3/28/2024 0 Comments Sibelius strings quartet sib![]() Handy or what? This is one of the few aspects of the program where slow hardware becomes noticeable, and you will probably want to be on the right side of 200MHz to fully appreciate the benefits. ![]() The screen redraw time on my 133MHz machine was around a tenth of a second - certainly quicker than turning pages by hand, especially when referring back over several pages in a full written score. Dragging the viewing window off the edge of the miniature score will force the screen view to move on the next (or previous) couple of pages. Moving around the score is accomplished by either dragging a blank part of it with the mouse pointer in any direction you like, or by using a little navigation window in the bottom left‑hand corner of the screen, which has a miniature picture of one or two pages with a highlighted pane over part of it, corresponding to the actual current screen display by dragging this pane around, your screen view follows. The first time the score appears you can't fail to be impressed by the layout and clarity - even the background 'paper' is textured to make it more realistic. This particular study is in C sharp minor, but all that can be changed. The example file/score you are invited to open is one of a series of piano studies written in 1853 by a chap called Heller (see above) who hopefully, by now, won't mind people messing around with his composition while they discover the delights of Sibelius. To help the initial learning process, there are a couple of ready‑made example scores in memory as I naturally tend to regard songs as 'scores' rather than 'files' this helped to make me feel very much at home with this product. When you print from Sibelius you are presented with a whole host of manuscript format options, as shown here. I decided to follow the manual's advice and follow the 'quick tour' section right through - I can recommend this to any new user (or anyone just wanting a demo of the main features) as it only takes about half an hour to begin to really appreciate the power and scope of this package. The installation process went smoothly everything which was supposed to happen, happened - up came the Sibelius front page and registration dialogue box (you can skip registration and get right on with it, although printing and saving will time out after three days and remain disabled until you enter your registration code). ![]() The manual promised step‑by‑step handholding, and I for one appreciated this additional bit of stroking. I felt somewhat reassured by the statement 'we'll go out on a limb and tell you what actually happens' - apparently I wasn't going to be cast adrift in the usual 'close the CD drawer and follow the instructions on screen' fashion. As I have a history of somewhat uncertain relationships with computers (never did completely master my ZX81) I began by reading all the stuff at the front of the manual concerning installation and the like. The Sibelius packaging contains a CD‑ROM, a small but chunky spiral‑bound user manual, a couple of technical information sheets and a cardboard 'crib tower' which when assembled stands on your desk and tells you all the keyboard shortcuts (more on them later). The light rectangle can be dragged for fast movement from one section to another. Note the navigation box in the bottom‑left corner of the screen, giving you constant feedback as to your location in the overall manuscript. Naturally, I have a few small complaints about the notation features of my current package, especially when it comes to printing, but my first foray into Sibelius territory is nevertheless from a position where I am more or less content with what I have, but am now interested in a more powerful tool for the business of writing, arranging and printing within a dedicated notation environment rather than creating music with a sequencer. I have been using my comfy old Emagic Notator SL software for some years now, but as the majority of my work involves scorewriting and arranging for live performance, the program's sequencing capabilities have seen little use. Provided that you can get the job done, you don't necessarily think about what you might be missing. If it has drawbacks, you learn to work around them until sometimes you cease to even remember that they're there. Software is like any other studio gear - you get used to it, and become familiar in time with all its funny little ways. Arranger and conductor Mike Crofts checks out one of the few dedicated scorewriting programs. Most MIDI sequencers now include some notation facilities, however, these fall some way short of the needs of the scorewriting professional. Sibelius in action: a finished manuscript.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |