We’re pleased to announce the immediate release of our November update to Sibelius for mobile. This includes the much-requested feature to import MusicXML files into Sibelius, allowing you to transfer music from other notation applications from your desktop computer, or directly from other apps on your iPhone or iPad. There are a small number of stability improvements too.
MusicXML is a standard interchange file format used by hundreds of notation apps. Sibelius on desktop has been able to import and export these for several years, so we’re pleased to be able to introduce the ability to import MusicXML files into Sibelius on mobile.
The process to import a MusicXML file is simple using the Files app on iOS, or by browsing the files on your device from within Sibelius, where you can use iCloud or Dropbox to transfer your music from other devices. You can open either .musicxml or .mxl compressed files, or the older .xml files in Sibelius.
The scores will quickly open up and take the layout, formatting, and musical objects from the MusicXML file. As on desktop, Sibelius then does some tidying up to improve the notation where it can, but as this is real Sibelius on mobile, you can now go to town changing the music and layout as you see fit.
A .sib file is created and saved in the same folder you opened the MusicXML file from, or will be saved in the Sibelius folder on your iPad if you opened the file directly from another app on your device.
Transferring music from a third-party app is really easy. There are several apps out there that allow you to create music in various ways, either by handwriting using the Apple Pencil or by taking a photograph of the sheet music. Two popular apps for this are Neuratron’s NotateMe, and Organum’s PlayScore 2.
In each of these apps, go to Export and choose MusicXML. The standard iOS sharing pop-up will appear, and you can choose Sibelius in the available applications:
This will open the score directly in Sibelius, and save a new Sibelius file (.sib) in the Sibelius folder in the Files app.
We hope you enjoy the new feature in this update, which is available to all tiers of Sibelius (First, Artist, and Ultimate).
If you're new to Sibelius on mobile, you can download the app from the App Store, here.
For free, you can use Sibelius to write music for up to four staves. You can then unlock more features using the two in-app subscription tiers, or if you have a current license of Sibelius on desktop, you can unlock the features for no extra charge by simply logging into your account.
For more information about Sibelius for mobile, please see: https://www.avid.com/sibelius/for-mobile