I don't have much time to make an elaborate reply, so I'll just write what
comes off of my head. probably in the next replies lots of corrections
will be made. Disclaimers:
- I use sibelius only for engraving of mainly new music for some
publishers and individuals. The first thing I do when I set up the program
is shutting off audio, so I can't help you about that (and that was one of
the most important features in sib5).
- I don't use finale, so I can't compare both
- presently I use sib4 (german)
The things I see for sibelius are
- easy and intuitive to learn. I learned it on an Acorn more than 10 years
ago, without looking at the manual. After a gap of some years, I continued
working with it with no problems on a pc.
- all tools are at a "hands' reach", no complicated tabs or macros
necessary.
- very easy and fast to manipulate graphical details, document parameters,
etc. (margin size, drag-around distance between staves etc.)
- good detailed work until a certain limit (more below)
- very nice, warm-looking out-of-the-box parameters, should impress any
beginner
- good, attentive support from staff and other users
- backwards support (i laughed a lot when I learned that finale couldn't
do that, I think it's the only program I know that doesn't allow it) - I
only used it a couple of times, with no noticeable problems.
- the plugin language (manuscript) was finally fully (?) developed in sib5
and against it:
- although sib allows for some detailed work, after a certain level some
things aren't possible. these details have usually to do with tiny details
that only 3% of the users might notice. for what I've seen, finale goes
much more further in that than sibelius
- the developing tendency of the software in the last versions has been
going in the direction to make sib more appealing to film music and
educational clients - in my view, to make the program a standard to the
most stable clients, industry and academia (and once they've chosen a
program, they won't change that soon). there were quite relevant
developments in engraving issues (specially in sib4), but there are also
some details that a "market leading" notation program should be able to do
and that for lots of versions haven't been adressed (the sentence "no
faking" in their promotion is quite fake). I only remember one concrete
example now: cross-staff notes can be done only in the same instrument,
and not further away than 1 staff. of course this and much more is on
their wish list, but we have no access to the wish fairy, so we don't know
what are the priorities for the next version until it comes out.
- sib5.0 was reportedly buggier than other versions. maybe the 5.1 update
will put some order in it. for engraving I name it sib4.5, as the most
blaring features were related to audio. most engrabing-related features of
sib5 were a consolidation of what sib4 started doing.
Overall, I would recomend sibelius to 95% (or more) of the users: people
who need to produce - fast or not - something which looks nice/good, but
will never going to be looking 10 minutes at a printed A4 page to search
for small imprecisions. if you want full control of everything you want to
have in the page without going through tortuous paths, then buy an old
computer and get score - or after that use finale. a friend of mine was
considering going from finale to sibelius, but when he learned about sib
in more detail, he said he would never allow loose the level of control he
has in finale.
Anyway, don't take my word for it, download the demo and try it, or ask
someone else - even the staff from sibelius will answer your questions,
and they know finale well. There is also a number of sib-fin compatible
users around that should be more relevant for you than me.
João Miguel Pais
Am 17.10.2007, 14:10 Uhr, schrieb Robert Patterson
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
João Miguel Pais wrote:
I am a only-Sibelius user, but I like to read this list,
Would you be willing to share some things you don't like about Sibelius?
In this case, the devil we know has us so irritated that many are
considering going acourting with the devil we don't. But I'd like to
know some more about that other devil before I buy my flowers.
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