# Unknown option when saving music score with MusicVisualizations

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unknown-option-when-saving-music-score-with-musicvisualizations/136556>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question, visualization, music\
**Created:** [April 4, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unknown-option-when-saving-music-score-with-musicvisualizations/136556 "2026-04-04T14:52:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Christopher\_Fisher](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/christopher_fisher/32/26132_2.png) [@Christopher\_Fisher](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Christopher_Fisher)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unknown-option-when-saving-music-score-with-musicvisualizations/136556/1 "2026-04-04T14:52:23Z")

</div>

Hello,

I am trying to save a music score based on an example from JuliaMusic, but I receive an error for unknown option error in musescore. I am having trouble solving the issue. Here is my code

```julia
using MusicManipulations # tools for handling MIDI data
using MusicVisualizations # to be able to access MuseScore

kick = "Low Floor Tom"
snare = "Acoustic Snare"
stick = "Side Stick"
hihat = "Closed Hi-Hat"

tpq = 960 # Duration of a quarter note in ticks
subdiv = tpq ÷ 8 # note subdivision duration (32nd notes)
patlen = 8 * subdiv # pattern length

A = DrumNote(snare, 0, subdiv; velocity = 100)
R = DrumNote(hihat, 0, subdiv; velocity = 70)
L = DrumNote(stick, 0, subdiv; velocity = 70)
K = DrumNote(kick, 0, subdiv; velocity = 80)

"""
Combine the given notes into a notes that start sequentially.
"""
function make_pattern(v::Vector{<:AbstractNote})
    n = Notes([v[1]], 960)
    for i in 2:length(v)
        push!(n, translate(v[i], (i-1)*subdiv))
    end
    return n
end

p1 = make_pattern([K, L, L, R, R, L, L, K])
p2 = make_pattern([A, L, L, R, R, L, L, K])

x = combine([p1, translate(p2, patlen)])
musescore("another.png", x)

```

Here is the error message

```julia
Qt: Session management error: Could not open network socket
MuseScore4: Unknown option 'n'.
ERROR: failed process: Process(`musescore -n -T 20 -r 1200 -o another.png another.mid`, ProcessExited(1)) [1]

Stacktrace:
 [1] pipeline_error
   @ ./process.jl:597 [inlined]
 [2] run(::Cmd; wait::Bool)
   @ Base ./process.jl:512
 [3] run
   @ ./process.jl:509 [inlined]
 [4] musescore(file::String, notes::Notes{Note}; display::Bool, rmmidi::Bool, c::Cmd)
   @ MusicVisualizations ~/.julia/packages/MusicVisualizations/r1cao/src/musescore.jl:64
 [5] musescore(file::String, notes::Notes{Note})
   @ MusicVisualizations ~/.julia/packages/MusicVisualizations/r1cao/src/musescore.jl:47
 [6] top-level scope
   @ ~/.julia/dev/sandbox/drums/example.jl:39

```

Here is the version information:

```julia
Status `~/.julia/dev/sandbox/drums/Project.toml`
  [274955c0] MusicManipulations v1.7.1
  [8e838768] MusicVisualizations v0.2.6

```

```julia
shell> musescore -v
Qt: Session management error: Could not open network socket
MuseScore4 4.6.5

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![technocrat](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/technocrat/32/220947_2.png) [@technocrat](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/technocrat)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unknown-option-when-saving-music-score-with-musicvisualizations/136556/2 "2026-04-04T17:38:20Z")

</div>

In MuseScore 3, `-n` / `--new-score` was a documented option. In MuseScore 4 (“MuseScore Studio”), several legacy command line switches were removed or changed, and current documentation/bug reports show options disappearing or being rejected as “don’t exist” in 4.x. That’s why MuseScore 4 prints “Unknown option ‘n’” and exits with status 1, which Julia surfaces as failed process .[Appears to be still an open issue.](https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/26312)