Seeking Advice - Extreme newbie

[CMorgan]

Okay - did drum corps in the 70's,  did life, working with local h.s. drum line a couple years now.  purchased Sib 7.1 Dec 2013 to get notes on paper.  Now I'd like to have more realistic playback, and files so the kids can listen to hear it.  Up until now just using Sibelius with no special sounds, just the standard marching percussion in the band instruments.

1. Are all the special articulations in there, but I just need a Sib template to see them?  ie rim shots, LH, RH, guz stick clicks etc

2. Should I get a midi keyboard for entry?  Assume yes,  recommend an adequate product suitable use and price ratio.

3. I'm leaning toward VDL purchase - Is it superior to what is in Sibelius?

4. Should I upgrade to Sibelius 8?

[Hugh Smith]

Hi CMorgan, welcome to the forum!

1. No, and sorta.

No: What's included by default in Sibelius 7 Sounds is limited, especially for the marching sounds. (To see what is there, check out the S7S User Guide.)

Sorta: You can have the score look the way you want, but in order to get the playback you're after, the library has to have those particular sounds in it. If said library does have the sounds, then it's up to you to have everything mapped out correctly. (Or, just buy one of my templates. )

2. Yes. I've been using a 25-key M-Audio O2 MIDI keyboard for a long time now. A Korg nanoKEY2 may be one of the least expensive. And Tapspace has VDL/nanoKEY2 combo pricing. You'll just need to figure out what would work best for you.

3. Absolutely! When it comes to percussion, VDL is the way to go. (I think they could charge 2 or 3 times more than they do, but since they don't, it makes the price point an excellent buy.)

4. You don't need to. My VDL Template will work just fine in Sibelius 7.1.3.

Hope all that makes sense. Let me know if you have any more questions.

[CMorgan]

Thank you - much appreciated.

I'll be ordering by year's end...and, at my age, I am almost certain to have more questions.  I have learned quite a bit reading threads.  I must be weird because I find it fascinating.

I'll be in touch soon...