Steinberg Halion 3 Manual

							Effects Reference
Legacy Effects 
261Attack
Attack time.
Release
Release time.
Output
Output level trim.
Gate
Simple gate effect.
Threshold
Gate threshold.
Range
Level reduction when gate closed.
Attack
Attack time.
Release
Release time.
Output
Output level trim.
Distortion
Hard clipping distortion.
Drive
Distortion amount.
Bias
Adjusts the balance between even and odd harmonics, that is, the character of
the distortion.
Tone
Distortion tone.
Out
Output level trim.
Mix
Wet/dry mix.
Overdrive
Softer distortion with a gradual onset. 
						

							Effects Reference
Legacy Effects 
262Drive
Overdrive amount.
Bias
Overdrive character. Adjusts the balance between even and odd harmonics.
Out
Output level trim.
Mix
Wet/dry mix.
Bit Reduction
Digital, lo-fi, quality degradation.
Mode
Determines whether the bit depth is fixed (Linear) or depends on the signal level
(Companding).
Rate
Simulated sample rate.
Depth
Sample bit depth.
Slew Rate
Maximum rate of change of output waveform, for a soft, wooly distortion.
Mix
Wet/dry mix.
Amp Simulator
Amplifier modeling effect.
Model
The type of amplifier model. This changes the tone character.
Mode
Mono/Stereo operation. Mono saves CPU, and in some cases sounds more solid.
Drive
Overdrive amount.
Feedback
Feedback amount. The result depends on the input signal.
Treble
Treble boost. Optionally in or out of phase for different tones. 
						

							Effects Reference
Legacy Effects 
263Mix
Wet/dry mix.
Modulate L/R
This effect features three modes of signal distortion, where one side of a stereo signal is
used to modulate the other.
Mode
•Ring Mod: Ring modulation.
•Env Mod: The signal level of the right channel is modulated by the level of
the left channel.
•Duck: The signal level of the right channel is reduced when the level of the
left channel increases.
Thru
Defines which input signals are used as the dry signal for the Mix.
Smooth
Smoothing of modulation.
Drive
Level trim.
Mix
Wet/dry mix. 
						

							Note Expression
264Steinberg’s Note Expression technology was developed for creating realistic instrument
performances. Note Expression allows you to create automated modulations for each note.
HALion Sonic supports Note Expression for volume, pan, and tuning. If you use a Steinberg
DAW that supports Note Expression, you can automate the Note Expression parameters for
any program in HALion Sonic per note.
Furthermore, in programs that give you access to the modulation matrix, you can assign up
to eight Note Expression controllers to the available modulation destinations. These work in
addition to the preassigned pitch, pan, and level modulations.
NOTE
The Note Expression controllers of a program are shared by all its layers. This means that
the controller data affects all layers simultaneously. Depending on how the Note Expression
controllers are set up, each layer can react differently.
NOTE
If you use HALion Sonic with host applications that do not support Note Expression, the Note
Expression editor page and the Note Expression controllers in the modulation matrix are
visible, but they do not have any influence on the program.
Note Expression Editor
•To open the Note Expression editor, open the Edit page and select the Program tab.
The editor shows the Note Expression controllers on the left and the assigned modulation
destinations on the right. This gives you a quick overview of how the Note Expression
controllers are routed in the modulation matrix and what their influence on the sound will
be.
NOTE
A Note Expression controller can be assigned to several destinations. 
						

							Note Expression
Note Expression Editor 
265Name
If you assign a Note Expression controller for the first time, it gets the name of
the modulation destination that it is assigned to. Any further assignments do not
change the name. You can specify a name manually by entering it in the Name
field.
Bypass Note Expression Controller
To deactivate the effect of the controller, click the Bypass Note Expression
Controller button. It is linked to the Bypass button of the corresponding
modulation destination in the modulation matrix.
Depth
This slider adjusts the intensity of the Note Expression modulation. It is linked to
the Depth slider of the corresponding modulation destination in the modulation
matrix.
Edit
Click Edit  to jump to the first modulation assignment of the Note Expression
controller in the modulation matrix. 
						

							Library Manager
266HALion Sonic’s Library Manager allows you to register and to manage libraries that have
been created with HALion 6 and newer. It also displays all libraries that were created earlier
and therefore were installed with a classic installer.
The Library Manager is installed on your computer as a standalone application and can be
run independently from HALion, HALion Sonic, and HALion Sonic SE.
For actions such as registering, moving, or deleting libraries, the Library Manager requires
full access to all VST Sound libraries. Therefore, you must close HALion, HALion Sonic,
HALion Sonic SE, and your Steinberg DAW first, so that they release these files.
Library Manager Editor
All libraries are displayed in the Library Manager, either on the Managed or the Installed
tab. For each library, an icon, the name, the manufacturer, as well as its total file size are
shown. 
						

							Library Manager
Library Manager Editor 
267•The libraries in the Managed list were created with HALion 6 and newer and can be
moved between hard disks or deleted.
•The libraries on the Installed list were installed using an installer. These libraries
cannot be moved or deleted, to avoid interference with the original installers.
For both library types, a Details button is available, which will extend the list entry and show
which VST Sound containers are part of the library and where on your hard disks they are
located.
Installing VST Sound Libraries
To install a new library, you must register the corresponding VST Sound container files.
PREREQUISITE
You have moved the VST Sound container files to a hard disk and folder where you want to
store them and from where you want to register them.
NOTE
If you have downloaded a library, for example, you most probably do not want to keep it in
the Downloads folder. To keep your system clean and uncluttered, you might want to create
a dedicated folder for all your libraries and then create subfolders for each new library. You
can also create multiple Library folders on different hard disks.
PROCEDURE
•Navigate to the folder where the new VST Sound container files are located and
double-click one of them.
The Library Manager opens and registers all VST Sound containers from that folder.
This process does not change the location of the library files, but registers them to the
MediaBay of HALion, HALion Sonic, and HALion Sonic SE, as well as your Steinberg
DAW.
NOTE
•If the folder contains VST Sound containers that have already been registered,
they are ignored.
•You can also register user VST Sound containers that were created with versions
4 and 5 of HALion. HSB files from HALion 3 are not supported.
RESULT
All VST Sound containers in that folder are now registered and can be used the next time that
you open HALion Sonic.
Moving Libraries
You can move the file location of a library, for example, to a faster SSD hard disk or because
you have accidentally registered it from the wrong folder and you do not want it to remain in
this location.
PROCEDURE
1.Navigate to the library in the list and click Move. 
						

							Library Manager
Library Manager Editor 
2682.In the dialog, navigate to the new location and click OK.
Removing Libraries
You can remove a library if it is no longer needed.
PROCEDURE
1.Navigate to the library in the list and click Remove.
2.Do one of the following:
•To delete the library from your hard disk, select Move to Trash.
•To unregister the library while keeping the corresponding VST Sound container,
select Unregister.
NOTE
•Libraries can have dependencies to other libraries. For example, if a preset
library is based on samples that were delivered exclusively with another library.
If you try to delete this second library, the Library Manager will warn you that
this library is required by another library. 
						

							Using the Standalone Version
of the Plug-In
269If you use HALion Sonic as a standalone application, an additional section is available at the
top of the control panel. Here, you can define key commands, set up audio and MIDI interface
routings, adjust the master volume, and access the integrated MIDI scratch pad, which
allows you to record your musical ideas without having to start a MIDI sequencer application.
It can also be used to play multitrack arrangements that trigger the different programs.
Making Preferences Settings
You can configure the standalone version of HALion Sonic in the Plug-In Preferences dialog.
•To open the Plug-In Preferences dialog, click the Open Preferences button  to the
right of the audio output field or right-click in the topmost section of the control panel
and select Plug-In Preferences on the context menu.
Preferences Dialog
The Plug-In Preferences dialog has several pages on which you can make settings.
MIDI Page
MIDI Input Ports
Use this pop-up menu to specify a MIDI input.
Channel Filter
Determines whether MIDI events are recorded on all MIDI channels, or only on
one specific channel.
Filter ‘All Notes Off’ Controller
Activate this parameter to avoid unwanted “All Notes Off” messages. Such
messages are sent by some keyboards when the last key is released. This causes
HALion Sonic to stop playback, even when the sustain pedal is still in use.
Outputs Page
You can use the Audio Output Ports pop-up menus to assign different audio outputs. You can
assign different audio outputs for each channel.
•To map an output to a channel, select it from the pop-up menu.
•To set the front and rear channels to incrementing audio output ports, hold down Shift
and select an audio output. 
						

							Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-In
Preferences Dialog 
270•To assign the audio outputs in pairs to the front and rear channels, hold down Alt-Shift
and select an audio output.
Metronome Page
On the Metronome page, a number of settings can be made regarding the use of a
metronome.
Mode
Activates/Deactivates the metronome or sets it to Count In mode.
Accent
Accentuates the first beat of each bar.
Level
Adjusts the volume of the metronome.
Connections
Allows you to select a separate stereo output for the metronome.
General Page
•If you want the plug-in to close without prompting when you quit the program, activate
Don’t prompt for confirmation when quitting HALion Sonic.
ASIO Driver Page
On the ASIO Driver pop-up menu, you can select your audio hardware driver.
Release Driver when Application is in Background
Activate this option if you plan to use several audio applications simultaneously.
Input Latency/Output Latency
The input and output latency values for your audio hardware are displayed.
Latency is the amount of time it takes for your system to respond to any
messages that are sent to it. High latency results in a noticeable delay between
when you press a key and when you hear the sound.
You can change the latency with the Buffer Size parameter in the control panel
for your driver, opened by clicking the Control Panel button on the Advanced tab.
Sample Rate
Below the latency values, you can set the sample rate for the connected audio
hardware.
Audio Priority
Determines which of the HALion Sonic processes gets priority when accessing
processor resources on your computer.
•In Normal mode, non-audio processes and audio playback get roughly
equal priorities.
•In Boost mode, audio precedes MIDI in priority. Try this mode if audio
playback problems occur when playing back MIDI and audio material.