Steinberg VST Sampler HALion 3 Operation Manual

							HALionEditing in the Keyzone page view 7 – 71
In this mode, all samples in the Program will be affected by parameter changes, 
regardless whether samples are selected or not. “PROGRAM” indicates that the 
whole Program will be affected.
Edit Absolute/Edit Relative 
In addition, by clicking the button that either reads “RELATIVE” or “AB-
SOLUTE”, you switch between Absolute or Relative editing mode. This 
is only meaningful if you have selected “ALL” or have several selected 
samples, as the “ABSOLUTE”/”RELATIVE” setting doesn’t matter if 
only one sample is selected.
The “ABSOLUTE”/”RELATIVE” setting determines whether the editing 
you perform should set the changed parameter to an absolute value, or 
change values relative to the previously set value for all or selected 
samples. With the exception of pitch and volume, a certain percentage 
of all values is changed. For pitch and volume, the values are changed 
by adding or subtracting from the current values. Have a look at the fol-
lowing examples:
Example 1 (Absolute mode)
For some of the samples of a Program a volume of +2 dB has been 
set in the Sound page view, while all other samples in this Program 
have a volume of -2 dB. When setting a Volume of +4 dB in Absolute 
mode, this setting is applied to all or all selected samples.
Example 2 (Relative mode for volume and pitch)
In Relative mode, changing the current volume setting by 2 dB will 
change the volumes of all or all selected samples by 2 dB.   
						

							HALion7 – 72 Editing in the Keyzone page view
Example 3 (Relative mode for all remaining parameters)
For Sample 1 a cutoff value of 60 has been set in the Sound page 
view, while for Sample 2 cutoff has been set to 80. When changing 
the Cutoff setting by 20 for Sample 1, this corresponds to a change of 
50 % with respect to the maximum value. For Sample 2 this change of 
50 % with respect to the maximum value results in a change by 10 to 
a setting of 90.
Setting keyzone and velocity range
Using the handles
The handles can be used to set the keyzone and the velocity range for a 
sample. You can set the keyzone range for only one sample at a time. 
Using the top handle. When you click on a handle, the pointer changes to a double 
arrow, and the sample becomes transparent. 
You can use the handles in the following way:
•Click the top handle to either extend the keyzone by dragging to the 
left, reduce the keyzone by dragging to the right or scale the high ve-
locity by dragging up or down. 
Clicking on the left side or border of a sample allows you to set the key zone range in 
the manner outlined above, but not the velocity.   
						

							HALionEditing in the Keyzone page view 7 – 73
•Click the bottom handle to either extend the keyzone by dragging to 
the right, reduce the keyzone by dragging to the left or scale the low 
velocity by dragging up or down. 
Clicking on the right side or border of a sample allows you to set the key zone range in 
the manner outlined above, but not the velocity. 
•Hold down [Shift] and drag the handles up or down to set velocity Lo/
Hi values for several selected samples simultaneously.
Setting the high velocity value for several selected samples.
Using the edit fields
You can also set keyzone, velocity and root key (see page 75) by us-
ing the edit fields at the top of the window. When using the edit fields 
to set the keyzone this will only affect the currently view selected sam-
ple, but for velocity all selected samples are affected. The following 
methods can be used:
• Click in one of the edit fields to type in a new value. Press [Enter] to confirm.
• You can use the up/down arrows to change values.
• If you [Alt]-click in an edit field, a fader appears allowing you to change values.
• If you have a wheel mouse, this can also be used to change values by clicking 
in the edit fields.  
						

							HALion7 – 74 Editing in the Keyzone page view
Moving samples
Selected samples can be moved around in the Keyzone window:
•Clicking in the middle of a sample so that the pointer becomes a four-
way arrow (Win) or a plus sign (Mac) allows you to drag the selected 
sample(s) left or right (and up or down if the velocity range has been 
scaled from the default 0 to 127 range) in the Keyzone window.
Note that when you move samples horizontally, they will be transposed. To make moved 
samples play back at the right pitch again you have to change the Root Key setting (see 
below).
Moving a sample in the Keyzone window.
Deleting samples
You can delete selected samples using the standard commands 
[Delete] or [Backspace]. This means that the samples will no longer 
be referenced by the current Program (if saved after deleting the sam-
ples). Samples are not deleted from their current location on disk.  
						

							HALionEditing in the Keyzone page view 7 – 75
Setting the root key
The root key determines the pitch of the sample. Samples can contain 
root key information embedded in the file, which means that when 
loaded, they will automatically be mapped to the corresponding key(s).
The sample collections included with HALion contain both multisampled 
instrument Programs, with samples of a specific instrument (where often 
there is one sample for each corresponding note across the keyboard), 
and “single-shot” sample Programs, where different separate samples 
are mapped across the keyboard without any key/pitch relationship. In 
the first case (i.e. when samples already have the correct root key and 
are mapped to the corresponding key), there is no need to change the 
root key settings. But in the second case, you may want to move sam-
ples around, and the same applies to imported pitched samples that do 
not have root key information. 
If you have moved samples in the Keyzone window, you can easily make 
them play back at the original pitch by setting the root key manually in 
the Root edit field. If you set the root key to the same key a sample is 
mapped to, it will play back at the sample’s original pitch.
You can set the root key for a sample by holding down [Alt] and click-
ing the corresponding key on the keyboard. When you move a sample, 
you can make the root key “move” with the sample by holding down 
the [Alt] key while dragging the selected sample.
If you have loaded samples, refer to “Importing Samples”.
•If the sample is mapped to a keyzone stretching over several keys, you 
can set which key you want to be the root key according to whether it 
is the low key, the middle key or the high key in the keyzone.
This is explained on page 87. 
						

							HALion7 – 76 Editing in the Keyzone page view
Importing samples
How to load a Program Bank and individual Programs using the File 
pop-up is described in the chapter “HALion overview”. But to create 
your own Programs using your own samples, you first have to import 
the samples into HALion. This can be done in a number of ways:
• By dragging the samples (audio files) and dropping them into the Keyzone 
window or the Program List (in any page view) – see page 79.
• By using Import Sample(s) in the Program List context menu – see page 87.
• By using Import Sample(s) in the Keyzone window context menu – see page 87.
• By using the Browser page view – see page 155.
What audio file formats can be loaded?
HALion supports the following 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 Mac OS platform.
AIFC/.aif Compressed Audio Interchange File Format. Similar to AIFF, 
but compressed (32-bit float format only).
LM4/LM9/.txt Script files created for the LM4 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, you 
also need a MIDI file (created in ReCycle) to play back the 
slices correctly.
Sound Designer II/
.sd2 (Mac OS only)The native audio file format used by Digidesign software.
HALion Effect 
Program/.fxpA Program containing samples and parameter settings. 
HALion Effect Bank/
.fxbA Program Bank, containing up to 128 Programs. 
						

							HALionEditing in the Keyzone page view 7 – 77
❐HALion can read 32-bit float files, in all compatible formats that support 
this resolution, as well as other common bit resolutions (8-bit files ex-
cepted). Files may also have any sample rate.
❐By using the Browser page view you can also import Banks, Programs 
and samples from sample CDs in various formats – see page 171.
Import Sample(s)
When “Import Sample(s)” is selected from the Program list or Keyzone 
context menus, a standard file dialog opens where you can select au-
dio files or HALion Bank or Instrument files (Programs) for import, into 
the currently selected Program. You use the “Files of type” pop-up to 
decide what file formats you wish to import.
•If the currently selected Program folder contains samples, and you se-
lect a HALion Effect Program (.fxp), the Import dialog appears.
Here you can set various options for how the samples should be imported. These are 
described on page 162. 
						

							HALion7 – 78 Editing in the Keyzone page view
•If the Program is empty, the Mapping dialog appears with the follow-
ing options:
Option Description
Chromatic This will map all samples chromatically from the set Start Key. To 
determine which sample becomes the start key you have to se-
lect the files from the Browser and import them via drag and drop 
(see page 79).
Extract Key from File-
nameIf the sample name specifies a root key, e.g. “Piano C3” the sam-
ple will be mapped to the C3 key if this is selected.
White Keys This will map the samples to white keys only if selected, starting 
from the set start key.
Black Keys This will map the samples to black keys only if selected, starting 
from the set start key.
Stack (overlapping) This will place all samples on the set start key, so that they com-
pletely overlap.
Velocity Switch This will map samples to separate velocity zones on the set start 
key. To determine which sample gets top velocity you have to se-
lect the files from the Browser and import them via drag and drop 
(see page 79).
Use included Root 
KeySamples can contain embedded root key information. If this is 
selected, the samples will map to the correct root key.  
						

							HALionEditing in the Keyzone page view 7 – 79
Importing samples using drag and drop
You can import samples to a specific key (or key range) in the Keyzone 
window. This works as follows:
1.Drag a sample into the Keyzone window. 
An orange outline representing the sample appears.   
						

							HALion7 – 80 Editing in the Keyzone page view
2.Without dropping the sample, move the mouse pointer up and down.
As you can see, the horizontal position of the mouse pointer determines the lowest key 
of the key range, and the vertical position of the mouse pointer determines the key 
zone range. You can extend the key zone range up to an octave using this method.
Move the mouse pointer forward to extend the key range.
If several samples are selected and dragged into the Keyzone window 
it works as follows: 
1.Select the samples you wish to import.
If you are selecting samples from the separate Browser window (see page 168), the 
selection order will determine how the samples will be mapped, with the first selected 
sample being mapped to the first key zone (i.e. the key you point to when you drop). 
The other selected samples will be mapped to key zones to the right of the first, in the 
order they were selected.
2.Drag the samples to the key on the keyboard where you wish the first 
selected sample to be placed.