What the media says about Sibelius 6 and earlier versions
“The options available are staggering, but the simplicity at your fingertips is amazing.”
Magnetic Layout
"This is a wonderful and ground-breaking feature representing a huge time-saver to anyone producing complex scores."
"This is a remarkable achievement and this feature alone makes the upgrade an absolute must for any composer, arranger or copyist."
Classroom Control
"This great new feature ensures that you are in control and can see that students are working as they should be and is ideal for multiple Sibelius classroom installations."
Overall rating: 5/5
Overall
"There's no doubt in my mind that Sibelius 6 is an absolute winner."
"I am seriously, seriously impressed by this latest upgrade… I think it's worth every penny. If you have a previous version, you'd be crazy not to upgrade, the benefits are huge this time."
"Sibelius has responded to many users' requests for proper handling of things like feathered beams for accelerandos"
Magnetic Layout
"Magnetic Layout is just so good that you can forget about it 90 percent of the time."
"Magnetic Layout is going to be worth a fortune in time for some users. For me, and I've no doubt many, many others, it would easily justify the upgrade cost on its own."
Playback
"Playback for many will be oh so simple, and for the 'power user' the combination of Live Conductor and a wide selection of Virtual Instruments will let them create high quality demos and recordings without ever going near a DAW."
Classroom Control
"Educational users of Sibelius have a whole new set of goodies aimed just at them."
"Undoubtedly the best notation software we've used to date... This is an impressive update with a raft of new features and improvements that put Sibelius 6 ahead of the field."
Overall rating: 10/10
"We're enamoured of Magnetic Layout, which will speed up the finalisation of a score considerably, and ReWire support, which could open up a whole world of possibilities."
Overall
"Sibelius 6 is an incredible update to a program that was already pretty incredible."
"Sibelius is one of those applications that always seems to do everything you need. Except that, after a new version is released, you always end up with a variety of new features that you now simply couldn't imagine living without!"
"Sibelius 6 gives educators new tools for leading lessons, tracking students' progress and helping burgeoning composers make amazing music."
Yamahamusicsoft.com Blog
"Sibelius 5 is the first Intel version of the software and it feels like it's been turbocharged. If you have a previous version, upgrade now."
"Full marks to Sibelius...Ideas Hub is an indispensably brilliant tool... Panorama is a truly beautiful way of working on a score... An essential upgrade."
"If you’re not already using Sibelius... Well, you’ve only yourself to blame!"
"What is there to say in praise of Sibelius that hasn't been said before?"
"Sibelius 5 is a first class piece of software... an outstanding program"
"The Ideas Hub is fantastic! I've been wanting this feature in every piece of music software I've ever used." Ronan Macdonald (Editor)
Verdict: 10/10
“[Sibelius 5 is] an essential upgrade packed with innovation and improvement.”
“Look out for Ideas Hub, a collection of "oven ready" musical ideas which can be augmented by users' own material and tagged for instant retrieval, and Sibelius Sounds Essentials, a premium selection of sound samples.”
"Sibelius 5.0 is simply staggering in its capabilities. It will do almost anything you can think of and a lot of things that never entered your head before. If you’re serious about musical notation, this is the package to choose."
Overall rating: 4.5/5
"If you need to produce musical scores and you care about their presentation,
Sibelius is the software to use. [Sibelius 5's] improved playback quality means
there's little reason to consider using anything else."
“Sibelius 5 is recommended to all. For flexibility, ease of use and quality, I have found nothing to beat it. I welcome this new upgrade with open arms, knowing that my job has just become a little easier.”
"Sibelius has found even more ways to give musicians the freedom to write music without technical worries. These fantastic new features make Sibelius 5 well worth the investment for composers, teachers and musicians alike."
"Writing music – and hearing it played back – in what is generally considered to be the best score-writing software on the market is, without question, an absolute pleasure"
"Sibelius 5 has raised the stakes...The audio engine and playback enhancements are well worth the upgrade price alone"
"It never ceases to amaze us how the company manages to cram so many new features into the program and yet still retain the overall sense of elegance and simplicity to use."
Overall rating: 9/10 
"Sibelius eclipses just about every other application - musical or otherwise."
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"[Sibelius] offers an outstanding combination of power and intuitive ease of use." "We love it!" |
"Sibelius remains by far the more accessible program to newcomers, and it still boasts an extensive list of elegantly implemented features."
Finale 2004 and Sibelius 3.1: Rival Music-Notation Packages Go Head-to-Head
"The program is as elegantly designed as it is powerful."
"The manual is one of the best I've ever seen: it's well written, well organized, comprehensive, and thoroughly indexed."
"Make no mistake: Sibelius's feature set is fully professional."
The magazine for the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters
"If you haven't seen Sibelius yet, then you should - it is likely to change your musical life."
"If you're buying a notation package for the first time, you'll not find anything better than Sibelius."
"Sibelius
is the Rolls Royce of music notation: fast, smooth,
easy to use, and prints beautiful sheet music. Buy with confidence
and enjoy."
"Sibelius is beautifully put together. Everything about it exudes class... it is very user-friendly and produces excellent results... the ultimate professional scoring package and first choice for composers and notators alike"
"Sibelius's automatic Arrange and Espressivo features, coupled with its chord charts, will prove a boon for music students... The guitar notation, chord symbols, and tablature features are the best you'll find... Highly recommended."
"Composers have spent enormous amounts of their time over the centuries simply inking out their music… [Sibelius] saves so much time, they could use it to write from scratch or produce a final copy or extract orchestral parts… saving maybe 50% of their time"
"Most composers find they are writing twice as much music as in their pre-Sibelius days… The only pity is that Sibelius wasn't around to benefit the great composers. Mozart would surely have completed his Requiem before pegging out, Puccini likewise with Turandot, and Schubert's Eighth would not now be called the Unfinished."
The UK's best-selling music technology magazine Computer Music has twice awarded Sibelius a 10 out of 10 rating and its Ultimate Buy Award
"The king of professional scoring packages"
"Sibelius swept the board in our scoring software group test"
"If Mozart had something like this, we would have 10 times the symphonies we have"
"The industry standard for professional sheet music production"
"I can't help being very impressed… an extremely sophisticated and powerful notation program, but in spite of this it was child's play to learn and use"
"It is rare to encounter any piece of software which is this much of a pleasure to work with, and I would thoroughly recommend Sibelius… If you don't try it before choosing a notation package, I reckon you'll end up kicking yourself"
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full article)
"I could eulogise for hours about just how fulfilling Sibelius is to use. Watching the excitement of my pupils when they use it for the first time is proof enough"
"Thanks to Sibelius, the world of composing and publishing has changed for ever"
The professional composer/arranger's favourite. Speed of use coupled with the sophistication of its features has won it admirers in all fields of musical endeavour"
"Globally acknowledged to be superb… Sibelius [is] regarded as the industry standard"
"The guitar notation, chord symbols and tablature features are the best you will find anywhere, and the new automatic Arrange features make it possible for anyone to get started with ease"
