Steinberg Studio Case VST Instruments Operation Manual

							VST Instruments
HALion SE 7 – 131
ENGLISH
The keyboard
The keyboard logically spans the entire MIDI note range from C2 to 
G8. It is used to quickly audition samples by clicking a key to which a 
sample is assigned. A blue dot indicates the key where you last clicked.
•To scroll up or down the keyboard range, click the little arrows to the left 
of the keyboard.
•You can audition samples with varying velocity values using the mouse.
The further down on a key you click, the higher the velocity value, and vice versa. For 
more information on velocity, see page 136.
Click here for maximum 
velocity.Click here for minimum 
velocity. 
						

							VST Instruments
7 – 132 HALion SE
Tweaking programs
In HALion SE you can adjust the basic parameters like filter and enve-
lope settings and apply these settings to the program as a whole. The 
parameters are described on the following pages.
All changes you make in HALion SE will be applied globally to the se-
lected program. Whether these changes are audible or not, depends on 
the program you use. If the filter e.g. is bypassed in a HALion program, 
changes to the filter mode will have no audible effect. Please note that 
HALion SE gives you access to basic program parameters only. Detailed 
editing functionality (e.g. sample mapping, envelopes, LFOs, modula-
tions) is available in HALion 3.0 only.
The Filter section
A filter removes certain frequencies from an audio signal. The filter in 
HALion SE offers five basic filter modes as well as a selection of alter-
native filters developed by Waldorf, the renowned German synth manu-
facturers. 
						

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The Filter section contains the following parameters:
Filter Type
Clicking the “Filter Type” field opens a pop-up menu where you can 
select one of the following filter types:
Low Pass (24dB/12dB)
Low pass filters let low frequencies pass and cut out the high frequen-
cies. This is the most commonly used filter type in synthesizers and 
samplers. The low pass filter in HALion SE can be set to either 24 dB/
octave or 12 dB/octave roll-off slope. A 24 dB roll-off slope dampens 
the frequencies above the cutoff frequency more than a 12 dB roll-off 
slope.
High Pass
A high pass filter is the opposite of a low pass filter, cutting out the 
lower frequencies and letting the high frequencies pass. It has a 
12 dB/octave roll-off slope.
Band Pass
A band pass filter cuts both high and low frequencies, while midrange 
frequencies are not affected. Each slope in this filter type has a 12 dB/
octave roll-off.
Notch
A notch filter can be described as having the opposite effect of a 
band pass filter. It cuts off frequencies in a midrange band, letting the 
frequencies below and above through. This filter type also has a 
12 dB/octave roll-off slope.
Waldorf
These special filter modes cover the same basic range of filter types; 
12/24 dB LP and HP, as well as band pass and notch, but offer a dif-
ferent character. 
						

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7 – 134 HALion SE
Filter Cutoff
Perhaps the most important parameter for a filter is its cutoff frequency, 
which is the setting that determines where in the frequency material it 
should start cutting. If the cutoff frequency in a low pass filter is set to 
a very low value, only the lowest frequencies will pass through. If you 
raise the cutoff all the way up, all frequencies will be let through.
Filter Resonance 
For low pass filters, raising the filter resonance value will emphasize the 
frequencies around the set filter frequency. This produces a sharper fil-
ter cutoff sweep, but a thinner overall sound. The higher the filter reso-
nance value, the more resonant the sound becomes until it produces a 
whistling or ringing sound. When you use the band pass or notch filter, 
the resonance setting adjusts the width of the band. When you raise 
the resonance, the band where frequencies are let through (band pass), 
or cut (notch) will become narrower. 
						

							VST Instruments
HALion SE 7 – 135
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DCA and Envelope
The DCA and Envelope section.
An envelope determines a chronological sequence for changes that 
can affect the pitch, timbre or level of a signal. This sequence is trig-
gered by notes that are either played on the MIDI keyboard or sent 
from a sequencer track.
In HALion SE, you can adjust the amplitude envelope using faders for 
Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR). The DCA (Digitally Con-
trolled Amplifier) affects the volume of the program.
Amplifier Amount
This parameter determines how much the volume should be affected 
by the envelope (see above). Normally this is set to 100%. If this is set 
to 0%, no sound will be produced.
Parameter Description
Attack Controls the time it takes for the signal to reach its highest level.
Decay Controls the time it takes the signal to decay to the sustain level.
Sustain Controls the signal level after the Decay phase, while the key is still 
held down on the MIDI keyboard.
Release Controls the signal after a key is released. 
						

							VST Instruments
7 – 136 HALion SE
Amplifier Volume
This parameter can be used to boost the sample’s level to up to a 
maximum of 6 dB.
Amplifier Velocity
This dial controls how much the volume is affected by velocity. Velocity 
is a value determined by how hard or soft you play notes on your key-
board. With Velocity set to 0%, the volume will be constant no matter 
how hard or soft you play. Increasing this value progressively will make 
the volume more and more sensitive to how hard or soft you play.
The LFO
The parameters in the LFO section allow you to vary the frequency 
and the waveform of the LFO. In the composer library, there is an LFO 
modulation pre-programmed wherever it makes sense (vibrato, trem-
olo, or wah-wah). You can edit the form and the speed of that modu-
lation using the two LFO parameters. 
						

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HALion SE 7 – 137
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The Tune Section
The Tune section is used to control the tuning of the program in either 
octave, semitone (“Coarse”) or cent increments. You can tune the 
octave range +/- 5 octaves, the semitone range +/- 11 semitones 
and the cent range +/- 100 cents (cent = 100th of a semitone).
Glide
By using the Glide dial, you can set a glissando (up to 3 seconds) 
between successive notes.
The Options pop-up menu 
						

							VST Instruments
7 – 138 HALion SE
Click in the Options field to open a pop-up menu with the following 
options:
High/Mid/Low Quality
The Quality setting provides a way of balancing audio quality vs. con-
servation of computer power. 
•High Quality uses the highest sample rate, but also requires more CPU time. 
•Mid Quality uses less CPU power. Depending on the type of sounds you are 
using, this mode can provide adequate reproduction in many instances.
•Low Quality works with the lowest sample rate, producing a “Lo-Fi” sound. 
The Quality setting is global for all channels in a HALion SE unit. Programs 
cannot have different quality settings!
Fast/Good/Best Resampling
Resampling removes anti-aliasing artifacts, which can be especially 
noticeable in high frequency areas. The higher the setting, the better 
these artifacts will be suppressed. 
•The trade-off with higher settings is heavier CPU load. 
For samples with little high frequency content you can safely use the “Fast” option.
The Resampling setting is global for all channels in a HALion SE unit. 
Programs (or samples) cannot have different resample settings!
Disk Streaming settings
Disk streaming means that instead of loading the full samples into 
RAM when loading the instrument, only the first portion of each sam-
ple is pre-loaded. The rest is streamed from disk in realtime when the 
sample is actually played beyond the preloaded section.
With the disk streaming setting, you can adapt HALion SE’s preload-
ing preferences to your system. The numbers in brackets show the 
preloading time per sample in each setting:
•High Disk Streaming (1 sec): Preloads only a very short portion of each sam-
ple into RAM. Streaming kicks in almost immediately after notes are played. 
You should use this setting only if you have to remedy RAM shortage. 
						

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•Mid Disk Streaming (2 sec): A compromise between RAM usage and disk 
streaming.
•Low Disk Streaming (3 sec): Allows multiple channels at low disk strain.
•Very Low Disk Streaming (5 sec) and Very Very Low Disk Streaming (10 sec): 
With these settings, the hard disk will hardly be used at all even if you use a 
lot of instruments, but you might not be able to load as many instruments as 
you like.
Importing samples and soundbanks into 
HALion SE
HALion SE imports audio files (samples) and sound programs or banks, 
in various file formats. It’s as easy as it can get – you just drag and drop 
these files.
Supported File Formats
Audio File Format/
ExtensionDescription
Wave File/.wav The standard audio file format for the PC platform.
AIFF/.aif Audio Interchange File Format. The standard audio file format 
for the MacOS platform.
AIFC/.aif Compressed Audio Interchange File Format. Similar to AIFF, 
but compressed (32-bit float format only).
LM4/LM9/.txt
and LM4 MK2/.fxpScript files created for the LM4, LM4 MK2 or LM9 Drum 
modules.
REX/.rex and 
REX2/.rx2ReCycle Export files. ReCycle is a program created by Propel-
lerhead Software that slices up music loops, and allows them 
to play back at any tempo. To use the REX file with HALion SE, 
you also need a MIDI file (created in ReCycle) to play back the 
slices correctly.
Sound Designer II/
.sd2 (MacOS only)The native audio file format used by Digidesign software.
Soundfont 2 
banks/.sf2A Soundfont 2 compatible bank, containing up to 32 programs.
HALion Effect 
Program/.fxpA program containing samples and parameter settings.  
						

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HALion SE can read 32-bit float files, in all compatible formats that sup-
port this resolution, as well as other common bit resolutions. Files may 
also have any sample rate.
Importing audio files
If you want to create a new multisample from scratch, select an empty 
program first.
1.Select a program you want to import files into. If you import multisam-
ples or banks (e.g. LM4/9, Soundfont or HALion), the bank gets im-
ported starting with the selected program.
2.Select the file(s) in the Windows Explorer or MacOS Finder and drag 
them onto a key of the MIDI keyboard. If several samples are selected, 
they will be mapped chromatically upwards from this key.
Importing programs or banks
To import a program or bank via drag and drop (e.g. HAlion, LM4 or 
Soundfont), select a program first and drag the file (e.g. “.fxp”, “.sf2”) 
onto any of the program slots.
HALion Effect 
bank/.fxbA program bank, containing up to 32 programs. Audio File Format/
ExtensionDescription