Help with Sibelius for mixing

[DigitalDevilDrums]

Is anyone out there highly skilled with Sibelius? I've used it to engrave most of my classical/contemporary compositions, but I'm unfamiliar with many of its finer points, particularly effects, etc. I'm composing a few tracks for an indie game, and I'd like to use Sibelius if possible, since I'm planning on a more orchestral sound, rather than electronic.

So, can anyone shoot me some pointers, either here or over PM, about the finer workings of Sibelius? Particularly when it comes to effects/getting different sounds out of the instruments. I don't plan on using a lot (or any, really) SFX, but, for example, if I want to change the sound of my strings a bit...what's the best way to do that?

Thanks!

-Dana

[Moseph]

I don't use Sibelius (I'm a Finale guy), but notation programs are usually pretty lousy for creating audio files because you don't get a lot of control over note timing and MIDI data. The playback is okay for quick and dirty trial runs, but it rarely produces a polished, human-sounding performance. If you're familiar at all with working in a DAW (SONAR, Reaper, FL, Logic, etc.) and have one available, you'll probably be better off exporting MIDI files from Sibelius and then working on them in the DAW rather than trying to fine-tune the performance and polish things up with only Sibelius.

EDIT: If you don't have and/or can't use a DAW, or your orchestra sound library is tied to Sibelius, or you just definitely want to use Sibelius, make sure you understand how articulations in the score affect playback, and notate your articulations based on the sounds they produce in playback rather than on what they would actually indicate to a performer.

[DigitalDevilDrums]

I have worked with a couple DAWs (FL Studio, Ableton). But I find Sibelius' orchestral sounds to be better than most (or any) that I've heard/been able to create in a DAW. That's why I was thinking of using it primarily this time around.

Actually, I've never messed with importing a MIDI file into a DAW. So, for example, if I scored the composition in Sibelius, then exported as a MIDI/imported into a DAW, I could have the base Sibelius sounds to tweak, rather than having to create them in the DAW itself?

Thanks!

-Dana

[Moseph]

I have worked with a couple DAWs (FL Studio, Ableton). But I find Sibelius' orchestral sounds to be better than most (or any) that I've heard/been able to create in a DAW. That's why I was thinking of using it primarily this time around.

Actually, I've never messed with importing a MIDI file into a DAW. So, for example, if I scored the composition in Sibelius, then exported as a MIDI/imported into a DAW, I could have the base Sibelius sounds to tweak, rather than having to create them in the DAW itself?

Thanks!

-Dana

Exporting a MIDI from Sibelius won't give you the actual instrument sounds from Sibelius, just the note data. If you have an orchestra sound library that works in a DAW, you can use this note data as a base for constructing a performance in the DAW.

I don't know how Sibelius's sound libraries are set up. There's a chance that you might be able to load the Sibelius orchestra sounds as a VST in a DAW. The other possibility is that the sounds are tied to Sibelius and you can't use them in other programs. I don't know which is the case. If it's the latter, then obviously you'd need to stay in Sibelius if you want the Sibelius sounds.

[DigitalDevilDrums]

I don't know how Sibelius's sound libraries are set up. There's a chance that you might be able to load the Sibelius orchestra sounds as a VST in a DAW. The other possibility is that the sounds are tied to Sibelius and you can't use them in other programs. I don't know which is the case. If it's the latter, then obviously you'd need to stay in Sibelius if you want the Sibelius sounds.

I'll have to mess with it, but I know that Sibelius uses some form of the Kontakt player, which I've messed around with in Ableton before, so it may be that I can just steal the soundfonts from Sibelius, that's something I hadn't thought of.