Arranging with Sibelius and Cubase

[musicdavid]

Hi all
I am about to arrange some string parts for a song of mine. My usual method of doing this is to sit at my PC with my guitar and write the parts onto Sibelius while I play along to it.
However, to ease the process, is there a way of me synching-up a recording of the song I'm working on (in Cubase) to the Sibelius playback? I'm thinking that as long as there was some sort of click within the Cubase track which could be linked to the tempo in Sibelius it could be done.
Any thoughts, suggestions, answers?

 

[Tifstorey]

I dont really understand the question... You want to transfer a song youve recorded into Sibelius? I dont know if thats what your meaning...i am very tired

 

[musicdavid]

I dont really understand the question... You want to transfer a song youve recorded into Sibelius? I dont know if thats what your meaning...i am very tired

Not quite. I want to somehow 'link up' Sibelius with a Cubase track so that I can get the Sibelius arrangement I write to synchronise with it. Or is there a way of arranging strings etc through Cubase itself...?

 

[bennychico11]

I don't use Cubase...but I'm assuming it has MIDI capability.
Write your file in Sibelius and export it as a MIDI Type 1 file. Then in Cubase, import the MIDI file....select the correct outputs to the tracks and then record away.

...in theory it should be that easy.

 

[Tifstorey]

Yeah, the only way is to use MIDI. I used to use Sibelies to work out my MIDI tracks, then transport them into Cubase. You should have no problem. Just save the track in either one of the programmes, and then import the MIDI file into it. Will you be putting the score down in Sibelius then transferring to Cubase? Or Vice versa?

 

[musicdavid]

I don't use Cubase...but I'm assuming it has MIDI capability.
Write your file in Sibelius and export it as a MIDI Type 1 file. Then in Cubase, import the MIDI file....select the correct outputs to the tracks and then record away.

...in theory it should be that easy.

Thanks for your help. However, I think you think I want to record against a Sibelius arrangement, when it's the opposite I want to do. I want to write a string arrangement over a recorded track. Can I export a recorded file into Sibelius somehow...?

 

[musicdavid]

Yeah, the only way is to use MIDI. I used to use Sibelies to work out my MIDI tracks, then transport them into Cubase. You should have no problem. Just save the track in either one of the programmes

Surely I can only save a recorded track in Cubase, not Sibelius? Or do you mean convert the recorded track into a MIDI file to enable Sibelius to open it? If so, how do I convert music files to MIDI files?

and then import the MIDI file into it. Will you be putting the score down in Sibelius then transferring to Cubase? Or Vice versa?

I want to write a score in Sibelius (as I am used to doing that), but be able to write it against a recorded track in synch with the score.
An easy way around this would be to be able to write a score in Cubase. Can I do THAT?!

I think I'm nearly there in solving this!

 

[bennychico11]

you can write a score in the same way you do in Sibelius exactly....Cubase isn't a composition program.
However, you can write in MIDI. Cubase may have note view where you can use the mouse to click in notes...OR you can use a keyboard to play the part along with your recording. Then export that track and import it into Sibelius. Then you just have to clean it up.
That's pretty much the easy way. You need to read up on Cubase's MIDI capabilities and how to use them all. This will help you in what you need to do.