# Sibelius for iPad is here



## ALittleNightMusic (Jul 29, 2021)

Deja vu?









Sibelius arrives on iPad - Scoring Notes


Sibelius has come to the iPad. We take a comprehensive first look at what you can expect from the experience.




www.scoringnotes.com


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## Markrs (Jul 29, 2021)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Deja vu?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Amazing this has come out the day after Dorico.

https://apps.apple.com/app/sibelius/id1503221259


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## d.healey (Jul 29, 2021)

And here's me running Musescore on my PineTab for the last 6 months. :D


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## maximuss (Jul 29, 2021)

What a disappointment !! We need a better playback engine and midi capabilities that would rival Dorico so we can make great mockups of our scores in Sibelius.
Sibelius is on the way out and Dorico will take over if they don't do something now. Whenever I do a score for a studio, conductors, individual etc.... they want all want a Midi realisation. This is the standard way that working professionals operate...., well everybody I know and myself included. Sibelius is being left in the dust because it will not be able to compete with Dorico. Executives of the company probably have no idea, they just count $$$$ and do not give a shshshsheeeet.


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## Toecutter (Jul 29, 2021)

maximuss said:


> What a disappointment !! We need a better playback engine and midi capabilities that would rival Dorico so we can make great mockups of our scores in Sibelius.
> Sibelius is on the way out and Dorico will take over if they don't do something now. Whenever I do a score for a studio, conductors, individual etc.... they want all want a Midi realisation. This is the standard way that working professionals operate...., well everybody I know and myself included. Sibelius is being left in the dust because it will not be able to compete with Dorico. Executives of the company probably have no idea, they just count $$$$ and do not give a shshshsheeeet.


I'm not too familiar with Sibelius (Finale user for almost 3 decades) but as a soon to be Dorico convert, I want Sibelius to succeed. Competition is a good thing.


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## Toecutter (Jul 29, 2021)

Markrs said:


> Amazing this has come out the day after Dorico.
> 
> https://apps.apple.com/app/sibelius/id1503221259



It's like the cold war of notation software...


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## SupremeFist (Jul 29, 2021)

I'm kind of amazed that Dorico and Sibelius are launching on the ipad without handwriting recognition. Why would anyone choose these over Notion or Staffpad?


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## Markrs (Jul 29, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> I'm kind of amazed that Dorico and Sibelius are launching on the ipad without handwriting recognition. Why would anyone choose these over Notion or Staffpad?


Whilst I love staffpad and after practising I find the handwriting recognition fine, others find it difficult or don't like it. I notice that others have mentioned they find shortcuts and Midi input quicker than handwriting. Plus Staffpad isn't for engraving where as Dorico and Sibelius is, plus both Dorico and Sibelius link up with their main apps allowing you to work on anything you created on the iPad in the desktop version without having to export and any issues that come with that.


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## Aldunate (Jul 29, 2021)

Maybe it's a reaction from developers to the new iPad power. Its almost a current iMac.
I'm faster with the keyboards, but workflows can change.
I can see myself sketching ideas on a portable device. 
Finishing something will get my hands cramped, though.


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## cmillar (Jul 29, 2021)

maximuss said:


> What a disappointment !! We need a better playback engine and midi capabilities that would rival Dorico so we can make great mockups of our scores in Sibelius.
> Sibelius is on the way out and Dorico will take over if they don't do something now. Whenever I do a score for a studio, conductors, individual etc.... they want all want a Midi realisation. This is the standard way that working professionals operate...., well everybody I know and myself included. Sibelius is being left in the dust because it will not be able to compete with Dorico. Executives of the company probably have no idea, they just count $$$$ and do not give a shshshsheeeet.


I don't think Sibelius has anything to worry about.

1. The majority of Sibelius users are not in the 'music for film directors' business. Probably 95% of Sibelius users are composers outside the film/video world, and out of that number most users just want to get scores and parts printed for their own use.

2. If composers need a mockup to give to a conductor for a prospective reading, Sibelius can do a perfectly capable job using any sample libraries or even with NotePerformer. In fact, people that really know how to use Sibelius to do mockups for prospective conductors or ensembles can get fantastic results with it. And again, NotePerformer is excellent enough for 90% of users who won't or don't have unusual scoring requirements.

3. Sibelius is vital to a huge percentage of educational institutions, who are perfectly happy with it. That's where the money is for them.

4. Sibelius gets better and better with each update. No need to use Dorico for 99% of Sibelius users.


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## youngpokie (Jul 29, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> I'm kind of amazed that Dorico and Sibelius are launching on the ipad without handwriting recognition. Why would anyone choose these over Notion or Staffpad?


Because it's faster.

I speed-type in a normal word processor, and that's what I liked about keyboard entry option. I can already input notes into Dorico faster than I can write them with good ole pen and paper.

This makes Staffpad the slowest and most mistake-prone method.


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## Aldunate (Jul 29, 2021)

cmillar said:


> I don't think Sibelius has anything to worry about.
> 
> 1. The majority of Sibelius users are not in the 'music for film directors' business. Probably 95% of Sibelius users are composers outside the film/video world, and out of that number most users just want to get scores and parts printed for their own use.
> 
> ...


Agree. Sibelius is more like a professional copyist software. Furthermore, it's the industry standard.
Dorico is fairly new software, but as many people are moving away from Pro Tools many are moving to Dorico.


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## Rudianos (Jul 29, 2021)

I love Notion for Ipad - and so do my students. Will download these to see if they are a bit more intuitive. Will NEVER buy StaffPad. Happy PC Finale user - just need a convenient mobile solution.... First glance I will never buy a subscription for software. I pay good - and I pay up front. Subscriptions mean I have to budget them. I keep my books clean.


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## SupremeFist (Jul 29, 2021)

Rudianos said:


> I love Notion for Ipad - and so do my students. Will download these to see if they are a bit more intuitive. Will NEVER buy StaffPad.


Interesting, why do you say that? I've used Notion on ipad off and on (more often several years ago for a particular project) and was looking at Staffpad...


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## Aldunate (Jul 29, 2021)

I understand this new mobile software as a sketching aid.
Maybe I'm accustomed to the computer workflow, but I can't see myself finishing something on the bus or while walking.


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## Rudianos (Jul 29, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> Interesting, why do you say that? I've used Notion on ipad off and on (more often several years ago for a particular project) and was looking at Staffpad...


because Notion all in is like $40 for solid notation sounds and handwriting. Its insanely fast to type wit ha digital piano one hand and other hand to shift rhythms. It is a bit quirky though so its worth keeping options open... Staffpad - where is the keyboard on the screen to input notes? I dont even own an Apple Pen or Stylus LOL. If I do buy Staffpad I am going to feel pressured to spend hundreds on extra sounds. Nope.


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## Aldunate (Jul 29, 2021)

Rudianos said:


> because Notion all in is like $40 for solid notation sounds and handwriting. Its insanely fast to type wit ha digital piano one hand and other hand to shift rhythms. It is a bit quirky though so its worth keeping options open... Staffpad - where is the keyboard on the screen to input notes? I dont even own an Apple Pen or Stylus LOL. If I do buy Staffpad I am going to feel pressured to spend hundreds on extra sounds. Nope.


Agree. Handwriting recognition is like an engineering dream.
Not fast nor ergonomic.


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## youngpokie (Jul 29, 2021)

Aldunate said:


> I understand this new mobile software as a sketching aid.
> Maybe I'm accustomed to the computer workflow, but I can't see myself finishing something on the bus or while walking.


Maybe you could start it on the bus/walking and then continue at home later on?


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## Markrs (Jul 29, 2021)

Rudianos said:


> because Notion all in is like $40 for solid notation sounds and handwriting. Its insanely fast to type wit ha digital piano one hand and other hand to shift rhythms. It is a bit quirky though so its worth keeping options open... Staffpad - where is the keyboard on the screen to input notes? I dont even own an Apple Pen or Stylus LOL. If I do buy Staffpad I am going to feel pressured to spend hundreds on extra sounds. Nope.


I like notion but I would argue the default sounds in Staffpad are better than those in Notion and on sale it is $59. The negative is that you have to use handwritten note entry. Where as with Notion you can play in the music, step it in changing the note value or hand write it in. I think Notion is excellent value, very flexible notation app, but it do prefer Staffpad for the quality of the sound output


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## Aldunate (Jul 29, 2021)

youngpokie said:


> Maybe you could start it on the bus/walking and then continue at home later on?


Sure! That's what I was trying to communicate as a sketching tool.
The question is; Would you finish a work on a tablet?


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## dcoscina (Jul 29, 2021)

cmillar said:


> I don't think Sibelius has anything to worry about.
> 
> 1. The majority of Sibelius users are not in the 'music for film directors' business. Probably 95% of Sibelius users are composers outside the film/video world, and out of that number most users just want to get scores and parts printed for their own use.
> 
> ...


most engraving score houses use Sibelius in LA. or Finale. Dorico is the new upstart on the block and has some ways to go before it's up to that level of speed and features. I love Dorico, don't get me wrong. But it doesn't do some basic things, or else it's time-consuming and clumsy. But for composing, it's delightful.


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## youngpokie (Jul 29, 2021)

Aldunate said:


> Sure! That's what I was trying to communicate as a sketching tool.
> The question is; Would you finish a work on a tablet?


I was thinking of a workflow (in Dorico) where I have the file in the cloud and open it either on the tablet (for sketching ideas) or later on the desktop (for working/finishing them). 

Perhaps in some cases (SWAM libraries, which are available for both iPad/desktop) it's already easy to set up? I don't know what other libraries are available on iOS, but it's probably the case of setting up the structured playback template that includes the mobile and desktop options in ranked order so it can be shared with the file and opened in any required setup.

But even just cloud-stored note-entry, without serious playback, is already a better workflow then humming a melody into an iphone and then importing it into DAW later on.


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## Aldunate (Jul 29, 2021)

I haven't used it so I'm talking poop here.
A great tool to write an idea while on the move.
It is great and usually, mobile workflows feedback into stationary ones.


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## Toecutter (Jul 29, 2021)

dcoscina said:


> I love Dorico, don't get me wrong. But it doesn't do some basic things, or else it's time-consuming and clumsy.


What basic things it doesn't do? Like basic basic (not some complex macro or weird script) that you can do in Sibelius but take a long time in Dorico? I'm learning Dorico on the ipad and so far so good, doesn't seem to be missing anything... the plan is to move to the desktop when I can upgrade to 4.0.


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## Markrs (Jul 29, 2021)

Below is the difference between the free, regular and ultimate tiers of Sibelius for mobile.

https://www.avid.com/for-mobile/mobile-comparison
There is also a PDF that give the difference between them on desktop but it also mentions if certain features are not available on the iPad version.

https://cdn-www.avid.com/-/media/avid/files/products-pdf/zappa/sibelius-comparison-guide.pdf


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## youngpokie (Jul 30, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> What basic things it doesn't do?


I'd like to know too


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## aeliron (Jan 5, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Deja vu?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was excited to try this, but ... anyone else finding the handwriting recognition just a nightmare?

I AM running this on an old iPad Pro, if that makes a diff.


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## cmillar (Jan 14, 2022)

Just saying that FWIW the Sibelius iPad app is really pretty awesome, especially for one who's used Sibelius for years and understands it.

Even being able to use just a finger for note input is pretty cool....and more accurate and time-saving than StaffPad was for me (and I have good hand skills).

And the desktop version of Sibelius still does it all these days for any composing/parts printing that 99% of the worlds musicians will ever need for real world projects. It gets better and better with every upgrade!


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