScore version maintains the features of previous versions, but brings significant improvements that we describe below.
New Interface
MuseScore 4 interface has been redesigned and includes 400 new icons and color customization options. In addition, there is a new “Home” tab that includes recent scores, plugins and video tutorials, as well as a friendly getting started process for new users. This new version has also the option of light or dark themes.
In this new version it is possible to save in the cloud (musescore.com), if of course, you have an account, but relax, it’s free. You will only pay if you want to buy scores from other users, but the software use and cloud space is free of charge.
Once logged in, you will be able to choose the option to save to the cloud and will have the option to keep your scores private or public. If you leave them private, only you will have access to them, but if they are public, other users will be able to see, listen and download your scores. You also have the option of generating an mp3 file that will be online so that it is possible to listen to the arrangement with the instruments you selected, since now there is the possibility of using VST’s which makes a very big difference in the final audio result.
engraving overhaul
MuseScore 4 includes many engraving improvements, some of which will have an effect on the appearance and layout of scores created in earlier versions. These fall into four major categories: beams, slurs and ties, horizontal spacing and page layout, plus a variety miscellaneous issues. Much of the code for positioning beams has been rewritten. The length and direction of stems, and the placement of beams, are now determined according to more logical and rigorous rules. Tremolos on unstemmed chords (whole notes, for example) containing seconds are now horizontally centered on the position where the stem would be.
The default positioning of slurs and ties has been greatly refined. The endpoints of ties will now automatically clear dots, flags, stems, noteheads and stave lines, with even complex chords containing seconds being elegantly handled. The direction of ties is also more intelligently decided when chords contain seconds, or when ties go from a chord to a single note or vice versa.
They way horizontal spaces are managed are much better now with the improvement in justification algorithm. The two fundamental changes are:
1) The entire system is now justified proportionally (previously each bar was considered separately, which could lead to jarring inconsistencies from bar to bar).
2) the minimum note distance setting is now properly treated as just that the minimum space two notes can be together. Previously it was being incorporated into the calculations of the proportions for different rhythmic values, which was another source of inconsistent behaviour and wasted space. Its default value is now larger than before; the previous very small value was only necessary to mitigate some of these problems.
Many small changes have been made to the layout and spacing of items that will have small but potentially cumulative effects on horizontal spacing. The spacing of accidentals in key signatures has been improved is one example on these small changes.
Productivity Improvements
MuseScore 4 includes several productivity improvements, such as a more responsive and easy-to-understand properties panel with many useful options, and a more expansive and easy-to-customize note entry bar.
Tempo lines like accelerando and ritardando now work with playback. Scrollbars in the score, instruments are easier to discover, edit and change, using the new “Instruments” panel and a simplified process of setting up a new score. In addition, there are improved instrument definitions, a new button for creating tuplets, new articulation buttons, and a new button for cross-staffing beaming and another to flip note stem direction.
The old inspector is now called properties and has many more tweaks. Also, the properties depend on the selected item in the score. Thus, if you select a note it will have the properties related that specif note, if you select the measure, it will have other properties that now apply to the measure. For example, when selecting a chord, you can change its font, color, whether or not it will be played and how it will be played back. There is an option to play only the fundamental or the entire chord and also choose the voicing (drop 2, closed, six notes, etc). You can also choose between literal or jazz interpretation.
The Instruments panel is now in a tab that, when opened, is next to the palettes and properties, but can also be floating over the score. There is an option to edit the instruments in the same window, adding new instruments, creating linked scores, which means that, what is changed in one is immediately changed in the other. In addition, there is the option to hide or show the part for a certain instrument or voice. In the following example, the parts with the open eye icon are visible while the parts with the closed eye icon are hidden. To change, just click on the icon.
New mixer
MuseScore 4 includes a new mixer, which allows the user to adjust the volume and pan levels of each track individually, including the option to change instruments individually. This includes the sound timbre of chords that have a dedicated track. Each track has the option to load individual sounds which can be soundfonts or VST plugins.
VST Instrument Support also includes effects that can be downloaded from Muse Hub or loaded via plugins.
MuseScore 4 now supports VST instruments and effects, which means users can use third-party plugins to add virtual instruments and sound effects to their scores.
Muse Hub
If you choose to install the software from Muse Hub, you have the option to also download soundfonts and effects to be loaded into Mixer. There are a large number of instruments available and others are being added. Some soundfonts that worked in Musescore 3 by using the Synthesizer interface may not work in the new version.
In addition to the effects and sounds for instruments, Muse Hub brings in its interface the connection with Audacity, which is an open source software for audio recording (DAW).
Accessibility Improvements
MuseScore 4 includes accessibility improvements, such as a new keyboard navigation system that follows best practices to allow users to move quickly through the interface. In addition, there is an editable high contrast mode and better support for screen readers.
Incompatible features that will be reintroduced in later releases
Some features that did not work well with the new MuseScore 4 systems and will need to be replaced in later releases, including the plugin builder, score comparison tool, and “Documents side by side” feature .
The following video, from Musescore channel, shows the main features of the new software.
How to Download
To download Musescore 4 go to the page https://musescore.org/en/download. There you will find links to Widnows, MaOS and Linux versions. To use the Mac version you will need to have an operating system version equal to or greater than Mac OS 11.5 and for Windows it is only available for Windows 10 or higher. By clicking on the link you will have downloaded the installer via Muse Hub. If you want to install without Muse Hub, there is another link just below.
In future posts and videos we will bring specific tutorials on how to use the new version.
