Steinberg VST Sampler HALION 4 Operation Manual

							31
Using the Program Tree
Introduction
The main area for navigating and making selections in 
HALion is the Program Tree. It shows the selected pro
-
gram 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 ac-
cess 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 hi
-
erarchical 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 compo
-
nents 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 ex
-
ample 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 dif
-
ferent layers to build up more complex sounds or to create 
combinations of sounds you want to load as a unit. A typi
-
cal example is a bass/piano split sound or a piano/string 
layer sound.
Zones
A zone is the element on the lowest level in the tree struc-
ture. 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 sam
-
ple 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 36.
Audio Effects
Audio effects can be added for busses. For a detailed de-
scription of the available audio effects, see the chapter 
“Effects Reference” on page 122.
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 in-
dicate the following:
•The first number indicates the number of selected 
zones.
•The second number indicates the number of zones con-
tained in the focused layer. 
						

							32
Using the Program Tree
•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 pro-
gram, layers, and zones change their color.
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.
ÖWhen creating new zones, HALion uses the default 
zone preset to set the zone parameters to their default val
-
ues. This preset contains all zone parameters, but no sam-
ple-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 sub
-
menu of the context menu.
•To save a certain layer, open the context menu, select 
the “Load/Save” submenu, and select “Save Layer”.
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 [Back
-
space], or open the context menu and select Delete.
ÖDeleting zones does not delete any samples on your 
hard drive.
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.
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 sam-ple, for example, because a removable hard drive is not 
connected.
YellowWhen you create a new sample zone, it is not linked to a 
sample, yet. To indicate this, the icons of the corre-sponding 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 sam-ples from RAM only. To indicate this, the icons of the 
corresponding sample zones turn dark blue. 
						

							33
Using the Program Tree
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 pro-
gram 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 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 pa
-
rameter 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 se-
lect “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 individu
-
ally: 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.
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.
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 fo
-
cus 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.  
						

							34
Using the Program Tree
•To select the entire content of a program, open the con-
text 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, respec
-
tively.
•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 ar-
row 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 [D], respectively.
•To open or close the focused layer, press [D] or [A], 
respectively.
•If you are working with undocked views that have a Pro-
gram Tree of their own, the hotkeys are applied to the view 
that has the window focus, provided the lock icon is acti
-
vated.
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 eas
-
ily access and edit all parts of the program.
Muting, Soloing, and Hiding
By muting, soloing, or hiding layers and zones, you can fo-
cus on editing certain parts of the program.
In addition, the Program Tree allows you to list a customiz-
able set of zone parameters. This way, you can compare 
values between different zones directly in the Program Tree. 
						

							35
Using the Program Tree
Muting Layers, Zones, and the Program
Layers and zones that are muted are not output when you 
hit a key. For muted zones or layers the Mute icon turns 
yellow. When a muted program or layer contains zones, 
these zones are muted as well. This is indicated by an or
-
ange Mute icon in front of the zones.
•To mute an element in the Program Tree, click the Mute 
icon in front of it. The corresponding icon turns yellow.
•To reset the muting settings, click the Mute icon on the 
toolbar.
•To mute the selected zones, open the context menu of 
the Program Tree, open the Mute/Solo submenu, and se
-
lect “Mute Selected Zones”.
•To mute all zones, open the context menu of the Pro-
gram Tree, open the Mute/Solo submenu, and select 
“Mute All Zones”. The program itself and any of its layers 
are not muted by this.
Soloing Layers, Zones, and the Program
When a layer or zone is soloed, only that layer or zone can 
be heard. For soloed zones or layers the Solo icon turns 
red. When a program or layer contains zones that are so
-
loed, its icon turns pink.
•To solo an element in the Program Tree, click the Solo 
icon in front of it. The corresponding icon turns red.
•To reset the soloing settings, click the Solo icon on the 
toolbar.
•To solo the selected zones, open the context menu of 
the Program Tree, open the Mute/Solo submenu, and se
-
lect “Solo Selected Zones”. Alternatively, press [S] on 
your computer keyboard.
•To solo all zones, open the context menu of the Program 
Tree, open the Mute/Solo submenu, and select “Solo All 
Zones”. The program itself and any of its layers are not so
-
loed by this.
Making all Zones Audible Again
•On the context menu, open the Mute/Solo submenu, 
and select “Make All Zones Audible”.
This resets all mute and solo states for the program.
•Alternatively click the header of the Mute or Solo col-
umn to reset all mute or solo states.
Using “Solo Follows Selection”
The “Solo Follows Selection” function on the Mute/Solo 
submenu automatically solos the layers and zones you se
-
lect. Other parts of the program are muted. This is useful if 
you want to switch between layers and zones and only 
have the current selection played back.
Using the Visibility Settings
Hidden layers and zones are not displayed in the Mapping 
editor.
Visible zones have an eye icon in the first column of the 
Program Tree. For invisible zones or layers the eye icon is 
dimmed. When a program or layer contains hidden zones, 
its icon changes to a half dimmed eye.
To hide or show layers and zones, you have the following 
possibilities:
•Click in the Visibility column for the layer or zone you 
want to hide or show.
•Use the options on the Visibility submenu of the context 
menu.
•To show a single layer or zone, [Alt]/[Option]-click its 
eye icon.
All other layers and zones are hidden.
•To show only the selected layers and zones, press 
[Ctrl]-[U] (Win) or [Alt]-[U] (Mac).
•To show all layers and zones, press [Shift]-[Ctrl]-[U] 
(Win) or [Shift]-[Alt]-[U] (Mac).
Using “Auto Visibility”
The “Auto Visibility” automatically shows the selected 
zones and any of their direct siblings that are part of the 
same layer. Other zones are hidden.
•To activate Auto Visibility, open the context menu, se-
lect the Visibility submenu, and choose Auto Visibility.
ÖWith this option active, you can still toggle the visibility 
of zones inside the visible layers. 
						

							36
Using the Program Tree
Adding MIDI Modules
MIDI modules process the stream of MIDI events inside a 
program. They can produce monophonic modulation sig
-
nals, which can be used as sources in the modulation ma-
trix. The MIDI modules can be assigned to the whole 
program or a single layer.
To add a module, proceed as follows:
1.With the program or a layer selected, click the “Create 
New MIDI Module” icon on the toolbar of the Program 
Tree.
2.On the menu, select the MIDI module you want to add.
•Alternatively, open the context menu, select New and 
MIDI Module, and select the module from the submenu.
Adding Insert Effects
To add insert effects to an audio bus, proceed as follows:
•Select the audio bus, click the FX icon on the toolbar, 
and select the effect you want to add from the menu.
•Alternatively, open the context menu for the audio bus, 
select New and FX, and select an effect from the sub
-
menu.
Changing the Order of MIDI 
Modules and Insert Effects
The order of MIDI modules and insert effects in the Pro-
gram Tree also determines the order of the processing. 
The topmost element is processed first, the lowest last. 
You can change the order of the elements using drag and 
drop.
Adding Audio Busses
If you want to add an insert effect to a program or layer, it 
has to contain an audio bus.
•To create an audio bus, select the program or a layer, 
and click the “Create New Bus” icon on the toolbar.
•Alternatively, open the context menu for the program or 
layer, open the New submenu, and select Bus.
Customizing the Program Tree
By default, the Program Tree has the columns Visibility, 
Mute, Solo, and Name. You can add further columns that 
show more information.
The following columns can be added to the Program Tree:
Configuring Columns
•To add a column, right-click the column header and se-
lect the element you want to show.
•To remove a column, right click the column header and 
select Remove.
You can also add a zone parameter as a column using the 
Learn function. Proceed as follows:
1.Right-click the column header, and choose “Learn 
Zone Parameter”.
The mouse pointer changes to a question mark to indicate that HALion is 
in Learn mode.
2.In the editor for the zone, click the parameter that you 
want to add as a column in the Program Tree.
ColumnDescription
Velocity RangeThis shows the velocity range of the zones.
Key RangeThis shows the key range of the zones.
Root KeyThis shows the root key of the zones.
TuneThis shows the tune offset of sample zones. 
Normally, Tune is set in the Mapping editor.
GainThis shows the gain offset of sample zones. 
Normally, Gain is set in the Mapping editor.
File SizeThis shows the size of the samples as stored on 
the hard disk. Programs and layers show the 
sum of the samples they contain.
PreloadThis shows the amount of preload per sample.
MuteThis shows the Mute column.
SoloThis shows the Solo column.
VisibilityThis shows the Visibility column.
Learn Zone 
ParameterTo display a zone parameter in a column, use 
this option. 
						

							37
Using the Program Tree
Sorting Layers and Zones
You can change the sorting order of layers and zones us-
ing the Sorting Options submenu on the context menu for 
the column or manually via drag and drop.
Sorting by Columns
The layers and zones in the Program Tree can be sorted 
according to columns in ascending or descending order. 
The triangle in the header of a column indicates that the 
sorting via this column is active. The tip of the triangle 
points up for ascending and down for descending order.
•To activate the sorting via a column, click the header of 
the corresponding column. 
•To switch between ascending and descending order, 
click the header of the column again.
•To deactivate the sorting via the column, click a third 
time.
Sorting the Name Column
By default, the Name column is sorted in alphabetical or-
der. However, you can change the sorting according to 
pitch, velocity, or root key.
•To change the sorting, open the context menu, select 
Sorting Options and choose an option.
Changing the Sorting Order Manually
Samples are imported and shown in a certain order. When 
the column sorting is not activated for a column, you can 
change the order manually using drag and drop. 
						

							6
Global Functions and Settings 
						

							39
Global Functions and Settings
Introduction
This chapter describes global functions and settings in 
HALion.
The Plug-in Functions Section
The top section of the HALion window contains the plug-
in functions section. This section gives you access to 
functions that affect both the loaded programs, and the 
plug-in in general.
The Plug-in Name
If you click the program name on the left, the About box 
opens. It contains information regarding the version and 
build number of the plug-in. Use this information to verify if 
your software is up-to-date. To close the about box, click 
on it or press [Esc] on your computer keyboard.
The Program Slot Section
The program slot shows the program that is selected in 
the Slot Rack. The slot parameters are the same as in the 
Slot Rack, see 
“The Slot Rack” on page 19.
In addition, the following parameters are available:
Program Icon
The program icon on the left shows to which sound cate-
gory a program belongs, if a category is set.
Slot Number
•Click the slot number and select a slot.
The Master Section
The master section can be used to set up volume and tun-
ing for the plug-in.
Master Volume
Use the Master Volume slider to adjust the overall volume. 
Master Tune
You can set the Master Tune slider within a range from 
415.3
  Hz to 466.2  Hz (-100 cents to +100 cents). The de-
fault value is 440  Hz.
The Performance Displays
The performance displays to the right of the master sec-
tion provide information about the current system load.
CPU
This meter shows the processor load during playback. The 
more voices you play, the higher the processor load. If the 
red overload indicator lights up, reduce the Max Voices set
-
ting in the Options editor (see “Max Voices” on page 42).
Disk
This meter shows the hard disk transfer load during the 
streaming of samples or when loading presets. If the red 
overload indicator lights up, the hard disk is not supplying 
data fast enough. In such a case, adjust the Disk vs. RAM 
slider in the Options editor towards RAM or decrease the 
Max Voices setting in the Options editor.
# – Polyphony
The first number indicates the number of voices currently 
played back, to help you trace performance problems. If 
you have to reduce the Max Voices setting in the Options 
editor, you can verify your settings by monitoring the num
-
ber of voices currently playing. The second number indi-
cates the number of audio channels. For example, one 
stereo voice displays two audio channels. 
						

							40
Global Functions and Settings
MEM (Memory)
This display indicates the overall amount of RAM currently 
used by the plug-in, to help you trace performance prob
-
lems. The number refers to the streaming buffer and the 
preloaded samples. For example, if you need to free up 
memory for other applications, you can do so by adjusting 
the Balance slider in the Options editor towards Disk and 
verify your settings by monitoring the MEM display.
The Toolbar
The toolbar is situated below the plug-in functions sec-
tion. On the left, controls for loading multi-programs are 
located, see 
“Managing Multis” on page 21. To the right of 
these, two buttons for managing screen sets are located, 
see 
“Screen Sets” on page 15.
The right section of the toolbar contains various buttons 
with useful global functions.
Missing Busses
If one or more bus connections could not be established, 
this button allows you to open the Pending Busses dialog. 
Here you can select alternative busses to be used instead, 
see 
“Automatic Output Connection” on page 119.
Find Missing Samples
If you load a program that cannot find all samples that it 
uses, the “Find Missing Samples” dialog opens, see 
“Finding Missing Samples” on page 58. If you close this 
dialog without resolving all missing samples, this button 
becomes available. It allows you to open the “Find Missing 
Samples” dialog after you have loaded a program.
Global Insert Effects/AUX Effects/
FlexPhrasers
Use these buttons to switch off all insert effects, all AUX 
effects, or all FlexPhrasers for the plug-in at once. You can 
use this feature to compare sounds with and without ef
-
fects, for example.
RAM Save Mode
The RAM Save function can be helpful for optimizing the 
performance of your system. It scans the playback of your 
project and unloads unused samples. Proceed as follows:
1.Click the RAM Save button.
2.In the dialog, click Yes to start collecting the neces-
sary samples.
The RAM Save button starts blinking.
3.Play back the project in your host application from the 
beginning to the end or to the point where no new notes 
are played.
4.Click the RAM Save button again.
A dialog opens asking if you want to unload all unused samples.
5.Click Yes to unload the unused samples.
If you click Yes, the button lights up, to indicate that RAM Save mode is 
active.
•To deactivate RAM Save and reload the unused sam-
ples, click the RAM Save button again. 
ÖRAM Save mode always keeps samples that are within 
the range of the highest and lowest note of the played 
programs. This also applies for unused expression layers 
that can be controlled via key switches. This allows you to 
switch between expressions within the valid note range af
-
ter applying RAM Save mode.
ÖIf a program randomly triggers notes (for example dif-
ferent guitar slide noises), it is possible that these notes 
are not triggered during the RAM Save analysis process, 
and the samples are therefore removed. To prevent this, 
make sure that the highest required note is manually trig
-
gered during the RAM Save analysis.
Missing 
Busses
Find Missing Samples…
Insert Effects/ 
AUX Effects/ 
FlexPhrasers
RAM 
Save
Enable MIDI Mapping 
Selection Options
MIDI 
ResetUndo/
Redo