Should I upgrade to Sibelius 7?

[Hugh Smith]

I'm sure there's more out there, but here are a few places where you can get more general information about Sibelius 7.

Sib 7 main page - http://www.sibelius.com/products/sibelius/7/index.html
Sibeliusblog - http://www.sibeliusblog.com/news/sibelius-7-is-here/
Videos - http://www.sibelius.com/products/sibelius/7/movies/whats_new.html


Question: Should I upgrade to Sibelius 7? As far as the current templates go, Sibelius didn't change anything that has a direct impact on their use of them. However, there may be some setup issues you'll need to overcome.

Be sure you understand what the Sibelius 7 system spec requirements are before upgrading!
Sibelius 7 does not run on PowerPC-powered Macs. Sibelius 7 does not support Windows XP. For those of you who will be needing new computers, a 64-bit OS is a must - and get as much RAM as is in your budget. SSD drives are always nice too.

The Sibelius 7 install will not override your previous version. So, for example, if you are upgrading from Sib 6, you will still be able to use both versions.

64-bit
Sibelius 7 is a fully native 64-bit application. When running in 64-bit mode, the software will only see 64-bit VST plugins (Sibelius 7 32-bit will only see 32-bit VST plugins). Since Virtual Drumline by default uses Kontakt Player 2, which is 32-bit, anyone wanting to use the 64-bit version of Sibelius 7 will be required to use Kontakt Player 4. I recommend this anyway, and it is a free download from the Native Instruments site.

Mac
From what I've seen (heard) so far, there shouldn't be any issues getting Kontakt Player and/or Aria Player and their coresponding sound sets to show up in Playback Devices.

PC
It took me a little bit to get everything setup on my Windows 7 desktop. Getting KP4 to show up didn't take much, but Sibelius didn't recognize that my Kontakt libraries were in fact installed. I had to go into the Windows Registry and create string values in the Native Instruments > Content key. I'm hoping that NI (or whoever) will supply a patch that will automate this process.

Sound sets
Where do they go? Find it here.

New UI
They decided to revamp the user interface to make it easier to get around. You may find it hard to find a few things initially, but I'm already starting to get a feel for it. And if you're like me, I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts anyway.


That's the quick highlights for now. I'm sure we'll all be learning more as we move forward.

Late
Hugh


The write-up:  http://www.thewritescore.com/forum/index.php?topic=82.0

[MarkLewis]

Can you elaborate on the registry tweaks?

I recently bought the full Kontakt 4, and Sib6 isn't recognizing the libraries from it (although I suppose it's possible I haven't done something correctly). Plus, I was considering upgrading to Sib7, but I'd really like to know how to access the libraries.

[Bill]

I installed the Sibelius 7 demo, and Aria Player and Kontakt Player 2 do not show up as available devices.  Kontakt 4 did show up, but only as an AU, no VST visible.  Also, none of my Sound Sets appeared either. 

I'll admit that I haven't had much time to really spend with the demo yet, but I've never had these problems with Sibelius 5 or 6.  The devices appeared as they should.

[Hugh Smith]

Hi Mark, welcome to the forum.

Are you able to see Kontakt 4 as an available device in Playback Devices? If yes, then that part's good. Otherwise, Sibelius doesn't supply a sound set for the Kontakt 4 library by default. You'll either have to create one yourself, or go here. And getting your K4 library to show up in Sib 6 first is probably a good idea.

I'll be doing a small write-up about the registry stuff in the next few days or so.


Bill, are you doing this on Mac or PC? If it's on Mac, I won't be much help right now since I don't have one yet. We'll have to hunt someone down that can.

[MarkLewis]

Yes, I can see Kontact 4 in the Playback Devices. Actually I see 3 of them - 2 VST types and 1 Kontakt type.

It always seems like I just don't know what I'm doing with Sibelius-related add-ins, or that I have to jump through hoops. And I'm a programmer! - so I can imagine how some others may feel. You install a product - You expect it to just work. Sorry... just venting.

I'll look forward to your write-up about dealing with Kontakt, with much appreciation.

[Bryan Harmsen]

Bill, I'm not sure about Aria Player, but upgrading to Kontakt Player 4 should fix the issue of KP2 not showing up.

[Bill]

Kontakt 4 is showing up as AU only, no listing for VST.  I do believe the Play instrument is showing up as well.

Dammit why did they have to announce this during band camp season!!!!

[Hugh Smith]

It's all good, Bill. You can still use 6.

[Hugh Smith]

Mark and company, here is the write-up finally:

    http://www.thewritescore.com/forum/index.php?topic=82.0

[Hugh Smith]

It always seems like I just don't know what I'm doing with Sibelius-related add-ins, or that I have to jump through hoops. And I'm a programmer! - so I can imagine how some others may feel. You install a product - You expect it to just work. Sorry... just venting.

Yeah, I know what you mean. The problem is that all the pieces of the game don't come from the same company. And when a new or updated piece is released, well, they don't always play nicely with the older ones. When it's time for new hoops, we all just have to be patient while jumping.