Avid Sibelius Ultimate for Mac: A Complete Guide to Professional Music Notation Software

Step 1: Launch and Create New

After launching Sibelius, the “Quick Start” window will appear. To create a new score:

1. Click the “New Score” button.
2. In the “New Score” wizard, select from preset templates (such as Piano Solo, String Quartet, or Orchestra), or click “Blank” to start from scratch.
3. Click “Create”.

Shortcuts: Create a new score Cmd + N; Open an existing score Cmd + O.

Step 2: Set score information and instruments

In the subsequent steps of the wizard:

1. Enter information such as the title and composer.
2. On the “Instruments” page, select an instrument from the list on the left (e.g., “Piano”), and click “Add” to move it to the “Instruments in Score” list on the right. You can use the search box to quickly locate items.
3. Adjust the instrument order, set the key signature, time signature, tempo, and other initial settings, then click “Create.”

Step 3: Enter notes

1. Make sure the Keyboard window is open (you can toggle it via the “View” menu or by pressing Cmd+Option+K).
2. In the score window, click the position on the target staff where you want to enter a note; a blinking blue cursor will appear.
3. Select the desired note value (e.g., quarter note) in the Keyboard window.
4. Use the computer keyboard (A-G keys) to enter pitches, or use a MIDI keyboard to play and input directly.
5. During input, use the left and right arrow keys to move the cursor; use the up/down arrow keys to change the pitch of the current note.

Key shortcuts: Note values can be set directly with number keys (5=whole note, 4=half note, 3=quarter note, and so on). Press 0 (zero) for a rest.

Step 4: Editing and Modifying

• Select: Click to select a single object; drag to marquee-select multiple objects; press Cmd+A to select all in the current score.
• Delete: After selecting, press the Delete key.
• Copy/Paste: After selecting, press Cmd+C to copy, move the cursor to the target position, and press Cmd+V to paste.
• Undo/Redo: Cmd+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z.

Step 5: Adding Expression Marks, Slurs, etc.

In the function area, switch to the “Note Input” tab.

1. Place the cursor on the target note or position.
2. Click the corresponding icon in the function area (such as “Slur,” “Accent,” “Trill”), or use the “Performance Techniques” tab in the keyboard window (press Cmd+Option+3 to switch quickly).
3. You can also add more complex symbols via the “Notations” menu.

Step 6: Adding Lyrics and Text

1. Place the cursor below the note where you want to add lyrics.
2. Press Cmd+L to enter lyric input mode.
3. Type the text directly, press the spacebar to move to the next note, and use the hyphen “-” for syllables spanning multiple notes.
4. Press Esc to exit lyric mode.
5. Other text (such as titles, technique text) can be inserted via the “Text” tab in the功能区.

Step 7: Adjust Layout and Formatting

Use the Properties panel on the right for fine control:

• Select any staff, section, or system, and adjust staff spacing, indentation, margins, etc. in the Properties panel.
• Select a note or rest to adjust its horizontal offset, stem direction, etc.
• Use the commands under the “Layout” tab in the功能区 for page breaks and line breaks.

Step 8: Play Back the Score

1. Click the “Play” button in the “Play” tab of the功能区, or press the spacebar to start/stop playback.
2. Use the playback control bar (usually at the bottom) to control playback position, looping, and speed.
3. In the “Play” tab, you can select different sound libraries (such as Sibelius Sounds, NotePerformer, etc.) to change the timbre.
4. Use the Mixer (Cmd+Option+M) to adjust the volume, pan, and reverb of each part.

Step 9: Export PDF or Audio Files

1. Make sure the score is saved (Cmd+S).
2. Click the menu bar “File” -> “Export”.
3. Export as PDF: Select “PDF” to set the page range and resolution. Click “Export” and choose a save location. This is the most commonly used publishing format.
4. Export as Audio: Select “Audio” to choose the export format (e.g., WAV, MP3), bit depth, sample rate, and whether to include silent bars. Sibelius will render the audio using the currently selected sound library.
5. Export as MusicXML: Used to exchange score data with other music software (e.g., Finale, Dorico).

Keyboard Shortcuts: Export to PDF can be assigned a custom shortcut; by default, there is no global shortcut.