Sibelius First and Sibelius 5 comparison
In addition to the features of Sibelius First, Sibelius 5 also offers:
- High-quality Sibelius Sounds Essentials sounds
- Ideas hub
- Panorama view
- Compose to video
- VST and Audio Unit support
- 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 110 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 5 |
| Types of music | Simple/moderate music of up to 12 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 650 pages) |
| Tutorial videos | - |  |
| Technical help | Limited | By phone, email, fax & web site |
Notation |
Sibelius First |
Sibelius 5 |
| 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 | - | |
| Cue (small) notes | - | |
| Dotted notes | Single dot only | Single / double / triple dotted |
| Guitar chord diagrams | Limited | |
| Guitar tab | Basic only | Full |
| Instruments | Common instruments only, with fixed number of staves | Full customizable range |
| 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 12 per system | Unlimited number |
| Tuplets | Duplets (2:3) to nontuplets (9:8) | Any (e.g. 2, 7, 44:31, nested tuplets) |
Playback |
Sibelius First |
Sibelius 5 |
| Edit MIDI data | - | |
| Built-in sounds | Limited - included GM soundbank | Full range of high-quality sounds in Sibelius Sounds Essentials |
| Supports VST and Audio Units for playback | - | |
| MIDI devices supported | General MIDI only | Many types & custom types |
| Mixer settings adjustment | Limited | Full |
| Playback markings on specified repeats | - | |
| Playback of hairpins, rits & accel | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Words which affect playback (e.g. legato) | Fixed | Editable |
Utilities |
Sibelius First |
Sibelius 5 |
| Arrange - automatic arranging & orchestration | - | |
| ASCII tab file export | - | |
| 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 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 | - | |
| Import Finale, PrintMusic, Finale Guitar, SCORE, Acorn Sibelius | - | |
| 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 | 5 | Over 110 |
| Properties window (to edit individual objects) | Limited | Full |
| Rehearsal marks | Default only | Fully customizable |
| Rulers | - | |
| Special page breaks | - | |
| Swap voices | - | |
| Video (inc. timecode and hit points) | - | |
| Viewing options for page margins, note colors, full screen, etc. | - | |
| Worksheet Creator | - | |
Publishing |
Sibelius First |
Sibelius 5 |
| 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 | |
| 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 | - | |
| Set default object positions | - | |
