MuseScore 4.4 is now available!

Playback features and improvements

• Support for Muse Sounds Drumline* libraries, including score migration from MDL, and ability to trigger different playback samples via sticking text.

• Support for Muse Sounds choral libraries, including lyric text to trigger different phoneme samples.

• Dynamics now apply independently to voices and staves (N.b. varies depending on sound technology used. Please consult the handbook for details).

• Dynamics now use optimal playback parameters (varies depending on sound technology) for more realistic playback.

• Significant audio engine optimisations (including lower buffer sizes), significantly reducing note input latency when using a MIDI keyboard, and massively reducing audio export times.

• Hidden instruments can now be muted/soloed in the mixer.

Engraving features and improvements

• Items such as dynamics/hairpins, text, and line objects no longer have to be attached ('anchored') to a note or rest, but can also be attached to rhythmic subdivisions within any duration.

• Dynamics/hairpins can be assigned to specific voices with appropriate default placement, and can also be centered between a grand stave. There are also new style options to control the default positioning of dynamics/hairpins.

• Dynamics and hairpins now snap more intelligently to each other, enabling better horizontal alignment. There are new controls in Properties for snapping and unsnapping these objects.

• The layout system for accidentals has been rewritten, and SMuFL cutouts are now being used. This results in a more elegant and compact layout, especially in complex chords. New style options allow further configuration.

• New style options for lyrics.

• New style options for fretboard diagrams, including the ability to add fingerings.

• Header and footer improvements, including the ability to add multi-line copyright text.

• New option for "French-style" beams.

• New options for hiding/showing instrument labels.

• Improved alignment and interactions for ghost/dead notes in guitar notation.

• New style options to show/hide double barlines before time and key signatures.

• Cross-stave beam improvements, including better vertical spacing and new options to set beams above or below staves.

• Many small improvements to how shapes and skylines have been calculated, allowing a more flexible layout.

• Increased use of SMuFL symbols within text for pedal markings, ottavas, codas/segno markings, and tuplet numbers.

• Frames can now be scaled with stave size.

• Percussion sticking is now centered on the notehead and aligned to a common baseline across the system.

• New option for separating layout of similarly-stemmed voices.

• Thickness of slurs and ties can now be set independently.

• Grace note slashes can now be toggled on or off in Properties.

• New options to resize and rotate symbols added from the master palette.

• The 'Explode' and 'Implode' functions now copy dynamics and text annotations, also taking their voice assignment into account. Grace notes are now also taken into account when exploding measures.

• Many other improvements, including MusicXML improvements (See this detailed summary on our forum).

Interaction improvements

• Multiple selected notes retain their selection after their durations are changed.
• Notes can be entered into different voices without having to start at the beginning of the bar.
• Palette objects now snap more intelligently to their applicable in-score objects when being dragged.

Backend updates

• Update to Qt version 6.2.4.
• macOS builds have moved to universal binary, providing native support for both Intel and Apple Silicon chips.
• Linux support for Wayland has been improved. The AppImage can now be launched in Wayland mode by setting the QT_QPA_PLATFORM environment variable to wayland

Plus hundreds of bug fixes. See our GitHub project for the full list of improvements.

* Linux users please note there is still a delay with delivering Muse Drumline to the Muse Sounds Manager. An announcement about the anticipated release date for Muse Drumline for Linux will be made on the musescore.org forum as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience.