Importing native Sibelius files with irregular time signatures

Sibelius 2020.12 introduced the long-awaited ability to import Sibelius files directly into another existing Sibelius file or template. This function built on previous updates that allowed you to import MIDI and MusicXML files into existing Sibelius files. It gives you the ability to customize your settings before importing the file and generates a preview for you to review. This way, you can select specific staves to include in your new file.

This feature is very useful, but it does not allow you to import if you have irregular time signatures or a pickup bar in your source Sibelius file.

Fortunately, there is a way, using a very special plug-in. But first, let’s review the core functionality.

Importing a Sibelius file into another Sibelius file

Here is an example to illustrate this process. Suppose you want to import the clarinets from a previous orchestration…

…into a completely different version:

All you need to do is use the File > Import feature and route the instruments into your template.

This way, you can effortlessly incorporate the clarinets from the previous orchestration into your new project.

As you can see, everything works perfectly unless you have irregular time signatures or a pickup bar in your source Sibelius file, like in this example:

If you have these elements present in your file, you’ll receive this message:

Using the Time Signature for Irregular Bars plug-in

Fortunately, there is a clever workaround that allows us to overcome this problem and import any type of score as a Sibelius file. To do this, we need to download the Time Signature for Irregular Bars plug-in, which is written by Bob Zawalich. This plug-in will enable us to handle irregular time signatures and successfully import our score into Sibelius.

Let’s begin by downloading the plug-in. If you don’t know how to do this already, there is a world of plug-ins that awaits you! Go to File > Plug-ins and choose Install Plug-in.

After a moment while Sibelius connects to the internet, the dialog box will appear. In Show: choose All plug-ins. In the search field, enter “irregular” and click the Find button. Make sure that Time Signature for Irregular Bars is selected, and then click the Install button.

After completing those steps, run the plug-in by typing its name into Command Search.

A user interface will appear. Select Add time signatures; do not trace and be sure that the checkbox for Add comment for restoration of irregular bars is checked.

Now, the purpose of this plug-in is to write all the irregular and pickup bars with time signatures so that we can import them using Sibelius’s import option. However, there’s no need to worry because we will remove them all later in one go!

Click OK button. The plug-in will process the entire score and will add the time signatures. It has also placed a comment sticker.

Save the score and navigate to your new orchestral template, where you will import this score. I will import the piano into my template and then gradually orchestrate it there.

As you can see, Sibelius also imported our comment sticker:

Now, as the final step, we will run Time Signature for Irregular Bars plug-in again by typing its name in Command Search. When you click on the Restore Irregular Bars button, the plug-in will remove all the time signatures in the irregular and pickup bars along with the comment sticker.

The trace window gives us a summary of what was done. Now my score is perfectly ready to be arranged and orchestrated.

Please see my “Lightning Sibelius” video about this, and feel free to explore all of the videos in the series!