Cantai is an AI-powered vocal playback engine for Dorico, Sibelius, and MuseScore Studio that sings your lyrics using realistic solo and choral voices.

A single license works with both Dorico and Sibelius, so you only need one license if you use both notation programs. Although Cantai is not free, it does offer a free trial, monthly subscriptions, and lifetime licenses. You can view the current pricing here:

Cantai Plans & Pricing

I spent some time today getting Cantai working in Sibelius Ultimate. Since Sibelius support was just released, I ran into a few issues that may save you some time.

1. Download the latest Cantai installer

Be sure you download the latest installer from the Cantai website. The installer released before July 1 supported Dorico only. The current installer supports both Dorico and Sibelius. Download Cantai

2. Update Sibelius

Cantai requires the latest version of Sibelius Ultimate. At the time of writing, I am using Sibelius Ultimate 2026.6.

3. Make sure your staff is a Voice instrument

Cantai only works with voice instruments in Sibelius. For example, the Amazing Grace example included in my Berklee Online Sibelius course is set up using a Treble Staff. Even though it contains lyrics, Cantai would not recognize it.

I changed the instrument (Home > Instruments > Change) from Treble Staff to Voice (or Soprano Solo), and Cantai recognized the part.

4. Follow the official Cantai setup guide

The official installation instructions are available here:

Cantai for Sibelius Setup Guide

5. Create a custom Playback Configuration

This isn’t required, but I highly recommend it.

  1. In Sibelius go to Play > Setup > Playback Devices
  2. Click New.
  3. Create a playback configuration such as:
    • Cantai Only
    • NotePerformer & Cantai

This makes it easy to switch between playback setups.

When I first activated Cantai, Sibelius automatically assigned the General MIDI sound set. Be sure to change the Sound Set to Cantai if this is the case.

Double-click on the Sound Set next to Cantai to make the necessary change.

6. Select the singer in the Mixer

After assigning Cantai as the playback device

  1. Open the Mixer (shortcut: M).
  2. Expand the Mixer so the Playback Device settings are visible.
  3. If your playback device is configured correctly, Cantai will automatically choose an appropriate voice for the selected vocal part.
  4. If you would like to use a different singer, the voice is not selected from the Cantai window itself. Instead, it is selected from the Mixer. For each vocal staff, choose:

Here’s an example of the resulting playback. I exported the Sibelius score as a video using Export > Video.

Troubleshooting

If Cantai reports “No parts found,” check these items before trying anything else:

  • Is the staff a Voice instrument?
  • Are you using the latest Cantai installer?
  • Are you using the latest version of Sibelius Ultimate?
  • Is Cantai activated in Playback Devices?
  • Did you change the Sound Set from General MIDI to Cantai?
  • Did you assign a Cantai Voice in the Mixer?

These six items solved every issue I encountered. I hope these tips save you some time getting Cantai up and running in Sibelius.