Avid Sibelius First review

For many potential customers these missing features, compared to the full version, will inform their buying decision. Many of these are perfectly reasonable, such as the lack of teaching materials or video support for use in film and TV production. Others, such as the lack of free telephone support, are less agreeable.

The most significant limitation is that projects can contain no more than 16 staves. That essentially means 16 instruments, although keyboard instruments and marimba use two staves each. This rules out orchestral arrangements, but it’s more than adequate for chamber ensembles, choirs, jazz bands and most pop music. It’s also likely to meet the needs of undergraduate music students.

A software synthesizer is built in for playback of scores, but the quality of the sounds isn’t up to the same standard as in the full version either. Still, this feature is best used as a reference while composing or arranging rather than for public consumption. The sound quality of Sibelius First is good enough for this purpose.

Students with experience of Sibelius 6 are likely to miss Panorama view, which does away with discrete pages to present notation as a continuous scrolling page. This makes navigation easier during note entry. And two surprising omissions are of double-dotted notes and breves. These particular note lengths are seldom used, but they’re certainly not advanced or professional-level techniques. Users can make do by tying other note lengths together, but it’s a fudge we’d rather not have to make.

The remaining omissions seem reasonable given the price and intended user. Most are options for breaking from conventional techniques or customising the default behaviour of the software. As such, Sibelius First copes fine with conventional-looking scores but isn’t so suitable for composers who use extended instrumental techniques. Those with specific requirements should visit http://tinyurl.com/first6 to make sure their needs are covered.

Despite the omissions, there’s little to criticise about this package. That it’s based on such a sophisticated application certainly helps, but just as impressive is how it meets the needs of potential buyers. While it won’t cut the mustard for professionals, by and large it caters amply for composers and arrangers producing conventional scores for small and medium-sized ensembles.

It isn't as flexible as the full version but the interface and the quality of the results are just as elegant, and at this price it may even encourage some creativity that would otherwise have gone untapped.

Author: Ben Pitt