Questions about upgrading to Sibelius 5
Ordering an upgrade (English version)
- How do I find out more about the new features in Sibelius 5?
- How do I buy a Sibelius 5 upgrade?
- How much does the upgrade cost?
- I bought Sibelius 4 very recently - do I have to pay for the upgrade?
- Can I buy an upgrade from a dealer?
- When can I order an upgrade?
- How long will it take for my upgrade to arrive?
- What does the Sibelius 5 upgrade consist of?
- Can I download the upgrade?
- Will I have to register Sibelius again when I upgrade it?
- My school/college/university wants to upgrade our 5-packs or site license but we're not sure exactly how many copies we have
- I'm not sure what my serial number is
- I'm a Sibelius user but I haven't yet received ordering details. How do I order?
Sibelius 5 in French/German/Japanese/Spanish/Italian
Educational 5-packs and site licenses
- I have a 5-pack or site license. Can I buy an upgrade for just some of the copies?
- I have a 5-pack or site license (English language) and only registered some of the copies before the cut-off date for free upgrades. Can I pay for an upgrade for the ones I registered and get a free upgrade for the remaining copies?
- I use Sibelius on an old computer - will Sibelius 5 work on it?
- Does Sibelius 5 open files created in all previous versions of Sibelius for Windows/Mac?
- Can previous versions of Sibelius open Sibelius 5 files?
- Does Sibelius 5 open Finale 2007 files?
- Can I use my external hardware MIDI devices with Sibelius 5?
- Is there also a new version of Kontakt Player Silver?
- Is there also a new version of Kontakt Player Gold/Rock & Pop/GPO Sibelius Edition?
- Are extra sounds available for Kontakt Player Gold?
- Is there also a new version of PhotoScore Lite/Professional?
- I have PhotoScore Professional. How will I get the upgrade to version 5?
- I don't already have PhotoScore Professional but can I get it along with a Sibelius 5 upgrade?
Scorch & Sibelius Internet Edition
Ordering an upgrade (English version)
How do I find out more about the new features in Sibelius 5?
You can watch demo videos and download a free demo version from this website.
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How do I buy a Sibelius 5 upgrade?
North/South/Central America: buy online now from www.sibelius.com or call 888-474-2354 toll-free.
UK: buy online now from www.sibelius.com or call 0800 458 3111.
Australia: buy online now from www.sibelius.com or call 08 8277 1722.
Other countries: contact the distributor for your country.
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How much does the upgrade cost?
See separate price list/contact your distributor.
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I bought Sibelius 4 very recently - do I have to pay for the upgrade?
North/Central/South America: free upgrades are no longer available for North/South/Central America.
UK: if (and only if) you first registered or upgraded Sibelius 4 (English language) on/after 1 May 2007, you are entitled to a free upgrade.
If you're entitled to a free upgrade, you should be able to order it yourself via our website, when you enter your serial number it should check that you are entitled to a free upgrade and place the order at no cost to yourself.
If you have any problem with this or if you are not sure exactly when you first registered Sibelius, then please call Customer Services on 020 7561 7999 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday or email infouk@sibelius.com
Australia/other countries: if (and only if) you first registered or upgraded Sibelius 4 (English language) on/after 1 May 2007, you are entitled to a free upgrade. Please contact the distributor for your area to order this.
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Can I buy an upgrade from a dealer?
No. Dealers sell new Sibelius 5 copies but not upgrades for existing users. You can buy an upgrade from Sibelius if you live in North/Central/South America, the UK or some other countries. In other countries with a Sibelius distributor you can buy an upgrade from your distributor.
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When can I order an upgrade?
If you live in North/Central/South America, UK or Australia, you can order it online right now here.
If you live in any other country, please contact your distributor.
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How long will it take for my upgrade to arrive?
Subject to payment being taken successfully it should be with you within 3 - 5 working days.
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What does the Sibelius 5 upgrade consist of?
A new DVD-ROM and a booklet listing all the new features. You can also buy an optional Reference book, PhotoScore Ultimate and a range of sound libraries.
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Can I download the upgrade?
No - we are providing it on DVD-ROM.
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Will I have to register Sibelius again when I upgrade it?
Not usually, but if you have any problems, please contact technical support.
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My school/college/university wants to upgrade our 5-packs or site license but we're not sure exactly how many copies we have
Contact technical support who can look this up for you.
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I'm not sure what my serial number is
If you have Sibelius 3.x or 4.x installed you can find your serial number (4 letters + 15 digits) from the Sibelius program. This can be found as follows:-
- Windows: choose Help from the About menu in Sibelius
- Mac OS X: choose About Sibelius from the Sibelius 4 menu in Sibelius
- Mac OS 9: choose About Sibelius from the Apple menu in Sibelius
If you have Sibelius 1.x or 2.x, or if you don't have Sibelius installed you can find your serial number on the back of your Sibelius CD-ROM case. If you have lost this for some reason, please contact technical help giving your name, address and when and where you bought Sibelius. We may also require proof of purchase.
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I'm a Sibelius user but I haven't yet received ordering details. How do I order?
North, Central & South America, UK, Australia: you can order at any time here or by phone.
Other countries: please contact your distributor.
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Sibelius 5 in French/German/Japanese/Spanish/
Italian
Is Sibelius 5 available in French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Italian?
Yes. Please contact your distributor for more information.
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Other languages
I have a Sibelius manual in another language (not English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish or Italian) - will this manual be updated for Sibelius 5?
Contact your distributor for information about this.
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Educational 5-packs and site licenses
I have a 5-pack or site license. Can I buy an upgrade for just some of the copies?
You must upgrade all copies which have the same serial number. This means you can upgrade single copies (e.g. serial numbers starting SCEE/SWEE) separately from other copies, and you can update all copies of a 5-pack (SCEF/SWEF) at once. However you must upgrade all of a multi-pack (SCEM/SWEM) or a network license (SCEW/SWSW) at once.
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I have a 5-pack or site license (English language) and only registered some of the copies before the cut-off date for free upgrades. Can I pay for an upgrade for the ones I registered and get a free upgrade for the remaining copies?
Only if the remaining copies were purchased separately (with a separate serial number), on/after May 1, 2007.
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Compatibility
I use Sibelius on an old computer - will Sibelius 5 work on it?
See Sibelius 5's computer requirements.
Note you will need at least Windows XP SP 2 or Mac OS X 10.4. You may also need more RAM than for previous Sibelius versions.
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Does Sibelius 5 open files created in all previous versions of Sibelius for Windows/Mac?
Yes. It also opens files created in Sibelius Student, Sibelius Instrumental Teacher Edition, G7, and Sibelius for Acorn.
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Can previous versions of Sibelius open Sibelius 5 files?
Sibelius 2, 3 and 4 can (because you can save in Sibelius 2, 3 and 4 format from Sibelius 5). Sibelius 1.x cannot open Sibelius 3 and later files. Sibelius 5 can also save in Sibelius Student, Sibelius Instrumental Teacher Edition and G7 format.
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Does Sibelius 5 open Finale 2007 files?
Yes, providing you save them in MusicXML format. Sibelius 5 also opens files from older Finale versions, and files from PrintMusic 1.0, Finale Guitar and Allegro.
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Can I use my external hardware MIDI devices with Sibelius 5?
Yes, Sibelius 5 is compatible with all hardware MIDI devices. For best results, you should check that a sound set file is available for your specific device. (A sound set is a file that describes the specific capabilities of your playback device to Sibelius in order to best take advantage of its capabilities.) Please be aware that Sibelius 5-compatible sound set files are not available for all hardware MIDI devices for which sound sets were available in earlier versions of Sibelius. For a list of available sound sets, click here.
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Kontakt player
Is there also a new version of Kontakt Player Silver?
No, but Sibelius 5 now ships with the Essential Library of over 150 high-quality sounds & Kontakt Player 2.
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Is there also a new version of Kontakt Player Gold/Rock & Pop/GPO Sibelius Edition?
Kontakt Player Gold and Rock & Pop Edition: yes - see this page for details. A new version of the GPO Sibelius Edition library will be available shortly . You will need your serial number .
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Are extra sounds available for Kontakt Player 2?
Yes - see this page for a range of compatible libraries.
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PhotoScore
Is there also a new version of PhotoScore Lite/Professional?
If you have upgraded to Sibelius 5, you can now download a free upgrade to PhotoScore Lite 5 .
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I have PhotoScore Professional. How will I get the upgrade to PhotoScore Ultimate?
Read about the new features in PhotoScore Ulitmate. You can order your upgrade via Neuratron's web site.
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I don't already have PhotoScore Ultimate but can I get it along with a Sibelius 5 upgrade?
Yes - you can buy PhotoScore Ultimate at a special discount price with a Sibelius 5 upgrade.
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Scorch & Sibelius Internet Edition
Is there a Scorch version 5?
Yes - you can download it here.
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Is there a Sibelius Internet Edition 5?
Yes. We will contact Sibelius Internet Edition users about this.
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What's new
Summary of what's new in Sibelius 5
Capture, use and re-use snippets
A new, clearer way of viewing music
150+ high-quality built-in sounds
Mix and match from different libraries
Instrumental parts made even easier
Flexible page layout and numbering
New fonts and plug-ins
Over forty other improvements
Questions about the upgrade
What the press are saying
“The options available are staggering, but the simplicity at your fingertips is amazing.”
American Songwriter magazine
“A notation powerhouse... Professionals call Sibelius 5 ‘the perfect notation program,’ and we’d be hard-pressed to find fault with that statement.”
Electronic Musician magazine
“Sibelius 5 is a
first-class piece of software... an outstanding program”
Overall rating: 10/10
Computer Music Magazine
“These fantastic new features make Sibelius 5 well worth the investment for composers, teachers and musicians alike.”
Muso Magazine
"[Sibelius 5's] improved playback quality means there's little reason to
consider using anything else."
Computer Shopper magazine
“An essential upgrade packed with innovation and improvement.”
Hugh John, The Guardian
“Sibelius 5 is simply staggering in its capabilities. It will do almost anything you can think of. If you’re serious about musical notation, this is the package to choose.”
Overall rating: 4.5/5
PC Advisor Magazine
"Sibelius 5 has raised the stakes...
The audio engine and playback 
enhancements are well worth the upgrade price alone"
Overall rating: 9/10
Music Tech magazine
