Sibelius for Mac

User Reviews

• Intel Only

  dannshAugust 25, 2011

  Pros

  Intel Only

  Cons

  Intel Only

  Summary

  High end PowerPC's a becoming obsolete.

  ---

• A very comfortable product

  vladholy75May 21, 2009

  Pros

  More conveniet editing

  Cons

  Separate instruments should have the possibility to be united in groups

  Summary

  ---

• Speed/graphics problems

  hkimFebruary 29, 2008

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />This version is still very slow in entering notes and performing many graphically-related tasks, i.e., selecting notes, entering notes. This happens with the GPO not being used as well. Though support personnel tell me a G4 is a slower computer to run this on, that should not be since I also do photoshop work that taxes the CPU even more than any music notation software should! In short, there appear to be programming issues that have not been resolved as of yet. Though Sibelius potentially offers much for music notation, it does not bode well for OSX software to have such a problematic version as this. I suspect this software works better in Windows than OSX, despite their attempt to re-write the code for OSX. Does this thing even support openGL!?

  ---

• Not ready for prime time

  dshertzJuly 15, 2007

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I am a long time user of Sibelius 4 and a software engineer. When I installed Sibelius 5 I had nothing but problems. The installation was not very well integrated: there was a .net upgrade which had to be run separately. Plus it was suggested that files should be copied from Sibelius 4 to Sibelius 5. Later the installation guide suggest that these files may not work because of software changes. Since the job of an installation program is to copy and install the correct files, one gets the impression that the installer was very hastily done. The principle flaw was the removal of means to edit sound set plus no guide on how to create these in the new XML format. So if you were using an external synth, (I'm using Motif Rack) suddenly you old work is now unplayable. Tech support has offered the ususal banality of a fix will be ready "Real Soon, Now." Much of the functionality in the play menu is greyed out or unresponsive. (The manual only mentions that menus have been 'removed' but offers no recourse as how to replace this functionality). My recommendation is to wait six months to a year and look for positive reviews before buying this 'upgrade'.

  ---

• Good, but unreliable on network

  mikekd_dotmacJanuary 8, 2006

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Hi, been using network version on Macs at school since Sept. Very good, but really unreliable - "network server not responding" messages occur all the time. Would recomend it provided 4.1 sorts out the stability.

  ---

• Sibelius 4 - A composer's delight

  aehsmuSeptember 11, 2005

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />For many years, I used "Composer's Mosaic" from Mark of the Unicorn to notate my music. Around 1997, MOTU abandoned it's loyal base of "Mosaic" users, although to this day the company has NEVER admitted the product has been "End-of-lifed." Enter Sibelius. I made the switch from Mosaic to Sibelius when the latter was only in version 2. Version 3 made great improvements and now Version 4, with DYNAMIC PARTS, is a composer's delight. One file for score and parts. Make a change on a part and your score will reflect the change. I teach music composition and many of my students struggle with Finale. I show them the simplicity that is Sibelius and generally they make the switch. Having just finished a concert band work using the first release of Sibelius 4, I can attest to the software's stability and useability. It just works.

  ---

• Omigodâ?¦

  windrag1July 6, 2005

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Dynamic Parts! If you've ever had to change a section in a folder of parts for a big band chart that you'd already spent countless hours getting perfectâ?¦heartbreaking! Had I known this was coming out I would have waited to update my last scoreâ?¦ Too much to try to digest. Thank you!

  ---

• Great Update

  mkummer2July 6, 2005

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I am a long term user having switched from Finale since the beginning of Mac versions available (and never regretting the switch). If been looking in the new version: with one word - GREAT! Look on their internet pages - there are stunning things to discover - and it works! Michael

  ---

• Wow! This is amazing!

  lebowmusic.comJuly 6, 2005

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I recently saw a demo of this new version 4.0 and was blown away by the new features and ease of use. The downloadable demo impresses me even more! Finale get out of the way you are on your way out! The new Dynamic Parts feature alone is worth every cent of my upgrade dollar! No more extracting parts! I own every major music notation package, but Sibelius is now so far ahead of the rest it's the only one I'll be using from now on.

  ---

• Looks good in ads, not so good for actual use

  musicman440August 22, 2004

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />If only Sibelius spent as much time/effort/money on developing their program as they do on marking it, they could have a usable piece of software. The only people that seem to be able to make use out of it at this point have a huge anti-Finale mentality. Probably because they had never used a tool-based graphics program before and prefer the look of Sibeliusâ??s interface instead. Sibelius is a simple ready-to-go music notation program that tries to make a lot of decisions for you and maintain a simple interface. Unfortunately, simple is not always better. In this case, simple means a lot of tedious mouse clicks and several steps to do the most basic functions. Not to mention the inability to perform some more advanced functions. No scroll view, cannot undo plug-ins, no smart slurs, and the fact that its ability to import Finale files is worthless just makes it unusable for people who need professional-quality sheet music. Despite what most Sibelius marketers and users have said, I have not found it to be a comparable substitute for Finale. Since Sibelius and Finale are around the same price, there really is no advantage for me to buy Sibelius. I think the reason that all other companies try to compare themselves to Finale is because it is currently the best that is available. If you already have Finale, Iâ??d say stay with it. The grass is not greener on the other side.

  ---