4 stars (Comparison with Finale) - I'm a Finale user who was tempted by Sibelius's competitive upgrade offer. After playing around with Sibelius 4 versus Finale 2006, I can offer some observations. As an initial one, both programs are excellent and neither has serious flaws. (1) Sibelius is simpler to learn and to use, and is probably a quicker tool for inputting scores. Its default settings print out a prettier score than Finale and are generally "correct." Both programs can produce beautiful scores. (2) Finale ultimately seems to offer more power and control, or at least in Finale it is easier to figure out how to override default settings. The flip side of this is that it seems to take longer in Finale to set up a final polished score. (3) It is harder to compose directly at the computer using Sibelius than Finale, because Sibelius locks in notes in a way Finale doesn't. It is easier to move notes around in Finale than in Sibelius -- e.g., if you want to find out how a line would sound if it came in an eighth-note later, this is easy in Finale but hard in Sibelius. (4) Sibelius is packed with music-ed tools that would probably be great for students and teachers but aren't of value to professional musicians. (5) Both programs include play-back features, but neither can compare with even a basic dedicated sequencer program. (6) On balance, I would lean to Sibelius for generating printed scores, while Finale (once learned) is a better composing tool. ... Sibelius Software Ltd :: sibelius :: 4 :: professional :: edition :: sibelius :: software :: ltd :: multimedia :: design :: video :: sibelius4professionaledition 01 august :: 2005 :: Sibelius 4 Professional Edition
5 stars (Outstanding!) - I've used Cakewalk, Voyetra, Finale, and virtualy every other music publishing program and this is the first one that I can say is worth every penny. The functionality, convinience and versatility of this program goes unmatched and the look of your scores in the end is so good that people will swear you were published by Hal Lenard! If you're a student who hopes to make composition your future, invest in this program. If you're an established composer who is using some other program, dump them and move to Sibelius. I've only had my copy for two days and I'm a devoted consumer. 1 stars (Flashy, crappy and frustrating) - As a long time user of Sibelius 1.4 I looked forward to Sibelius 3. I have always been very happy with the older version of Sibelius - it is easy to use and the results are very pleasing. Sure, there were some limitations and a few improvements could have been made, but overall, Sibelius 1.4 was a great resource for musicians, composers and arrangers. Now what is wrong with Sibelius 3? I think that the question should be "What is right with Sibelius 3?". I don't know where to start? Let me just say that unless you're after a "quick fix" for score making, this product is inferior and inadequate. If you're making scores of Baroque or Renaissance music with Sibelius 1.4 and you're thinking of upgrading to Sibelius 3, forget it! Stick with what you have or consider Finale or some other music score making system. Sibelius 3 is a waste of money. 5 stars (This is terrific music notation software) - Sibelius 3 is music notation software that not only grows on the musician, but with the musician. It has tremendous possibilities, very advanced features, a multitude of choices. It is essential to learn the shortcuts from the outset - mouse manipulation is irritating, as with other music software, but working with shortcuts produces miraculously quick results. This is a program for very serious musicians. The features are exactly ... Sibelius Software Ltd :: Notation :: Midi :: Sequencing :: Creation :: audio :: Music :: Computer software (programs) :: Mac Macintosh Machintosh Apple :: :: Sibelius 3 Professional Edition