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Using SmartScore 3
NOTE: Spacebar always refreshes playback according to the current ENF display. If you wish to keep changes made in MIDI view, use PLAY button in Mini-Console or Playback Console (Ctrl + 9). See Refreshing MIDI and Section Refresh MIDI for more details.
The Mini-Console is free-floating if you grab and move it from its docking position next to Text and Controllers toolbar. It plays, rewinds and stops playback.
The Record button will launch a new MIDI recording session to record additional tracks (see "MIDI Recording" on page 193). The "spring-loaded" slider will speed up or slow down playback at variable speeds and then snap back to the default tempo when let go.
Playback of the ENF file can be controlled in one of two ways: "Lock to Time Signature" or "play whatever is there". Selecting Lock to Time Signature will force playback to progress with exactly the same number of beats / measure as indicated by active Time Signature. This is the default. For pickup measures, turn Lock to Time Signatures off.
Uncheck Playback > Lock to Time Signature. Playback will then sound every measure exactly as notated. If ENF is unedited, you will probably hear mistakes played back as longer measures or interrupted passages.
It is necessary to identify the MIDI device attached to your system in order for SmartScore to play through it. Selecting the MIDI device is similar on both Windows® and Macintosh®. One nice advantage of the Mac® Operating System 8.0 and better is that it includes QuickTime Musical Instruments soft synthesizer. This allows you to select and play General MIDI (GM) sounds without attaching an external synthesizer or internal soundcard to your computer.
b. Click on the MIDI Output device you wish to use for MIDI playback. The MIDI device window will display all installed MIDI device drivers.
c. If you intend to record in SmartScore, select the desired MIDI recording device/interface in Input window.
NOTE: If the desired device is not listed in the MIDI Devices window make sure your MIDI device driver has been properly installed.
NOTE: Some MIDI programs may prevent playback if opened before SmartScore. By closing the first MIDI program, the output port will be released.
To access Audio MIDI Setup in Mac OS X, locate "Utilities" folder inside the "Applications" folder. Double-click on Audio MIDI Setup.
If you have external MIDI devices installed such as an external synthesizer module and MIDI interface, they should appear as icons in the window. Using your mouse, drag the "Out" arrow of the source device to the "In" arrow of the receiving device and vice-versa. Internal connections should then be established. Close Audio MIDI Setup.
With SmartScore ENF file open, go to Playback menu, click and select Playback at the bottom of the list. Choose CoreMIDI Playback to activate devices connected in Audio MIDI Setup.
To activate built-in soft-synthesizer (Macintosh QuickTime Musical Instruments), choose QT Internal Playback.
If you intend to record MIDI to your Mac or if you use an external MIDI device/interface, make sure you have installed OMS from the SmartScore installer. Choose OMS > OMS Setup to run the setup routine. Choose Easy OMS Setup to begin. Leave "Run MIDI in Background" unchecked. If you have an external MIDI device attached to either your printer or modem parallel port, select the right port in the first window. Following MIDI Setup, you should see all available MIDI devices in the display screen. These same devices will appear in the MIDI Device window in SmartScore and in OMS Studio Setup when selected.
Select Playback > QT Internal Playback if you want to play back through QuickTime Musical Instruments (QuickTime 3.0 or better only).
NOTE: If no sound is heard after pressing the space bar, select "Refresh MIDI" from the Playback menu then reselect QT Internal Playback from the Playback menu. Check speaker volume.
It's a good idea to select Edit > Error Check (Ctrl + E for Win / Cmnd + E for Mac) to quickly identify problem measures before moving on to more editing activities. See "Error Check" for details on this option.
In the Playback Console, you can make changes to MIDI Instruments, tempo, transposition, muting, soloing and pan settings.
Press the speaker button in the SmartScore Toolbar. Or hold down Ctrl + 9 (Win) / Cmnd + 9 (Mac) or select Playback > Console
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The first column, Track, lists the MIDI track assigned. The second column, Ch/V lists the MIDI channel number within a colored box representing one of 4 possible voices (black, red, green and blue).
The Playback Console will display just tracks (parts in black only) when Options > Color Mode = Part. If Options > Color Mode = Voice is selected, all voices (in colored boxes) will be displayed. Refer to "Working with Voices and Colors" o for more information on controlling voices.
NOTE: Transposition in the Playback Console is for playback only. To transpose notation, see "Transposition".
SmartScore treats contrapuntal voices (multiple voicelines in a single staff) as a fundamental musical component. In a score's hierarchy, voices are treated as the "primary building block". You can visualize your music's hierarchy by going to Score Structure in the Edit menu. (See "Score Structure" for more details.)
All scores contain one or more voices in any given measure; occasionally three or four. The ENF editor provides extremely useful voice-based functions including the ability to extract voices to new documents, to split two-note chords into separate voices and to control individual voice playback such as assigning unique MIDI instruments, muting and soloing each voiceline.
To view contrapuntal voices as separate colors in an ENF file, push the Voice Color button in the SmartScore toolbar or go to the Options menu and select Color Mode > Voice. Each ENF Part (each staffline of the score) can contain a maximum of 4 voices (represented by 4 colors). We recommend that you normally view your ENF files with voice color on. An alternative note-coloring method, useful in orchestral scores, is to view each Part (each staffline) with a unique color. For more about coloring parts and voices, see "Working with Voices and Colors".
TIP: When Color Mode = Voice, the number of MIDI channels will be increased to equal the total number of voices in the score. When Color Mode = Part, the number of channels equals number of parts; far less than if Color Mode = Voice. Open Playback Console (Ctrl + 9 / Cmnd + 9) in either mode to view the difference.
Assigning a unique MIDI instrument to each voiceline adds richness and tonal variety while allowing the listener to distinguish one contrapuntal voice from all others during playback. There are two areas where you can change MIDI instrument assignments for voices: inside the Playback Console and inside the System Manager.
a. Set Options > Color Mode to Voice. Open the Playback Console (Ctrl +9 / Cmnd + 9) or select Playback > Console.
The Track column displays each ENF Part as a MIDI track number. To the right, the Ch/V column displays the voice number of the part/track inside a colored box corresponding to the color for that voice.
a. Open the System Manager (Ctrl +M / Cmnd + M) or select System Manager from Edit menu. All staves are displayed in horizontal rows as "Parts". Voices are arranged in columns above each part (1 thru 4).
b. Find the voice within the part you want to change. Click the pull down menu in MIDI instrument assigned to that part and voice. Select an alternative instrument from the pull-down menu for that voice. You will hear each voice stand out from other voices within the same part/staffline when played back; provided you chose instruments with enough difference in their respective timbres.
In printed music, it is common for notes belonging to different voices to appear horizontally offset from one another. Such offset notes are clearly meant to sound simultaneously even if they are not aligned vertically. Such notes belong to different voices, may have opposite stem directions and will appear horizontally offset. See FIGURE 4 - 9. Prior to recognition, you will have the option of varying the distance that SmartScore uses to determine whether to join these offset notes to one vertical event or not. See "Join Offset Voices" on page 39. for more details.
TIP: In Edit Shapes environment, vertically joined events are "glued" and will move together when nudged. To verify whether or not offset voices are actually joined to the same vertical event, press the Edit Shapes button in the Main Toolbar and nudge one of the notes horizontally. For more info, see "Edit Shapes".
The best way to test if offset voices are not vertically aligned is to listen to the playback (uncheck Lock to Time Signature first). If you find offset notes that should, but don't play together, you can join offset voices manually or they can be joined with a global "Join Voices" command.
a.Use the Select tool ("O" key) and highlight a group of horizontally offset notes or rests (See FIGURE 4 - 9:)
b. Press the "Y" key to group the selected, offset notes into a single vertical event. Selected voices may move or jump slightly closer.
NOTE: The following procedure is "global" and may result in joining voices which do not belong to the same vertical event. Use caution when employing this procedure. Less is better.
b. Notes and rests belonging to different voices will be joined to the same vertical event based on the distance selected (1 through 20). These units are arbitrary. The default is 6. It is recommended not to change distance more than 2 or 3 units at a time.
NOTE: Be careful not to overdo it. You may inadvertently join voices that ought to be syncopated. Always playback and listen after joining voices. If you wind up with sewing machine or worse, you can always UNDO (Ctrl + Z Win / Cmnd + Z Mac).
Occasionally, you will want to swap the horizontal positions of a pair of joined offset notes. This can easily be done by selecting a vertically aligned pair with the Select Tool ("O") and hitting the "L" key. The relative positions of these joined notes will be swapped without altering voice color or playback.
Offset voices that are joined will have simultaneous "start" times for playback. By default, joined notes and rests become vertically aligned. Sometimes, especially in cases where notes are particularly dense, you may not want horizontal movement. To keep joined notes and rests offset, go to Options > Align Joined Voices and remove the check mark.
SmartScore allows for two kinds of playback: "Play what's there" or Lock to Time Signature. With Playback > Lock to Time Signature check marked, every measure plays back with the exact number of beats indicated in the default time signature. If the ENF file contains editing errors, this may result in dropped notes during playback or in the case of pickup measures and "split" measures, it will cause a pause to be heard. With Lock to Time Signature turned off, whatever is written in each measure will be played back regardless of the current time signature. If the ENF file contains errors, this option may result in irregular meter, lengthened or shortened measures. Either option is useful under certain circumstances.
For pickup measures or measures split between lines, turn Lock to Time Signature off. Playback will ignore current time signature. Make sure rhythm values are consistent in all parts.
NOTE: Lock to Time Signature (on or off) will reflect its actual representation in MIDI. When an unedited ENF file is saved to MIDI with Lock to Time Signature unchecked, the resulting MIDI file may produce measures with various meters. When checked, all measures will have constant meters.
Default tempo for all time signatures is 120 beats per minute (120 bpm) except for music which is either in "cut-time" or in 2/4 time (60 beats per minute).
NOTE: To change default tempo in the ENF view, always establish a "base" or default tempo first. This is done by selecting Tempo under the Edit menu. The metronome tool (in the "Tempo" palette) is used to update default tempo.
To set or to alter default playback tempo in ENF, open Edit > Tempo and set a new default speed. This can also be done in the Playback Console.
Creating a change-of-tempo is accomplished by inserting tempo marking or a metronome mark from the "Tempo" palette anywhere you wish the tempo to change. See "Tempo Markings (Metronome Mark)". You may also alter playback tempo continuously with the use of the ENF Tempo graphical controller. See "ENF Tempo Controller".
With the Velocity graphical controller you can vary note velocities of each note cluster quickly and smoothly. With the Tempo controller, you can "draw in" tempo variations smoothly over time. Controllers can be accessed either in the ENF Text and Controllers toolbar or below the Piano Roll window in MIDI view.
In ENF score view, push the "V" button to activate Velocity controller. Click and drag your mouse up or down along the vertical bars which represent each note's velocity. The higher the bar, the more the velocity.
Push the "T" button to active tempo controller. The horizontal line in the topmost staff represents default tempo. To vary tempo, click and drag your mouse up or down. The last tempo point will be fixed until changed
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Playback may result in greater-than-desired changes after altering either tempo or velocity controllers. If so, you may globally reduce the effects of either controller by applying normalizing.
c. Choose amount of reduction desired: 20% / 40% / 60% or 80%. Controller display and playback will change accordingly.
NOTE: Additional Tempo markings inserted into ENF will still take affect. The end result is an averaging of tempo values.
Graphical controllers are not visible in this view. It is the default view.
In Line view, controller is displayed in the foreground with notation displayed in grey in the background.
In Filled view, notation is obscured entirely with controller in foreground.
In Background view, notation is displayed in the foreground and the graphical controller appears in grey in the background.
You can have playback begin on any measure in the ENF file or you can specify a range of measures for playback.
b. In the From field, choose a starting measure. To establish a range for playback, select an end point in the To pull-down box.
You can use any of the tools in the "Dynamics" palette to alter playback velocities. Inserting dynamic, crescendo / decrescendo markings or hairpins will alter the velocity of associated notes in the active staffline only. See "To Insert a Dynamic marking," for details on inserting dynamics.
To apply dynamics and/or dynamic markings to more than one staff, enter the dynamic in each active staff that you wish to apply the effect. If you do not wish to have so many dynamics visible in every staffline, you may enter symbols in the Hidden Symbols mode. For more details, see "Hidden Symbols".
Numerous note articulations including slurs, trills, turns, mordents, staccatos, tenutos, accents, arpeggios, glissandos and tremolos can be applied from the "Articulations" palette. For more information, see "Articulations and Trills".
This very cool feature applies standard swing rhythm to straight 8th and 16th notes notated in beamed groups. If the header in the original music says "swing" or gives a similar marking, SmartScore will modify playback and the underlying MIDI representation as follows:
ENF and MIDI Views are tightly integrated. Occasionally, data in one view may conflict with data in another resulting in playback that is not anticipated. If this happens, select MIDI Refresh from the Playback menu. MIDI Refresh will update playback based only on the ENF View. Any changes made in MDI view including tracks added during MIDI recording (Step Time or Real Time) will be lost. You will be given a chance to save the "pre-refresh" playback as a MIDI file before updating based on ENF display. For more information about MIDI Refresh, refer to "Updating and refreshing playback and display".
Repeat signs (including Repeat Last Measure) and ending markings (including Codas and Segnos) from the "Barlines and Repeats" palette will alter playback accordingly. Using the "n" repeat barline will allow you to set beginning and ending measures of a multiple ending. For more details on repeats, multiple endings and Codas and Segnos, see "Repeats and Multiple Endings".
Instrument Templates makes up the "pool" from which instruments are assigned to stafflines in System Manager. To open Instrument Templates, select Edit > Instrument Templates or hit Ctrl + F Win (Cmnd + F Mac). Most common musical instruments are listed in the Names column. Abbreviations, MIDI instruments and transposed playback have been preassigned, but may be changed.
Part Names in System Manager are directly linked to instrument Names in Instrument Templates. When a Part Name is selected in the System Manager, all playback parameters are derived from Instrument Templates.
Since transposed instruments do not actually play the pitches notated in the score, to play them back in tune with the other non-transposed instruments, they must have their playback adjusted up or down by certain intervals. This "playback transposition" is already preset in Instrument Templates for most transposed instruments.
You can add new instruments with unique names and playback parameters as well as change existing names and parameters in any template. For more information on Instrument Templates, turn to "Instrument Templates". For more information on the System Manager, turn to "System Manager".
Adding an automatic drum track will add more pizazz to the mix.
Push the "Drum Pattern" button in the SmartScore toolbar to select an appropriate pattern for your piece.
For more information on adding or creating drum tracks, go to "Automatic Drum Patterns".
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To set the MIDI input and output devices,
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Press the Karaoke View button in the floating