ER @ HOME wrote:
Hello,
I'm soliciting advice and input regarding making the "BIG" Switch from FinMAC 2002/'03 to Sibelius 3.1 (OS X). I'm an expert user of Finale (up and running since the infamous US$1000.00 version 1.0) and am able to work very quickly and efficiently in FinMAC 2002/Mac OS 9.2.2.
[snip]
I can't speak to the newest combinations of Finale and OSx[whatever animal they've named the latest update patch] since I'm on Windows, but I do own both Sibelius and Finale and offer these observations:
1) I consider myself a finale-power-user, having used it since version 3.5, and I have never been able to adjust my finale-centric working methods to Sibelius' working methods. So Sibelius sits on my computer, used very little. I admit that the fault may well be mine, since I haven't spent nearly as much time with Sibelius as with Finale, but when I first got Sibelius, I did a short arrangement for flute choir and ran into some frustrating situations which I worked through adequately, all the time thinking "finale does this so much more easily and logically." My second Sibelius project started was to be an arrangement for 3 flutes of 4 Corelli Trio Sonatas. I made it through the original note entry for one complete trio sonata and was in the middle of the first movement of the second one when I had had enough frustration to last a lifetime and used Recordare's Dolet plugins in Sibelius to export what I had already entered into MusicXML and then the Finale Dolet plug-in to import that music into Finale. Once in Finale, using speedy entry as I always do (from the computer keyboard only, number keys and cursor arrow keys) I got the remaining 11 movements entered completely in less time than it had taken me to enter the first 5 movements. So if you decide to make the switch, be sure you have a lot of extra time to immerse yourself into Sibelius as a total beginner and allow yourself to forget your Finale habits and learn the proper Sibelius habits.
2) I am hopeful you get decent responses from Mac users concerning the latest combinations of OSx and Finale -- I don't recall there being such a huge hue and cry recently concerning them being extremely slow to work with. I think that was the first supposedly carbonized version of Finale. My advice would be not to make the switch to Windows, but be sure to upgrade to the latest Finale (2005b) as well as the most recent OSx. A lifetime of Mac habits and keyboard familiarity won't transfer easily to Windows. Yes, it's possible, and yes, many people work comfortably on both platforms, but before making such a drastic change, be sure that all your applications which you work with comfortably all the time are either available in Windows versions or have comparable programs you won't mind learning.
3) you are contemplating making a huge jump, when you change one major application for a competitor as well as a platform switch. Take time to get lots of input and make your decision slowly and carefully.
Download the Sibelius demo and work with it for a while -- yes it is crippled so you can't do a whole lot with it, but hopefully what you can do with it will be enough to help you make an informed decision. There are lots of very satisfied Sibelius users, many of whom were frustrated Finale users. I don't know of many happy, UNfrustrated Finale users (such as me or Darcy) who have worked comfortably in Sibelius. There is a Sibelius group at groups.yahoo.com, very similar to this group including a higher-up Sibelius staff member (he is responsible for their documentation) who maintains a presence on the list and is extremely helpful, even to the point of offering to have people with problems send him their problematic file for him to trouble-shoot.
Good luck!
-- David H. Bailey [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
