Steinberg Halion Sonic 2 Manual

11
Introduction
HALion Sonic Overview
The HALion Sonic interface follows a fixed size single-window concept and is 
subdivided into several sections:
•The Multi Program Rack on the left.
See “The Multi Program Rack” on page 15.
•The Edit display with the Load, Edit, MIDI, Mix, Effects, Multi, and Options pages 
on the right. 
See the chapter “Editing” on page 25.
•The Performance section with the trigger pads, quick controls, performance 
controllers, and sphere control at the bottom of the application...

12
Introduction About Programs, Layers, Multis, Macro Pages, and Presets
HALion Sonic provides two view options: the full-size editor view and the smaller 
player view.
•Click the “p” button in the small toolbar below the Steinberg logo to switch to the 
player view. In the player view, only the plug-in functions, trigger pads, Quick 
Controls, and the performance controllers are visible.
The button now reads “e” – clicking it restores the editor view.
Player view
Integrated in HALion Sonic is the...

13
Introduction About Programs, Layers, Multis, Macro Pages, and Presets
Layers
Programs are combinations of up to four layers. HALion Sonic provides five different 
layer types. You can choose between synth, sample, instrument, drums, and sliced 
loop layers. Each layer type is based on an individual sound architecture and has a 
dedicated editor.
Synth and Sample Layers
For synth and sample layers, you get access to a synthesizer editor with components 
such as a highly flexible filter section,...

14
Introduction About Programs, Layers, Multis, Macro Pages, and Presets
VST Sound Instrument Sets and Macro Pages
VST Sound Instrument Sets from Steinberg provide additional content for VST 
instruments based on the HALion technology. They come with their own Edit pages, 
called Macro pages, that feature a customized look and a collection of controls that 
match the functions of the VST Sound Instrument Set. When you edit a program or 
layer of a certain VST Sound Instrument Set, the accompanying Macro...

15
Managing Your Sounds
Introduction
This chapter describes the basic functions of the Multi Program Rack and how to 
manage sounds with it. Furthermore, the Load page with the MediaBay is explained, 
and how to set up a multi chain via the Multi page.
The Multi Program Rack
The Multi Program Rack provides 16 slots, so that you can load up to 16 programs 
simultaneously. This is where you load programs, and create and manage your multi 
programs.
The Multi Program Rack is linked to the various pages of...

16
Managing Your SoundsThe Multi Program Rack
Loading Layers into Slots
If you load a layer into a slot, HALion Sonic creates a new program.
Managing Programs via the Slot Context Menu
The slot context menu provides additional functions for managing programs. The 
following options are available:
ÖYou can also cut, copy, and paste programs from one instance of HALion Sonic to 
another.
Renaming Programs
You can rename a program via the context menu.
ÖTo make the program with its new name available in the...

17
Managing Your SoundsManaging Multis
Managing Multis
Multis can load multiple sounds or programs and combine them. You can use multis, 
for example, to layer several programs or to create split sounds by setting several 
programs to the same MIDI input channel. However, the most common usage is to 
create sound sets with different instruments set to individual MIDI channels.
A multi-program contains all plug-in parameters. When using HALion Sonic as a plug-
in in Cubase or Nuendo, these multis are...

18
Managing Your SoundsManaging Multis
Saving Multis
To save a multi, proceed as follows:
1.Click the “Save Multi-Program” button.
2.Enter the name of the multi.
3.Assign any attributes you require and click OK.
If the entered name already exists, the “Make Unique Name” option adds a number 
suffix to the name of the new multi.
If you enter a name that already exists in this location, a dialog opens asking you if you 
want to overwrite the existing file. If not, click Cancel to modify the name before...

19
Managing Your SoundsManaging Files via the MediaBay
Managing Files via the MediaBay
On the Load page in the Edit display, you will find the MediaBay. It gives you access 
to all HALion Sonic presets such as multis, programs, and layers. 
The Load page with the integrated MediaBay is divided into two sections. In the top 
section you can define which kind of sounds you want to look for. The lower section 
presents the corresponding results list. You can drag the divider at the top of the 
results list...

20
Managing Your SoundsManaging Files via the MediaBay
Applying Filters
Category Filter
You can filter the results list based on up to four filter criteria using the configurable 
attribute columns.
Standard attributes are Category, Sub Category, Style, and Character. By clicking on 
specific values in the columns, you define the filter. Only the files that match the 
selected values are displayed in the results list. Select more values from other 
columns to refine the filter.
•To select different...