Speedy entry in Sibeius without a 10-key pad?

Discussion of converting to Sibelius from Finale.
glennsnoise
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:48 pm

Post by glennsnoise » Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:07 pm

Hi. I'm basically brand new to Sibelius, but I'm really good with Finale. I LOVE Finale's speedy-entry function, where you choose a pitch on the staff with the arrow keys and use the number keys to determine the value of the note (7 for whole note, 6 for half note, etc.).

Sibelius has a function like this. I don't know exactly what it's called, but I've used it for one project. My question is this: it appears that, without a 10-key pad (i.e. with a laptop), this speedy-entry equivalent requires the user to click on a graphic keypad for each note entered. Is this REALLY how it's done? This "speedy" entry equivalent is no faster than the beginner's point and click entry function. Do I REALLY have to purchase a 10-key pad just so I can use this function in Sibelius?


Sebasian
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Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:46 pm

Post by Sebasian » Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:52 pm

glennsnoise wrote: Do I REALLY have to purchase a 10-key pad
There are substitute keys for laptops (look it up in the Reference) or indeed you can define any keys you like as shortcuts.

Some users do find it helpful to buy an external numeric keypad (though not all of them work properly with Sibelius) because keyboard-only input in Sibelius is very fast (provided you throw away your mouse and really learn the keyboard!).

glennsnoise
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:48 pm

Post by glennsnoise » Sun Oct 26, 2008 1:05 pm

What is the keyboard-entry function called on Sibelius? On Finale, it's called Speedy Entry. I couldn't find this in Sibilius. I also (per your email) looked up "laptop" and "substitute" in the help menu, and couldn't find anything. If I knew what the function was called, it might help narrow my search to find these substitute keys.

Sebasian
Posts: 1476
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:46 pm

Post by Sebasian » Sun Oct 26, 2008 10:57 pm

glennsnoise wrote:What is the keyboard-entry function called on Sibelius? . . . . I also . . . ) looked up "laptop" .
Section 1.1 of the PDF Reference - Alphabetic Input (start on page 9 of the Sibelius 5 Reference) and Laptop on page 18 (p. 17 for Sibelius 4 I seem to remember).

glennsnoise
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Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:48 pm

Post by glennsnoise » Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:07 pm

I received the Sibelius 5 Handbook with my copy of Sibelius 5, but that's the only book that arrived. This must not be the same book you're referring to, because the pages you mention don't have anything about these things. I'll look for how to get a copy of the reference.

Sebasian
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Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:46 pm

Post by Sebasian » Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:14 am

glennsnoise wrote:I'll look for how to get a copy of the reference.
In some countries you get a printed Reference as well as the Handbook when you buy Sibelius. If you didn't get one, you can buy a copy from wherever your local Sibelius office is.

But the entire Reference is already available as a PDF file, included in Sibelius itself. It is the first item in the Help menu so click on Help > Sibelius 5 Reference to load the entire Reference in a separate window. You can then search via section or chapter headings, or by individual words.

glennsnoise
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:48 pm

Post by glennsnoise » Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:16 am

Thank you so much for your help. I searched the reference for "laptop" and found that Sibelius 5 has a special function for laptop users running Windows. Nothing for Mac? Seriously?

Sebasian
Posts: 1476
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:46 pm

Post by Sebasian » Wed Oct 29, 2008 11:41 am

glennsnoise wrote: Nothing for Mac? Seriously?
Mac is catered for, just in a different way. Page 18 of the Reference explains some of this. Any lurking Mac owners might like to give you some more details.

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