Jorge Quesada

The possibilities offered by computers, faster and more powerful every day, are advancing by leaps and bounds. What was revolutionary not long ago is now prehistoric. From the start, Sibelius has positioned itself as one of the programs leading the score-editing field. It has now become a tool capable of handling many more musical tasks: production, MIDI work, playback with sampled instruments, etc. In addition to incorporating quality multimedia, it has established itself as one of the easiest interfaces to use to date.

Obviously, someone who isn’t comfortable with sheet music will probably feel insecure or clumsy with Sibelius. What I mean is that there are programs in other editing formats that don’t follow conventional music notation and that are surely more accessible for those who can’t stand staves.

It would be stating the obvious to line up a series of arguments to convince you how necessary it is to be able to read and write the language of music. If you haven’t mastered it yet, Sibelius may be a really attractive aid for learning, helping you become familiar with musical notation. Especially when you consider that you’ll hear what you write, and you’ll be able to go over every detail.

If, on the other hand, you’re a musician who’s comfortable with the five lines, you’ll find many more attractions than the educational ones. And above all, it will be very easy for you to use.

Interface
Avid’s development has, in my eyes, a very 2.0 direction. Clear, simple, graphic and uncluttered. It reminds me of the Apple concept in its concern for building easy-to-use applications: intuitive ones that really make it easy for users to tap the tool’s potential without having to study for a master’s degree. If you’re used to exploring software, you’ll know what I mean.

Applications
This program has expanded its possibilities, version after version. In addition to the ones the manufacturer itself lists, such as schools and teaching, music editing and notation, production, and instant playback of scores using sampled sounds, there are many functions that will depend on your imagination. From downloading a MIDI file from the web and rearranging the tune to your liking, to searching for Sibelius projects online and tinkering to make karaoke tracks or your own cover versions, or starting your own composition projects from start to finish.

It’s a program that seems to have been developed by a whole bunch of thinking heads and, best of all, musical heads used to dealing with the day-to-day difficulties we run into. There are an awful lot of options that make tasks easier: from opening scores in predesigned ensembles (quartet, jazz quintet, piano, etc.) to the ability to edit your own (blank) template score blocks.

It’s now much more graphic, and you can add drawings, images, etc. to find each thing quickly by sight. It also comes with 3 DVDs of libraries. You’ll need a little while to install it, but you won’t regret it. These libraries let you hear what’s written in the scores at a quality that has nothing to do with the “cheesy MIDI” we musicians have sometimes had to suffer through.

Combined
With so many tools for writing your music, a mixer, libraries and more, you could easily use Sibelius 7 as the central program for your projects. It has everything you might need to compose, produce or arrange, within the realm of a score editor whose features have grown exponentially.

You could also, if your budget allows, combine it with other tools. For example, use Pro Tools as your command center and add Sibelius as a complementary (and improved) score editor. Although this idea may be too ambitious for a moderate budget.

In Detail
Avid’s Sibelius 7 is the latest and most sophisticated generation of the world’s best-selling music notation program. It can also meet the demands of composers, arrangers and editors as well as those of beginners, students and amateur musicians.

The new Sibelius also lets you work quickly with its logical user interface and makes it easy to hear your scores with great clarity thanks to its professional-quality sound library. You can also collaborate more easily thanks to full support for MusicXML file exchange and other sharing options. But what does Sibelius 7 bring that’s new compared to earlier versions?

What’s New in Version 7
The new, logical Sibelius 7 user interface comes with task-oriented tabs that guide you through the score-creation process from start to finish. Every function, which you can reach with a button or a keyboard shortcut, also has an icon and a descriptive text, with contextual help available. It also offers ergonomic improvements, since important and frequently used options are front and center on the ribbon. Sibelius 7 also includes two new note-input features: slurs and hairpins can now be started and ended as you enter notes.

It also lets you hear every nuance and detail of the score during playback, which includes more than 38 GB of professional content, such as an exclusively recorded symphony orchestra, rock and pop instruments, and more. Keep in mind that Sibelius 7 Sounds is not your typical sample library… It’s a collection that combines exclusive content with sounds from industry experts and spans all the instrument families.

The new Sibelius also includes 64-bit notation software, delivering great speed that lets you unleash the full power of your system. Only 64-bit applications can directly address more than 4 GB of RAM, which today’s professional sample libraries require. Full VST and Audio Unit compatibility lets you load as many samples as your computer can support.

In addition, the improved audio engine in Sibelius 7 automatically balances the different virtual instruments and effects across the available cores of your multicore processor, making efficient use of your computer’s resources. It also has vertical faders, like a real mixing desk. By default, the Mixer is docked at the bottom of the screen and shows only the faders that control volume.

Moreover, since workflows today span a wide variety of software applications, Sibelius 7 now supports MusicXML export so you can exchange files with hundreds of applications. The new version of Sibelius also includes text and typography improvements. The latest OpenType fonts include advanced features such as typographic ligatures that can be used in text frames with the capabilities of a graphic design program.

Sibelius 7 also makes it easy to import graphics in different formats, as well as export full scores as PDF, and individual pages or smaller sections as EPS, PNG and SVG.

Even More Options…
To begin with, Sibelius 7 gives you revolutionary time-saving features such as Magnetic Layout and Dynamic Parts. It also introduces Flexi-time MIDI note entry, Keyboard and Fretboard windows, and other note-input options. All of this makes it possible to create complex scores in a short time.

In addition to simplifying creation and editing, Sibelius plays back scores with great realism. The included sound library also gives you instant access to a wide range of professional-quality instruments. The program also supports VST and AU plug-ins, which opens the door to sample libraries from other manufacturers. It also lets you sync Sibelius via ReWire with other well-known audio programs, such as Pro Tools.

With Sibelius 7 you can also add and position small stems and bar rests instantly, as well as arpeggio lines. Sibelius will even insert cautionary accidentals automatically, which helps produce performance-ready scores at all times.

Conclusions
Edit, share, mix, produce, arrange, import, export… A huge range of possibilities for your music. You’ll have all the power of the latest generation of multimedia tools that modern computers put within your reach. Conversion of MIDI files to PDF, a PDF reader for MIDI, MIDI to Sibelius format, and so on. Personally, I find this software well suited to those who are comfortable with sheet music, to those who want to get familiar with it, to schools, to orchestral arrangements, or to production touch-ups in general. The best thing you can do, if your curiosity is piqued, is download the free trial version and experiment for thirty days, here: http://www.sibelius.com/cgi-bin/download/get.pl?com=sh&prod=sibdemo

For the spec sheet and rating table, download the PDF edition of the magazine