Finale vs. Sibelius Cage Match Update (Part III)

This blog should maybe be called, "Paradise Found". I've purchased Sibelius and I've notated a few things in it so far. What is amazing to me is that without practically any knowledge of Sibelius, I've created scores that I'm not ashamed of sharing with others. That is to say, even with a very basic working knowledge of Sibelius, some good looking work can be done. It probably took me twice as long as it would have in Finale, but, very quickly the learning curve is flattening out.

I don't know that I would have caught on to Sibelius as fast as I am without knowing Finale - I mean, Finale allowed me to know what to expect to find in a notation program and my time in Sibelius seems to be trying to chase down what I'm looking for.

So, I directed my time to some study - but, let me assure you that my "study" tended to be more exciting and inspiring and not boring and drag-through-the-muddish... I think the best advertisement for Sibelius, at least for me, was some short videos that Daniel Spreadbury, Sibelius' Senior Product Manager, placed on the web. It goes very quickly through some of Sibelius 5's features. Although it is featuring the previous version of Sibelius, they are still very helpful.

http://www.sibelius.com/products/sibelius/movies/index.html

Another great resource is Daniel's "Sibelius Blog" (found at: http://www.sibeliusblog.com/) There, you can read about interesting things that are happening in the Sibelius world and learn about how Sibelius is being used in "the industry".

Meanwhile, I've found that Sibelius offers numerous opportunities for webcasts to learn more about their product. I could be wrong, but I never found any advertising for Finale to do the same. I participated in one of these webinars and found it extremely helpful and enlightening.

And, if you are thinking about using Sibelius, check out James Humberstone's "Learn Sibelius in 1 Hour" video series. (Also, find him at: http://www.composerhome.com)

This is a very informative series for the beginner. I watched all of it, even though much of it I had figured out on my own. I found that in each video I learned something new - and usually something that made me want to shut down the video and go try it on Sibelius.

Learn Sibelius in 1 Hour Link

I'm still very much learning Sibelius, but I'm finding quite a bit of joy in the exploration of it. The scores are smart and clean and the interface is intuitive. However, the most exciting part for me right now is wealth of startup support and videos. Daniel never waits a moment to steer me in the right direction - and, where else do you have any access to the Senior Project Manager? Fantastic!

My next hurdle with Sibelius is going to be programming voices so that it plays exactly the sounds that I want it to. I'm sure there will be more to come!!!

Go buy your copy of Sibelius NOW! (And, if you currently use Finale, look for the crossgrade discount!!)