Stunning new sounds & playback
These pages refer solely to the upgrade from Sibelius 1.x, 2.x, 3.x and 4.x to Sibelius 5. Please refer to the FAQ relating to the more recent upgrade to
Sibelius 6.
What's new
Summary of what's new in Sibelius 5
Capture, use and re-use snippets
A new, clearer way of viewing music
150+ high-quality built-in sounds
Mix and match from different libraries
Instrumental parts made even easier
Flexible page layout and numbering
New fonts and plug-ins
Over forty other improvements
Questions about the upgrade
What the press are saying
“The options available are staggering, but the simplicity at your fingertips is amazing.”
American Songwriter magazine
“A notation powerhouse... Professionals call Sibelius 5 ‘the perfect notation program,’ and we’d be hard-pressed to find fault with that statement.”
Electronic Musician magazine
“Sibelius 5 is a
first-class piece of software... an outstanding program”
Overall rating: 10/10
Computer Music Magazine
“These fantastic new features make Sibelius 5 well worth the investment for composers, teachers and musicians alike.”
Muso Magazine
"[Sibelius 5's] improved playback quality means there's little reason to
consider using anything else."
Computer Shopper magazine
“An essential upgrade packed with innovation and improvement.”
Hugh John, The Guardian
“Sibelius 5 is simply staggering in its capabilities. It will do almost anything you can think of. If you’re serious about musical notation, this is the package to choose.”
Overall rating: 4.5/5
PC Advisor Magazine
"Sibelius 5 has raised the stakes...
The audio engine and playback 
enhancements are well worth the upgrade price alone"
Overall rating: 9/10
Music Tech magazine
150+ high-quality built-in sounds
Example Scores
Hear Sibelius Sounds Essentials in action. Listen to the scores below.
Orchestral 1 »
Orchestral 2 »
Jazz »
Choir 1 »
Choir 2 »
Marching Band »
Pop »
Sibelius 5 comes with Sibelius Sounds Essentials as standard – a collection of over 150 pitched and hundreds of percussion sounds, covering a wide range of orchestral, rock & pop, jazz and marching band instruments, plus the full General MIDI set. We’ve selected the sounds from top-name libraries such as Garritan Personal Orchestra, SONiVOX, Garritan Jazz & Big Band, Garritan Concert & Marching Band, M-Audio Session, and Tapspace Virtual Drumline – everything you need to start producing high-quality playback, audio files and CDs.
Sibelius Sounds Essentials plays back using Kontakt Player 2, the very latest version with much improved performance. It can play any number of sounds simultaneously (limited only by your computer), loads them almost instantly, and has extra built-in effects. Any other Sibelius Sounds you have (e.g. Kontakt Gold, GPO Sibelius Edition) will work better than ever, too.
Enhanced realism
You can now specify exactly how articulations, lines, tremolos and symbols play back – for example, to change the length and loudness of accents and staccatos, the speed of tremolos, or how fast chords with wiggly arpeggio lines are spread. Hairpins automatically read dynamics to work out how loud or soft they should end up, and sustained notes get continuously louder or softer along the hairpin.
Always chooses the best sounds
Our revolutionary new way of categorising sounds, called SoundWorld™, ensures that Sibelius always chooses the most suitable sound available on any device – with no need to reset them if you switch equipment. And if you want to tell Sibelius which device you prefer for particular sounds, e.g. GPO for strings and Synthogy Ivory for piano, you only need do so once – just “set and forget.”
Extra Sound Libraries
World Music New!
HIgh-quality samples of indigenous instruments from around the world, including Cuban percussion and a Taiko drum ensemble.
Choral New!
Solo and ensemble samples for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, plus high-quality organ and piano sounds.
Rock & Pop
All the sounds you’ll need to write rock, pop and jazz music, including a wide range of guitars, keyboards and drums.
Other Sound Libraries Available
Flawless recordings, every time
Even if your computer isn’t powerful enough to play a score back in all its glory, Sibelius can now create a perfect, glitch-free audio file, by processing it at a speed that suits your computer. And if you have a fast computer, Sibelius creates the audio file faster than real time!
Kontakt Player 2
Experience breathtaking sounds and effects with Kontakt Player 2.
