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Sibelius® Plug-ins

Three ManuScript plug-ins for choir scores in Sibelius: export finished voice-with-piano playbacks, isolated instrument MP3s for the voice mixer, and a measure-to-time map from Sibelius's playback engine.

You'll find the plug-in files in the Choirspace app's admin area for download.

Plug-in 1

Batch Export Instrument Audio

Run this on a saved full score to export each instrument as a separate MP3. It automatically loops through the instruments, keeps only the current one audible, and renders a compressed MP3 (192 kbps, 44.1 kHz) – one file per instrument, e.g. Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, and Piano. Instruments with several staves, such as piano, are kept together, and the original mute and solo settings are restored after each export. Files are saved beside the score with an export number, score title, and instrument name, e.g. 01_Motet_Soprano_1.mp3. Requires Sibelius 2023.2 or later and a playback configuration with virtual instruments.

Why it helps Choirspace users

These are the separate audio tracks for the Choirspace voice mixer: upload each voice and the accompaniment so choir members can adjust the balance while they practice. Instead of manually muting staves and exporting every instrument by hand, one plug-in run produces the full set. All files start at the beginning and span the full score duration, giving them a shared timeline for mixing. The mixer accepts one accompaniment track, so combine several accompaniment instruments before uploading. Check custom or reordered multi-staff layouts before use, and keep any previous exports you want to retain in a separate folder – running the plug-in again uses the same filenames.

Plug-in 2

Batch Export Voice With Piano Audio

Run this on a choir score laid out as voice staves followed by a two-stave piano reduction (the standard SATB + piano layout). It automatically loops through every voice staff, solos that voice together with the piano, and renders a compressed MP3 (128 kbps, 44.1 kHz) – one file per voice, e.g. Soprano + piano, Alto + piano, Tenor + piano, Bass + piano. All staves are restored afterward.

Why it helps Choirspace users

This is exactly the audio choir members practice with in Choirspace: a clean playback of their own part with the piano audible underneath. Instead of manually muting/soloing staves and exporting each voice by hand, one plug-in run produces the full set – ready to upload as playbacks in Choirspace. Run it on the same score you'll build a measure map for (see Plug-in 3 below) and the two line up automatically.

Plug-in 3

Export Measure Playback Map

Run this on any score to export a measure-to-time map – one row per playback event, with the start, end, and duration (in seconds) of every bar, plus the internal and external (displayed) bar numbers and a repeat-occurrence count. It reads Sibelius's own bar playback order and asks Sibelius directly for each bar's exact timing, so repeats, D.S./D.C., and codas resolve exactly as Sibelius plays them – nothing is guessed. The CSV is printed to Sibelius's Plug-in Trace window (View → Plug-in Trace Window), ready to copy from between the START/END marker lines.

Why it helps Choirspace users

This is the exact counterpart to the website's Measure Map Generator, which estimates timing from an exported MIDI or MusicXML file and has to guess at repeat structure. If you still have the original Sibelius file, this plug-in is the most accurate source for a measure map: it comes straight from Sibelius's playback engine, matches the audio exported with the plug-in above bar-for-bar, and needs no review for repeats or codas.

Installing a plug-in in Sibelius®

  1. In Sibelius, open the plug-in editor (Home tab → Plug-ins → Edit Plug-ins, or File → Plug-ins → Edit Plug-ins depending on your version) and use its install/import option to point at the .plg file – or copy the file directly into your Sibelius Plugins folder and restart Sibelius.
  2. The plug-in then appears in Sibelius's Plug-ins menu under the name shown above ("Batch Export Voice With Piano Audio" / "Export Measure Playback Map") – run it from there.

All three plug-ins are plain-text ManuScript source (.plg), so you can open and adapt them. The individual-instrument exporter appears as Batch Export Instrument Audio in the Plug-ins menu.