Sibelius First and Sibelius 6 comparison

In addition to the features of Sibelius First, Sibelius 6 also offers:

• Fully-flexible Magnetic Layout collision avoidance (new in Sibelius 6)
• Live Tempo for "conducting" tempo playback (new in Sibelius 6)
• Version tracking and comparison (new in Sibelius 6)
• High-quality Sibelius Sounds Essentials sounds
• Ideas hub
• Panorama view
• Compose to video
• Unlimited staves
• Extract instrumental parts as separate files, plus many other features for orchestral/band music
• Features for creating worksheets & exercises
• 'Arrange' feature to help with arranging & orchestration
• Over 130 plug-ins - extra features which do useful things
• Many more notations, e.g. very long & short notes, special symbols, unusual instruments
• Publishing features to make your scores look completely professional.

Here is a comprehensive table of the differences between the two programs.
(Features which are the same in both are not listed.)

General features	Sibelius First	Sibelius 6
Types of music	Simple/moderate music of up to 16 staves	Scores & parts of any size or complexity; worksheets & exercises
Available as	Single copy only	Single copy (educational discount available), 5-pack, site license, network license
No. of computers you can install a single copy on	1	2 (for use by same person, e.g. desktop + laptop)
On-screen manual	Short (about 200 pages)	Full (about 730 pages)
Technical help	Limited	By phone, email, fax & web site

 

Notation	Sibelius First	Sibelius 6
Accidentals	Normal & double only	Normal, double, quarter-tones, bracketed
Articulations	Common ones only	Full set
Bar numbers	At start of system only; can't restart bar numbering	Range of formats
Barline types	Single, double, repeat only	Single, double, repeat, dotted, early music
Bars, irregular	No, except pick-up bars
Beams, cross-staff (in keyboard music)	-
Beam/rest groupings	Fixed	Customizable
Brackets & braces	Fixed	Customizable
Change transposition of tranposing instruments	-
Chord symbols (appearance and MIDI/text input)	Fixed	Customizable
Cue (small) notes	-
Dotted notes	Single dot only	Single / double / triple dotted
Guitar chord diagrams	Limited
Guitar scale diagrams	-
Guitar tab	Basic only	Full
Instruments	Common instruments only, with fixed number of staves	Full customizable range
Jazz articulations	Scoops and falls only	Scoops, falls, doits and plops
Lines, custom	-
Multi-arc slurs	-
Note values	32nd (demisemiquaver) to whole note (semibreve)	512th note (7 beams) to "long" (double breve)
Noteheads, custom	-
Ossia staves	-
Page numbers	Automatic	Customizable
Special symbols	-
Split multirests (in parts)	-
Staves	Up to 16 per system	Unlimited number
Stemlets (half-stems) and ‘feathered’ beams	-
Tuplets	Duplets (2:3) to nontuplets (9:8)	Any (e.g. 2, 7, 44:31, nested tuplets)

 

Playback	Sibelius First	Sibelius 6
Edit MIDI data	-
Built-in sounds	Limited - included GM soundbank	Full range of high-quality sounds in Sibelius Sounds Essentials
Live Tempo (conduct playback by tapping)	Limited - playback only	Record, edit, clear and playback Live Tempo
Playback markings on specified repeats	-
Playback of hairpins, rits & accel	Fixed	Adjustable
Playback of fermatas	Fixed	Adjustable
Words which affect playback (e.g. legato)	Fixed	Editable

 

Utilities	Sibelius First	Sibelius 6
Arrange - automatic arranging & orchestration	-
Comments (‘sticky’ notes)	-
Compare different scores or versions	-
Copy and paste to Word and other programs	Low resolution (96dpi) only
Display timecode	Single format	Customizable format
Edit Dynamic Parts	Limited	Full
Edit word menus	-
Export a log of changes to a score	-
Export lyrics as text file	-
Export to previous version	-
Filters (for editing similar objects)	-
Find	-
Focus on staves	-
Graphics export (for e.g. creating worksheets)	-
Highlight music	-
Ideas Hub	Limited - no library	Over 2000 library ideas
Import MusicXML files
Instrument changes	-
Keyboard shortcuts	Fixed	Customizable
Lyric verses allowed	5	Unlimited
Lyrics from text file	-
Menus	Fixed	Customizable
MIDI file export	Type 1 GM only	Type 0 & Type 1 for any device
Note input options	Limited	Full
Panorama (scroll view)	-
Paper & desk textures	6	Over 60
Part extraction	-
Paste As Cue	-
Plug-ins	8	Over 130
Properties window (to edit individual objects)	Limited	Full
Rehearsal marks	Default only	Fully customizable
Repeat structures	Default only	Fully customizable
Rulers	-
Special page breaks	-
Swap voices	-
Versions	-
Video (inc. timecode and hit points)	-
Viewing options for Magnetic Layout, page margins, note colors, full screen, etc.	-
Worksheet Creator	-

 

Publishing	Sibelius First	Sibelius 6
Advanced layout features	-
Auto Layout options	-
Edit fonts	Limited	Full
Edit staff types	-
Edit text styles	-
Engraving rules, edit hundreds of	-
Headers/footers	Limited - no footers
House Style import/export	Import only
Magnetic Layout	Fixed	Fully customizable
Manage Dynamic Parts	-
Manuscript papers (preset score layouts)	Few; can't create your own	Many; can create your own
Note spacing rules	Fixed	Customizable
Reset position/design of objects	Limited
Set default object positions	-
Staff spacing	Manual adjustment only