Though it was many years ago, I can recall very clearly making the switch from Finale to Sibelius. The ability to save and export different versions of a score, whether it be the score only, one or more individual instrument parts, or some combination thereof, can likewise save an incredible amount of tedious copying and pasting.
Transformation controls allow you to reorder pitches and modify note values for a selection, which can be an incredible time-saver compared to manual re-entry. Users can create reductions from multiple lines of music and just as easily do the reverse with the “explode” function.
The Arrange feature is essentially a copy and paste function that will take a passage and transcribe it for a new instrumental arrangement.
Whether you are approaching this sort of music notation software from a different form of music writing software (a DAW, for example) or just getting your start in music notation software from square one, the process of building your score is intuitive from the start.įurther, there are countless opportunities to speed up your workflow through the use of keyboard shortcuts for users who are adept with a computer keyboard and note input with the help of a MIDI keyboard for those who are more comfortable with a different set of keys under their fingers.Įven after note input, the tools related to arrangement and transformation help make the Sibelius workflow fast and easy to use as well. The learning curve for this software is practically a flat line. In the nearly 30 years since its initial release, Sibelius has been refined to the point where anybody with some background in written notation and a working understanding of computers will be able to use it with ease. Though the aspect of Sibelius that most sets it apart from the competition is the comprehensiveness of its tools and features, a close second is how easy it is to use. There are some wide disparities in functionality between the three subscription tiers, so we will dive deeper into this later on. Paying subscribers can export their scores to PDF, and Sibelius Ultimate subscribers can choose from a variety of other graphic formats as well. While this can be a handy feature as the line between sampled instrumentation and live recorded performance grows increasingly blurred, Sibelius has always been first and foremost a music writing software geared towards creating a visual score. Sibelius allows users to open scores from MIDI files. It is possible to load scores from MIDI files and paid subscribers can export to MIDI as well as to MP3, WAV, and AIFF at 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz using the sampled and synthesized instruments included in the Sibelius sample library.
Upon opening Sibelius for the first time, users can choose from a library of score templates or design a score from scratch before setting key and time signatures as well as the textual information that goes at the top of the page. As an engraving software, also known as music notation software or a “scorewriter”, Sibelius offers users the ability to create musical scores with the help of an easy-to-use interface and a magnetic layout meant to streamline workflow.