Steinberg Halion 5 Manual

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Loading and Managing Programs 
Introduction
HALion allows you to load a virtually unlimited number of programs per instance. All 
loaded programs, that means, programs that can be used in the current project, are 
shown in the Program Table. You can load these programs into any of the 64 slots in 
the Slot Rack. 
The first 128 entries of the Program Table correspond to the 128 MIDI program 
change numbers. You can load these programs into a slot by sending MIDI program 
change messages on the slot’s MIDI channel.
ÖYou can set the focus on any of the programs, for example to verify settings or to copy 
zones from there, without having it assigned to any slot. In that case you cannot play 
and hear the program.
The Columns of the Program Table
The Program Table contains the following columns:
Configuring Columns
Inserting Columns
•Right-click the column header at the position where you want to insert the new 
column, and select the parameter or column that you want to insert.
Removing Columns
•Right-click the header of the column you want to remove, and select “Remove…”.
Reordering Columns
•Drag and drop the header of the column left or right to the new position.
Changing the Width of a Column
•Drag the right border of the column header left or right to change its width.
ÖAll modifications are stored with the project.
ColumnDescription
Program NumberDisplays the program number, which corresponds to the 
MIDI program change number.
Program NameShows the program name. The name can be edited in place.
UsedDisplays the number of slots in which the program is loaded.
PreloadShows if a program is preloaded, even if it is not being used 
in a slot.
File SizeDisplays the size of the program with all samples as it is 
stored on the hard disk. 
						

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Loading and Managing ProgramsLoading Programs into the Program Table
Loading Programs into the Program Table
There are several ways to load a program into the Program Table:
•Drag it from the MediaBay to the Program Table.
•In the MediaBay, right-click a program to open the context menu, and select “Load 
Program into selected Slot”.
•Click the “Load Program” button in the Program Table toolbar, select a program, 
and click OK.
If the selected entry in the Program Table already contains a program, the current 
program is replaced. All slots that are making use of that program then refer to the 
new program.
When multiple programs are dropped on a list entry, not only the target program is 
replaced but also the following programs. The number of programs that are replaced 
corresponds to the number of programs that you have dragged to the Program Table.
ÖYou can also drag and drop programs from third-party sampler formats using the 
Import Tree, see “Importing Third-Party Sampler Programs” on page 77.
Loading Programs from the Program Table to the Slot Rack
When dropping a program onto a free Program Table entry, it is added to the table 
without being actually loaded to any of the slots. This way you can create a program 
table without having to load all programs immediately.
If you want to use the program in a slot, you can create a new slot or replace the 
program in an existing slot.
In case a program is loaded multiple times to different slots the slot rack focus jumps 
to the first slot.
Creating New Slots
•Make sure that no slot is selected and double-click the program.
•Drag a program to an empty space in the Slot Rack.
Replacing Programs in Slots
•Double-click a program to replace the program in the selected slot.
•Drag a program from the table into an existing slot.
To quickly see which programs are assigned to slots their program numbers are 
displayed in yellow.
Preloading Programs
When a program was loaded to the Program Table but is not used by one of the slots, 
its samples are not preloaded. However, you can preload unassigned programs to 
allow for a faster MIDI program change. You can activate the Preload option 
individually for each program. This setting is saved with the project and plug-in preset. 
Proceed as follows:
•Open the context menu for a program and select “Always Preload”.
•Activate the Preload icon of the program in the Preload column.
•To deactivate preloading, select “Preload Program On Demand” on the context 
menu, or deactivate the icon in the Preload column. 
						

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Loading and Managing ProgramsEditing the Program Table
Editing the Program Table
Deleting Programs
You can delete the selected program by clicking the trash icon on the toolbar. 
Alternatively, you can press the [Delete]-key on your computer keyboard or use the 
Delete command on the context menu.
Exchanging the List Positions of Two Programs
Once a program has been loaded to a specific table entry, it is also associated with 
the corresponding MIDI program change number.
For example, loading a program at position 3 of the list means that this program can 
be loaded into a slot when it receives MIDI program change number 3 on its MIDI 
channel.
If you want to quickly assign the program to another MIDI program change number, 
you can drag it to the corresponding list position. In case another program already 
occupies this position, the two programs change places.
Cut, Copy, and Paste
Cut, copy, and paste programs by clicking the corresponding icons on the Program 
Table toolbar, using the commands on the context menu, or using key commands.
Renaming Programs
•Select the program you want to rename and click the program name a second 
time, or press [F2] (Win)/[Return] (Mac).
•Right-click the program and select Rename on the context menu. 
						

							34
Using the Program Tree
Introduction
The main area for navigating and making selections in HALion is the Program Tree. It 
shows the selected program with all its layers, zones, and modules. Furthermore, it 
allows you to load programs and layers, to add, import, or delete zones, etc.
The first three columns in the Program Tree give you access to the Visibility, Mute, and 
Solo functions inside the program. In the section to the right, the selected program 
and its elements are displayed. They are organized in a hierarchical structure, with the 
program at the topmost level.
Each element in the Program Tree is displayed with an icon in front of its name, 
indicating the type of the element.
Programs and Layers
Programs are the top-level elements in the Program Tree. Only one program is 
displayed at a time.
A HALion program is a complex instrument or sound that combines layers, sample 
zones, synth zones, busses, MIDI modules, and FX modules. Often, a program contains 
a single layer that already comes with all necessary components such as the synthesis 
part or insert effects. This is because a layer already is a complete sound structure on its 
own. Layers can be used to organize programs, for example by grouping a number of 
zones. This is useful if you want to apply the same settings to a number of zones in one 
go. The program adds the possibility of combining different layers to build up more 
complex sounds or to create combinations of sounds you want to load as a unit. A 
typical example is a bass/piano split sound or a piano/string layer sound. 
						

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Using the Program TreeThe Program Tree Structure
Zones
A zone is the element on the lowest level in the tree structure. The zones are the 
elements creating the sounds in HALion.
You can choose between synth and sample zones. These zone types differ in their 
basic sound source. While a synth zone provides an oscillator section with three main 
oscillators, a sub oscillator, a noise generator, and a ring modulation stage, the sample 
zone loads a specific sample instead.
Busses
Busses allow you to set up the audio routing in HALion and add audio effects.
MIDI Modules
MIDI Modules can be added for programs and layers, see “Adding MIDI Modules” on 
page 42.
Audio Effects
Audio effects can be added for busses. For a detailed description of the available 
audio effects, see the chapter 
“Effects Reference” on page 219.
The Program Tree Structure
The Program Tree represents the signal flow inside the program from top to bottom:
The MIDI comes in at the top and goes down through the layers and MIDI modules. 
The processing order of the MIDI modules inside the program or layers is from top to 
bottom.
The audio is output via busses that can have any number of FX modules. The 
processing order of the FX modules inside the busses is also from top to bottom.
Number of Selected Zones
Below the Program Tree, there are three numbers that indicate the following:
•The first number indicates the number of selected zones.
•The second number indicates the number of zones contained in the focused layer.
•The third number indicates the total number of zones in the program.
The three numbers are particularly useful while editing or deleting zones. For example, 
if you have a piano that was recorded with several velocity layers per note, you will 
know that each velocity layer has 88 sample zones. Let’s say, you want to edit or 
delete a whole velocity layer. With a look at the three numbers you will know if you 
selected the right amount of sample zones before you edit or delete them.
The Color Scheme
To indicate additional information, the icons of the program, layers, and zones change 
their color.
Icon ColorDescription
Light blueThis is the standard color for zones. For sample zones this color 
means all samples were found and loaded without problems.
RedThe icon turns red if a sample zone cannot find its sample, for 
example, because a removable hard drive is not connected. 
						

							36
Using the Program TreeEditing Zones, Programs, and Layers
Editing Zones, Programs, and Layers
Creating Zones
To create a new zone, you have the following possibilities:
•Drag and drop samples from the Cubase MediaBay, Windows Explorer, or Mac 
OS Finder to a program or layer.
•Right-click a layer in the Program Tree, open the New submenu, and select Zone.
•Click the Zone icon on the toolbar of the Program Tree.
When creating new zones, HALion uses the default zone preset to set the zone 
parameters to their default values. This preset contains all zone parameters, but no 
sample-related parameters (sample start/end, loop start/end, etc.). 
•To use specific zone settings, modify the default preset, and save it as default in 
your “user presets” directory.
Creating Layers
To create new layers you have the following possibilities:
•Click the “Create New Layer” icon on the toolbar. When a layer is selected, the 
new layer is added within this layer. When a zone is selected, the new layer is 
added on the same hierarchy level as the zone.
•Too add multiple layers on the same level, [Shift]-click the “Create New Layer” 
icon on the toolbar.
•Right-click a layer, open the New submenu, and select Layer.
Saving Programs and Layers
You can save programs and layers from the Program Tree as VST presets.
•To save a program, click the Save icon on the toolbar, or use the “Save Program” 
command on the Load/Save submenu of the context menu.
•To save a certain layer, open the context menu, select the “Load/Save” submenu, 
and select “Save Layer”.
Saving Multiple Programs
You can save all selected programs or all programs listed in the Program Table by 
using the corresponding commands on the context menu.
ÖEmpty programs are not saved.
YellowWhen you create a new sample zone, it is not linked to a sample, yet. 
To indicate this, the icons of the corresponding sample zones turn 
yellow.
Magenta To free memory on your computer, you can remove the samples 
completely from RAM. The samples are played back from the hard 
disk only. To indicate this, the icons of the corresponding sample 
zones turn magenta.
Dark blueTo reduce hard-disk load, HALion can playback samples from RAM 
only. To indicate this, the icons of the corresponding sample zones 
turn dark blue.
Icon Color Description 
						

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Using the Program TreeEditing Zones, Programs, and Layers
Deleting Programs, Layers, and Zones
•Select the program or any number of layers and zones, and click the trash icon on 
the toolbar, or press [Backspace], or open the context menu and select Delete.
ÖDeleting zones does not delete any samples on your hard drive.
Drag and Drop
Select the program or any number of layers and zones and drag the selection to a 
layer to move the selection inside this layer.
Using Cut, Copy, and Paste
•To cut the selected elements, use the Cut icon on the toolbar, the Cut command 
on the context menu, or the key command [Ctrl]/[Command]-[X].
•To copy the selected elements, use the Copy icon on the toolbar, the Copy 
command on the context menu, or the key command [Ctrl]/[Command]-[C].
•To insert the copied data, use the Paste icon on the toolbar, the Paste command 
on the context menu, or the key command [Ctrl]/[Command]-[V].
ÖYou can also copy or move the selection from one program to another. Furthermore, it 
is possible to move a complete program into another one. In this case the moved 
program becomes a layer inside the target program. 
Paste to New Layer
To paste copied zones to a new layer, open the context menu for a zone, layer or 
program (depending on where you want to insert the new layer), and select “Paste to 
new Layer”.
Copying and Pasting Zone Settings
1.Right-click the zone that contains the settings that you want to copy, and select 
“Copy Zone Settings” from the context menu.
2.Right-click one of the selected zones, and select “Paste Zone Settings” from the 
context menu.
Transfer Settings to Mapping
Zones often have varying Fine Tune and Level settings, while other settings stay the 
same across all zones. To avoid varying Fine Tune and Level settings in the zones, you 
can transfer these settings to the Tune and Gain parameter of the mapping. 
1.Right-click the program or the layers and zones.
2.Open the “Transfer Settings to Mapping” submenu and specify which settings to 
transfer: “Select All” to transfer Fine Tune and Level at the same time or select 
“Fine Tune” or “Level” to transfer them individually.
•The corresponding zone settings are transferred to the mapping and reset to their 
default afterwards.
Applying Layer Settings to Zones
In some cases it can be helpful to apply the layer settings to the zones they contain.
1.Open the context menu in the Program Tree and select “Apply Layer Settings to 
Zones”. 
2.Select which settings to apply. You can either apply all settings at once or one of 
the following settings individually: Key Range, Velocity Range, Fine Tune, and 
Level Pan.
All layer offsets are now calculated into the correspondent zone settings and then 
reset to a neutral position. 
						

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Using the Program TreeEditing Zones, Programs, and Layers
Example: 
A program contains layers that are limited to a specific key range. The contained 
zones, however, use the full key range. In this case, all these zones fill the whole key 
range in the mapping editor and it is impossible to see their real limitations. To solve 
this, use the “Apply Layer Settings to Zones – Key Range” option so that the zones 
inherit the limits of the layers. The layers themselves are reset to the complete key 
range. Now, you can see the key range in the mapping.
Renaming Entries
When you create a new element in the Program Tree, it automatically gets a generic 
name. You can change this name in the following ways:
•Select an entry, click it a second time, and enter the new name.
•Select an entry, press [F2] (Win) or [Return] (Mac), and enter the new name.
Renaming Multiple Elements
You can search for words and phrases in the Program Tree and rename them.
1.In the Program Tree, select the element that you want to rename. If nothing is 
selected, the search is performed on the entire program.
2.Open the context menu and select “Search and Rename”.
3.Enter the word or phrase that you want to search for.
You can enter the entire word or phrase you are searching for, or you can use 
wildcards.
4.Set up the search options to refine your search.
You can specify the search direction or only search the selected elements, for 
example.
5.Enter the text to replace the found words or phrases.
You can also use text variables, see below.
6.Click the Find button to go to the next matching element in the Program Tree. Click 
the Rename button to rename the current element and to jump to the next match. 
Click “Rename All” to automatically rename all matching elements.
Using Variables
Instead of entering the text to replace manually, you can also use the variables on the 
“Replace by” pop-up menu.
The following variables are available:
VariableDescription
Sample File 
$(Sample)The file name of the original sample. 
						

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Using the Program TreeMaking Selections
ÖThe variables $(Sample), $(SampleFolder), $(Zone), $(KeyLow), $(KeyHigh), 
$(KeyLowText), $(KeyHighText), $(VelLow), $(VelHigh), $(RootKey) and 
$(RootKeyText) work only for zones. If you try to use any of these variables for 
replacing text in a layer name, the matching text is deleted. The variables $(Program), 
$(Layer), $(Date), $(Time) and $(Counter) always work.
Making Selections
The selection you make in the Program Tree defines which part of the program can be 
edited in HALion. The editors automatically follow the selection and display the 
available parameters. The name of the selected entry is marked in blue. If several 
elements are selected, the one with the focus is available for editing. It is indicated by 
an orange frame around its name. Any editing you perform always applies to the 
selection.
Selecting Elements
•To select an element, click on it. 
•Use [Shift] and [Ctrl]/[Command] to select a range of elements.
•To select all zones within the same layer, double-click one of its zones.
•To select all elements of a layer, double-click the layer. 
Sample Folder 
$(SampleFolder)The name of the folder where the sample is located.
Zone Name $(Zone)The name of the zone.
Layer Name $(Layer)The name of the layer.
Program Name 
$(Program)The name of the program.
Key Low Number 
$(KeyLow)The MIDI note number of the lower limit of the key range.
Key High Number 
$(KeyHigh)The MIDI note number of the upper limit of the key range.
Key Low Text 
$(KeyLowText)The note name of the lower limit of the key range.
Key High Text 
$(KeyHighText)The note name of the upper limit of the key range.
Velocity Low 
$(VelLow)The number of the lower limit of the velocity range.
Velocity High 
$(VelHigh) The number of the upper limit of the velocity range.
Root Key Number 
$(RootKey)The MIDI note number of the root key.
Root Key Text 
$(RootKeyText)The name of the root key.
Date $(Date)The system date (in the format yymmdd).
Time $(Time)The system time (in the format hhmm).
Counter $(Counter)A counter starting at 1, counting up for each replacement.
You can also use counter variables with up to 5 digits, where the 
counter starts with 01, 001, etc. These are not available on the 
menu. To use them, enter $(Counter2), $(Counter3), etc.
Variable Description 
						

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Using the Program TreeNavigating in the Program Tree
•To select the entire content of a program, open the context menu, select the 
Selection submenu, and choose “Select All”.
•To select all subentries of an element, open the context menu, select the Selection 
submenu, and choose “Select Tree”.
Using the Selection Filter
The Selection Filter lets you select a group of elements by double-clicking on a 
program, layer, or zone. By default, a double-click selects all elements of the Program 
Tree.
The Selection Filter can be set to select only zones, layers, effects, MIDI modules, or 
busses. Different icons indicate which Selection Filter is active.
•To select a Selection Filter, click on the Selection Filter icon, and choose an 
option.
Expanding and Collapsing the Tree
•To show or hide the content of a layer, click the plus or minus sign in front of the 
icon.
•To expand or collapse an entire layer, including any sub-layers, open the context 
menus for the layer, and select “Expand Tree” or “Collapse Tree”.
Navigating in the Program Tree
When the Program Tree has the window focus, you can use the arrow keys for 
navigating in the Program Tree.
•When a single entry is selected, use the up and down arrow keys to select the 
previous or next entry, respectively.
•To open or close a selected layer, use the right or left arrow key, respectively.
•To expand the selection, use the up/down arrow keys while holding [Shift].
•With multiple entries selected, use the up and down arrow keys to set the focus to 
the previous or next selected entry.
If the Program Tree does not have the window focus, you can use the hotkeys [W], 
[A], [D], and [X] to navigate in it.
•To select the previous or next element in the Program Tree, press [W] or [X], 
respectively.
•To open or close the focused layer, press [D] or [A], respectively.
•If you are working with undocked views that have a Program Tree of their own, the 
hotkeys are applied to the view that has the window focus, provided the lock icon 
is activated.
Editing the Focused Entry
The Sound editor automatically shows the parameters of the focused entry, such as a 
zone or layer. By using the Sound editor together with the Program Tree, you can 
easily access and edit all parts of the program.