MuseScore - what is it missing?

Hi all.

Just wanted to ask a general question about scoring software.

I've been using MuseScore for a couple of years now, but have been told it's not capable of producing an engraving to professional standards.

Just wondered what features it's missing that would be essential to professional quality work?

I'm curious to know who made that comment.  I can't really think of anything that you can't do these days, at least through manual adjustment.  Maybe if you are doing really funky contemporary scores that deviate from standard sheet music styles, but that's not going to be a problem for most people.  Then again, I'm not a publisher or a professor, and they are allowed to have a standard program that they prefer to receive files in to make their lives easier for marking up scores, editing, etc.  Sometimes something is the standard just because at some point it was the most commonly used, and it's annoying to switch between different programs all the time which aren't compatible with each other, not because one is actually better.  

That said, I'm annoyed at Musescore every time they come out with an update and they move all the features around so I have to relearn where to find things.  

It was my composition tutor who made the comment. 
He's a professional composer.

He said MuseScore doesn't have the same granular control as Dorico or Sibelius. 
 

One thing that's definitely easier in Dorico, is switching to Film Score format. I gather it can be done at the touch of a button; whereas in MuseScore it's very fiddly.

Also creating a condensed score for the conductor can be done with one keystroke in Dorico. 
 

Not sure if there's anything that simply can't be done in MuseScore though, as there are often ways of fudging things.

I've never tried making an aleatoric score: so maybe that's one problem area?

Condensing a score in Muse score is definitely not one key stroke, but is not as tedious as you may thought it’s a few more extra steps. I think you just have to go into the format of the score and click on condensed score or something.  I’ve done that many times .even the sound mapping is more difficult than condensing a score.

On 5/4/2025 at 5:33 PM, Fruit hunter said:

Condensing a score in Muse score is definitely not one key stroke, but is not as tedious as you may thought it’s a few more extra steps. I think you just have to go into the format of the score and click on condensed score or something.  I’ve done that many times .even the sound mapping is more difficult than condensing a score.

 

I'm late seeing this post in here, but @Alex Weidmann if you hadn't already found it, I assume you're looking to condense scores in MS4.5. 

Way to do that easily is to click Format > Page Settings... > Scaling > Staff Space (sp): ___ (Down for smaller staves, up for larger staves). 

Thanks, but I was actually talking about combining parts onto one staff for the conductor's score.

E.g. Merging trumpets 1 and 2 into a single staff.

This can be done with implode; but it's apparently it's much quicker and easier in Dorico.