To record with Flexi-time:

1 Choose Note Input > Flexi-time > Flexi-time Input or click the circular record button on the Transport panel, Sibelius plays
a one bar count-in and then starts recording what you play.

Press Command+Shift+F (Mac) or Control+Shift+F (Windows) to start recording with Flexi-time.

2 Flexi-time gives you a single bar’s count-in by default—so in this case you should hear three clicks count-in. (If you do not hear a
metronome click, check your playback device is switched on, then  3.14 Flexi-time or  6.1 Working with playback in the Ref-
erence Guide.)
3 At the end of the count-in, try playing the next few bars smoothly, following the speed of the clicks.
4 Keep going for as long as you like, and notice how Sibelius displays the notes on the screen (however it will usually be several notes
behind you so you may not want to watch the screen while you’re recording).
5 To stop recording, click the square Stop button on the Transport panel or press the Spacebar.

Take a look at what Sibelius has transcribed—if you’re not happy with the result, then simply select the bars you’ve just recorded, press
Delete and select bar 43 again. Take as many attempts as you need, until you’re happy with the result. If you want Sibelius to slow down
your score while you record, see Adjusting the Recording Tempo, below.

In Project 3 of these tutorials, you will learn how to input onto two staves simultaneously. You can also change other options such as
rubato (the flexibility of your tempo), the sound and count-in of the metronome click, and the way in which triplets and other tuplets
are recognized—see  3.14 Flexi-time in the Reference Guide.

Adjusting the Recording Tempo

Don’t worry if you’re having difficulty or your keyboard skills are a bit rusty—Sibelius doesn’t expect you to be a virtuoso! In a moment
you’ll be tidying up the transcription, but first you’ll learn how to make Flexi-time recording a bit easier.

The tempo slider on the Transport panel lets you speed up or (more importantly in this case) slow down playback of your score. This
applies to recording Flexi-time input too—set the slider to the left-hand side and the click will slow down, allowing you to play more
carefully.

You should only use the tempo slider to change the speed of playback for your whole score; for changes in tempo you should use tempo
text and metronome markings added to the score—see Text and Dynamics on page 33.

Renotate Performance
If you find that you end up with unwanted rests, overlapping notes or incorrect note durations, you can have Sibelius make these more
legible.

To renotate your performance:

1 Select the passage you just recorded.
2 Choose Note Input > Flexi-time > Renotate Performance, which opens a simple dialog.
3 Since the music you recorded doesn’t use any note value smaller than an eighth note, set the Quantization unit (minimum duration)
drop-down to Normal: 1/8 note.
4 Click OK.

Sibelius recalculates the Flexi-time transcription and produces a rhythmically and visually simpler version.

If there are still any mistakes, you can use the editing techniques you have already learned to correct the note values and pitches. You
may also like to experiment with the other plug-ins in the Note Input > Plug-ins > Plug-ins menu—especially those under the Simplify
Notation heading.

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Flexi-time Input