Steinberg VST Sampler HALION 4 Operation Manual

							81
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Preload
HALion provides two different ways of working with sam-
ple data. A sample can either be loaded completely into 
RAM or it can be streamed from the hard disk. However, 
when samples are streamed, HALion needs to preload a 
portion of these samples to be able to play a voice without 
having to search for the sample data first. The size of this 
preload buffer can be set in the Options editor. The Pre
-
load setting enables you to adapt this buffer size for indi-
vidual sample zones by setting a multiplier from 1 to 16. 
Increasing the buffer size can be useful if a sample can be 
transposed in a wide range and HALion needs to read out 
the sample data faster, for example.
If you set Preload to its maximum, HALion preloads the 
complete sample. This option is useful for smaller samples.
Sample Start Range
The Sample Start Range parameter allows you to deter-
mine the range for sample start offset modulation. When 
Sample Start is selected as a modulation destination in 
the modulation matrix, the Sample Start Range parameter 
controls the range, that is the sample portion that is af
-
fected by the start offset modulation. If this parameter is 
set to zero, no sample start modulation is performed.
For example, if note-on velocity is used to modulate the 
sample start parameter, a high key velocity starts playback 
later in the sample, and the range of this modulation is de
-
termined by the Range Start parameter.
Fixed Pitch
When a sample zone is triggered by a MIDI note other 
than the one defined by the Root Key setting, the sample 
is normally pitched accordingly. When Fixed Pitch is acti
-
vated, the relation between played note and root key is 
disregarded and all keys play the sample just like it was 
recorded. 
ÖYou can still apply the usual pitch modulations in the 
Pitch section and set the sample to follow the keyboard 
according to the Key Follow Root Key setting.
The Loop Tab
The options on the Loop tab are identical with the loop 
options on the Loop tab of the Sample editor, see 
“Creat-
ing Loops” on page 108.
The Filter Section
The Filter section for synth and sample zones allows you 
to adjust the tone color of the sound. 
Filter Type
By selecting the filter type, you specify the basic sound 
character of the filter. Note that filters without distortion 
use less processing power. 
The following filter types are available:
Filter typeDescription
OffThe filter section is switched off. 
ClassicThis filter type offers 24 filter shapes with resonance.
Tube DriveThis filter type offers a lot of character by adding warm, 
tube-like distortion. You can set the amount of tube 
drive with the Distortion parameter.
Hard ClipThis filter type adds bright, transistor-like distortion. 
You can set the amount of hard clipping with the Dis-tortion parameter.
Bit Red(Bit Reduction)This filter type adds digital distortion by means of quan-tization noise. You can adjust the bit reduction with the 
Distortion parameter.
Rate RedThis filter type adds digital distortion by means of alias-ing. You can adjust the rate reduction with the Distor-tion parameter.
Rate Red KFAs above, but with Key Follow: The rate reduction fol-lows the keyboard, so the higher you play, the higher 
the sample rate.
WaldorfThis filter type offers 14 filter shapes, including two 
comb filters.
HALion 3This filter type offers the 5 legacy filter shapes from 
HALion 3. 
						

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Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Filter Mode
The buttons on the left of the Filter section determine the 
overall filter structure. The filter types provide the following 
options:
ÖFor compatibility reasons, the filter types HALion 3 
and Waldorf are included. These filters always use Single 
filter mode.
Filter Shape
Each filter type offers 24 different filter shapes. By select-
ing the filter shape you determine which frequencies are 
affected. Depending on the chosen filter mode, you can 
either select one, two, or four shapes.
Filter modeDescription
Single Filter This mode uses one filter with one selectable filter shape.
Dual Filter 
Se rialThis mode uses two separate filters connected in series. 
You can select the filter shapes for each filter indepen-dently. The parameters Cutoff and Resonance control 
both filters simultaneously. However, you can offset the 
cutoff and resonance of the second filter with the param
-eters CF Offset and Res Offset.
Dual Filter 
ParallelThis mode uses two separate filters connected in parallel. 
You can select the filter shapes for each filter indepen-dently. The parameters Cutoff and Resonance control 
both filters simultaneously. However, you can offset the 
cutoff and resonance of the second filter with the param
-eters CF Offset and Res Offset.
Morph 2This mode morphs between filter shape A and B. You can 
select the filter shapes for filter shape A and B indepen-dently. Adjust the morphing with the Morph Y parameter.
Morph 4This mode morphs sequentially from filter shape A to D. 
You can select the filter shapes for filter shape A, B, C, 
and D independently. Adjust the morphing with the 
Morph Y parameter.
Morph XYThis mode morphs freely between the filter shapes A, B, 
C, and D. You can select the filter shapes for filter shape 
A, B, C, and D independently. Adjust the morphing with 
the Morph X and Morph Y parameters.
Filter shapeDescription
LP24Low-pass filter with 24 dB/oct. Frequencies above the 
cutoff are attenuated.
LP18Low-pass filter with 18 dB/oct. Frequencies above the 
cutoff are attenuated.
LP12Low-pass filter with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies above the 
cutoff are attenuated.
LP6Low-pass filter with 6 dB/oct. Frequencies above the 
cutoff are attenuated.
BP12Band-pass filter with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies below 
and above the cutoff are attenuated.
BP24Band-pass filter with 24 dB/oct. Frequencies below 
and above the cutoff are attenuated.
HP6+LP18High-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus low-pass filter with 
18 dB/oct (asymmetric band-pass filter). Frequencies 
below and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation 
is more pronounced for the frequencies above the cutoff.
HP6+LP12High-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus low-pass filter with 
12 dB/oct (asymmetric band-pass filter). Frequencies 
below and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation 
is more pronounced for the frequencies above the cutoff.
HP12+LP6High-pass filter with 12 dB/oct plus low-pass filter with 
6 dB/oct (asymmetric band-pass filter). Frequencies be-low and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation is 
more pronounced for the frequencies below the cutoff.
HP18+LP6High-pass filter with 18 dB/oct plus low-pass filter with 
6 dB/oct (asymmetric band-pass filter). Frequencies be-low and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation is 
more pronounced for the frequencies below the cutoff.
HP24High-pass filter with 24 dB/oct. Frequencies below the 
cutoff are attenuated.
HP18High-pass filter with 18 dB/oct. Frequencies below the 
cutoff are attenuated.
HP12High-pass filter with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies below the 
cutoff are attenuated.
HP6High-pass filter with 6 dB/oct. Frequencies below the 
cutoff are attenuated.
BR12Band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies around 
the cutoff are attenuated.
BR24Band-reject filter with 24 dB/oct. Frequencies around 
the cutoff are attenuated.
BR12+LP6Band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct plus low-pass filter 
with 6 dB/oct. Frequencies around and above the cut-off are attenuated.
BR12+LP12Band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct plus low-pass filter 
with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies around and above the cut-off are attenuated.
BP12+BR12Band-pass filter with 12 dB/oct plus band-reject filter 
with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies below, above and around 
the cutoff are attenuated.
HP6+BR12High-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus band-reject filter 
with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies below and around the cut-off are attenuated.
HP12+BR12High-pass filter with 12 dB/oct plus band-reject filter 
with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies below and around the cut-off are attenuated.
APAll-pass filter with 18 dB/oct. Frequencies around the 
cutoff are attenuated.
AP+LP6All-pass filter with 18 dB/oct plus low-pass filter with 
6 dB/oct. Frequencies around and above the cutoff are 
attenuated.
HP6+APHigh-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus all-pass filter with 
18 dB/oct. Frequencies around the cutoff are attenuated.
Filter shape Description 
						

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Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Cutoff
Here, you can adjust the cutoff frequency of the filter. The 
effect depends on the selected filter type.
X/Y Control
The X/Y control allows you to adjust two parameters si-
multaneously. This is especially useful with the morphing 
filters, where the X/Y control adjusts the mix between the 
filter shapes. For the other filter modes, the X/Y control 
adjusts cutoff and resonance. Depending on the selected 
filter type, the X/Y control adjusts different parameters:
Resonance
This parameter emphasizes the frequencies around the 
cutoff. For an electronic sound, increase the resonance. 
At higher resonance settings, the filter self-oscillates, 
which results in a ringing tone.
Distortion
This parameter adds distortion to the signal. The effect 
depends largely on the selected filter type. At higher set
-
tings, it creates a very intense distortion effect.
ÖThis parameter is only available for the Tube Drive, 
Hard Clip, Bit Red, Rate Red and Rate Red KF filter types.
CF Offset
For the dual filters, this parameter allows you to offset the 
cutoff frequency of the second filter (filter shape B). 
Res Offset
For the dual filters, this parameter allows you to offset the 
resonance of the second filter (filter shape B). 
Velocity
This parameter adjusts the cutoff modulation from velocity. 
Set this parameter to positive values to increase the cutoff 
with higher velocities. Use negative values to decrease the 
cutoff with higher velocities.
Norm
The Norm option allows you to normalize the velocity val-
ues that are used to modulate the filter. This means that 
the velocity range for the zone is remapped to a full veloc
-
ity range.
For example, if a zone ranges from 40 to 80 on the map-
ping velocity scale, an incoming velocity of 40 results in a 
velocity value of 0 being sent to the cutoff, an incoming 
velocity of 80 results in 127. This way, you can adapt ve
-
locity-layered zones in such a way that each zone starts 
with a damped filter setting and opens completely to
-
wards the zone above.
Fatness
This parameter (only available for the algorithms Waldorf 
and HALion
 3) adds a warm, tube-like filter distortion to 
the signal.
Env Amnt (Envelope Amount)
Use this parameter to adjust the cutoff modulation from 
the filter envelope. Setting negative values inverts the di
-
rection of the modulation from the filter envelope.
Key Follow
Here, you can adjust the cutoff modulation using the note 
number. Set this parameter to positive values to raise the 
cutoff with notes above the center key. Use negative val
-
ues to lower the cutoff with notes below the center key. At 
+100
 % the cutoff follows the played pitch exactly.
Center Key
This parameter determines the MIDI note that is used as 
the central position for the Key Follow function. 
Bypass
The Bypass buttons in the top right of the section allow 
you to listen to the zone without modulation of the filter en
-
velope and without any filtering.
FilterDescription
Single, Dual 
Serial & Dual 
ParallelThe X/Y control adjusts the cutoff frequency on the 
horizontal and resonance on the vertical axis.
Morph 2 and 4The X/Y control adjusts the morphing between the filter 
shapes on the vertical (Morph Y) axis. The horizontal 
axis adjusts the cutoff frequency.
Morph XYThe X/Y control adjusts the morphing between the filter 
shapes AD and BC on the horizontal (Morph X) and AB 
and DC on the vertical axis (Morph Y). 
						

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Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
The Amplifier Section
The Amplifier section has two tabs: Main and AUX.
The Main Tab
The Main tab gives you access to the Level and Pan set-
tings of the zone.
Level
Here, you can adjust the loudness of the zone.
Headroom
Use this parameter to specify the headroom for poly-
phonic playback. By default, HALion uses a headroom of 
12
 dB. For monophonic programs, such as drum loops, 
set the headroom to 0
 dB. If you work with low polyphony 
values, a headroom of 6
 dB is sufficient.
Key Follow
Use this parameter to control the volume depending on 
the note pitch. Positive values mean that the volume is 
higher the higher the notes you play. With negative values, 
the volume decreases the higher the notes you play.
Center Key
This parameter determines the MIDI note that is used as 
the central position for the Key Follow function. 
Pan
Here, you can set the position of a sound in the stereo 
panorama. At a setting of -100
 %, the sound is panned 
hard left and at +100
 %, it is panned hard right.
Mode
With this option you can specify how the loudness 
changes across the stereo panorama. The following 
modes are available:
•0dB: This option works like a balance control.
Setting the pan control towards the left fades out the right channel and 
vice versa. At the center position, the loudness is not cut.
•-3dB: This option uses the cosine/sine pan law
The loudness is cut by -3dB at the center position, but the energy is pre-
served when moving the source signal across the stereo panorama. The 
-3dB option sounds more natural. The transition from hard left to hard 
right sounds much smoother than with the 0dB or the -6dB setting.
•-6dB: This option uses the linear pan law.
The loudness is cut by -6dB at the center position, and the energy is not 
preserved when moving the source signal across the stereo panorama. 
The -6dB option sounds more synthetic. The transition from hard left to 
hard right sounds more abrupt than with the -3dB setting.
•When set to Off, no panning is applied.
Random
This parameter allows you to offset the pan position ran-
domly with each played note. Higher values cause stron-
ger variations. At a setting of 100 %, the random offsets 
can vary from fully left to fully right.
Alternate
This parameter allows you to alternate the pan position 
each time you play a note. If you want to start panning on 
the left, use negative values. Use positive values to begin 
on the right. At a setting of +100
 %, the first note plays 
hard right, the second note hard left, and so on. 
Reset
The initial pan position is set once when HALion is loaded. 
Then, HALion counts each note you play to determine the 
next pan position. To reset this counter, click the Reset 
button next to the Alternate control.
Key Follow
Here you can adjust the pan modulation via the MIDI note 
number. Set this parameter to positive values to offset the 
pan position towards the right for notes above and to
-
wards the left for notes below the center key. Use nega-
tive values to offset the pan position towards the left for 
notes above and towards the right for notes below the 
center key. At the maximum setting of +200
 %, the pan 
position moves from hard left to hard right within two oc
-
taves: Fully left is reached one octave below and fully right 
is reached one octave above the center key.
Center Key
This parameter determines the MIDI note that is used as 
the central position for the Key Follow function.  
						

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Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
The AUX Tab
The AUX tab allows you to send the zone to the four 
global AUX busses and to directly route the zone to one of 
the plug-in output busses.
AUX 1-4
In HALion, you can send the zone signal to the four global 
AUX busses. You can control the signal level that is sent 
to the busses with the knobs AUX 1-4.
Output
HALion allows you to route a zone directly to one of the 
output busses. In this case, the zone does not pass 
through the layer, program and slot busses.
The Envelope Section
The Envelope section for synth and sample zones gives 
you access to the four envelopes of the zone: Amp, Filter, 
Pitch, and User. Each of these is a multisegment envelope 
with up to 128 nodes. The Amp, Filter and Pitch envelopes 
are pre-assigned to the amplitude, the filter cutoff fre
-
quency and the pitch of the zone. You can adjust the pre-
assigned modulations in the corresponding sections of the 
zone. The purpose of the User envelope is freely definable. 
•Click the Amp button to display the parameters of the 
amplifier envelope.
The amplifier envelope shapes the volume over time.
•Click the Filter button to display the parameters of the 
filter envelope. 
The filter envelope controls the cutoff frequency to shape the harmonic 
content over time.
•Click the Pitch button to display the parameters of the 
pitch envelope. 
The pitch envelope modulates the pitch over time. The pitch envelope is 
bipolar, which means it allows for negative and positive values to bend 
the pitch.
•Click the User button to display the parameters of the 
freely assignable user envelope. 
It is bipolar, which means it allows for negative and positive values, for in-
stance, to modulate the pan from left to right.
Zooming and Navigating in the Graphical 
Envelope Editor
The vertical axis of the graphical envelope editor displays 
the level. The horizontal axis displays the time. 
You can zoom in and out in the following ways:
•To zoom in on the horizontal axis, use the “+” button to 
the right of the scrollbar below the graphical editor.
•To zoom out, click the “-” button.
•In the timeline, click and drag up or down to zoom in or 
out at the current position.
•To zoom to a certain region, hold [Alt]/[Option] and drag 
the mouse over the region.
You can navigate to a certain position in the following way:
•Drag the scrollbar to the left or right to scroll the enve-
lope editor.
•Click in an empty space next to the scrollbar to jump to 
the corresponding position in the envelope editor.
•Click the triangles to the left and right of the scrollbar to 
scroll through the envelope step by step.
Envelope Zoom Snapshots
Envelope zoom snapshots save the current state of the 
graphical envelope editor. For example, by saving two en
-
velope zoom snapshots, one for the beginning and one for 
the end of the envelope, you can conveniently switch be
-
tween editing the attack and release of the envelope. 
						

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Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Saving and Loading Envelope Zoom Snapshots
To the right of the scrollbar, you can find three numbered 
buttons that allow you to save and load envelope zoom 
snapshots for the current envelope editor. An envelope 
zoom snapshot also includes the zoom factor and scroll 
position of the graphical envelope editor. These are re
-
stored when loading the snapshot.
•To save the current state of the graphical envelope edi-
tor as snapshot, [Shift]-click one of the numbered buttons 
to the right of the scrollbar.
•To load a previously saved envelope zoom snapshot, 
click the corresponding button. The button color changes 
to green indicating the snapshot is active. Zooming or 
scrolling with the graphical envelope editor deactivates 
the envelope zoom snapshot.
Editing the Envelope
Each multisegment envelope has up to 128 nodes with 
the Time, Level and Curve parameters. The nodes and 
their parameters specify the overall shape of the envelope. 
You can edit one or multiple nodes in the graphical enve
-
lope editor or by typing in values. 
Selecting Nodes
•You select a node by clicking on it in the graphical edi-
tor. Selected nodes turn light blue. The focused node is 
indicated by an orange frame. The focused node displays 
its parameters in the value fields to the left of the graphical 
envelope editor.
•When multiple nodes are selected, you can use the 
Node pop-up menu above the value fields to set the focus 
to a different node without losing the current selection.
•[Shift]-click on a node to add it to the selection. Se-
lected nodes are edited together.
•You can select multiple nodes by drawing a rectangle 
around the nodes with the mouse.
•With a single node selected, use the left or right arrow 
key to select the next or previous node. In a multiselection, 
the focused node changes and the previous or next node 
within the multiselection is focused.
Adjusting the Time Parameter
The Time parameter specifies the period of time between 
two nodes. Depending on the Sync mode, the Time pa
-
rameter is displayed in milliseconds and seconds, or frac-
tions of beats.
To set the Time parameter, select the nodes you want to 
edit, and enter a value in the Time field.
You can also adjust the Time parameter in the graphical 
envelope editor, by dragging the nodes left or right, to de
-
crease or to increase the time span.
•For a higher resolution, hold [Shift] while moving the 
nodes.
•Hold [Ctrl]/[Command] while dragging to limit the 
movement to the time axis (horizontal positioning only).
Adjusting the Level Parameter
The Level parameter specifies the amplitude of the enve-
lope at the position set by the Time parameter. The Amp 
and Filter envelopes are unipolar. Therefore, the value 
range for the level is 0
 % to +100 % (positive values only). 
The Pitch and User envelopes are bipolar, the value range 
for the level is from -100
 % to +100 % (negative and pos-
itive values) for these envelopes.
ÖYou can change the polarity of the envelopes in the 
modulation matrix, for instance, to map the range of the 
Amplifier Envelope (unipolar) to Pan (bipolar). However, 
the envelopes always display their values with their default 
polarity.
To set the Level parameter, select the nodes you want to 
edit and enter a value in the Level field.
You can also adjust the Level parameter in the graphical 
envelope editor by dragging the selected nodes up or 
down, to decrease or increase the levels.
•For a higher resolution, hold [Shift] while moving the 
nodes.
•Hold down [Alt]/[Option] while dragging to limit the 
movement to the level axis (vertical positioning only). 
						

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Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Adjusting the Curve Parameter
The Curve parameter allows you to adjust the curvature 
between two nodes from linear to logarithmic or exponen
-
tial behavior.
To set the Curve parameter, select the nodes you want to 
edit and enter a value in the Curve field. Positive curve val
-
ues change the curvature towards logarithmic and nega-
tive values towards exponential behavior.
You can also adjust the Curve parameter in the graphical 
envelope editor by dragging the curvature of an envelope 
segment.
•[Ctrl]/[Command]-click a curvature to reset it to linear.
Adding and Removing Nodes
The envelopes Amp, Filter, Pitch, and User can have up to 
128 nodes. All nodes added after the sustain node always 
affect the release stage of the envelope.
•To add a node, double-click at the position where you 
want to add the node.
•To remove a node, double-click it.
•To delete several selected notes, press [Delete] or 
[Backspace].
ÖYou cannot remove the first, the last or the sustain 
node.
Adding Nodes Using the Fill Function
The Fill function allows you to add multiple envelope 
nodes after the selected nodes:
1.On the pop-up menu to the right of the Fill button, se-
lect the number of nodes you want to add.
2.In the graphical envelope editor, select the node after 
which you want to add nodes. If several nodes are se
-
lected, the new nodes are inserted after all selected 
nodes.
3.If the Fixed function is deactivated, the added nodes 
are placed with the interval specified by the Time parame
-
ter of the selected node. If multiple nodes are selected, 
the interval is specified by the focused node.
By activating Sync, you can specify the interval with the Sync note value. 
For example, if 1/4 is selected, new nodes are added at exact quarter 
note intervals.
4.If the Fixed function is activated, the added nodes fill 
the space between the last selected node and the follow
-
ing one.
5.Click the “Fill” button.
The nodes are added.
Fixed
When Fixed is activated, only the selected nodes are 
moved on the time axis. With Fixed deactivated, nodes 
that follow the currently edited nodes are also moved on 
the time axis.
Snap
You can select a second envelope to be displayed in the 
background of the edited envelope. Nodes you position 
with Snap activated snap to the nodes of the envelope 
that is shown in the background.
•You select the envelope to be displayed in the back-
ground from the pop-up menu to the right of the Snap 
button.
Using Sync
You can synchronize the envelopes to the tempo of your 
host application. This allows you to set envelope times 
that relate to musical time intervals (for example 1 bar), 
regardless of tempo changes made later on.
1.Click Sync to activate sync mode for the envelope. 
Sync is active when the button is highlighted. A grid spaced in fractions 
of beats appears in the graphical envelope editor.
2.On the pop-up menu located to the right of the Sync 
button, select a note value. 
This sets the resolution of the grid. For example, if you specify a 1/4 note 
value, the nodes snap to 1/4 note steps. If the “T” button is activated, the 
note values correspond to triplet values. 
You can also manually enter note values and triplets in the 
value field. 
•The Time field of a node displays times in fractions of 
beats. The fraction is always reduced to the smallest pos
-
sible value. “2/16” is displayed as “1/8”, for example.
•Envelope nodes that do not exactly match a note value 
display the closest note value. 
						

							88
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
•Nodes that exactly match a note value are indicated by a 
red dot inside the handle of the node. This can be useful, 
for example, when you switch the grid between triplets 
and normal note values: The triplet nodes still indicate that 
they match a note value, even if the grid shows normal 
note values.
Selecting an Envelope Mode
You can select one of four envelope modes to specify 
how the envelope is played back each time you hit a key. 
These modes are selected from the Mode pop-up menu. 
The following options are available:
•Sustain: The envelope starts playback from the first 
node to its sustain. The sustain level is held as long as you 
play the note. When you release the note, the envelope 
continues with the stages behind the sustain. This mode is 
ideal for looped samples.
•Loop: The envelope starts playback from the first node 
to the loop nodes. The loop is repeated for as long as the 
key is held. The envelope plays the stages behind the sus
-
tain when you release the note. This mode is ideal for add-
ing motion to the sustain.
•One Shot: The envelope is played from the first to the 
last node, even if you release the key. The envelope has no 
sustain. This mode is ideal for drum samples.
•Sample Loop: This mode allows you to preserve the 
natural attack of the sample. The decay of the envelope 
does not start until the sample has reached the sample 
loop start. Set the second node to the maximum level. 
Then, use any of the following nodes to shape the decay 
during the loop phase of the sample. This way, the enve
-
lope only affects the level during the loop phase of the 
sample. The attack of the envelope is still executed.
ÖThe Sample Loop mode is only available for sample 
zones.
Setting Up the Loop
You can set up the envelope to repeat its playback be-
tween the nodes you select. Proceed as follows:
1.Set the envelope mode to Loop.
2.Adjust the loop with the graphical envelope editor.
•The loop is indicated by the green region in the graphi-
cal envelope editor. You can specify the loop start and 
end by dragging the borders of the region.
ÖThe loop region can only be set up in the decay of the 
envelope.
Level Velocity Curve
You can select the curve type to specify how the incoming 
velocity translates to the level of the envelope. The char
-
acteristic of each curve is displayed by a small icon.
Level Velocity (Vel>Lev)
Use this parameter to specify how the velocity affects the 
level of the envelope. The level depends on this parameter 
and how hard you hit a key. Positive values increase and 
negative values decrease the level of the envelope the 
harder you hit a key. 
Norm
The Norm option allows you to normalize the velocity val-
ues that are used to control the envelope. This option is 
also available in the Filter section, see 
“Norm” on page 83.
Time Velocity (Vel>Time)
Use this parameter to adjust the influence of velocity on 
the times of the envelope. Positive values decrease the 
times for higher velocity values. Negative values increase 
the times for higher velocity values.  
						

							89
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Segments
On the Segments pop-up menu, you can select which 
stages of the envelope are affected by the Time Velocity 
parameter.
Key Follow and KeyF Rel
With Key Follow and KeyF Rel (Key Follow Release) you 
can scale the envelope times across the keyboard. Key 
Follow scales all times before the sustain node. KeyF Rel 
scales all times after the sustain node (which equals the 
release of the envelope). You can set a center key that is 
used as the central position for the Key Follow and KeyF 
Rel functions. The envelope times depend on the position 
where you play the keyboard and on the corresponding 
Key Follow setting. Positive values decrease the times for 
notes above and increase the times for notes below the 
center key; the envelope becomes faster the higher you 
play. Negative values increase the times for notes above 
and decrease the times for notes below the center key; 
the envelope becomes slower the higher you play. 
Center Key
This parameter determines the MIDI note that is used as 
the central position for the Key Follow and KeyF Rel 
functions.
The LFO Section
The synth and sample zones offer two polyphonic LFOs. 
Polyphonic means the LFOs are calculated per voice al
-
lowing for independent modulations with each triggered 
note. You can use this to create a richer sound, for exam
-
ple, with an independent pitch modulation per note. The 
LFOs can be assigned freely in the modulation matrix and 
they have an additional envelope that allows you to shape 
the modulation intensity over time.
You can also configure monophonic LFOs using a MIDI 
Module, see 
“Mono LFO” on page 147.
•To access the LFOs, click the corresponding button at 
the top of the LFO section.
LFO Waveform and Shape
Waveform selects the basic type of waveform. Shape 
changes the characteristic of the waveform.
OptionDescription
AThe velocity affects the attack time only.
A+DThe velocity affects all times until the sustain.
DThe velocity affects all times until the sustain but without 
the attack.
A+RThe velocity affects the attack and the release times.
AllThe velocity affects all times.
OptionDescription
SineThis produces smooth modulation, suitable for vibrato 
or tremolo. Shape adds additional harmonics to the 
waveform.
TriangleThis is similar to Sine. Shape continuously changes the 
triangle waveform to a trapezoid.
SawThis produces a ramp cycle. Shape continuously 
changes the waveform from ramp down to triangle to 
ramp up.
PulseThis produces stepped modulation, where the modula-tion switches abruptly between two values. Shape con-tinuously changes the ratio between the high and low 
state of the waveform. With Shape set to 50 %, a 
square wave is produced.
RampThis is similar to the Saw waveform. Shape increasingly 
puts silence before the sawtooth ramp up begins.
LogShape continuously changes the logarithmic curvature 
from negative to positive. 
						

							90
Editing Zones in the Sound Editor
Sync Mode
You can sync the LFO to the tempo of the host applica-
tion. The behavior of the Frequency parameter changes 
with the selected option:
Retrigger Mode
This defines whether the LFO is restarted when a note is 
triggered. The waveform restarts at the position you spec
-
ify with the Phase parameter.
The polyphonic LFOs can switch between Retrigger On 
and Off: When it is off, the LFO runs freely, when set to 
On, the LFO starts with each triggered note.
Frequency
This controls the frequency of the modulation, that is the 
speed of the LFO. When Sync is activated, the frequency 
is set in fractions of beats.
Phase
This sets the initial phase of the waveform when the LFO 
is retriggered. 
Rnd (Random)
When this is activated, each note starts with a randomized 
start phase. The Phase control is automatically disabled.
Delay
Delay determines the delay time between the moment you 
play a note and the moment the LFO comes into effect.
Fade In
Fade In determines how long the LFO takes to fade in af-
ter the note was triggered and the delay time has elapsed.
Hold
Hold determines the amount of time the LFO is running 
before the fade out begins.
Use the envelope modes “One Shot” or “Hold + Fade 
Out” to activate the Hold time. With all other envelope 
modes, the Hold time is omitted and acts as Sustain.
Fade Out
Fade Out determines how long the LFO takes to fade out 
after the hold time has elapsed or a note has been re
-
leased.
Use the envelope modes “One Shot + Sustain” or “Sus-
tain” to deactivate the fade out. This prevents changes of 
the modulation when the note has been released.
Inv (Invert Envelope)
When the Inv option is activated, the behavior of the LFO 
envelope is inverted. The LFO modulation starts at its 
maximum level and decreases to zero in the time specified 
by the Fade In. After the Hold time has elapsed, or when 
the key is released, the modulation increases to its maxi
-
mum level in the time specified by the fade out.
Envelope Mode
Here, you can specify how the LFO envelope reacts to 
your playing on the keyboard. The One Shot modes do not 
react to note-off events. In addition, you can select 
whether the Hold and Fade Out segments act as sustain.
S & H 1This produces randomly stepped modulation, where 
each step is different. Shape puts ramps between the 
steps and changes the S&H into a smooth random sig
-nal when fully turned right.
S & H 2This is similar to S & H 1. The steps alternate between 
random high and low values. Shape puts ramps be-tween the steps and changes the S & H into a smooth 
random signal when fully turned right.
OptionDescription
OffSelect this to adjust the speed of the modulation in 
Hertz.
Tempo + 
RetrigSelect this to adjust the speed of the modulation in 
fractions of beats. You can also set dotted and triplet 
note values. The restart behavior of the LFO depends 
on the Retrigger Mode.
Tempo + BeatSelect this to adjust the speed of the modulation in 
fractions of beats. You can also set dotted and triplet 
note values. The LFO restarts with the transport of the 
host and lines up to the beats of the song. The Retrig
-ger setting is not taken into account.
Option Description
OptionDescription
One ShotSelect this mode to play the envelope from start to end 
in the time specified by Delay, Fade In, Hold, and Fade 
Out.
One Shot + 
SustainThis mode is similar to One Shot. The Delay and Fade 
In parameters are always applied when you play a note. 
The Hold and Fade Out parameters are not taken into 
account. Instead, they act as sustain.