News

Sibelius 2026.8 improves lines and cross-staff ties

August 20, 2026 · by Philip Rothman

Avid has released Sibelius 2026.8 for macOS and Windows on the desktop, along with iOS, iPadOS, and Android on mobile — the fourth Sibelius release of 2026. On paper, it’s a modest update: improvements to line styles, cross-staff ties, macOS Spotlight support, and a batch of bug fixes.

The line style work is the one significant feature improvement, and it removes a limitation that has been in Sibelius for as long as anyone reading this has been using it.

Keep reading
Advertisement

Latest

Browse all →
News

Icon see clearly now: Graphical MIDI Tools 2026.8 update

August 13, 2026

Graphical MIDI Tools 2026.8 for Sibelius adds instrument track icons, triplet and tuplet grid snapping, and better handling of multiple open tracks. The Graphical Harp Tool now writes and plays back glissandos across an entire chord.

Podcast

Q & A(I)

August 1, 2026

Part one of our listener Q&A follows the mailbag into AI: scanning, audio transcription, proofreading, language-model bridges, and the “Gould test” — all leading to larger questions about expertise, judgment, and responsibility.

News

ScoreTail joins the browser-based notation field

July 30, 2026

The latest stop in our Overture series of first looks is a browser-based score editor with real-time collaboration and MusicXML support "for people who enjoy sheet music but find traditional tools intimidating."

News

SheetCue turns your scores into a practice flow

July 23, 2026

SheetCue, a music reader app, has you draw the measures, define the repeats and cuts, and it drives a timed, measure-by-measure practice flow from your own PDFs or photos. The idea also opens a bigger question: the vendor lock-in that traps annotated score libraries inside a single app.

Advertisement
Podcast
Scoring Notes podcast
Latest episode
Aug 1 · 1:33:03 Q & A(I) Jul 4 · 30:04 Half-time report: what’s new, and a call for your questions Jun 6 · 1:28:57 Score preparation and production double-checklist May 2 · 56:56 Richard deCosta gives your score a voice Apr 4 · 1:18:13 Freshly pressed See all episodes →
Advertisement

Explore by topic

News Timely news and announcements about music notation software, related products, and the fields of music notation and music technology. Reviews Our expert take on the newest product releases, with in-depth coverage, pros and cons, pricing and availability information, and more. Tips Learn more about the software you use every day with these bits of advice designed to speed your workflow and improve the quality of what you produce. Tutorials Dive deep into the craft of music preparation with notation software and technology with these detail-packed lessons, often with accompanying videos. People Read about the interesting individuals in our field — from the developers to the creators — and what they have to say about where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Opinion Whether you agree or disagree, check out our point of view on developments and changes in the world of music notation software. Meta Items of interest about the blog and NYC Music Services, including year-in-reviews and other compilations of blog posts from time to time. Podcast A regular discussion with the interesting individuals who create music with notation software, as well as the talented people who create the tools themselves.