Steinberg VST Sampler HALION 4 Operation Manual

							71
Editing Programs and Layers in the Sound Editor
Polyphony
When you play a note, one or multiple zones can be trig-
gered. Each triggered zone equals a voice. The number of 
voices you trigger with each note is displayed in the Voices 
field of the program. Use this parameter to set an upper 
limit for the number of notes that can be played simultane
-
ously in polyphonic mode. 
If a program has a lower Polyphony value than its layers, 
the maximum number of notes you can play is limited by 
the Polyphony value of the program.
Key Poly
With Key Poly (Key Polyphony), you can specify an upper 
limit for the number of notes that can be played for a key. 
The last played notes have priority. For this parameter to 
have an effect, the polyphonic mode needs to be activated.
ÖKey Polyphony is limited by the Polyphony setting. If 
the Polyphony setting is lower, this value is used instead.
Low Amp
By default, the “oldest” note is removed first when notes 
are stolen due to a Key Poly limitation. Activate Low Amp if 
you want the note with the lowest amplitude to be re
-
moved instead.
Min Low Notes
Defines the number of low notes that cannot be stolen, re-
gardless of the Voice Mode setting.
The Sus/Rel Tab
The Sus/Rel tab contains the sustain and release settings 
for programs and layers.
Ind Sustain
Activate “Ind Sustain” to use individual sustain settings for 
the selected programs or layers.
Sustain Mode
While holding the sustain pedal, HALion plays back notes 
that you play repeatedly up to the Key Polyphony value. 
When you lift the sustain pedal, the notes of the keys that 
are no longer held enter the release phase. Depending on 
the selected Sustain Mode, the notes of the keys that are 
still held either keep playing, or also enter the release 
phase.
The following settings are available:
Play Release
By default, the release phase of stolen notes is not played 
back and the notes fade out in the time specified by the 
Fade Out parameter of the zone. Activate this option to 
fade out the notes with their normal release phase instead.
The Variation Groups Section
To avoid the so-called machine gun effect that occurs 
when the same sample is triggered repeatedly, you can 
create programs that use several samples for the same 
key and velocity range. These samples can then be trig
-
gered alternately as variations. To define which samples 
are triggered as variations, you can assign them to one the 
variation groups. In the Variation Group section you can 
also specify the alternation mode for each variation group.
•To use the Variation Group feature, activate the Enable 
button and select one of the available modes for each 
group.
OptionDescription
Hold LoudestThe loudest note keeps playing.
Hold LastThe last note you played keeps playing.
Hold FirstThe first note you played keeps playing.
Hold AllAll notes keep playing.
Release AllAll notes enter the release phase. 
						

							72
Editing Programs and Layers in the Sound Editor
The following settings are available
ÖIf no variation groups are activated, all zones play si-
multaneously. To avoid this, activate the variation groups 
for the program or layer containing the zones and assign 
the zones to the different variation groups.
Assigning Zones to Variation Groups
Proceed as follows:
1.In the Program Tree, select the zones that you want to 
add to the voice group.
2.Open the Sound editor for the zones.
3.In the Voice Control section, select the Trigger tab.
4.On the Variation Group pop-up menu, select a voice 
group.
ÖUsually, the variation group numbers relate to the vari-
ation groups of the program. If the zone is part of a layer 
with active variation groups, the numbers relate to the vari
-
ation groups of the layer instead.
The Quick Control Assignments 
Section
The Quick Controls Assignments section allows you to 
manage and edit the assigned quick controls. It is de
-
scribed in detail in the section “Managing Quick Controls” 
on page 45.
The Note Expression Section
Cubase’s Note Expression technology is essential for cre-
ating realistic instrument performances. Note Expression 
allows you to create automated modulations for each 
note. In general, HALion supports Note Expression for vol
-
ume, pan, and tuning. With any of HALion’s programs you 
can automate these parameters in Cubase for each note. 
But HALion can do more: In programs that give you ac
-
cess to the modulation matrix, you can assign up to eight 
so-called Note Expression controllers to any available 
modulation destination. These work in addition to the pre
-
assigned pitch, pan, and level modulations. When the 
Note Expression controller is assigned, you can specify a 
name for it to make it available in Cubase.
The eight Note Expression controllers of a program are 
shared by all zones. This means that the Note Expression 
controller data affects all zones simultaneously. Depend
-
ing on how the Note Expression controllers are set up in 
the modulation matrix, each zone might react differently.
ÖWhen you use HALion with older versions of Cubase 
or other host applications that do not support Note Ex
-
pression, you still have access to the Note Expression 
section and you can see Note Expression controllers in 
the modulation matrix. However, they will not have any in
-
fluence on the program.
The Note Expression section shows the eight Note Ex-
pression controllers on the left (NE1 to NE8) and the as-
signed modulation destinations on the right. This gives 
you a quick overview of how Note Expression controllers 
are routed in the modulation matrix and what their influ
-
ence on the sound will be. One Note Expression controller 
can be assigned to several destinations.
Naming Note Expression Controllers
By default, a Note Expression controller is given the name 
of the modulation destinations it is assigned to. However, 
you can also rename them. After this, any further assign
-
ments will not change the name.
OptionDescription
OffAll variations are triggered simultaneously.
Round RobinAll variations are triggered alternately in a fixed 
order.
RandomAll variations are triggered randomly. Individual 
variations can be triggered repeatedly.
Random ExclusiveAll variations are triggered randomly. No variation 
is directly repeated. 
						

							73
Editing Programs and Layers in the Sound Editor
•To rename a Note Expression controller, click in the 
Name field of the selected controller and enter the new 
name.
Bypassing the Note Expression Controller
Each Note Expression controller has a Bypass button that 
allows you to deactivate the effect of the controller.
ÖThe Bypass button is linked to the Bypass button of 
the corresponding modulation destination in the modula
-
tion matrix.
Changing the Modulation Depth
The Depth slider adjusts the intensity of the Note Expres-
sion modulation. This allows you to change the modulation 
without having to go to the modulation matrix first.
ÖThe slider is linked to the Depth slider of the corre-
sponding modulation destination in the modulation matrix. 
						

							10
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor 
						

							75
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Introduction
The Sound editor for synth and sample zones contains the 
zone parameters in HALion. It allows you to modify the 
settings for a single zone, for multiple selected zones or 
for all zones at the same time.
ÖIf not expressly stated, the functions described in this 
chapter apply to both synth and sample zones.
ÖAll functions and parameters described here also ap-
ply to the Zone Editor.
Global Zone Settings
The global section at the top of the Sound editor allows 
you to set up basic zone parameters.
Focused Zone
On the Focused Zone pop-up menu, you can select a 
zone for editing when several zones are selected in the 
Program Tree.
Low Key/High Key
These parameters determine the lowest key and the high-
est key on which the zone is triggered.
Low Vel/High Vel
These parameters determine the lowest velocity and the 
highest velocity on which the zone is triggered.
Root Key
The root key determines the pitch of the zone. Samples 
can contain root key information embedded in the file, 
which means that when loaded, they are automatically 
mapped to the corresponding keys.
Zone Type
HALion allows you to change a sample zone into a synth 
zone and vice versa. If you switch a sample zone to a synth 
zone, the sample oscillator is replaced by the synth oscilla
-
tors. You can select the zone type from this pop-up menu.
Editing Selected Zones or All Zones
When working in the Sound editor, you can apply your ed-
iting either to the selected zones (SEL) or to all zones 
(ALL), depending on the setting of the corresponding but
-
ton on the toolbar.
Absolute and Relative Editing
When editing multiple zones, you can either change val-
ues absolutely for all the zones (ABS) or make relative 
changes (REL), depending on the setting of the corre
-
sponding button on the toolbar.
•When you use absolute editing and you change a pa-
rameter from 50 % to 60 % for one zone, all other zones 
will also be set to 60
 %.
•When you use relative editing and you change a param-
eter from 50 % to 60 % in one zone, another selected zone 
that was set to 70
 % is set to 80 %. 
ÖRelative changes can be made for all parameters that 
can be adjusted continuously. Changes of parameters 
that select one of multiple modes or switch between two 
states are always absolute. 
HALion 3 compatibility
The button to the left of the REL/ABS button lights up 
when you load an FXP file from HALion 3 to indicate that 
HALion 4 is in compatibility mode. This way, FXP files 
sound like they did in HALion 3. If you deactivate the com
-
patibility button, some modulations will sound different.
All zones are affected 
by the editing. 
						

							76
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
The Voice Control Section
The Voice Control section of the Sound editor has two 
tabs: Trigger and Unison/Glide.
The Trigger Tab
On the Trigger tab, you can specify the triggering of a 
zone.
Voice Group
You can set the polyphony of a zone individually, by as-
signing it to one of 128 voice groups. The settings of 
voice groups can be edited in the Voice Management sec
-
tion of the program or layer. For more information on voice 
groups, see 
“Voice Groups” on page 70.
Variation Group
To avoid the so-called machine gun effect that occurs 
when the same sample is triggered repeatedly, you can 
create programs that use several samples for the same 
key and velocity range. These samples can then be trig
-
gered alternately as variations. To define which samples 
are triggered as variations, you can assign them to one of 
16 variation groups. Use the Variation Group pop-up 
menu to specify the alternation mode for the different vari
-
ation groups.
Priority
Each zone you trigger corresponds to a voice. When the 
numbers of played voices (zones) exceed the Maximum 
Voices setting of the plug-in instance, zones are cut off 
and replaced by other voices. This is called “voice steal
-
ing”. Use this parameter to specify a priority for this behav-
ior. Zones with higher priority can steal zones with lower 
priority, but not vice versa. If there are no zones with lower 
priority, zones of the same priority are stolen. Zones with 
the priority Hold steal only from lower priorities, but not 
from themselves.
ÖTo specify how fast the zones are stolen, use the 
“Voice Fade Out” parameter in the Options editor.
Fade Out
Whenever a voice is stolen because a polyphony limit is 
reached, it is faded out. You can specify this fade out time 
for each zone, which allows you to adapt it to different sig
-
nal types. For example, you might want to cut a stolen 
crash cymbal zone less abruptly than a stolen hi-hat zone.
Key On Delay
With this parameter, you can delay the playback of the 
zone by a specified time or a note value. 
•To synchronize the delay time to the host tempo, acti-
vate the Sync button and select a note value from the 
pop-up menu. To change the selected note value to a trip
-
let, activate the “T” button.
With Sync deactivated, the delay is specified in milliseconds. With Sync 
activated, the delay is specified in fractions of beats.
Release Mode and Amount
The parameters Release Mode and Amount determine 
how loud the release samples are played back. Release 
samples play back the sound of an instrument when the 
note ends. For example, this can be the noise of the 
damper touching down on the piano string, or the reverb 
tail of an instrument that was recorded in a concert hall. By 
setting the release mode, the level of the release samples 
can be controlled from different sources, for example. The 
Amount parameter adjusts how much the selected option 
affects the level of the note-off samples. 
To set up the playback of release samples, proceed as fol-
lows:
1.In the Program Tree, place the note-on and note-off 
samples into separate layers.
2.Add a MegaTrig Module to the note-off layer and set 
the playing condition to “Note-off”.
3.Select all note-off samples.
4.In the Sound editor, open the Voice Control section, 
and make settings for Release Mode and Amount.
The following settings are available:
OptionDescription
OffDeactivates the Release Mode. The level of the 
note-off sample is controlled only by the amplifier 
section of the zone. 
						

							77
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
The Unison/Glide Tab
The Unison/Glide tab has the following parameters:
Unison
Unison allows you to trigger multiple voices simultane-
ously with each note you play. When you activate the Uni-
son option, the following parameters become available:
Glide
You can use the Glide parameter to bend the pitch be-
tween notes that follow each other. You achieve the best 
results in Mono mode.
When you activate the Glide option, the following param-
eters become available:
ÖIf you use Cutoff, Amplitude and Pan Key Follow, the 
corresponding parameters also change with the Glide 
effect.
Glide Groups
You can assign zones to Glide Groups. This way, the glide 
effect can be set independently for the zones. This allows 
you to set up zones with overlapping Key Range and dif
-
ferent settings of Glide Time, for example.
Use Start Range
If a new note plays in a different zone with a different sam-
ple assigned, the new sample is used to glide to the new 
pitch. Depending on the sample, this can produce an un
-
natural attack. To avoid this, activate “Use Start Range”. 
When this is activated, the sample does not start from the 
beginning, but from the position you set with the Sample 
Start Range parameter.
Note-on EnvThe level of the note-off sample is controlled by 
the Amplitude Envelope of the associated note-on 
sample: The note-off sample is played back with 
the level that the amplitude envelope has at the 
moment when the note-off sample is triggered.
In order to find the associated note-on sample, the 
mappings of the note-on and note-off samples 
must overlap. HALion takes the last running note-
on sample as the associated one.
Note-off EnvThe level of the note-off sample is controlled by 
the amplitude envelope of the note-off sample: 
The note-off sample is played back with the level 
that its amplitude envelope has at the moment 
when the note-off sample is triggered.
Note-on VelThe level of the note-off sample is controlled by 
the incoming MIDI note-on velocity.
Note-off VelThe level of the note-off sample is controlled by 
the incoming MIDI note-off velocity.
Current AmplitudeThe level of the note-off sample is controlled by 
the current amplitude of the associated note-on 
sample.
RandomThe level of the release sample is controlled by a 
random value. Use the Amount control to set the 
depth of the random value.
OptionDescription
VoicesThis determines the number of voices that are triggered 
simultaneously (max. 8).
DetuneUse this parameter to detune the pitch of each unison 
voice in cents. This produces a fatter sound.
PanUse this parameter to spread the unison voices across 
the stereo panorama. The higher the value, the broader 
the stereo image.
DelayWith this parameter you can introduce a small random 
delay for each unison voice. With a value of 0 %, all uni-son voices are triggered at the same time. Values from 
1 % to 100 % add a random delay to each unison voice. 
The higher the value, the more random the delay. This is 
especially useful to avoid comb filter effects with two or 
more slightly detuned samples, which can occur if you 
play them back at exactly the same time.
Option Description
OptionDescription
TimeThis specifies the time needed to bend the pitch from 
one note to the other.
SyncActivate this option to synchronize the delay time to the 
host tempo. Select a note value from the pop-up menu. 
To change the selected note value to a triplet, activate 
the “T” button.
ModeHere, you can specify whether the glide time is con-stant and independent from the note interval (Constant 
Time) or if the time changes with the note interval (Con-stant Speed). When Constant Speed is selected, 
larger intervals result in longer glide times.
CurveYou can select one of three curve types to define the 
glide behavior: With the Linear curve, the pitch glides 
at continuous speed from the start to the end pitch. 
With the Exponential curve, the pitch starts gliding at 
higher speed and decelerates towards the end pitch. 
This behavior is similar to the natural pitch glide pro
-duced by a singer. With the Quantized curve, the pitch 
glides in semitones from the start to the end pitch.
FingeredActivate this parameter to glide the pitch only between 
notes that are played legato. 
						

							78
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
The Pitch Section
On the Pitch section for synth and sample zones, you can 
make settings for tuning and pitch modulation. The follow
-
ing parameters are available:
Pitchbend
Here, you can set the range of the pitch modulation that is 
applied when you move the pitchbend wheel.
Octave
Here, you can adjust the pitch in octave steps. 
Coarse
Here, you can adjust the pitch in semitone steps.
Fine
This parameter allows you to fine-tune the pitch in cents 
(hundredths of a semitone).
Env Amnt (Envelope Amount)
This parameter determines how much the pitch is affected 
by the pitch envelope.
Random
This parameter allows you to randomly offset the pitch 
with each played note. Higher values cause stronger vari
-
ations. At a setting of 100 %, the random offsets can vary 
from -6 to +6 semitones.
Key Follow
Here you can adjust the pitch modulation by MIDI note 
number. Set this parameter to positive values in order to 
raise the pitch the higher you play. Use negative values to 
lower the pitch the higher you play. At a setting of 
+100
 %, the pitch follows the played note exactly.
Center Key
This specifies the MIDI note that is used as the central po-
sition for the Key Follow function. 
The Oscillator Section
The Oscillator section for synth zones offers six sound 
sources: three main oscillators, the sub oscillator, the ring 
modulation and the noise generator. To create interesting 
electronic spectra, you can mix any of these sound 
sources. The resulting signal is sent to the Filter and Am
-
plifier sections for further sound shaping.
The three main oscillators (OSC 1, OSC 2 and OSC 3) 
offer different wave shapes and algorithms.
•You activate an oscillator by clicking its On/Off button.
!Make sure to deactivate any oscillator functions that 
are not needed to save processing power. 
						

							79
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
OSC 1/2/3 Type
The Oscillator Type defines the basic sound character of 
the oscillator. The pop-up menu lists the waveforms (Sine, 
Triangle, Saw or Square), followed by the algorithm 
(PWM, Sync, CM or XOR). The combination of waveform 
and algorithm controls the sound of the oscillator.
•To select an oscillator type, click the icon that indicates 
the wave shape for OSC1, OSC2, or OSC3 and select 
the wave shape and algorithm you want to use from the 
pop-up menu.
The following algorithms are available:
ÖExcept for PWM, all algorithms support the Sine, Tri-
angle, Saw and Square wave shapes. PWM supports 
Square wave only.
ÖThe waveform parameters for OSC1, OSC2 and 
OSC3 can be assigned as modulation destinations in the 
modulation matrix.
OSC 1/2/3 Waveform
The waveform parameter allows you to modify the sound 
of the oscillator algorithm. Its effect depends on the se
-
lected oscillator type.
OSC 1/2/3 Octave (Oct)
Here, you can adjust the pitch in octave steps. 
OSC 1/2/3 Coarse (Crs)
Here, you can adjust the pitch in semitone steps. 
OSC 1/2/3 Fine
This parameter allows you to fine-tune the pitch in steps of 
cents (hundredths of a semitone).
OSC 1/2/3 Level
This adjusts the output level of the oscillator.
ÖThe waveform, pitch and level of oscillator 1, 2, and 3 
can be modulated separately in the modulation matrix.
Sub Oscillator (SUB)
The pitch of the sub oscillator is always one octave below 
the overall pitch of the synth zone. If you modulate the pitch 
of the synth zone, the pitch of the sub oscillator follows.
•To activate and deactivate the sub oscillator, click its 
On/Off button.
AlgorithmDescription
PWM(Pulse Width 
Modulation)PWM is only supported by the square waveform. The 
Waveform parameter sets the ratio between the high 
and low value of the square wave. A setting of 50
 % 
produces a pure square wave. With settings below or 
above 50
 % the oscillator produces rectangular waves.
SyncThis algorithm provides different hard-sync oscillators, 
where each is a combination of a master and slave os-cillator. The wave shape of the slave oscillator (Sine, 
Triangle, Saw or Square) is reset with each full wave 
cycle of the master oscillator. This means that a single 
oscillator can produce a rich sync-sound without using 
other oscillators as slave or master. The Waveform pa
-rameter adjusts the pitch of the slave oscillator, pro-ducing the typical sync sound.
CM(Cross 
Modulation)This algorithm provides a combination of two oscillators 
where a master oscillator is modulating the pitch of a 
slave oscillator (Sine, Triangle, Saw or Square) at the 
rate of the audio sample. The Waveform parameter ad
-justs the pitch ratio between slave and master oscilla-tor, resulting in a sound close to frequency modulation.
XOR(Exclusive or)This algorithm compares two square waveforms with 
an XOR operation. Depending on the outcome of the 
XOR operation, the waveform shape of a third oscillator 
(Sine, Triangle, Saw or Square) is reset. The Waveform 
parameter adjusts the pitch ratio of the square oscilla
-tors resulting in a sound close to ring modulation of the 
third oscillator.
Algorithm Description 
						

							80
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
The following parameters are available:
Ring Modulation (RING)
Ring modulation produces sums and differences between 
the frequencies of two signals.
•To activate ring modulation, click the On/Off button.
The following parameters are available:
Noise
The Noise parameter is used for non-pitched sounds. In 
addition to standard white and pink noise, there are also 
band-pass filtered versions of white and pink noise.
•To activate the noise generator, click its On/Off button.
The following parameters are available:
ÖSub level, ring modulation level and noise level can be 
modulated separately in the modulation matrix (see 
“The 
Modulation Matrix Section” on page 92).
The Sample Oscillator Section
The sample oscillator controls various playback parame-
ters as well as loop parameters. 
The Main Tab
Playback Mode 
The following playback modes are available:
ÖIn One Shot and Reverse One Shot mode, the zones 
ignore any MIDI Note Off messages. All envelopes and 
LFOs play until their sustain is reached and then remain 
on this level for as long as the sample plays back. Any re
-
lease segments of the envelopes and LFOs are not 
played. However, if you activate One Shot mode in the En
-
velope section, the release nodes of the envelopes are in-
cluded in the playback.
Quality
When samples are not played with their original pitch or 
tempo, HALion calculates the transposed versions in real 
time using algorithms that require different CPU perfor
-
mance depending on the Quality setting.
Changing the quality mode is particularly noticeable in the 
high frequencies. The higher the setting, the better the 
suppression of artifacts. For samples with little high-fre
-
quency content, you can safely use the “Standard” option. 
For programs that use different samples for every key (no 
resampling is necessary) you should always use the 
“Standard” option to save computing power. 
ParameterDescription
Sub Oscillator 
TypeHere, you can select the wave shape of the sub oscilla-tor. You can choose between Sine, Triangle, Saw, 
Square, Pulse Wide and Pulse Narrow.
Sub Oscillator 
LevelThis adjusts the output level of the sub oscillator. 
Parameter Description
Ring Modulation 
Source 1/2This allows you to select the sources to be ring mod-ulated. You can select OSC1 or Sub as Source 1 
and OSC2 or OSC3 as Source 2.
Ring Modulation 
LevelThis adjusts the output level of the ring modulation. 
ParameterDescription
Noise TypeHere, you can select the sound color of the noise. You 
can choose between White, Pink, White BPF (BPF = 
band-pass filtered), and Pink BPF.
Noise LevelThis adjusts the output level of the noise generator. 
OptionDescription
NormalThe sample is played back from the beginning to 
the end. If any loops are defined they are played 
according to their loop settings.
ReverseThe sample is played backwards, ignoring any 
loop settings.
One ShotThe sample is played back from the beginning to 
the end, ignoring any loop settings.
Reverse One ShotThe sample is played back from the end to the be-ginning, ignoring any loop settings.