What professionals say about Sibelius 7

I've found Sibelius to be a superb notation program, one that enables me to create beautiful looking scores, whether its for my film projects or my concert work. The Magnetic layout proves to be an extremely smart feature that makes every one of my scores, large or small, appear as professional as possible, saving time and effort in the process. I would recommend Sibelius to any composer who is looking for a user-friendly and proficient way to execute their music

Sharon Farber, Composer of both film/TV works and concert works

“Sibelius 7 builds impressively on the strengths of Sibelius 6 and introduces the ribbon—a new way of working! Not only does it improve the speed of notation, but it also opens your eyes to things you never knew Sibelius could do!”

Nigel Fletcher, Professional arranger, engraver, and musical theatre composer

“I can’t compare Sibelius to other notation programs—I've never had a need to use them. More than 1,500 arrangements over seven seasons of Australian Idol and Sibelius was the go-to notation software for all of them.”

Dave Pritchard-Blunt, Musical director; Australian Idol

“Running Sibelius 7 in 64-bit is a quantum leap forward for notation and playback software!”

A. Eric Heukeshoven,Composer, educator, technologist; Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

“As someone who regularly collaborates with other composers and arrangers who use notation programs besides Sibelius, I find that the addition of built-in MusicXML export really rounds out the feature set for everything I need in music notation software.”

Bryan Harmsen, Marching band composer/arranger

“Sibelius 7 is a huge leap in notation software. It combines a modern tabbed interface, 64-bit support and lots of new functions with Sibelius's well-known user-friendly look and feel. This program is totally new and yet everything I need remains where I want it to be. Amazing! Sibelius 7 is better and more capable than ever.”

Richard Smith, Music teacher, orchestra director & composer

“The Ribbon makes Sibelius 7 even more intuitive. New users will be creating beautiful looking scores even faster, while the graphic layout of the Ribbon will encourage even the most established user to try something new.”

Paul Mellors, Educator & M.D. BBC Radio 3 Open Choir Of The Year 2010

“Every once in a while, one encounters a product that unites form and function in a way not seen before. Sibelius 7 may very well be the best execution of the ribbon UI on the market. Mark my words: This upgrade will define notation software for years to come! Sibelius 7 bridges the gap between seasoned professionals and amateurs alike. Avid has created a software that is easily approachable by anyone while at the same time providing near unlimited possibilities for the professional.”

Tobias Escher, Composer, orchestrator, educator

“The striking thing about Sibelius 7 is the new user interface—the startling thing about Sibelius 7 is how much faster the new user interface allows you to work. Are you arranging a score for a choral performance? Sibelius 7 makes you faster. Are you creating music for live playback with virtual instruments? Sibelius 7 makes you faster. Are you simplifying a score for Broadway musical auditions? Sibelius 7 makes you faster. (And that was just my day yesterday.)”

John Murdoch, Music director; Lehigh Valley Presbyterian Church, Allentown, PA

What professionals say about Sibelius 6 and earlier versions

"Sibelius is essential. Without it we just couldn't create orchestral scores for films like Quantum of Solace. There’s always so many last minute film changes and Sibelius just handles everything."

David Arnold, composer on James Bond films, Hot Fuzz & Little Britain

"I think Sibelius is a really fantastic program. I haven’t found anything that I can’t do with it yet. And I don’t think I ever will."

Dario Marianelli, Oscar-winning composer for the film Atonement

"Does just about everything except think up the music for me"

John Rutter
choral composer

John Rutter is the world's leading composer of music for choirs

"The new audio engine (A.I.R.) and Rewire capabilities in Sibelius 6 allow me to combine my classical music with my electronic music in a organic and logical way, whether in the studio or in live performance. There is no other notation software that comes close."

Ricardo Romaneiro
Composer (Esquire Magazine’s Best and Brightest 2007)

"I don't know what I did before I had Sibelius. The main feature for me is the ability to receive scores electronically, and I have lost count of the times that Sibelius has come to the rescue when I have been on the road, and needed scores and parts."

Sir James Galway, flautist

"Sibelius is a triumph of intellect, engineering, reliability, simplicity, and - above all - musicality. Sibelius enables musical dreams to come true, and has become as essential to my work as my drum set."

Peter Erskine
drummer, composer, author and educator

"Sibelius has been a fundamental tool for my music for a long time. It has become invaluable for me and my whole team in every part of the creative process."

Alberto Iglesias
Oscar-nominated composer for the film The Kite Runner

I receive scores from composers all over the world and the ones created in Sibelius have the most professional look possible – I can really visualize their creative intentions. For a conductor, that’s essential.

Leonard Slatkin, conductor

"We used Sibelius to mark parts for ourselves and all the guys in the band throughout the recording.  We found out about Scorch technology and seemed like a natural step to offer the 'Scorched' version of the score on our website."

Pat Metheny
jazz guitarist & composer

"In a totally different league from anything else"

Paul Patterson, composer & professor,Royal Academy of Music, London

The Royal Academy of Music, London, is one of the world's most respected conservatories

"Composing for a weekly series does not allow me the downtime necessary to work around software issues ... Sibelius saves me time, and its intuitive operation and overall smoothness enhance the notation experience."

Alf Clausen
composer

Alf Clausen composes the music for The Simpsons

"I rely on Sibelius"

Julian Joseph,
jazz pianist & composer

"Sibelius is one of the most innovative pieces of software I have ever used. It allows you to work the way you want to work. For me, I like to create my charts in step-time, but you can also record in real time, or from your laptop's keyboard when you're on the road. That's the beauty of Sibelius...it doesn't limit you. I used to have to dictate every note of my charts to my arrangers. Now, I can hand them a score."

Ray Charles (1930-2004) 
jazz legend

(Ray Charles used Sibelius Speaking in conjunction with Sibelius to create his scores. For more information on Sibelius Speaking click here.)

"I genuinely enjoy working with Sibelius. It's a superb notation program and composing tool"

Steve Reich
composer

Steve Reich was recently called '...America's greatest living composer' (The Village VOICE).

"I have found Sibelius a powerful and effective tool"

Michael Tilson Thomas
conductor & composer

Michael Tilson Thomas is the principal conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and former conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra

"Sibelius is a great tool: fast, light and versatile. With Sibelius I have been able to work on huge scores on airplanes, in hotel rooms, even on trains! My complicated double life as a composer and conductor has become somewhat easier to manage because of Sibelius. And as a (real) Finn, I find it very appropriate that the best notation software carries the name of the greatest Finnish composer. "

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Music Director, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra & Composer

"Sibelius is exceptionally fast and easy to use"

Lalo Schifrin
composer & jazz musician

Lalo Schifrin composed the famousMission Impossible theme and scored Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry Movies

"Sibelius has rapidly become the new industry standard"

Larry Morton
President

Hal Leonard is the world's leading music print publisher

"Sibelius would have used Sibelius"

Michael Kamen (1948-2003)
film composer

Michael Kamen composed scores for blockbuster films including Lethal Weapon and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

"Sibelius is the ultimate creative tool"

Andy Summers
guitarist & songwriter

Guitarist with The Police, Andy Summers is the composer of Grammy-nominated album The Golden Wire

" Sibelius has changed my musical horizon – making what would be impossible, possible. My dream as a child to have a machine that could cut through the cumbersome paperwork of writing music and printing parts, has become a reality and each day as my technique on Sibelius increases and as their software progresses, the task of imagining music and realizing it moves closer and closer together..."

Gil Goldstein
jazz pianist, accordion player, producer, arranger and composer

"I use Sibelius exclusively for all my arranging and composing and as my musical notebook. Last year I composed the Jamie Cullum Twentysomething songbook while we were away on tour just using my laptop on buses and planes. I could not have done it without Sibelius."

Geoff Gascoyne
bass player and arranger for Jamie Cullum

"Sibelius has certainly made life easier. Its intuitive design has helped me to bridge the gap between creativity and practicality."

Michael Brecker 
(1949-2007) jazz saxophonist/composer

"Sibelius will be the standard. What a great way to save massive amounts of time, and money!"

Michael Torke
composer

Michael Torke is one of the leading lights of America's new generation of composers

" I find Sibelius an indispensable tool for arranging, teaching and composing music. It is an exceptionally easy program to learn and use but extremely powerful; it's streets ahead of the competition."

"I had tried a few other programs but found them too tedious and cumbersome. Inputting music in Sibelius is extremely easy and quick. My students find it very useful for learning difficult rhythmic passages, especially those in contemporary music. "

John Feeley
classical guitarist

"Sibelius is the best thing to happen to composers since the invention of the propelling pencil"

Howard Goodall
film & television composer

"The amount of time that was spent on the physical side of writing things out is taken away, and I'm just using time creatively."

Django Bates
Jazz performer and composer

"The most innovative and complete music scoring application!"

Roberto Gatto
drummer, arranger and composer

"Sibelius is the most intuitive notation program I've seen. It's 
an absolute joy to use."

Mike Mainieri
jazz vibraphonist, producer, arranger 
and composer

"Sibelius 5 allows me to collect my musical ideas and recall them rapidly and efficiently. I particularly like to write my scores by playing directly to my computer though my guitar synth and make changes rapidly when needed. Sibelius 5 is a magical tool and I can't thank enough the great people that have designed it and refining it through the years."

Peppino D’Agostino
composer, performer and recording artist
(voted “Best Acoustic Guitarist” - 2007 Guitar Player Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards)

“Sibelius has been a dream come true! Whether I'm writing compositions or exercises for a drum book, the Sibelius software provides wonderful notation, saves time, and helps me stay organized!"

Danny Gottlieb
Drummer, Clinician, & Author

"Every copyist in my crew at the Universal Studios Music Library is completely wowed by the stability and ease of Sibelius 4. In Apple's OSX it is rock-solid and extremely fast. We just used Sibelius for Denzel Washington's Inside Man and IMAX's Deep Sea 3D (composer, Danny Elfman) and were impressed by its reliability. Congratulations on your new release!"

Stuart Balcomb
Supervising Music Copyist
Universal Studios

“Thank goodness for Sibelius. It makes my job and my life so much easier. Being able to export directly from Pro Tools is a big help. It's easy to make any changes quickly that might be needed in the score and reprinting the parts is a breeze. Just one thing less to worry about when I'm in a rush to get things done.”

Stevie Blacke
Producer, Composer, & Songwriter

What Finale users say about Sibelius 6 and earlier versions

“I always struggled with Finale - never felt entirely at ease with it - but considered it to be the best engraving software out there. A fellow music editor convinced me to give Sibelius a try and I've been a "convert" ever since. I’d like to add that I never miss a chance to tell other musicians how well Sibelius performs and how easy it is to use. I don't believe any software is truly "intuitive," but Sibelius lives up to its hype and its good press. Thank you for an awesome tool!”
—Mark Carlstein
pianist and composer

"I consider the two months I spent trying to learn Finale as among the most frustrating in my whole life. Sibelius is written for people like me, who think like musicians, not like geeks."
—Mary Lycan
(Treble Clef Music Press)

"I used Finale regularly until Sibelius came out. Within an hour of installing it, I knew I would never want to use Finale again. Jobs that used to take a day in Finale can be done in a couple of hours in Sibelius"
—Richard Hubbard
arranger and lecturer

"I switched [from Finale to Sibelius] and will never go back. I used Finale for years and most of my writing has been in Finale, but I had no trouble switching. As soon as I finish converting all of my Finale stuff, I'm going to take Finale off my computer altogether"
—Joe Thrower
choir director

"I used Finale for nearly ten years, but after one look at Sibelius I switched over and haven't regretted it since. Illinois State purchased Sibelius for all of our music computer labs. Our students (to whom we taught Finale last year) are amazed by its power and ease of use"
—Stephen Taylor
music professor, Illinois State University

"I am a long-time Finale user who is learning Sibelius... which looks to be the freedom from a notational tyranny that has enslaved me for many years now"
—Scott Foglesong
professor, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

"I have been using Sibelius for only two weeks, and I am already convinced that it is far better than Finale"
—Michael Gurt
piano professor, Louisiana State University

"I got Sibelius yesterday and I'm completely sold! I only wish I had switched years ago!"
—Kyle Sanna
guitarist and composer

What the media says about Sibelius 6 and earlier versions

Magnetic Layout

"This is a wonderful and ground-breaking feature representing a huge time-saver to anyone producing complex scores."

"This is a remarkable achievement and this feature alone makes the upgrade an absolute must for any composer, arranger or copyist."

Classroom Control

"This great new feature ensures that you are in control and can see that students are working as they should be and is ideal for multiple Sibelius classroom installations."

"Undoubtedly the best notation software we've used to date... This is an impressive update with a raft of new features and improvements that put Sibelius 6 ahead of the field."

"Sibelius 6 is an incredible update to a program that was already pretty incredible."

"Sibelius is one of those applications that always seems to do everything you need. Except that, after a new version is released, you always end up with a variety of new features that you now simply couldn’t imagine living without!"

"Sibelius 6 gives educators new tools for leading lessons, tracking students' progress and helping burgeoning composers make amazing music."

Yamahamusicsoft.com Blog

"Full marks to Sibelius...Ideas Hub is an indispensably brilliant tool... Panorama is a truly beautiful way of working on a score... An essential upgrade."

"If you’re not already using Sibelius... Well, you’ve only yourself to blame!"

"What is there to say in praise of Sibelius that hasn't been said before?"

"Sibelius 5 is a first class piece of software... an outstanding program"

"The Ideas Hub is fantastic! I've been wanting this feature in every piece of music software I've ever used." Ronan Macdonald (Editor)

“[Sibelius 5 is] an essential upgrade packed with innovation and improvement.”

“Look out for Ideas Hub, a collection of "oven ready" musical ideas which can be augmented by users' own material and tagged for instant retrieval, and Sibelius Sounds Essentials, a premium selection of sound samples.”

"Sibelius 5.0 is simply staggering in its capabilities. It will do almost anything you can think of and a lot of things that never entered your head before. If you’re serious about musical notation, this is the package to choose."

“[Sibelius 5 is] an essential upgrade packed with innovation and improvement.”

“Look out for Ideas Hub, a collection of "oven ready" musical ideas which can be augmented by users' own material and tagged for instant retrieval, and Sibelius Sounds Essentials, a premium selection of sound samples.”

“Sibelius 5 is recommended to all. For flexibility, ease of use and quality, I have found nothing to beat it. I welcome this new upgrade with open arms, knowing that my job has just become a little easier.”

"Sibelius has found even more ways to give musicians the freedom to write music without technical worries. Thesefantastic new features make Sibelius 5 well worth the investment for composers, teachers and musicians alike."

"Writing music – and hearing it played back – in what is generally considered to be the best score-writing software on the market is, without question, an absolute pleasure"

"Sibelius 5 has raised the stakes...The audio engine and playback enhancements are well worth the upgrade price alone"

"It never ceases to amaze us how the company manages to cram so many new features into the program and yet still retain the overall sense of elegance and simplicity to use."

"Sibelius eclipses just about every other application - musical or otherwise."

"[Sibelius] offers an outstanding combination of power and intuitive ease of use."

"We love it!"

"Sibelius eclipses just about every other application - musical or otherwise."

"Writing music – and hearing it played back – in what is generally considered to be the best score-writing software on the market is, without question, an absolute pleasure"

"Sibelius 5 has raised the stakes...The audio engine and playback enhancements are well worth the upgrade price alone"

"It never ceases to amaze us how the company manages to cram so many new features into the program and yet still retain the overall sense of elegance and simplicity to use."

"Sibelius remains by far the more accessible program to newcomers, and it still boasts an extensive list of elegantly implemented features."

Finale 2004 and Sibelius 3.1: Rival Music-Notation Packages Go Head-to-Head

"The program is as elegantly designed as it is powerful."

"The manual is one of the best I've ever seen: it's well written, well organized, comprehensive, and thoroughly indexed."

"Make no mistake: Sibelius's feature set is fully professional."

The magazine for the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters

"If you haven't seen Sibelius yet, then you should - it is likely to change your musical life."

"If you're buying a notation package for the first time, you'll not find anything better than Sibelius."

"Sibelius is the Rolls Royce of music notation: fast, smooth, easy to use, and prints beautiful sheet music. Buy with confidence and enjoy."

"Sibelius is beautifully put together. Everything about it exudes class... it is very user-friendly and produces excellent results... the ultimate professional scoring package and first choice for composers and notators alike"

"Sibelius's automatic Arrange and Espressivo features, coupled with its chord charts, will prove a boon for music students... The guitar notation, chord symbols, and tablature features are the best you'll find... Highly recommended."

"Composers have spent enormous amounts of their time over the centuries simply inking out their music… [Sibelius] saves so much time, they could use it to write from scratch or produce a final copy or extract orchestral parts… saving maybe 50% of their time"

"Most composers find they are writing twice as much music as in their pre-Sibelius days… The only pity is that Sibelius wasn't around to benefit the great composers. Mozart would surely have completed his Requiem before pegging out, Puccini likewise with Turandot, and Schubert's Eighth would not now be called the Unfinished."

The UK's best-selling music technology magazine Computer Music has twice awarded Sibelius a 10 out of 10 rating and its Ultimate Buy Award

"The king of professional scoring packages"

"Sibelius swept the board in our scoring software group test"

"If Mozart had something like this, we would have 10 times the symphonies we have"

"The industry standard for professional sheet music production"

"I can't help being very impressed… an extremely sophisticated and powerful notation program, but in spite of this it was child's play to learn and use"

"It is rare to encounter any piece of software which is this much of a pleasure to work with, and I would thoroughly recommend Sibelius… If you don't try it before choosing a notation package, I reckon you'll end up kicking yourself"

"I could eulogise for hours about just how fulfilling Sibelius is to use. Watching the excitement of my pupils when they use it for the first time is proof enough"

"Thanks to Sibelius, the world of composing and publishing has changed for ever"

Crescendo and Jazz Music

"Globally acknowledged to be superb… Sibelius [is] regarded as the industry standard"

"The guitar notation, chord symbols and tablature features are the best you will find anywhere, and the new automatic Arrange features make it possible for anyone to get started with ease"

The professional composer/arranger's favourite. Speed of use coupled with the sophistication of its features has won it admirers in all fields of musical endeavour"