Filename extension | .musicxml, .mxl |
---|---|
Internet media type | application/vnd.recordare.musicxml+xml,[1] application/vnd.recordare.musicxml[2] |
Developed by | W3C Music Notation Community Group |
Latest release | |
Type of format | Musical notation |
Extended from | XML |
Open format? | Yes |
Website | https://www.w3.org/2017/12/musicxml31/ |
MusicXML is an XML-based file format for representing Western musical notation. The format is open, fully documented, and can be freely used under the W3C Community Final Specification Agreement.[4][5]
History[edit]
MusicXML was invented by Michael Good and initially developed by Recordare LLC. It derived several key concepts from existing academic formats (such as Walter Hewlett's MuseData and David Huron's Humdrum). It is designed for the interchange of scores, particularly between different scorewriters. MusicXML development was managed by MakeMusic following the company's acquisition of Recordare in 2011.[6][7] MusicXML development was transferred to the W3C Music Notation Community Group in July 2015.[8]
Version 1.0 was released in January 2004. Version 1.1 was released in May 2005 with improved formatting support. Version 2.0 was released in June 2007 and included a standard compressed format.[9] All of these versions were defined by a series of document type definitions (DTDs). An XML Schema Definition (XSD) implementation of Version 2.0 was released in September 2008. Version 3.0 was released in August 2011 with improved virtual instrument support, in both DTD and XSD versions.[10][11] Version 3.1 was released in December 2017 with improved support for the Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL).[3] The MusicXML DTDs and XSDs are each freely redistributable under the W3C Community Final Specification Agreement.[5]
Support[edit]
As of February 2019, MusicXML is supported to varying degrees by over 240 notation programs.[12][13] These programs include:
- Most scorewriting programs, including Finale, Dorico, Sibelius, and MuseScore.
- Most Music OCR programs, including SmartScore, PhotoScore and Audiveris.
- Most music sequencer programs, including Cubase, Logic Pro, Digital Performer, and SONAR.
Additionally, web support is possible through the use of the HTML5canvas element and JavaScript resulting in the rendering of legible music within a web browser.[14]
Features include key and time signatures, clefs, beaming information, stem directions, slurs, ornaments, barlines, and written repeats.[15]
Example[edit]
Like all XML-based formats, MusicXML is intended to be easy for automated tools to parse and manipulate. Though it is possible to create MusicXML by hand, interactive score writing programs like Finale and MuseScore greatly simplify the reading, writing, and modifying of MusicXML files.
The following example is a score consisting of a single whole notemiddle C in the key of C major on the Treble Clef.[16]
![Pdf To Musicxml Finale Pdf To Musicxml Finale](/uploads/1/2/3/9/123933994/204469765.jpg)
Representation of middle C on the treble clef created through MusicXML code.
The textual representation listed above is verbose; MusicXML v2.0 addresses this by adding a compressedzip format with a .mxl suffix that can make files roughly one-twentieth the size of the uncompressed version.[17]
See also[edit]
- Music Encoding Initiative (MEI)
- Notation Interchange File Format (NIFF)
References[edit]
- ^'Type name: application : Subtype name: vnd.recordare.musicxml+xml'. Iana.org. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^'Type name: application : Subtype name: vnd.recordare.musicxml'. Iana.org. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ ab'Working group releases its first MusicXML update'. ScoringNotes.com. NYC Music Services. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^'Sustainability of Digital Formats Planning for Library of Congress Collections — MusicXML, Version 3'. Library of Congress. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ ab'W3C Community Final Specification Agreement'. W3C. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^'Recordare Closing Release'(PDF). Makemusic.com. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^'MAKEMUSIC, INC. ENHANCES TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP BY PURCHASING RECORDARE ASSETS'(PDF). Tech.mn. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^'Beyond iTunes: XML boffins target sheet music'. The Register. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^'Compressed MXL Files'. MusicXML. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^'Version History of MusicXML'. Musicxml.com. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^'News: Recordare Adds Finale 2010 Support to Dolet 5 for Finale Plug-In'.
- ^'Software'. MusicXML. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^'File format'. MuseScore. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^'HTML5 MusicXML Viewer'. Musicxml-viewer.com. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2014. Source code available in Google Code, Github and Bitbucket.
- ^Kirlin, Phillip B.; Utgoff, Paul E. (2008). Bello, Juan Pablo; Chew, Elaine; Turnbull, Douglas (eds.). A Framework for Automated Schenkerian Analysis. ISMIR 2008: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Music Information Retrieval. Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. pp. 363–368 at 365. ISBN978-0-615-24849-3.
- ^'Hello World: A One-Bar Song with a Whole Note on Middle C in 4/4 time'. Musicxml.com. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^'MusicXML FAQ'. MusicXML. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
External links[edit]
- Official website at MakeMusic
- MusicXML viewer at Soundslice
- IEEE 1599 at IEEE.org
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MusicXML&oldid=899152685'
This is an archived handbook page written for MuseScore 2
Navigate to the handbook page for MuseScore 3: File formats
Navigate to the handbook page for MuseScore 3: File formats
MuseScore can import and export a wide variety of file formats, allowing you to share and publish scores in the format that best meets your needs.
MuseScore native format
MuseScore saves files in the following native formats:
- *.MSCZ: The default MuseScore file format. Being compressed it takes up relatively little disk space.
- *.MSCX: An uncompressed MuseScore file format.
- .*.MSCZ, / .*.MSCX,: These are backup files. Notice the point (full stop) added before the file name, and the comma added to the file extension.
A note about fonts: MuseScore does not embed text fonts in saved or exported native format files. If you want your MuseScore file to be viewed by other MuseScore users, make sure you are using the built-in FreeSerif or FreeSans font families for your text, or a font that the other parties have installed too. If a system does not have the fonts specified in your original file, MuseScore will use a fallback option, which may cause your score to appear differently.
MuseScore format (*.mscz
)
MSCZ is the standard MuseScore file format and recommended for most uses. A score saved in this format takes up very little disk space, but preserves all the necessary information. The format is a ZIP-compressed version of
.mscx
files and includes any images.Uncompressed MuseScore format (*.mscx
)
MSCX is the uncompressed version of the MuseScore file format. A score saved in this format will retain all information, except images. It can be opened with a text editor, allowing the user access to the file's source code.
MuseScore backup file (.*.mscz,
) or (.*.mscx,
)
Backup files are created automatically and saved in the same folder as your normal MuseScore file. The backup copy contains the previously saved version of the MuseScore file and can be important if your normal copy becomes corrupted, or for looking at an older version of the score.
The backup file adds a period to the beginning of the file name (
.
) and a comma (,
) to the end (e.g. if your normal file is called 'untitled.mscz
', the backup copy will be '.untitled.mscz,
'), and the period and comma need to be removed from the name in order to open the backup file in MuseScore. As it is stored in the same folder as your normal MuseScore file, you may also need to give it a unique name (e.g. changing '.untitled.mscz,
' to 'untitled-backup1.mscz
').Note: In order to see the MuseScore backup files, you may need to change your system settings to 'Show hidden files'. See also How to recover a backup copy of a score (MuseScore 2.x).
Graphic files (export only)
MuseScore can export a score as a graphic file in either PDF, PNG or SVG format.
PDF (*.pdf
)
PDF (Portable Document Format) files are ideal for sharing your sheet music with others who do not need to edit the content. This is a very widely-used format and most users will have a PDF viewer of some kind on their computers.
To set the resolution of exported PDFs:
- From the menu bar, chose Edit→Preferences.. (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences..), and select the 'Export' tab;
- Set the resolution in the 'PDF' section.
PNG (*.png
)
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) files are based on a bitmap image format, widely supported by software on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, and very popular on the web. MuseScore creates PNG images as they would appear if printed, one image per page.
To set the resolution of exported PNG images:
- From the menu bar, chose Edit→Preferences.. (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences..), and select the 'Export' tab;
- Set the resolution and transparency in the PNG/SVG section.
Note: If you want to create images that show only parts of the score (with or without screen-only items such as frame boxes, invisible notes, and out-of-range note colors), use Image capture instead.
SVG (*.svg
)
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files can be opened by most web browsers (except Internet Explorer before version 9) and most vector graphics software. However, most SVG software does not support embedded fonts, so the appropriate MuseScore fonts must be installed to view these files correctly. SVG is the format used on MuseScore.com for all scores saved online since May 2017 (coinciding with the release of MuseScore 2.1: before this the format was PNG).
To set resolution and transparency of exported SVG files, see the instructions under PNG (above). Note that MuseScore does not (yet) support gradients on export (although it does for images in a score).
Audio files (export only)
MuseScore can create normalised, stereo audio of the score in any of the following formats: WAV, MP3, OGG VORBIS, FLAC. To export an audio file:
- From the menu, select File → Export..;
- Chose the desired format from the dropdown menu, then press Save.
You can adjust the sample rate of all audio formats as follows:
- From the menu bar, select Edit→Preferences.. (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences..), and click on the Export tab;
- Set 'Sample rate' in the 'Audio' section.
WAV audio (*.wav
)
WAV (Waveform Audio Format) is an uncompressed sound format. This was developed by Microsoft and IBM, and is widely supported by software for Windows, OS X, and Linux. It is an ideal format for use when creating CDs, as full sound quality is preserved. For sharing via email or the internet, use a compressed alternative such as MP3.
MP3 (*.mp3
)
MP3 is a very widely-used compressed audio format. MP3 files are ideal for sharing and downloading over the internet due to their relatively small size.
For Windows and Mac users with an older version of MuseScore (Windows: prior to 2.2, Mac prior to 2.3.2), an additional library, lame_enc.dll (Windows) or libmp3lame.dylib (Mac), must be installed to create MP3 files (for Linux, it is up to the distribution maintainer whether or not to include this). Top skyrim mods of all time minecraft. MuseScore will prompt you for its location on the first attempt of an MP3 export. You can get it at http://lame.buanzo.org/.
Some Mac users may find MuseScore encounters an error loading the MP3 library, possibly due to that library being a 32-bit library. A 64-bit build that will work with MuseScore is available from http://thalictrum.com/en/products/lame (note that it is necessary to rename the file to libmp3lame.dylib for MuseScore to recognize it). Homebrew users just need to run
brew install lame
.As of version 2.1 you can set the MP3 bitrate:
- From the menu bar, chose Edit→Preferences.. (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences..), and select the 'Export' tab;
- Set the MP3 bitrate in the 'Audio' section.
FLAC audio (*.flac
)
Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is compressed audio format. FLAC files are approximately half the size of uncompressed audio and just as good quality. Windows and OS X do not have built-in support for FLAC, but software such as the free and open source VLC media player can play FLAC files on any operating system.
Ogg Vorbis (*.ogg
)
Ogg Vorbis is intended as a patent-free replacement for the popular MP3 audio format (which MuseScore also supports—see above). Like MP3, Ogg Vorbis files are relatively small (often a tenth of uncompressed audio), but some sound quality is lost. Windows and OS X do not have built-in support for Ogg Vorbis. However, software such as VLC media player and Firefox can play Ogg files on any operating system.
Share with other music software
MuseScore can import and exportMusicXML and MIDI files; it is also able to import a variety of native format files from other music notation programs.
MusicXML (*.xml
, *.musicxml
)
MusicXML is the universal standard for sheet music. It is the recommended format for sharing sheet music between different scorewriters, including MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, and more than 100 others. As of version 2.2, MuseScore exports as
.musicxml
, and imports both, *.xml
and *.musicxml
.Compressed MusicXML (*.mxl
)
Compressed MusicXML creates smaller files than regular MusicXML. This is a newer standard and isn't as widely supported by older scorewriters, but MuseScore has full import and export support.
MIDI (*.mid
, *.midi
, *.kar
)
MIDI Sacred games download free full version. (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a format widely supported by sequencers and music notation software. For details of the protocol see the MIDI Association website.
MIDI files are very useful for playback purposes but contain little in the way of score layout information (formatting, pitch spelling, voicing, ornaments, articulations, repeats, key signatures etc.). To share files between different music notation software, MusicXML is recommended instead.
For details about how to import MIDI files see MIDI import.
MuseData (*.md
) (import only)
MuseData is a format developed by Walter B. Hewlett beginning in 1983 as an early means of sharing music notation between software. It has since been eclipsed by MusicXML, but several thousand scores in this format are still available online.
Capella (*.cap
, *.capx
) (import only)
CAP and CAPX files are created by the score writer, Capella. MuseScore imports version 2000 (3.0) or later fairly accurately (2.x doesn't work, while the
*.all
format from 1.x versions is not supported at all).Bagpipe Music Writer (*.bww
) (import only)
BWW files are created by the niche score writer, Bagpipe Music Writer.
BB (*.mgu
, *.sgu
) (import only)
BB files are created by the music arranging software, Band-in-a-Box. MuseScore's support is currently experimental.
Overture (*.ove
) (import only)
OVE files are created by the score writer Overture. This format is mainly popular in Chinese-language environments, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. MuseScore's support is currently experimental.
Guitar Pro (*.gtp
, *.gp3
, *.gp4
, *.gp5
, *.gpx
) (import only)
GP files are created by Guitar Pro.
See also
Scan To Musicxml
External links
MusicXML 2.0 is available as an XML Schema Definition (XSD) version.
MusicXML by Michael David Good , president and founder of Recordare (see also Scot ), is designed with the knowledge of MusiXML and NIFFML .
The file extension is .xml, the packed version ends with .mxl
See also MusicXML: An Internet-Friendly Format for Sheet Music .
www.notensatz-s-fischer.de offers CDs in capella and MusicXML file format.
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Whether you have printed music sheets, or music in PDF format on your computer, transcribing pages of notes into Sibelius for editing is a pain and can take days or even weeks. For the digital composer with a scanner, however, SmartScore is here to convert your printed pages and PDFs into music scores.
PDF to Music Score
Step 1
Download SmartScore. If you are not ready to buy, there is a free demo available with restrictions (See 'Resources').
Step 2
Install the program. According to the manual, an Internet connection is necessary during installation. The manual also recommends turning off all antivirus and firewalls.
Step 3
Follow the installation steps. Enter the serial number and register the product.
Step 4
When the installation has finished, open SmartScore. You should see the Task Window. This opens when the program starts and has the buttons you need to recognize scans and PDF files. If the task window is not open, you can open it manually by pressing 'Ctrl-W.'
Step 5
Press the 'Recognition' button. It has an orange arrow pointing down with a small note in the left hand corner. Alternatively, you can also go to the 'File' menu, and select 'Recognize.' The 'Begin Recognition' window should open.
Step 6
Click 'Add Files to List.' This will bring you to Windows Explorer and allow you to browse for the files you wish to convert.
Select the files you wish to convert to editable music score, then press the 'Begin Recognition' button.
Tips
- Check the box marked 'Text' if you would like the program to include lyrics.
- Check the box marked 'Hymnal Fonts' if you are scoring from a hymnal (with stubby flags and short stems). Other specialized settings allow accurate transcription of triplets, pedal marking, bowing marks, tablature notation, percussion staves and more.
- Preview the PDFs to make sure the pages are straight and the notes are readable before scanning.
Warning
- Always save your original files and make backups when editing.
Items you will need
- PC or Mac
- SmartScore Software
- Scanner (for printed pages)
- PDFs to convert
- Music Scoring Program such as Sibelius
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