Which Sibelius edition for 1st year undergraduate?

[steven21020]

Our son has recently started a music degree and says he needs Sibelius for his laptop. An amateur musician myself, I've always been happy with the free Finale Notepad and Finale Printmusic, but I realise that Sibelius is also very good.

However, from what I can see, the full Sibelius pack is very expensive and I have the impression it's more suited for unis themselves and professionals where they buy it with so many licences.

The next one down is 'Sibelius Student'.

Would the Student Sibelius edition be good enough? I've asked our son to find out from the lecturers but I thought I'd ask you guys as well.


Steve

[Andrew Norman]

You can buy the full Sibelius with an Academic Student Licence which is much cheaper than the Pro version.
The Student edition is very limited and not really suitable after GCSE.
I think the price with the Academis Student Licence is about £220 but worth it.
http://shop.avid.com/store/product.d...07407083406016

[TrumpetTom]

I've never used the student version, so I don't really know much about it, apart from you can only have about 8 staves or something. Don't know if your son will need more than this, but I've found I do as I write for large ensembles sometimes including orchestras and brass bands. In reply to Andrews comment, you could probably get through A level with 8 staves and yes you could get through GCSE with it, but me being me had to be awkward and write big scores for both compositions, one of them being a rather large orchestra! I'm a joint first study composer at chethams school of music now and I think we need a large number of staves sometimes, although we are encourged to write things on manuscript first. Also, I think normans are doing sib 7 for less than what andrew quoted at the moment but not sure

[steven21020]

Thanks for all the info. I didn't know you can buy Sibelius cheaper as a student.

The cheapest deal seems to be here:
http://www.software4students.co.uk/S...n-details.aspx

Now to blow the dust off my credit card and....


Steve

[mikelyons]

Make sure you get the educational version mentioned above and NOT the student version. Although it might be a bit more expensive it is probably safer to go through the Sibelius website. As long as your son has an academic email address he can claim the academic discount which is substantial. The full version is exactly what he will need. I can assure you that anything less will eventually disappoint - especially if he decides to major in composition later on.

[Kiz7]

The best place to get this version is from DS Music in monmouth as they are the largest stockists in the UK and always have stock in.

[steven21020]

The best place to get this version is from DS Music in monmouth as they are the largest stockists in the UK and always have stock in.

Thanks. Just ordered now.

Steve

[Blades4Ever]

Are there any special deals for those who aren't students but who have recently been made redundant?

[Andrew Norman]

Are there any special deals for those who aren't students but who have recently been made redundant?

If you are a teacher or parent/grandparent of a student I think you can still buy an educational licence - it certainly used to be the case.

[Bass Trumpet]

Blimey! A thread about music software that's run for over 24 hours and Gareth Green hasn't yet told us that Finale is SOOOOO much better

[P_S_Price]

Dunno about Better, but Capella combine with Tonica is a darned sight Cheaper.

Im Cheap me!

[Bass Trumpet]

Cost is a big factor, but as previous posts say, the educational discount on the full pro version is well worth having (I get the discount too, on account of me being a University teacher (sometimes)). Capella may well be a good prog, but if you are submitting files for marking, the University may not have the software to open/edit the work. Most Universities in the UK will have Sibelius.

[GJG]

Blimey! A thread about music software that's run for over 24 hours and Gareth Green hasn't yet told us that Finale is SOOOOO much better

Most Universities in the UK will have Sibelius.

Indeed. Whether or not Finale is or isn't better is entirely irrelevant in this instance; I am the first to acknowledge that in terms of marketing/presence in the UK, MakeMusic have completely dropped the ball ...

[GJG]

Blimey! A thread about music software that's run for over 24 hours and Gareth Green hasn't yet told us that Finale is SOOOOO much better

Cost is a big factor, but as previous posts say, the educational discount on the full pro version is well worth having

When comparing costs remember to factor in the £79.95 per annum charge for Sib's on-line technical support. Tech support for Finale is of course free ...