VSL SE and Finale 2009 (or Sibelius? Or which is better?)

[frankz]

I'm a little confused on the VSL SE and Finale 2009 link...  So it is possible to annotate expression marks and articulation marks and have VSL SE respond to them automatically without keyswitching?  Please advise on the flexibility of this feature as I am ready to purchase Finale 2009 only for this reason.  And would someone advise if I should look into the SE+?  Will finale relate to the SE+ addition as well?  Sorry moderators for this question but I could not acertain a clear answer from all of the posts..........or rather......... which software produces the most flexible link between the library and it?  Finale? Cubase? Sibelius?  (Finale looks like it is the most limited....)...... any advice is greatly appreciated.

[andi]

Hello Frank!

Yes it is possible to switch between articulations without entering key switches or MIDI control changes.

In Finale that's done by the Human Playback Preferences. Currently we offer HPP settings for our Special Edition.

In Sibelius that's done by the sound sets. Currently we offer sound sets for the Special Edition, the Special Edition PLUS, all wind and all string collections, the harps and all download wind instruments.

In Cubase that's done by VST Expression. Currently we offer expression maps for the Special Edition, the Special Edition PLUS, all wind instrument collections and all download wind instruments.

Best wishes,
Andi

[A.S.]

@frankz_15000 said:

which software produces the most flexible link between the library and it?  Finale? Cubase? Sibelius?  (Finale looks like it is the most limited....)

I really depends on what you are trying to do. Finale or Sibelius are notation programs and Cubase is a DAW. This is the main difference.

1. Are you writing a score to be played by real musicians or a real orchestra? If yes, then Finale or Sibelius is the best choice.

2. Are you producing mockups or writing music that is intended to be played only by your computer and VSL? If yes, I would say go for a DAW such as Cubase, Logic, DP etc.

There is a huge difference in how you work with notation programs compared to any DAW. I you specify what you intend to do I think people here might be able to give you more help.

Albert

[frankz]

Hi All:

I have a DAW already (SONAR) and am wanting to produce scores using these features from Finale or Sibelius.  I understand that Cubase is a DAW so I will not invest in this.  Seems like Sibelius is the way to go?  Can any provide their experiences with it?  Thank you !  Thank you Albert for the message and Andi for the clarification :)

Frankz.

[A.S.]

Hi Frankz,

I don't use Sibelius so I can't comment on that program. I have been using Finale since 1994 and this used to be the program of choice for all professional composers, arrangers and publishers of sheet music. Lately Sibelius have become an equal advanced program for notation so which program you choose is more of a personal preference.

My personal opinon is:

If you want the most advanced notation program possible I still think Finale is a tiny bit more adjustable.

If playback with VSL is most important you should go with Sibelius since this is the program that VSL is supporting most.

Albert

PS. Oh, and don't tell anyone at the Finale community that I recommended Sibelius... Finale or Sibelius is like religion for some people! ;-)

[frankz]

 Playback is most important to me because I want to record the audio response from Sibelius, if it is indeed that versatile.  I tire at having to assign MIDI CCs to my controller when, if in good writing faith, can produce a completed score with decent audio playback that I can process.  Yet alone this will be another program in which I must become versatile, but that is indeed the nature of the business.  Frankz.  ( I won't spread any vicious rumors about you recommending Sibelius haha.)

[pks]

I have similar questions. I purchased Finale 2009 because I wanted to both engrave my music so it could be printed for playing by musicians, and also wanted to produce an electronic music version of the score so I could appreciated it without having to always hire musicians. A sales rep gave me a poor steer and told me that I needed to buy finale and also Cubase in order to produce a wav file of my Finale score for computer playback. So I purchased Finale 2009 and have entered my first score. Turns out that Finale 2009 now has the ability to produce wav files. I like Finale 2009 though it is quite complex and will take a while to learn how to fully finesse playback sounds using the Garritan sound libraries and the human playback fundtions. But I've got it to the point where my score sounds pretty good. Since I also purchased Cubase 5 - the full package - I would like to know if by learning to use Cubase I will be able to advance the quality of the resulting playback. In other words, can I get my score to sound even better using Cubase? I don't know anything about Cubase yet and have no experience with any DAW. I would hope to be able to import my Finale file into Cubase as a start rather than re-keying the whole thing again.