To be fair, Sibelius (version 2.1 -- I don't know about earlier versions) will show you the exact measurement from a reference point that you are moving something. And it shows that while you are moving it, so if you are moving something vertically above the staff you can see exactly how far you are moving it, and thus can move any other things exactly the same amount.

With Finale, you can drag or you can tell it specific epvu measurements, but you can't see those epvu units while you are dragging.



Brad Beyenhof wrote:
My big beef with Sibelius is that it is impossible to edit the positions of
staff and group names with any sort of precision.  There is no way, as in
Finale, to insert (for example) A "Group Name" of "Bb Clarinets" exactly 144
EVPUs from the staff, and then a "Staff Name" of "1/2" (with the numerals
one above the other, no slash) exactly 72 EVPUs from the staff.  It seems
that name placement is done entirely by eye and is therefore unreliable in
output.  I'm sure almost nobody would take a ruler to a score that is sold
to them, but absolutely precise line-ups make a difference in the perceived
professionalism of the engraving.

Finale wins again.

-------------
Brad Beyenhof
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Darcy James Argue
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 2:00 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Finale] Sibelius (was: New Finale release)




On Sunday, June 8, 2003, at 03:46 PM, Jonathan Smith wrote:


21. In part extracts of Multi Wind parts you will loose the transpositions for each instrument change.

Oooh. Yes, I forgot about that. That's a deal-breaker right there, especially for jazz arranging students.



24. So you want to move an Articulation? This is what the Sibelius manual says on page 69:
"In the unlikely event that you want to move an

articulation, delete


it and create a new one as a symbol. Be aware that articulations created as symbols have no playback effect."

This is what I'm talking about when I say the manual is dripping with condescension.



31. Tenutos collide with ties on notes and you can't move 'em.

Yes, goddammit. You have to move the ties, instead (or put the articulation in a symbol), and ties are hard to move. Ties over system breaks are impossible to adjust satisfactorily.



34. Speed users will find that you are constantly grabbing

the wrong


items as the application is so slow to react.

Especially on the Mac, as you noted earlier. The gap between PC performance and Mac performance is appalling. I mean, kudos to them for getting the OS X version out on time, but their Mac version needs a serious overhaul.



38. 1st Repeat bars come out too close to key signatures

and need to


be dragged to avoid collision.

You forgot the whole business about getting ending repeat brackets to display on multiple systems. (This is a nightmare -- for starters, the height of the ending bracket is not adjustable when it spans multiple systems. You have to position it exactly right when you click it in, because once it's there, it ain't moving.)



40. When editing a text block you don’t get WYSIWYG, the

last letters


are usually missing.

Incredibly, incredibly annoying.



43. Page breaks won't stay in place if you adjust the systems afterwards, for instance if you alter the number of

measures in each


system.

See above.



47. Treble and Bass Clef changes in LH or RH Piano/Keyboard

parts get


mysteriously changed upon part extract requiring a reproof.

This I hadn't encountered. See, you find new things to hate all the time.



48. You can't move a 8va--------- extension over system

breaks to the


left or right.

Gah. Yes. Terrible.



50. Sibelius began life as a University project undertaken

by the Finn


brothers and thus it comes over as such; a rather amateurish application, even the manual has a snooty 'we know better

than you do'


air to it. They don’t.

Indeed. "In the unlikely event that you want to move an articulation... "



58. Menus are confusing, too long (submenus), and sometimes inappropriate. For example: ‘Create Text’.

Oh, yes. Sibelius seems easy to use until you need to create a text indication that isn't in the default set, like, say "Solo over vamp" or "Build towards shout at [R]".



61. Sibelius doesn’t believe in using handles for any

element which is


a great idea until two or more elements overlap and then you can’t select anything.

Urg. Absolutely.



62. Restrictive copy protection especially if you need to use it on more than one computer.

Of if you need to reinstall the OS.



64. The Sibelius web site for user problems is monitored in

such a way


that you only see the problems and solutions they want you to see.

Didn't realize that. Not surprising.


- Darcy

-----
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Boston MA

No one likes us
I don't know why
We may not be perfect
But heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the Big One and see what happens

- Randy Newman, "Political Science"

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--
David H. Bailey
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