Sibelius 4 Review

“This truly is the best, and most responsive software I...”

Written on: 01/10/2007 by jasonbeckett (1 review written)

Good Points
Easy to use and powerful. This is the best composition software I have ever used. I switched over from FINALE some time ago and never looked back. It's easy to enter music through a MIDI controller, Mouse Clicking, or (my favorite) typing it directly using the corresponding keys on the alpha-numeric keyboard. The work space flow is very intuitive and all the commands have easy to remember key stokes. Print output is AMAZING. I have full control over every aspect of the output and DYNAMIC PARTS allows me to isolate specific instruments without having to export. I love the function that allows me to create a WAV file from my GPO/KONTACT sounds for demo submission or editing in AUDITION.

Bad Points
This is not so much for beginners... there is a bit of a learning curve from other composition software. The sound set is good, but not that great (it really requires the GPO add-on to get good quality playback sounds). To manage the FLEX-TIME record function (amazing feature) it requires a great processor and plenty of RAM. The KONTACT PLAYER is a double edged sword... it requires a lot of RAM and makes the program less responsive during recording... BUT it sounds great.

General Comments
This truly is the best, and most responsive software I have ever used. I was converted in VERSION 2 and have brought many of my professional associates over from FINALE. I highly recommend it.