Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about upgrading to Sibelius 7

Ordering an upgrade (English version)

Sibelius 7 in Chinese/French/German/Japanese/Spanish/Italian

Other languages

Educational 5-packs and site licenses

Compatibility

Sound libraries

PhotoScore & AudioScore

Scorch

Ordering an upgrade (English version)

How do I find out more about the new features in Sibelius 7?

You can watch demo videos and download a free, fully-functioning 30-day trial version from this website.

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How do I buy a Sibelius 7 upgrade?

You can buy online now from Avid's online store, or from any authorized reseller.

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How much does the upgrade cost?

See separate price list/contact your distributor.

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I bought Sibelius 6 very recently - do I have to pay for the upgrade?

Unfortunately we are unable to offer free upgrades to customers who recently bought or upgraded to Sibelius 6. We're sorry for the inconvenience caused.

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Can I buy an upgrade from a dealer?

Yes. You can either buy your upgrade direct from Avid or from larger dealers. In other countries with a Sibelius distributor you can buy an upgrade from your distributor.

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When can I order an upgrade?

You can order it right now. If you buy direct from our online store and choose the download option, you could be using Sibelius 7 in just a few hours.

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How long will it take for my upgrade to arrive?

If you buy direct from Avid and choose the download option, your upgrade will be available for you to download right away. If you choose to have the box shipped to you, it should be with you within 7 working days. If you buy from a reseller, they will be able to advise you on shipping times.

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What does the Sibelius 7 upgrade consist of?

If you buy the physical upgrade, you will receive a pretty box containing a printed Quick Start Guide to help you get up and running, four installation DVD-ROMs, and a card containing an activation code that you must use in conjunction with your existing Sibelius serial number to unlock your upgrade. You can also buy your upgrade in a bundle with PhotoScore Ultimate and/or AudioScore Ultimate, and add the optional printed Reference Guide if you like.

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Can I download the upgrade?

Yes - you can choose to buy the upgrade as a download from our online store.

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Will I have to register Sibelius again when I upgrade it?

Yes. Your upgrade includes an activation code that must be used in conjunction with your existing Sibelius serial number to unlock your upgrade. If you have any problems doing this, please complete this form, including your Sibelius serial number and the exact wording of any error message that you see.

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My school/college/university wants to upgrade our 5-packs or site license but we're not sure exactly how many copies we have

Contact registration support, who can look this up for you.

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I'm not sure what my serial number is

If you have Sibelius 3 or later installed you can find your serial number (4 letters + 15 digits) from the Sibelius program. This can be found as follows:-

  • Windows: choose Help from the About menu in Sibelius
  • Mac OS X: choose About Sibelius from the Sibelius menu in Sibelius

If you have Sibelius 2 or earlier, or if you don't have Sibelius installed, you can find your serial number on the back of your Sibelius CD-ROM case. If you have lost this for some reason, please contact registration support, giving your name, address and when and where you bought Sibelius. We may also require proof of purchase.

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Sibelius 7 in Chinese/French/German/Japanese/
Spanish/Italian

Is Sibelius 7 available in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Italian?

Yes! Sibelius 7 is a fully multi-language application, and includes all of these languages directly within the software.

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Other languages

I have a Sibelius manual in another language (not English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish or Italian) - will this manual be updated for Sibelius7?

Contact your distributor for information about this.

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Educational 5-packs and site licenses

I have a 5-pack or site license. Can I buy an upgrade for just some of the copies?

You must upgrade all copies which have the same serial number. This means you can upgrade single copies (e.g. serial numbers starting SCEE/SWEE) separately from other copies, and you can update all copies of a 5-pack (SCEF/SWEF) at once. However you must upgrade all of a multi-pack (SCEM/SWEM) or a network license (SCEW/SWSW) at once.

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Compatibility

I use Sibelius on an old computer - will Sibelius 7 work on it?

See Sibelius 7's computer requirements.

Note you will need at least Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7, or Mac OS X 10.6 or Mac OS X 10.7. To take full advantage of the Sibelius 7 Sounds library, you will need a 64-bit processor and operating system, and at least 4GB RAM, plus 40GB hard disk space.

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Does Sibelius 7 open files created in all previous versions of Sibelius for Windows/Mac?

Yes. It also opens files created in Sibelius First, Sibelius Student, Sibelius Instrumental Teacher Edition and G7.

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Can previous versions of Sibelius open Sibelius 7 files?

Sibelius 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 can (because you can save in Sibelius 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 format from Sibelius 7). Sibelius 1.x cannot open files created from Sibelius 2 or later. Sibelius 7 can also save in Sibelius Student, Sibelius Instrumental Teacher Edition and G7 format.

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Does Sibelius 7 open Finale files?

Yes, providing you save them in MusicXML format.

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Can I use my external hardware MIDI devices with Sibelius 7?

Yes, Sibelius 7 is compatible with all hardware MIDI devices. For best results, you should check that a sound set file is available for your specific device. (A sound set is a file that describes the specific capabilities of your playback device to Sibelius in order to best take advantage of its capabilities.) Please be aware that Sibelius 7-compatible sound set files are not available for all hardware MIDI devices for which sound sets were available in earlier versions of Sibelius. For a list of available sound sets, click here.

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Sound libraries

I currently have Sibelius 3 or Sibelius 4. Is there a new version of Kontakt Silver or Gold?

No, but Sibelius 7 now ships with Sibelius 7 Sounds, a professional-quality library of hundreds of exclusive sounds, which plays back through the built-in Sibelius Player.

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I currently have Sibelius 5 or Sibelius 6. Is there a new version of Sibelius Sounds Essentials?

No, but Sibelius 7 now ships with Sibelius 7 Sounds, a professional-quality library of hundreds of exclusive sounds, which plays back through the built-in Sibelius Player.

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I have Kontakt Gold or one of the Sibelius Sounds libraries (Choral, Rock and Pop Collection, World Music). Are there new versions of these libraries?

There is no new version of Kontakt Gold, Sibelius Sounds Rock and Pop Collection or Sibelius Sounds World Music. If you have the Kontakt Player 2 versions of these libraries, you can continue to use them with Sibelius 7.

If you already have the Sibelius 6 version of Sibelius Sounds Choral, you can continue to use your existing version with Sibelius 7.

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Is Sibelius still compatible with Kontakt Player-based sound libraries?

Yes. Although Sibelius 7 no longer ships with Kontakt Player, it is fully compatible with Kontakt Player-based libraries, and still provides support for all VST and Audio Units virtual instruments and effects.

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PhotoScore & AudioScore

Is there also a new version of PhotoScore Lite/Ultimate?

Yes, PhotoScore Lite 7 is included with Sibelius 7. PhotoScore Ultimate 7 is now also available for separate purchase.

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I have PhotoScore Professional/Ultimate 6 or earlier. How will I get the upgrade to PhotoScore Ultimate 7?

Read about the new features in PhotoScore Ulitmate 7, and order your upgrade via Neuratron's web site.

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I don't already have PhotoScore Ultimate but can I get it along with a Sibelius 7 upgrade?

Yes - you can buy PhotoScore Ultimate in a specially-discounted bundle with a Sibelius 7 upgrade.

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Is there also a new version of AudioScore Ultimate?

Yes, AudioScore Lite 7 is included with Sibelius 7, and AudioScore Ultimate 7 is now available for separate purchase.

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I don't already have AudioScore Ultimate, but can I get it along with a Sibelius 7 upgrade?

Yes - you can buy AudioScore Ultimate in a specially-discounted bundle with a Sibelius 7 upgrade.

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Scorch & Sibelius Internet Edition

Is there a Scorch version 7?

No, but Scorch 6 is still available for download here.

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New in Sibelius 7

Overview
Task-oriented user interface
Professional sound library
Native 64-bit support
Optimized for single-monitor use
Reasons to switch to Sibelius from Finale
Text and typography enhancements
Expanded graphics import and export

More Sibelius features

Compose and edit
Play, perform, and share
Special notations

Quick links

Sibelius for Education »
Academic Eligibility Rules »
Computer requirements »
Find a retailer »
What professionals say »
What Finale users say »
What the media says »
Read Sibelius blog »
Sibelius FAQ »
Upgrade FAQ