saxlaw

Hi Andy 1044, and thanks for the response! Do you mean to separate the tracks (making, say, 12 different Sibelius "scores") and import each one individually into a track into Cubase? I think Finale may do some things that Sibelius can't..... I just don't see an audio import feature. The volume changes didn't "take" when I exported the score into Cubase. Am I omitting some procedure? Thanks again, - Jeff

Also, what about copyright/ownership issues? Since you are requesting finished product, I assume that you are looking to merely license the works, rather than to own them (though a work for hire doctrine, for example...)?

I'm experiencing somewhat similar issues that Bryan is/was.... I have Sibelius and have written some compositions that play back reasonably well on Sibelius.... They use 16 staves or less and are more or less Jazz.... I have Cubase SX3 and have just recently attempted to import from Sibelius into Cubase SX3. I've tried both MIDI and Audio export. My first goal is to be able to add audio to my Sibelius-written compositions. Specifically, I wish to add my tenor saxophone (and perhaps my alto and soprano as well). In this way, I'd have a more or less reasonable rendering of a finished product to present to my pianist, bassist and drummist. Or, I could just forget about those dudes entirely..... If I import as audio, Sibelius reduces the 16 or so staves/instruments to 2 stereo outputs. The first question is thus: 1. Is it possible to import in audio (i.e., NOT in MIDI) from Sibelius to a digital audio workstation (DAW) and keep each instrument track (e.g., french horn, bass, etc.) individual? I assume that it is not, which brings up the second question" 2. Is it possible to add audio into Sibelius? I also assume that it is not, therefore question #3: 3. Is it possible to export dynamic envelope (i.e., soft to loud over time) information from Sibelius? I've written same into my Sibelius scores, yet what results from the export is totally dynamically flat and only changeable by physically altering controller volume information (#7, I think...) by hand (which is tedious and time consuming). Ditto for pan information; the Cubase "mixer" doesn't do anything at all, despite the presence of levers and sliders on it. Also, having already written such matters into the score, is there not a way to avoid doing so again? 5. Does Protools (which, like Sibelius, is owned by Avid) work better with Sibelius? Or does Sonar, etc?) ....I have a PC laptop and am NOT getting an Apple.... 6. I've yet to buy the interface. I like Presonus and firewire, but Presonus doesn't play with Protools, so it seems that I need to figure out which software to use first, and then buy the interface. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help! - Jeff

The "mixer" in my Sibelius just disappeared... Nothing works to get it back (such as: clicking on its icon in the toolbar, hitting shift/alt/M, etc. etc. etc.). All I did was hit "mute" or "solo" in a score I'm writing, and the mixer went away.... I've not found anything in the Reference manual, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

I now have a full version of Sibelius 5. I also tried the 30 day trial of "Notion," which I picked up at NAMM Nashville. Notion permits users to defeat a feature called "fill with rests." "FWR" inputs rests to "complete" a measure while the measure is being written. I find FWR extremely annoying and want to defeat it on Sibelius, but can't find anything in the Reference materials on how to do this. On Notion it is a simple, one-button fix, as are most things in Notion, which I found incredibly easy to use. Anybody know how to do this? Thanks! - Jeff

Thanks, Vince... I think you mean that "step time" (where you input notes via a midi keyboard but not at tempo) works well? I'll check out your pieces here and when the trial Notion comes in the mail in a few days I'll see how it works! Thanks, - Jeff

Thanks both Vince and Nikolas! I take it you mean that playing a midi keyboard is a rotten way of inputting notes in Notion, and that it is only useful for mouse/staff input? Can you export Finale or Sibelius files to Notion (as Nickolas states is possible with Cubase)? I see that Bela Fleck's Futureman and his bassist brother Victor use Notion, so it might be pretty cool. I'm attending the NAMM show in Nashville in 10 days so I'll hopefully get to check some of this stuff out there.... - Jeff

Well, I'll order the Garritan big band for either F or S, as the case may be (unless, of course, N blows them away...) :D The playback function will also be useful for conveying the music to my band members, so the better it sounds, well, the better... I already have a full version of Cubase SX3, with the upgrade to Cubase 4 on the way. But --- wow --- it looks confusing! Of course, I could always get a gig for myself and the laptop if this stuff turns out to sound really good... I'm not sure how I'd feel about it from an artistic standpoint, though.... For the moment, I'm writing some small group projects with the view to a CD. The concerto will start after that!

I see... As long as notation-created scores can be imported into a sequencer, then I assume that I shouldn't be concerned with how well the notation program performs the sequencing task.... I think :) I suppose you have to have a more or less "finished product" before importing - I assume the notation components of a sequencer aren't up to snuff as far as altering subtleties.... Hopefully I'll figure enough of this stuff out to actually write a concerto for tenor saxophone and orchestra..... Hopefully I'll get a gig at Ronnie Scotts as well! - Jeff

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Nikolas! I ordered the trial version of Notion (they use snail mail and not downloads). I've made my initial attempts with the Sibelius and Finale trials; Sibelius has the edge as far as being intuitive and user-friendly (at least at first blush). I also like the "Navigator" feature; used to move around the score easily. I can see why both S and F have their fans and I look forward to experimenting with both on some level. The next question is whether scores created in S can be imported into F (my guess is "maybe") or N (I guess "no"). The "human playback" feature sounds interesting and useful for practice. I'll check out the Garritan site; thanks... I'm surprised that a more integrated program doesn't exist... It would seem logical that it do so (then again, maybe not, at least if one considers who is using what...) I'll let you folks know what conclusions I come up with; hopefully they'll have some value here... Do you (or anyone here) have a preference for using these programs in Windows XP or Vista? I assume most of you use Mac, but I have an HP (at least for now...) Thanks again, - Jeff

Hi, this is my first post in this forum... I'm also new to using computers for music (though not with music itself, I'm a Jazz saxophonist of some ability and experience). I have trial versions of Finale and Sibelius, as well as an actual, full copy of Cubase (SX3). All of these are new to me... I've used dedicated sequencers before (e.g., AKAI MPC 2000), Alesis MMT8). I read and write standard music notation (I'm a music school graduate [of some time ago...]). I've played with Dizzy Gillespie. This means that my preferred methods of inputting music into a computer are by notation or playing (saxophone or piano keyboard) (meaning, primarily, that I want to see 5 lines and 4 spaces and not something else). The Cubase interface is completely nonsensical (to me) in this regard. It appears to be made for non-musicians who don't read music (kindly correct me if I'm wrong, but why would anything other that a standard staff be necessary for someone who knows how to read music?). Further, its notation feature appears to be secondary (i.e., it functions only AFTER music is inputted via keyboard), as well as rather limited. Sibelius appears to be very easily understood, "musician-thinking," user-friendly, and intuitive. Finale appears to be somewhat less hip in the above particulars, but does, however, offer some cool features that Sibelius does not (e.g., plug-ins, inputting via wind instruments [does this really work? Can I play my cheap Coltrane imitation and have Finale transcribe it? What would Ira say?]). So it appears that I need to purchase one or the other of said programs, which leads me to my questions: 1. Which (F, S or both) permits the importing of notation files into a sequencer program (e.g., Cubase)? Is either F or S superior in this regard? The reason for the question is that I can envision writing in F or S and then hearing the composition playback in C... 2. Conversely, which sequencer program (e.g., Sonar, Cubase, etc.) accomplishes said task most easily (or does it matter which sequencer program I get - are they all the same)? 3. Do any sequencer programs (e.g., Pro Tools) have full fledged notation features, thereby obviating the need for an F or S (I assume "no," else why would F or S exist...?) 4. I further assume that there exists no "integrated," combined program that does both sequencing and notation at a high level (kindly correct me if I'm wrong...). 5. My primary purpose is (I think) probably similar to most of yours: to actually hear on the computer what my composition/arrangement actually sounds like (within reason), as opposed to creating a sequenced "thing" which doesn't require actual, breathing musicians to perform. Ultimately, the composition/arrangements are going to be played by my band, not by a computer. However, I would like the computer version to sound sufficiently plausible for practice purposes. The sounds available on the F or S trial downloads are pretty awful; I also assume that the available VST plug-ins correct this to an extent (again, kindly correct me if I'm wrong). OK; thanks for your help! Peace, - Jeff

Hi, this is my first post in this forum... I'm also new to using computers for music (though not with music itself, I'm a Jazz saxophonist of some ability and experience). I have trial versions of Finale and Sibelius, as well as an actual, full copy of Cubase (SX3). All of these are new to me... I've used dedicated sequencers before (e.g., AKAI MPC 2000, Alesis MMT8). I read and write standard music notation (I'm a music school graduate [of some time ago...]). I've played with Dizzy Gillespie.... This means that my preferred methods of inputting music into a computer are by notation (mouse or piano keyboard) or by playing (saxophone or piano keyboard) (meaning, primarily, that I want to see 5 lines and 4 spaces when inputting and not something else). The Cubase interface is completely nonsensical (to me) in this regard. It appears to be made for non-musicians who don't read music (kindly correct me if I'm wrong, but why would anything other that a standard staff be necessary for someone who knows how to read music?). Further, its notation feature appears to be secondary (i.e., it functions only AFTER music is inputted via keyboard), as well as rather limited. Sibelius appears to be very easily understood, "musician-thinking," user-friendly, and intuitive. Finale appears to be somewhat less hip in the above particulars, but does, however, offer some cool features that Sibelius does not (e.g., plug-ins, inputting via wind instruments [does this really work? Can I play my cheap Coltrane imitation and have Finale transcribe it? What would Ira say?]). So it appears that I need to purchase one or the other of said notation programs (F or S), which leads me to my questions: 1. Which (F, S or both) permits the importing of notation files into a sequencer program (e.g., Cubase)? Is either F or S superior in this regard? The reason for the question is that I can envision writing in F or S and then hearing the composition playback in C... 2. Conversely, which sequencer program (e.g., Sonar, Cubase, etc.) accomplishes said task most easily (or does it matter which sequencer program I get - are they all the same in this particular)? 3. Do any sequencer programs (e.g., Pro Tools) have full fledged notation features, thereby obviating the need for a F or S (I assume "no," else why would F or S exist...?) 4. I further assume that there exists no "integrated," combined program that does both sequencing and notation at a high level (kindly correct me if I'm wrong...). 5. My primary purpose is (I think) probably similar to most of yours: to actually hear on the computer what my composition/arrangement actually sounds like (within reason), as opposed to creating a sequenced "thing" which doesn't require actual, breathing musicians to perform. Ultimately, the composition/arrangements are going to be played by my band, not by a computer. However, I would like the computer version to sound sufficiently plausible for practice purposes. The sounds available on the F or S trial downloads are pretty awful; I also assume that the available VST plug-ins correct this to an extent (again, kindly correct me if I'm wrong). OK; thanks for your help! Peace, - Jeff