sibelius 5 "vs" cubase as a sequencer

Hi,

I hope I can get a bit of advice from someone who's familiar with producing audio files. In the past I've used sibelius 4 for composing and importet the MIDI files into Cubase to use my VST orchestra. At the time I'm considerign to buy sibelius 5 (because you can directly implement VSTs in this program). But most people who use VST instruments use Cubase for audio file production.
Now I wonder if Sibelius (as a sequencer) has any disadvantages to cubase.

Greetings,
olibrehm

Sibelius is vastly less useful than Cubase as a sequencer, largely because it's not MEANT to be used as a sequencer.

Sibelius is fundamentally a piece of NOTATION software - it may start including features for basic sequencing, but it doesn't rival the capabilities of Cubase which is dedicated to sequencing.

There really isn't much of a comparison between the two because they're intended for entirely different things: Sibelius for notation, Cubase for sequencing.

If I were the snarky type, I would state that Sibelius has enough problem producing professional quality notation, let alone producing sound.

But I'm not the snarky type.


Nope, not at all.

It depends on how you go about composing. I use Cubase because its VST and midi implementation is way beyond Sibelius. However if you are used to composing in notation as you will still find it difficult to compose straight into Cubase because the notation side of the programme is cumbersome. I am not a Sibeelius user and in fact the notation side of Sibelius is also cumbersome. It depends largely on whether you want to produce scores (Sibelius) or music audio/midi (Cubase).

Both is good if you're unsure. I compose solely in Sib 5 at the moment but that's only because I can't actually get cubase to work on my current computer. It's a good piece of software but if you need a sequencer, you NEED something like Cubase. Period. It is just so much more versatile for that sort of thing.

Hey, thanks for the many answers!

Originally Posted by flint-wwrr

If I were the snarky type, I would state that Sibelius has enough problem producing professional quality notation

Originally Posted by ablyth

I am not a Sibeelius user and in fact the notation side of Sibelius is also cumbersome.

What do you use for notation then? Finale?? Whats wrong with Sibelius?

Of course I know that Sibelius isn't really "meant" for sequencing, but I don't really know what features of Cubase I'd miss. I mean I'm 17 and basically I just want to practice composing and be able to listen to the audio demos of the VST instrument or to show them to others.

Composing directly in Cubase is not an option in my opinion. I think it's quite horrible and steals all my creativity .

^Sibelius sounds better suited for your needs.

The weaknesses of Sibelius are minely in playback, there are alot of articulations that Sibelius wont playback properly (despite the claims on the website!) that Finale will. But it's still very solid especially for what you're looking for.

If you want a basic sequencer for a bit of track automation and a few effects then go download Reaper. I've just started using it and as far as I can tell it's a dumbed down, more reliable version of Cubase basically! And you can use VST instruments in it.

Okay, then go to the websites of Final and Sibelius, download the demos of their full versions, play around with each, see which you prefer in terms of composition process, usability, interface, etc and then buy it and you're good to go.

If you don't even know what you'd be missing from Cubase then chances are good that you won't be missing anything at all. Either Sibelius or Finale can handle VST instruments just fine, so figure out which of the two programs you prefer and get composing. Technically, you could also consider Notion, but that one's not quite as polished yet - it's a relative newcomer to the market. Good software, just needs more tweaking. Still worth a look though.

Either way, forget about Cubase and figure out which notation software you prefer to use and then go with that one.

Good luck!

This question has been asked lots of times before. It's always Finale or Sibelius? Oh wait, there's Cubase, so Finale, Sibelius or Cubase? Oh wait Cubase is a sequencer....
etc.etc.etc.

Do please run a search first

Originally Posted by Marius

Okay, then go to the websites of Final and Sibelius, download the demos of their full versions, play around with each, see which you prefer in terms of composition process, usability, interface, etc and then buy it and you're good to go.

If you don't even know what you'd be missing from Cubase then chances are good that you won't be missing anything at all. Either Sibelius or Finale can handle VST instruments just fine, so figure out which of the two programs you prefer and get composing. Technically, you could also consider Notion, but that one's not quite as polished yet - it's a relative newcomer to the market. Good software, just needs more tweaking. Still worth a look though.

Either way, forget about Cubase and figure out which notation software you prefer to use and then go with that one.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Nigel

This question has been asked lots of times before. It's always Finale or Sibelius? Oh wait, there's Cubase, so Finale, Sibelius or Cubase? Oh wait Cubase is a sequencer....
etc.etc.etc.

Do please run a search first

You're right of course. In the end I'll have to find the right thing for me myself. So i'll just try the demos, but thans for the advice!