Topic #38: Soundfonts, SF2, SF3, SFZ in MuseScore

In this MuseTube lesson, you’ll learn how to use virtual instruments in MuseScore 4: from the basic MS Basic sound bank, to installing and configuring Muse Sounds, and even importing external soundfonts (.sf2, .sf3, .sfz). A complete guide to improving the audio quality of your scores and making them sound much more realistic.

🎼 MS Basic: the default sound bank

MuseScore 4 comes with the MS Basic sound bank by default. It’s automatically assigned to each instrument in the mixer. You can change it via the dropdown menu under “SoundFont > MS Basic”, where you’ll find several variations per instrument.

For example, you can swap out the default trumpet or piano sound for other versions available within the same bank. MuseScore selects appropriate sounds automatically, but you can customize them manually.

🔊 Enhancing sound with Muse Sounds

Muse Sounds is a high-quality library integrated with MuseScore 4. To use it:

• Open the Muse Hub app
• Go to the “Sounds” tab
• Download the sound packs you want (strings, percussion, keyboard…)
• Restart MuseScore

Once installed, you can assign them via the mixer by choosing “Muse Sounds” and then the appropriate instrument (e.g., Trumpet or Grand Piano).

If an instrument sounds too soft (as sometimes happens with trumpet), you can increase the volume in the mixer or boost the dynamic level in the score (e.g., change mf to fff).

🌍 Importing external soundfonts (.sf2, .sf3)

External soundfonts allow you to add custom instrument sounds. There are three common types:

• .sf2: classic format
• .sf3: compressed version of .sf2
• .sfz: more modern, with high-quality samples

To install an .sf2 or .sf3 soundfont:

• Download it from a reliable source
• Drag and drop it into MuseScore
• Or place it into Documents/MuseScore4/Soundfonts

It will then be available in the mixer under the SoundFont dropdown menu as a new bank.

🎹 Using .sfz files with external VST (Sforzando)

To use .sfz files, you’ll need an external VST such as Sforzando (free). To set it up:

• Download it from the official website
• Install it (just follow the steps)
• Restart MuseScore

Now in the MuseScore mixer, you’ll see a new option: VST3 > Sforzando.

To load a .sfz file:

• Click the “Instrument” button in Sforzando
• Select “Import”
• Locate the folder where your .sfz and samples are saved
• Open it and it will be loaded

You can now play your score using this new instrument. Repeat the process to load other sfz libraries (e.g., guitars, trumpets, drums…).

In summary, MuseScore 4 supports both its own integrated sound banks and external sound libraries — giving you tremendous flexibility to improve the realism and audio quality of your scores.