Finale v. Sibelius

Hello out there. I am interested in getting some music software but I do not know what to get. Right now I have little experience in composing but I really want to get into it more regularly. I am not a music major but I am a music minor so I am doing this more on my own. Any suggestions for someone who is just starting out in it?

Download both demos and decide for yourself.

lolz... i have both! But, I find Finale is much easier when you know how to use it. But, with Sibelius, you can just jump in!

I'd say Sibelius. You have to look at the book they give you, but you save time writing. I suggest Sibelius 6. It's great

I'd say Sibelius. You have to look at the book they give you, but you save time writing. I suggest Sibelius 6. It's great

Actually, I will agree... Sibelius 6 IS the best buy out there right now.

I really don't think it matters that much in the end. Both are good pieces of software and once you learn how to use them effectively they will probably both be able to fulfill your needs adequately. So for me there are mostly two main criteria:

- What feels more comfortable to you upon trying it? (To find this out, do what Flint said and download the demos)

- If you exchange music files with other people regularly, what is the program those other people use, so you don't have too many compatibility issues? (Using a similar program as your friends/collegues do also is good when you need to get help with your program or have questions about its use.)

I picked Finale mainly for this second reason - it's pretty much the standard program at my school and most people I've worked with together also used Finale. So it was the most practical choice.

Hello out there. I am interested in getting some music software but I do not know what to get. Right now I have little experience in composing but I really want to get into it more regularly. I am not a music major but I am a music minor so I am doing this more on my own. Any suggestions for someone who is just starting out in it?

I use Sibelius (6 to be precise) and I did use Finale (98 version I think), and having read the various threads in the various forums, Finale is equally as good but takes a little longer to get used to it, whilst Sibelius gets you going asap.

I cannot compare both as it's been 10 years ago since I used Finale and it was hard work then but I did enjoy writing, typesetting and printing. However, I found Sib 5 (then upgrade to 6) pretty good in getting your stuff written down. It seems to do whatever you need it to do.

As suggested, down both demos and play with them and see which one you like best.

Of course, if you are starting out in composition, maybe the freebies or the cheaper notation programs (I cannot remember the name of one being advertised here once) as these 'professional' packages can be expensive, and there is a reason why they are...

I personally think Finale produces better looking scores without as much effort. I personally find Sibelius' noteheads to be a bit to large, etc. Basically I find Sibelius produced scores to be a but more cumbersome to look at where as Finale is a bit more sleek (the scores they produce do look quite different if all you do is plug in notes and hit print).

I use Finale, so I'm not sure, but I'd assume fonts can be changed etc., in Sibelius to produce an identical score to those done in Finale, but from what I've read and from talking to people, Sibelius I believe is a bit more "user-friendly" upon initial use, however Finale, once you get the swing of things, offers a bit more. I guess it all depends on how much effort and work you're going to want to put into making a score. Personally I spend almost as much time on score preparation as I do on actually writing a piece (I'm one of those "every single detail needs to be perfect" kinda guys), and I find Finale to work quite well with my needs. I hadn't used a computer to engrave scores until very recently (I'm a handwriter) but Finale allows me to make scores appear exactly as I want (this includes changing fonts to get thicker flags or slightly different, but a bit better looking clefs, "oversized" meters, microtonal accidentals, "cut-out" scores/other "graphic notations", etc.).

I suppose it doesn't make a huge difference, but for really tweaking and fine-tuning and getting perfect looking scores, Finale seems to be the way to go.

They both have a playback feature though, if that is pretty much what you're looking for. And they both work if you know how to use them.

They both have a playback feature though, if that is pretty much what you're looking for. And they both work if you know how to use them.

Bahaha... I don't know why, but I "lol'd" at this remark.

So, the consensus is this: If you are looking for a long term project of experience and learning (WHICH I might recommend if you are planning on becoming a composer, since it doesn't happen overnight anyway...) I would go with Finale. It has everything Sibelius does.

BUT!! If you are looking for EASY to use, go with Sibelius 6. Both have their advantages. And, it all comes down to THIS: personal taste. You MUST try both. I know I got Sibelius 5... and after 5 minutes I was back hugging my finale screen. haha. It was just.. sickening to my stomach for some reason.

But, that was because I had used Finale for so many years. You have to understand, Sibelius is great, it's professional and everything.. but... Finale is made for user ability. You just CANNOT do graphically in Sibelius what you can do with Finale. (now, I COULD be wrong... but I have HEARD)

So yeah.. just trying to level the playing field.

You just CANNOT do graphically in Sibelius what you can do with Finale. (now, I COULD be wrong... but I have HEARD)

I can just imagine the extended speech Justin Tokke would give you at this point

I can just imagine the extended speech Justin Tokke would give you at this point

Both are fine choices! Do whatever suits. I personally use Sibelius 5, but like Morivou that's because Sibelius was the first thing I used. I've tried Finale a few times but I just can't wrap my head around it, so I come back to Sibelius.

I hear from alot of people that Sibelius, especially 6, is better if you want to create scores, but Finale offers better playback options for music you write in it. Accurate articulations for example is something Sibelius is rather hit and miss with.

Also, to go back to your original question:

"I am interested in getting some music software but I do not know what to get."

Might I recommend Cubase or Sonar? For actual music creation, alot of people on here have been telling me that a Digital Audio Workstation is the right way to go, and after getting Cubase 4 and seeing what it can do I am inclined to agree.

and again, download demos and try for yourself. It doesn't do much good for you if you don't like or can't work with the program.

I use Finale 2009, after using fin2002 for years (7 to be exact) and fin98 before. I like it. Never tried Sibelius, so I wont say ugly things about it.

People know lilypond?

Lilypond is unnecessary.

Every score I've done in Finale looks beautiful.

Lilypond... ugh... don't even get me started. The ONLY reason I would use that is to have some fun on the weekends when I don't have anything better to do.

Can anybody here do a comparison on both software packages ability to deal with more unorthodox and/or extended techniques notation?

Can anybody here do a comparison on both software packages ability to deal with more unorthodox and/or extended techniques notation?

Nate,

From what I've seen, heard, etc. Finale is better in terms of notating more "contemporary" techniques.

What kind of "extended" notation do you want?

Though I did comment before, I would say..... just choose whichever one you think is more comfortable for you. :)

Hello out there. I am interested in getting some music software but I do not know what to get. Right now I have little experience in composing but I really want to get into it more regularly. I am not a music major but I am a music minor so I am doing this more on my own. Any suggestions for someone who is just starting out in it?

Many have already suggested downloading the demos and giving them a test drive which is a very good (and cheap!) idea. I'd venture this a bit further and ask you:

*What type(s) of music do you want to create?

*What types of instrumentation do you want to mess around with?

*What are your goals for your music created on the computer? To print them out and have them performed by live musicians? To burn them on to CD for folks to jam out to? Both?

For notation Finale or Sibelius will do just great. They'll also do pretty well for certain types of music but if you're wanting to create a wide variety of music that isn't traditionally created inside Finale or Sibelius (say for example electronica, hip hop or acid jazz) then you may want to look into a DAW application. There are MANY types of DAWs out there: Reason, Pro Tools, Cubase, Sonar, Logic, Reaper, Acid Pro and so on. They vary greatly in price, what types of hardware they support and what they can do but this would give you a more balanced and flexible application to use IF you do want to create music outside of orchestral, chorale, jazz band or marching band. Finally be open to whatever works for you. You'll see alot of flame wars about which application reigns supreme over all others. This is just moronic "fanboyism" and I'd avoid it at all costs. Each application has it's pros and cons and it's more important that you look at what unique needs and goals you have then see which tool fits you best.

So get to downloading some demos and playing around with them! It's a great deal of fun!

Nate

I've found that Finale suits me best for one reason: I used it first and Sibelius doesn't use the same hotkeys. The only thing that really upsets me about Finale at the moment is the Audio Export feature when using Garritan or other VSTs - it just doesn't work.

Maybe Sibelius is the best one, but until I can use both in the same way, I wouldn't like to begin to compare the higher feature sets!