Playback.html

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®. Fortunately, computer operating systems now provide built-in MIDI synthesizers. This allows you to select and play General MIDI (GM) sounds without installing an outboard synthesizer or soundcard.

a. Select MIDI Devices from the Playback menu. The MIDI Devices window will open.

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.

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.

d. Press OK to set the selected MIDI devices as your MIDI sources.

NOTE: You may need to close any open MIDI programs. Some MIDI programs prevent playback by blocking the MIDI Out port.

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.f

With SmartScore ENF file open on your Mac, 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.

a. Press the spacebar to start playback. Press again to pause. Press again to resume play.

The Mini-Console transport controls Play, Rewind and Stop.

The Record button will launch a new MIDI recording session to record additional tracks (see "MIDI Recording"). The "spring-loaded" slider will accelerate or decelerate playback depending on how far the slider is dragged. The slider will snap back to the default tempo once it is released.

In the Playback Console, you can make changes to MIDI instrument assignments, tempo, transposition, muting, soloing, volume and pan settings.

Press the Playback Console button in the SmartScore Toolbar. Or hold down Ctrl + 9 (Win) / Cmnd + 9 (Mac). The console is also accessible from the menu: Playback > Console.

The playback transport control works exactly as does the Mini-Console. The General Volume slider controls overall volume. Tempo controls default tempo (if no metronome value was assigned in ENF). Measure/Beat slider resets playback position to desired measure and beat.

Each horizontal MIDI track is linked to a contrapuntal voiceline found in a staff. Tracks are grouped with light or dark grey shading representing one part / staff line. Each track has its controls arrayed in columns:

Column 1: Track shows the MIDI track assigned to the staff. MIDI Tracks are assigned automatically and cannot be changed.

Column 2: Voice lists the contrapuntal voice number (1 thru 4) given to each voiceline. Voice colors are assigned automatically and cannot be changed in the Playback Console. Voices are editable only in the ENF view. See "Working with Contrapuntal Voices" for details.

Column 3: Part Name is given to each part (staff). Names are derived from the System Manager and are automatically assigned and cannot be changed in the Playback Console. Part Names can be changed in the System Manager. For details, see "System Manager".

Column 4: MIDI Channel Number A unique MIDI channel number is assigned to each voice within every part. If Voice

Visibility is activated, MIDI channel numbers appear inside colored boxes representing one of 4 possible voices (black, red, green and blue). The Voice Visibility button is found in the SmartScore toolbar. MIDI Channel numbers are automatically assigned and can be changed by clicking onto any Channel Number of any track.

NOTE: If a score contains more than 15 total voices, voices in each part will automatically be reassigned to the same MIDI channel. The result will be that each part (track) will play the same MIDI instrument. This avoids the problem of MIDI playback being limited to no more than 16 channels per port.

Column 5: MIDI Port displays the current port to which MIDI playback data is being sent. If more than one MIDI device is available, the port assignment can be changed. The Lock radio button will prevent the MIDI Port from being changed by mistake.

Column 6: MIDI Instrument: A MIDI Instrument will be assigned to each track. The default instrument is "Grand Piano". Some recognized scores, depending on their structure, may have other instruments assigned. The Instrument controls found in the Playback Console and in System Manager can be changed in either place and will be linked.

Column 7/8: Mute / Solo buttons control whether a track should be muted while all other tracks play or soloed, muting all other tracks.

Column 11: Transpose transposes the MIDI instrument in specific tracks up or down.

The quickest way to play back a snippet of the score is to use the

"Select" tool and drag the mouse over a region of the page while holding down the right mouse button (Alt + click for Mac). Measures selected for playback will highlight light blue.

Hit Space bar to play.

For playing larger sections and for looping, go to Playback menu and select Set Play Range.

c. 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 information on modifying articulation playback characteristics, see "Articulations". For information on editing these marks, see "Articulations and Trills".

Default tempo for all time signatures is 120 beats per minute (120 bpm) except for "cut-time" and 2/2 time, which play at 60 beats per minute. Tempos can be modified by inserting one or more metronome marks, by inserting a tempo marking or with the ENF Tempo Controller.

.The Metronome tool in the "Tempo" palette (also activated in Edit > Default Tempo) sets the tempo at the point the mark is inserted.

Tempo Markings are found in the "Tempo" palette. Clicking anywhere inside a staffline will insert the selected Tempo Marking above the staff. Tempo will be altered at that point. Note that Expressions, found in the "Articulations" palette, can be used but

will not alter playback.

Creating a change-of-tempo is accomplished by inserting a tempo mark or metronome mark at the point where you want the tempo to change.

Push the Tempo Controller button in the Text and Controllers toolbar. Clicking the orange line changes the default tempo value. For more details, see "ENF Graphical controllers"

While in the Insert mode, select a triplet ("T" key) from the "Notes" palette or select Legato from the "Articulations" palette.

a. Click and drag down to insert the tuplet or legato above the notes to be selected.

b. Click and drag up to insert the tuplet or legato below the notes to be selected.

c. To delete a tuplet or articulation, Ctrl+click on it, press the "X" key then click again on the object. The Select tool ("O" key) can also be used to highlight and delete one or more tuplets and/or legatos.

NOTE: To resize or move a tuplet bracket, use Nudge mode and drag the control point located on either end of the tuplet.

The D:B tool button allows for custom tuplets. Divisions = The number of beats to be applied to the tuplet. Value = The total number of (equal) notes that would be in the group if no tuplet were applied.

For example: The septuplet (-5-) has a default D:B ratio of 5:4. When applied to a group of 5 eighth notes, its total duration value would equal 4 "normal" eighth notes.

Choose the value required from the "Rhythmic Groups" palette. Click and drag the cursor to select a tuplet group within another tuplet. A bracket will drop identifying the nested tuplet.

Playback values of dynamic and articulation markings can be altered by use of the "Properties" tool. Changes can be applied individually to the marking itself or globally to all similar markings in the score. Finally, default values can be reset for that particular mark in all future files. Certain changes to barline properties will also affect playback.

Hit the "Esc" key or select the Properties icon from the SmartScore toolbar and click on one of the objects below to open and modify its playback properties and in some cases, its display:

Clicking on any note head will open the Note Properties window where a number of note duration properties can be changed.

Note heads can be altered to several alternative "shaped note" configurations including triangle, empty triangle, diamond, empty diamond and "x" shaped from the Note Head Shape pull-down menu.

Apply (changed property) to All:
Selecting this option will update playback properties of the same mark throughout the score.

Apply Setting(s) to All Future Files:
Selecting this option will permanently reset the default value for the selected property to its new values for all future ENF files.

Back to Default:
This will reset values to application launch defaults.

Reset Defaults;
This will return values to new installation defaults.

Tempo values can be changed by clicking any tempo marking with the Properties tool. Changes can be applied to all tempo marks in the document or to all future instances of the selected tempo mark.

Uncommon Name: Enter an alternative name for the tempo marking.

NOTE: To view the selected range of accelerando/descelerando, push the Hidden Objects button. Range is shown with dotted line.

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 "Velocity controller" button to activate. Click and drag your mouse along the vertical bars which represent each note's velocity. The higher the bar, the more the velocity.

Push the "Tempo controller" button to active. 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.

After making changes to Tempo or Velocity controllers, you may find you have created greater-than-desired changes to playback. If so, you may globally reduce the effects of either controller by applying normalizing.

To reduce effects of either Tempo or Velocity graphical controllers

c. Choose amount of reduction desired: 20% / 40% / 60% or 80%. Controller display and playback will change accordingly.

d. Choosing Reset removes all controller changes and resets the default settings. Tempo markings inserted into ENF will still take effect. The end result is an averaging of all tempo values.

You can correct playback of pickup and split measures, create system breaks (Codas) and page breaks with Barline Properties. Select

Properties Tool and click on the barline that begins a measure of interest.

Pickup measures and split-measures (measures split between two systems) can be made to playback without pauses.

In the Page Layout pull-down menu, select "Break Page at This Barline". To keep measures from separating during reformatting, select "Never Break System at This Barline".

Codas (split systems) can be created at by clicking the appropriate barline with Properties tool and checking Actions > "Split System".

Incomplete measures are sometimes written as "pickup" and "closeout" measures or they may be "split" between the last measure of a system SmartScore can correct playback for incomplete measures (pickup and split measures) by use of the Barline Properties tool.

For pickup measures or measures split between lines to play smoothly,

a. Select Properties Tool and click on the barline that precedes the measure in question. The Barline Properties dialog box will open.

b. In the Playback combo box, choose "As written". Playback will ignore current time signature. Make sure rhythm values are consistent in all parts.

b. The Options menu allow for changes in the Karaoke display. These options are also available in Edit > Program Preferences.

c. Open the Playback Console (Ctrl + 9 / Cmnd + 9 for Mac) to adjust tempo and change instrument assignments for parts and voices.

This very cool feature applies standard swing rhythm to straight 8th and 16th notes notated in beamed groups. SmartScore will modify playback and the underlying MIDI representation as follows:

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".

To view contrapuntal voices as colors, push the Voice Visibility button in the SmartScore toolbar. Each ENF Part (each staffline of the score) can contain a maximum of 4 voices (represented by 4 colors, black, red, green and blue). For scores to play back correctly, it is important that voices appear correct and be properly manipulated. See "Working with Contrapuntal Voices" for additional details about editing voices.

Many hymnals and choral scores have voices grouped into chord clusters as opposed to notes with stems in opposite directions. Chord clusters are treated as one voice in SmartScore (usually black). Music ministers and choir directors will find this tool extremely handy in order to split two-note clusters into 2 contrapuntal voices. Then, assign each voice a unique instrument or extract each voice to a separate file. See "Extracting Voices" for more details.

Hit the "O" key or Select button to activate the Select tool.

b. Drag a box around any number of two-note clusters in the staff.

c. Press the "H" key to separate two-note clusters into 2 voices.

TIP:

If you wish to split clusters containing three or more notes, select and delete the least desirable notes until you are left with two notes in each cluster. Only two note clusters will split.

Assigning unique MIDI instruments adds richness and allows the user to distinguish contrapuntal voices during playback. There are two areas where you can change MIDI instrument assignments for voices: inside the Playback Console and inside the System Manager.

To change an instrument assignment of a voice in the Playback Console,

a. Push the Playback Console button in the SmartScore toolbar to open it. The console may be opened with quick-keys (Ctrl+9 / Cmnd+9) or from the menu by selecting Playback > Console.

b. In any of the Voice column, click to select a new MIDI instrument.

To change an instrument assignment of a voice in the System Manager,

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 number within the part you want to change. Click the MIDI instrument name assigned to that voice in the pull down menu. Select an alternative instrument. During playback, you will hear voices stand out from other voices provided you chose instruments with different timbres.

In printed music, noteheads belonging to different voices may appear side-by-side even though they are meant to sound simultaneously. During recognition, horizontal distances between offset noteheads are measured to determine whether to "glue" them to the same MIDI time event or not. It is possible that offset notes will not become glued due to excessive distance between the noteheads. It is also possible that notes will become incorrectly glued if they are too close. The default distance for joining noteheads to the same vertical event is 1/8th of a notehead. This can be changed prior to recognition. See "Recognition Options" for details on resetting this default note distance.

Following recognition, check that Voice Visibility is on (See Section "Voice Visibility"). If two notes with opposing stems both appear black and are meant to play simultaneously, they can be aligned as follows:

Use the Select tool ("O" key) and highlight both horizontally offset notes or rests.

b. Press the "Y" key to group the selected, offset notes into a single vertical event. Selected voices may move a bit and change color.

Similarly, if you see notes bunched together each displaying different colors (usually black and red and sometimes green), but which actually belong to only one voice, they are probably "glued" to the same vertical event. Joined notes can be "unglued" as follows:

a. With the Select tool ("O" key), carefully select the incorrectly glued notes (NOTE: they will each have different colors). Be sure to select only the notes which are incorrectly joined.

b. Hit the "Y" key. Joined notes will separate and change color.

To insert a repeat barline, repeat measure or any other repeat symbol,

Toggle the "C" key to enter Insert mode. Select any repeat symbol from "Barlines & Repeats" palette and click to place it.

Select a repeat barline from the "Barlines" palette. Click on any existing barline to change it to the selected barline.

Quick-select (Ctl+click) on a barline (or select any barline from the "Barlines" palette). Hit the "X" key and click on the barline to delete it.

NOTE: Deleting a barline at the end of a system will cause the proceeding measure to roll to the next system. A notice warning of this effect will open whenever the last bar of a system is deleted.

All notation present in the previous measure will automatically repeat itself during playback.

Many scores have multiple verses that repeat several times even though they may not contain repeat barlines (e.g. hymnals). Other scores have sections marked only by single repeat barlines but are intended to repeat several times (e.g. the ending of a song with "repeat and fade").

To set how many times a score or section of a score should be repeated,

a. Make sure the score or the section is bounded by a left and right repeat sign. If not, select a

Left Repeat sign from the Repeats tool palette and click on the single barline that begins the repeated section. The single bar will become the repeat bar.

NOTE: Do not delete a barline to change it; measures will reformat. Select a new barline and click on an existing barline to change. If the barline begins a system, a repeat barline will insert to the right and symbols will nudge to make room. This is normal. The two barlines will still behave as one.

With the Properties tool selected, click on the Left Repeat barline that begins the section. The Barline Properties window will open.

b. Select the number of desired repeats in the Repeat Section pull-down menu. Choices are from 1 to 8 repeats.

Usually, changes of time and key signatures at the end of a system are preceded by a double barline. If for any reason playback hesitates after a change of key or time signature, make sure the barline preceding the signature is actually a double barline.

Endings can be simple or complex. SmartScore can cope well with most endings, repeats and jumps, but if the logic is ambiguous or faulty (e.g. "bowl of spaghetti"), playback may have unexpected results.

Select Start Ending tool from the "Barlines and Repeats" palette and click on the appropriate barline to insert the first ending.

b. The Repeats window will open. Choose "1" as the sequence number of the first ending.

c. The Close Ending tool will appear on the cursor. Click on the last barline that terminates the first ending. The cursor then switches again to the Start Ending tool.

d. Click on barline that starts the second ending (it may be the same barline that closes the first ending). Choose "2" as the sequence number of the second ending.

e. Finally, click the barline that "closes out" the last ending.

Some endings are repeated multiple times before continuing. And some endings may play out of strict linear sequence (e.g. 1,3 for the first ending and 2,4 for the next).

a. Select the Start Ending button. Click on the measure that begins the first ending. In the Repeats window, select the number of repeats and/or the sequence order numbers. Sequences do not have to be in strict order.

A Coda sign marks the conclusion of a piece. A Coda is generally used to repeat a theme or variation outside repeated endings.

To mark the beginning of a Coda and to insert a "jump to Coda" sign,

a. Select Coda sign from the "Barlines and Repeats" palette. In Insert mode, click on the barline where the coda is to begin, usually at the end of a repeated section or numbered ending.

b. Select the To Coda sign and in Insert mode, find the point in the last passage or ending where playback is to "jump" to the Coda and click the barline where the jump is to occur.

NOTE: The Coda will not be played back until it is activated by the To Coda or d.s. al Coda sign.

Segno means "sign". It marks the beginning of a final repeat or ending. Segnos are usually positioned early on in the piece, after a repeat.

b. Insert the Segno by clicking the barline that begins the last repeated ending or section.

c. To stop a final repeat or ending, return to the Segno and continue on to the Coda, select d.s. al Coda (meaning "from the sign to the Coda").

To have a final repeat or ending return to the beginning of the piece and terminate at the Segno sign,

Select d.c. al Segno (meaning "from the beginning up to the sign") and insert it by clicking on the barline in the last ending or repeat where playback is to return. The repeated section will return to the beginning of the score and play through to the Segno.

NOTE: To Coda, Segno, d.s. al Coda, D.S., D.C. and d.s. al Fine signs are all ignored until an ending or repeat is played once.

Working with the da Capo (D.C.), dal Segno (D.S.), and Fine signs

To have playback return to the beginning of the piece and play through to the end,

Select the D.C. button from the "Barlines and Repeats" palette.

To have a final repeat or ending return to the Segno and play through to the end,

a. Select the D.S. button from the "Barlines and Repeats" palette.

Fine means ending. It is usually placed in the middle of a repeated ending and terminates the song.

To have the last repeat stop, return to the Segno and continue on to the end of the piece,

a. Insert a Fine sign by clicking on the barline that marks the final end point.

b. Select d.s. al Fine (meaning "from the sign to the end") from the "Barlines and Repeats" palette.

c. Insert either the d.s. al Coda or d.s. al Fine mark by clicking the barline where the last repeat is to begin.

To have the final repeat or ending return to the beginning and play through to the Fine,

Place the Fine sign at the appropriate barline. Select and insert d.c. al Fine in a measure following the Fine sign.

Repeat signs, ending markings (including Codas and Segnos) are found in the "Barlines and Repeats" palette. Using repeat signs properly will alter playback accordingly.

The Instrument Templates environment 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. The number in this column represents the amount of pitch change (+/-) in half-step increments.

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".

Parts (staves of the system) may loose playback continuity for several reasons, e.g. system braces/brackets were cut off during scanning.

For parts to be joined to single system (and to play simultaneously), an adjoining bracket along the left-hand margin must be visible. If during scanning, brackets are cut off by mistake, one or more parts become separated and will appear in ENF as single-line systems themselves. In this case, it is possible to rejoin them; forming larger, corrected system.

It is important to properly re-assign part links before joining systems. Re-linking parts opens a window to the Super System (see "Super System"). Also, make sure systems to be merged have the same number of bars.

a. Position your cursor over the first broken system / staff line. Hit Ctrl+L / Cmnd+L (Mac) to open the Re-link Parts window.

b. The active system highlights in grey. Using the checkboxes, reassign each highlighted staff to its correct part name and position in what will become the final, reformed system. Apply to = System.

c. Press the Next System button and reassign each highlighted staff line to its correct part name as you did above. Return to the first staff of the final, reformed system by selecting Previous System.

d. Now, check the Merge checkbox. When the Next System button is pushed, the two systems will join into a single system. Continue using Next System again until all separated parts are correctly joined. Review Part Name checkboxes for correctness.

Occasionally, scores will contain collapsed or expanded systems (sometimes referred to as "optimized systems"). Unless you re-link parts, these systems will not playback with the correct instrumentation.

The Re-link Parts function allows you to reassign each visible part with the correct Part Name found in System Manager. By re-linking parts of optimized scores, parts will play back correctly as they disappear and reappear throughout the score.

NOTE: Parts listed in Re-link Parts window are derived from the Part Name column of the System Manager (see "System Manager" for more information). Checked boxes identify which parts are assigned to the active system. Before re-linking, make sure all possible parts have been created.

Hit Ctrl+L (Win) / Cmnd+L (Mac). Or with Properties Tool selected, right-click (alt / option for Mac) over any staffline in a system that requires re-linking and select "Part Linking". This will open the Re-link Parts window

b. Check the part names that are actually associated with the active system. Be sure to remove checks from parts that are not associated with the active system. Larger systems may require scrolling down the list. The program will not allow you to select more or less parts than actually appear in the active system.

d. In the Apply To box, press Apply to apply to active system. System+ will apply to the active system plus all subsequent systems.

In this example, the first page consists of one system having 15 parts (15 staves per system). With the cursor positioned over the system and Re-link Parts opened, 15 parts will be checked.

The second page contains 3 systems each with 6 staves. Many parts that appeared on the first page have dropped out. With the cursor positioned over one of the systems, 15 Part Names will be listed but only 6 will be checked in the Re-link Parts window. In this case, it was necessary to remove all check marks and then check the top six parts to reestablish proper part linking. See "Re-link Parts window". Notice that the re-linked parts were applied to all subsequent systems (System+) from the topmost active system.

Occasionally, a staff inside a system may not be localized during recognition due to flaws in the original score (or if the scanned page is severely skewed. If there is a missing staff line in the ENF display, it can be reconstructed quite easily as follows:

a. First, you want to re-link parts in the shorted system. Position the cursor inside the system and hit Ctrl + L to open Re-link Parts.

b. Put a check next to the appropriate visible parts. Leave the missing part unchecked. Make sure the parts you check correspond to the visible staffline and the missing part is unchecked. Hit OK.

Select the Properties tool. Yellow arrows along the left system bracket will indicate all known parts, visible or invisible.

d. In the affected system, click on the yellow arrow of any staff and put a check mark next to "Visibility". Make sure "Show Staff" is also selected.

e. In the "Apply To:" pull-down menu, select "Current Staffline or System".

f. Hit the "U" key and select Unify Key Signatures (based on First System). Hit OK and the key signatures of the score will become unified. Now you need only to fill in the missing notes. Remember you can always use Copy and Paste to clone measures of notes at a time whenever possible.