MSCORE
Section: User Commands (1)
Page Index
BSD mandoc
MuseScore
NAME
mscore
musescore
- MuseScore 3 sheet music editor
SYNOPSIS
[-
deFfhIiLmnOPRstvw
]
[-
a | --use-audio driver
]
[-
b | --bitrate bitrate
]
[-
c | --config-folder pathname
]
[-
D | --monitor-resolution DPI
]
[-
E | --install-extension extension file
]
[-
j | --job file.json
]
[-
M | --midi-operations file
]
[-
o | --export-to file
]
[-
p | --plugin name
]
[-
r | --image-resolution DPI
]
[-
S | --style style
]
[-
T | --trim-image margin
]
[-
x | --gui-scaling factor
]
[-
-debug
]
[-
-diff
]
[-
-dump-midi-in
]
[-
-dump-midi-out
]
[-
-experimental
]
[-
-export-score-parts
]
[-
-factory-settings
]
[-
-force
]
[-
-help
]
[-
-layout-debug
]
[-
-load-icons
]
[-
-long-version
]
[-
-new-score
]
[-
-no-fallback-font
]
[-
-no-midi
]
[-
-no-synthesizer
]
[-
-no-webview
]
[-
-raw-diff
]
[-
-revert-settings
]
[-
-run-test-script
]
[-
-save-online
]
[-
-score-media
]
[-
-highlight-config
]
[-
-score-mp3
]
[-
-score-parts
]
[-
-score-parts-pdf
]
[-
-score-transpose
]
[-
-source-update
]
[-
-template-mode
]
[-
-test-mode
]
[-
-version
]
[
file ...
]
DESCRIPTION
MuseScore
is a Free and Open Source WYSIWYG cross-platform multi-lingual
music composition and notation software, released under the
GNU General Public Licence (GPLv2).
Running
without any extra options launches the full graphical MuseScore program
and opens any files specified on the command line.
The options are as follows:
- -a | --use-audio driver
-
Use audio driver: one of
jack
alsa
portaudio
pulse
- -b | --bitrate bitrate
-
Set MP3 output bitrate in kbit/s
- -c | --config-folder pathname
-
Override configuration and settings directory
- -D | --monitor-resolution DPI
-
Specify monitor resolution (override autodetection)
- -d | --debug
-
Start MuseScore in debug mode
- -E | --install-extension extension file
-
Install an extension file; soundfonts are loaded by default unless
-e
is also specified
- -e | --experimental
-
Enable experimental features, such as layers
- -F | -factory-settings
-
Revert all settings, shortcuts, workspaces, extensions,
translations, etc. to factory defaults; compare with the
-R
option
- -f | -force
-
Ignore score corruption and version mismatch warnings in
``converter mode''
- -h | -help
-
Display an overview of invocation instructions
- -I | -dump-midi-in
-
Display all MIDI input on the console
- -i | -load-icons
-
Load icons from the filesystem; useful if you want to
edit the MuseScore icons and preview the changes
- -j | --job file.json
-
Process a conversion job (see
Sx EXAMPLES
below)
- -L | -layout-debug
-
Start MuseScore in layout debug mode
- -M | --midi-operations file
-
Specify MIDI import operations file (see
Sx EXAMPLES
below)
- -m | -no-midi
-
Disable MIDI input
- -n | -new-score
-
Start with the New Score wizard regardless whether
it's enabled or disabled in the user preferences
- -O | -dump-midi-out
-
Display all MIDI output on the console
- -o | --export-to file
-
Export the given (or currently opened) file to the specified output
file
The file type depends on the extension of the filename given.
This option switches to
``converter mode''
and avoids the graphical user interface.
- -P | -export-score-parts
-
When converting to PDF with the
-o
option, append each part's pages to the created PDF file.
If the score has no parts, all default parts will
temporarily be generated automatically.
- -p | --plugin name
-
Execute the named plugin
- -R | -revert-settings
-
Revert user preferences to factory default but retain shortcuts,
workspaces, extensions, translations, etc.; compare with
-F
- -r | --image-resolution DPI
-
Set image resolution for conversion to PNG files.
Default: 360 DPI (actually, the value of
``Resolution''
of the PNG option group in the Export tab of the preferences)
- -S | --style style
-
Load a style file first; useful for use with the
-o
option
- -s | -no-synthesizer
-
Disable the integrated software synthesiser
- -T | --trim-image margin
-
Trim exported PNG and SVG images to remove whitespace
surrounding the score.
The specified
margin
in pixels, will be retained (use 0 for a tightly cropped image).
When exporting to SVG, this option only works with single-page scores.
- -t | -test-mode
-
Set test mode flag for all files
- -v | -version
-
Display the name and version of the application
without starting the graphical user interface
- -w | -no-webview
-
Disable the web view component in the Start Centre
- -x | --gui-scaling factor
-
Scale the score display and other GUI elements by the specified
factor
intended for use with high-resolution displays
- --diff
-
Print a conditioned diff between the given scores
- --long-version
-
Display the full name, version and git revision of the application
without starting the graphical user interface
- --no-fallback-font
-
Don't use a fallback musical font
- --raw-diff
-
Print a raw diff between the given scores
- --run-test-script
-
Run script tests listed in the command line arguments
- --save-online
-
Upload score(s) to its source URL. There must already be an online score at
that URL, and the user must be signed-in to the account it belongs to. The
online score will be replaced with the uploaded file, but the title and
description of the online score's webpage will not change.
- --score-media
-
Export all media (except MP3) for a given score
as a single JSON document to stdout
- --highlight-config
-
Set highlight to svg, generated from a given score
- --score-mp3
-
Generate an MP3 for the given score and export it
as a single JSON document to stdout
- --score-parts
-
Generate parts data for the given score and save them
to separate mscz files
- --score-parts-pdf
-
Generate parts data for the given score and export it
as a single JSON document to stdout
- --score-transpose
-
Transpose the given score and export the data to
a single JSON file, print it to stdout
- --source-update
-
Update the source in the given score
- --template-mode
-
Save files in template mode (e.g. without page sizes)
MuseScore supports the automatic Qt command line options (see below).
Batch conversion job JSON format
The argument to the
-
j
option must be the pathname of a file comprised of a valid JSON
document honouring the following specification:
-
The top-level element must be a JSONArray, which may be empty.
-
Each array element must be a JSONObject with the following keys:
- in
-
Value is the name of the input file (score to convert), as JSONString.
- plugin
-
Value is the filename of a plugin (with the .qml extension), which
will be read from either the global or per-user plugin path and
executed before the conversion output happens, as JSONString.
Optional, but at least one of
plugin
and
out
must
be given.
- out
-
Value is the conversion output target, as defined below.
Optional, but at least one of
plugin
and
out
must
be given.
-
The conversion output target may be a filename (with extension,
which decided the format to convert to), as JSONString.
-
The conversion output target may be a JSONArray of filenames as
JSONString, as above, which will cause the score to be written
to multiple output files (in multiple output formats) sequentially,
without being closed, re-opened and re-processed in between.
-
If the conversion output target is a JSONArray, one or more of
its elements may also be, each, a JSONArray of two JSONStrings
(called first and second half in the following description).
This will cause part extraction: for each such two-tuple, all
extant parts of the score will be saved
individually
with filenames being composed by concatenating the first half,
the name (title) of the part, and the second half.
The resulting string must be a valid filename (with extension,
determining the output format).
If a score has no parts (excerpts) defined, this will be
silently ignored without error.
-
Valid file extensions for output are:
- flac
-
Free Lossless Audio Codec (compressed audio)
- metajson
-
various score metadata (JSON)
- mid
-
standard MIDI file
- midi
-
standard MIDI file
- mlog
-
internal file sanity check log (JSON)
- mp3
-
MPEG Layer III (lossy compressed audio)
- mpos
-
measure positions (XML)
- mscx
-
uncompressed MuseScore file
- mscz
-
compressed MuseScore file
- musicxml
-
uncompressed MusicXML file
- mxl
-
compressed MusicXML file
- ogg
-
OGG Vorbis (lossy compressed audio)
- pdf
-
portable document file (print)
- png
-
portable network graphics (image)
Individual files, one per score page, with a hyphen-minus followed
by the page number placed before the file extension, will be generated.
- spos
-
segment positions (XML)
- svg
-
scalable vector graphics (image)
- wav
-
RIFF Waveform (uncompressed audio)
- xml
-
uncompressed MusicXML file
See below for an example.
ENVIRONMENT
- SKIP_LIBJACK
-
Set this (the value does not matter) to skip initialisation
of the JACK Audio Connection Kit library, in case it causes trouble.
- XDG_CONFIG_HOME
-
User configuration location; defaults to
~/.config
if unset.
- XDG_DATA_HOME
-
User data location; defaults to
~/.local/share
if unset.
- XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR
-
Location of works the user created with the application; defaults to
~/Documents
(or a localised version) and can be set in
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/user-dirs.dirs
Note that MuseScore also supports the normal Qt environment variables such as
QT_QPA_GENERIC_PLUGINS
QT_QPA_PLATFORM
QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME
QT_QPA_PLATFORM_PLUGIN_PATH
QT_STYLE_OVERRIDE
DISPLAY
etc.
FILES
/usr/share/mscore-3.6/
contains the application support data (demos, instruments, localisation,
system-wide plugins, soundfonts, styles, chords, templates and wallpapers).
In the Debian packages, system-wide soundfonts are installed into
/usr/share/sounds/sf2/
/usr/share/sounds/sf3/
or
/usr/share/sounds/sfz/
respectively, instead.
The per-user data (extensions, plugins, soundfonts, styles, templates) and
files (images, scores) are normally installed into subdirectories under
$XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR/MuseScore3/
but may be changed in the configuration.
Note that snapshot, alpha and beta versions use
MuseScore3Development
instead of
MuseScore3
in all of these paths.
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/MuseScore/MuseScore3.ini
contains the user preferences, list of recently used files and their
locations, window sizes and positions, etc.
See above for development version paths.
$XDG_DATA_HOME/MuseScore/MuseScore3/
contains updated localisation files downloaded from within the
program, plugin information, cached scores, credentials for the
musescore.com
community site, session information, synthesiser settings, custom
key and time signatures and shortcuts.
See above for development version paths.
EXAMPLES
Convert a score to PDF from the command line:
-o 'My Score.pdf' 'My Score.mscz'
Run a batch job converting multiple documents:
-j job.json
This requires the file
job.json
in the current working directory to have content
similar to the following:
[
{
"in": "Reunion.mscz",
"out": "Reunion-coloured.pdf",
"plugin": "colornotes.qml"
},
{
"in": "Reunion.mscz",
"out": [
"Reunion.pdf",
[ "Reunion (part for ", ").pdf" ],
"Reunion.musicxml",
"Reunion.mid"
]
},
{
"in": "Piece with excerpts.mscz",
"out": [
"Piece with excerpts (Partitura).pdf",
[ "Piece with excerpts (part for ", ").pdf" ],
"Piece with excerpts.mid"
]
}
]
The last part of the job would, for example, cause files like
``Piece with excerpts (part for Violin).pdf
''
to be generated alongside the conductor's partitura and a MIDI
file with the full orchestra sound, whereas the equivalent part
of the Reunion conversion will be silently ignored (because the
Reunion piece (a MuseScore demo) has no excerpts defined).
https://musescore.org/sites/musescore.org/files/midi_import_options_0.xml
is a sample MIDI import operations file for the
-M
option.
DIAGNOSTICS
Ex -std
SEE ALSO
fluidsynth(1),
midicsv(1),
timidity(1),
qtoptions(7)
- https://musescore.org/handbook
-
Online Handbook, full user manual
- https://musescore.org/forum
-
Support Forum
- https://musescore.org/handbook/command-line-options-0
-
Further documentation of command line options
- https://musescore.org/handbook/revert-factory-settings-0
-
Reverting to factory settings (troubleshooting)
- https://musescore.org/project/issues
-
Project Issue Tracker
Please check first to if the bug you're encountering
has already been reported.
If you just need help with something, then please use the
support forum (see above) instead.
- http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qguiapplication.html#supported-command-line-options
-
Documentation of automatic Qt command line options
STANDARDS
MuseScore attempts to implement the following standards:
-
MusicXML 3.1 (score interchange format)
-
SF2 (SoundFont 2.01)
-
SF3 (SoundFont with OGG Vorbis-compressed samples)
-
SFZ (Sforzato soundfont)
-
SMuFL (Standard Music Font Layout 1.30)
HISTORY
MuseScore was split off the MusE sequencer in 2002 and has since
become the foremost Open Source notation software.
AUTHORS
MuseScore is developed by MuseScore BVBA and others.
This manual page was written by
An mirabilos Aq tg@debian.org .
CAVEATS
The automatic Qt command line options are removed from the
argument vector before the application has a chance at option
processing; this means that an invocation like
-S -reverse
has no chance at working because the
-reverse
is removed by Qt first.
BUGS
MuseScore does not honour
/etc/papersize
Probably some more; check the project's bug tracker (cf.
Sx SEE ALSO ) .