Add MP3/WAV file in Mixer as reference audio

Your idea

Similar to:
https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/19674#issue-1935495732
but also different.

I have a vocal track that I want to use to guide me when making and modifying a Score. If there is an “MP3” instrument in the Mixer window that plays a stereo file in parallel with Musescore instruments, that would be excellent. If a WAV file is easier to implement, that would be fine. (An initial delay is fine if decoding to a raw music file for ease of streaming is OK also).

I am not proposing a full blown audio system. The structure of Musescore that I saw in some document makes it seem “reasonable” that a virtual instrument feeding an audio stream to the mixer is not overly complicated.

Thank you for considering it. If you think about limiting it to one fixed instrument and a predefined sample rate, it could be less difficult to implement.

The Mixer volume should work but other features could be turned off.

Problem to be solved

For music with a semi-freeform style, exact measure boundaries aren’t always available. The vocal track dictates the music.

When adding dramatic embellishments, experimenting with the Score and hearing it against the vocals track right away is important.

For transcribers, incorrect note decisions will be very apparent.

For music for videos or soundtracks, the reference is needed.

Adding the feature to Musescore will likely bring more people to use Musescore.

Musescore.com scores could be more desirable if they had vocals or other background sound effects with them.

A secondary feature is to be able to skew the music +/- so many seconds to initially align it.

Prior art

Logic Pro lets multiple digital audio tracks operate in parallel with multiple note-based music. This isn’t a new thing.

Backing tracks with either software instruments or digitally recorded live instruments mixed together helps the show go on when musicians are present or absent.

It would be nice if multiple digital music tracks can play in parallel. Starting with just one track would be great !

Additional context

Someone discussed how they feed Musescore midi to a DAW, which then allows a coordination of music and video. That’s a lot of work for most people.

Having a simple coordinated digital audio track within Musescore would help a lot of people who want to write music with an easier work flow.

I like the Musescore-way of writing music via a Score model. The reference track is important to me.

*** If this is a valid community project, a discussion on what code changes to implement this would be helpful. I.e. Mixer plays this even though no notes on the score. The early version would be an automatic “background” track to the mixer at first, then working on the interface portion (actually the most work). **

The issue names no files, tests, or entry points. Start by reviewing the existing Mixer and the related issue 19674, then scope whether one MP3/WAV reference track can be represented and synchronized. Done would need playback alongside score audio, Mixer volume control, and an optional initial time offset, but the interface and audio architecture remain to be defined.