Steinberg VST Workstation Halion Sonic Operation Manual

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HALion Sonic
ÖShow Tooltips will not be saved with the project. You 
need to set this up only once for your system.
MIDI controller
You can save your customized MIDI controller assign-
ments as default or restore the factory MIDI controller as-
signments.
Resetting to factory
To restore the factory MIDI controller assignments:
1.Click the “Reset to Factory” button.
2.Click “Yes” to restore the mapping or “No” to cancel.
Saving as default
To save the current MIDI controller assignments as de-
fault:
•Click the “Save as Default” button.
Now, each time you load a new instance of the plug-in, 
your customized MIDI controller mapping will be loaded 
as default.
Ö“Save as Default” does not include any of the MIDI 
controller assignments of the AUX FX.
ÖThe current MIDI controller mapping will also be saved 
with each project. This way, you can transfer your settings 
to other systems. The project includes the MIDI controller 
assignments of the AUX FX as well.
Multi Chain
Introduction
HALion Sonic comes with a special Multi Chain feature 
which allows you to set up a list of 128 multis which you 
can either step through manually or load by program 
change. This feature is particularly useful when performing 
live on stage. It allows you, for example, to setup up a list 
of sounds that follows the order of their appearance dur
-
ing your performance.
To use the Multi Chain mode:
1.Switch to the Multi page.
2.Load an existing Chain using the preset controls in the 
title bar.
Setting up a Multi Chain
1.Switch to the Multi page.
2.Click on the triangle button of the desired list entry to 
open the MediaBay dialog.
3.Select a multi and click “OK”.
4.Repeat the same procedure for all multis that shall be 
part of the list. 
						

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HALion Sonic
You can now step through the list by clicking the left (Pre-
vious) and right (Next) arrow switches, or select a particu-
lar list entry with the mouse. The corresponding multi will 
be loaded. You can also assign arbitrary MIDI controllers 
to remote the switches with a hardware controller by right-
clicking a switch and selecting the desired controller.
If you are using a knob, slider or the mod wheel, any tran-
sition from the lower to the upper half switches to the next 
multi. Controls such as foot pedal or switch step forward 
as well. When both buttons (Previous/Next) are assigned 
to the same slider, knob or mod wheel control, HALion 
Sonic transforms a transition from the middle to the top 
quarter into a next-command, a transition from the middle 
to the lower quarter into a previous-command.
Changing the order of the chain
You can reorder the list entries by dragging them to a new 
list position. The insert position will be indicated.
Clearing the chain
To remove all entries from the list:
1.Click the options triangle in the Name display.
2.Select “Clear Multi Chain”.
Removing a multi from the Chain
To remove the single multi from the list:
1.Click the options triangle in the Name display.
2.Select “Remove Selected Multi”.
Assigning MIDI controllers to the Previous/Next buttons
To switch through the multi list you can also use MIDI con-
trollers. This can be, for example, a footswitch, a knob, 
fader or the mod wheel. To enable this function, you have 
to assign the desired controller first.
1.Right-Click on one of the arrow keys to open the con-
text menu.
2.Select “Learn CC”.
3.Change your hardware controller.
To remove the MIDI controller, open the context menu and 
select “Remove CC”.
Additional controls when using HALion Sonic 
as a standalone instrument
At the top of the program window you find some addi-
tional controls for using HALion Sonic as a standalone in-
strument.
For information on how to set up HALion Sonic as a 
standalone instrument see the section 
“HALion Sonic 
standalone” on page 9.
The Key Commands dialog
You can assign key commands to most operations that 
can be performed via the standalone panel of HALion So
-
nic. The Key Commands dialog lists all available com-
mands and any key commands assigned to them. The 
commands are arranged in a hierarchical folder structure, 
similar to the Windows Explorer and Mac OS Finder. 
When you open a category folder by clicking the plus sign 
beside it, the items and functions are displayed with any 
currently assigned key commands.
To set up a key command, proceed as follows:
1.In the top left corner of the standalone panel, click on 
the button to the right of the MIDI input pop-up menu.
The Key Commands dialog opens.
Click here…
…to open the Key Commands dialog. 
						

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HALion Sonic
2.In the Commands list to the left, select a Category.
3.Click the plus sign to open the Category folder and 
display the items it contains.
Note that you can also click the “global” plus and minus signs in the top 
left corner to open and close all Category folders at once.
4.In the list, select the item to which you want to assign 
a key command.
Already assigned key commands are shown in the Keys column as well 
as in the Keys section in the top right corner. 
You can also search for a specific function by entering its name in the 
search field at the top of the dialog and clicking the search button (the 
magnifying glass button).
5.When you have found and selected the desired item, 
click in the “Type in Key” field and enter a new key com
-
mand.
You can choose any single key or a combination of one or several modi-
fier keys ([Alt]/[Option], [Ctrl]/[Command], [Shift]) plus any key.
6.Click the Assign button above the field to assign the 
key command to the function.
The new key command is displayed in the Keys list.
7.Click OK to close the dialog.
•If a key command is already used for another function, a 
message is displayed allowing you to reassign the key 
command or cancel the operation.
•You can set up several key commands for the same 
function.
•To delete a key command, select the corresponding 
command, select the key command in the Keys list and 
click the Delete button (the trash icon).
Selecting the MIDI input and the audio outputs
In the upper left corner of the plug-in panel in standalone 
mode, you find two pop-up menus for selecting the MIDI 
input and the main audio output of the plug-in.
The MIDI input pop-up menu lists all MIDI devices that are 
installed on your system.
•Open the MIDI input pop-up menu to select the MIDI 
device you want to use. 
The orange MIDI Activity LED in the upper left corner of 
the plug-in indicates incoming MIDI messages via the cur
-
rently selected MIDI input. The LED lights up on note-on 
and controller messages. This way, you can check if the 
plug-in and your MIDI keyboard are connected to the 
same MIDI device input.
The Audio output pop-up menu lists all outputs of the se-
lected ASIO Device.
•Open the Audio output pop-up menu to select an audio 
output for the main stereo channel of the plug-in.
If you select an audio output, the front and rear channels are set to incre-
menting audio output ports – e. g. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, 6, 7, 8.
Pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and selecting an audio output assigns the 
audio outputs in pairs to the front and rear channels – e. g. 1, 2, 1, 2 or 5, 
6, 5, 6.
ÖUse the Preferences dialog to select the ASIO device 
and other audio outputs. For information on the Preferen
-
ces dialog, see “The Preferences dialog” on page 9.
Scratch pad
The scratch pad allows you to record and play back MIDI 
files in standard MIDI file format (file name extension .mid). 
You can load existing MIDI files and you can record your 
own files and save them. The transport section provides 
buttons for play, stop, record and loop. The display shows 
the song position, the tempo and the time signature of the 
MIDI file. In addition, there is a metronome which you can 
use for recording and practicing.
PlayStop Record Loop
Load MIDI file
Save MIDI file Select record Metronome 
setting
Song position 
fader
Tempo trackTempo 
valueAdjust 
TempoTime 
signature Info iconSong position 
display
Time formatMIDI channel filter 
						

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HALion Sonic
Ö The scratch pad is able to play back multi track MIDI 
files sending notes on all 16 MIDI channels. It also sends 
MIDI program change when a MIDI file is loaded.
Using the transport controls
• Click the Play button to star t playback of the MIDI file.
Playback always starts at the song position.
•Click the Stop button to pause the MIDI file at the cur -
rent position.
Click the Stop button twice to rese t the song position to the start.
•Click the Record button to start recording.
• Cli
ck the Loop button to play the whole MIDI file in a loop.
Loading a MIDI file
To load a standard MIDI file (.mid), proceed as follows:
1. Click the 
 Load File button below the transport buttons.
2. In the file dialog that appears, se
 lect the desired file.
3. Click Ope
 n to load the MIDI file.
Saving a MIDI file
To save the performance you recorded as a MIDI file, pro -
ceed as follows:
1. Click the
  Save File button (the disk icon) below the 
transport buttons.
2. In the file dialog that appears, speci
 fy a location and a 
file name.
3. Click Sa
 ve to store the MIDI file.
The info icon
To check which MIDI file is currently loaded, point with the 
mouse at the info icon in the upper left corner of the song 
position display. A tooltip appears, showing the name of 
the MIDI file.
Using the MIDI channel filter
When a multi-track MIDI file is loaded, you can decide 
whether “all” or only the events of a specific MIDI channel 
are played back. The control can be found to the right of 
the info icon in the song position display.
Song position
The song position fader indica tes the position of the trans-
port. Above the song position  fader, the position is dis-
played numerically.
Ö After load
 ing a MIDI file, the display shows the full 
length of the file and the song position fader is positioned 
at the end. However, playback starts from the beginning 
when you click Play.
• To 
move the transport to a different song position, drag 
the song position fader to the desired position.
•To change the 
 format, click the time format symbol in 
the top right corner of the display to switch between the 
time formats. When “Time” format is selected, a clock is 
displayed. In “Bars” format a note is displayed.
Tempo and Time Signature
Below the song position display, you find the Tempo and 
Time Signature fields which provide the plug-in with 
tempo and time signature inform ation. In standalone mode, 
such information is not available via a host application. In 
this case, the settings are us ed by the scratch pad and the 
metronome.
Option Description
Tempo Track/
Fi
 xed Set this to “Track” to follow the original tempo of the 
MIDI file. Set this to “Fixed” to specify a tempo manually.
Tempo Value Determines the tempo of the  MI
 DI file. The control range 
is from 1.000  BPM to 300.000  BPM.
Adjust Tempo When the Tempo Track option is selected, an additional 
con

trol is displayed that al lows you to scale the playback 
relatively to the original tempo  of the MIDI file. The control 
range is from 0.5x (-50  %) to 2x (+100  %) of the original 
temp

o.
Sign. (time   
signature) Determines the time signature of the plug-in. You can en
-
ter the desired signat ure
  as a fraction, e. g. 3/4, 6/8, 4/4, 
etc
. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Recording your performance
1. Click on the record symbol below the Record button to 
select the desired record mode from the pop-up menu:
Option Description
Direct The recording starts immediately when you click the re -
cord button.
MIDI The recording starts with  the first MIDI note.
Count In 1 The recording starts after a count-in of one bar.
Count In 2 The recording starts after  a count-i
 n of two bars.
2.Click the Record button to start the recording.
3. When 
you are done recording, press the stop button.
•Now
 you can save your performance as a MIDI file, see 
“Saving a MIDI file”  on page 94 .
Ö To indicate that the recording
  is running, the song po-
sition fader is being animated (a small bar moves from left 
to right).
Activating the metronome
To select the playback mode  of the metronome, click the 
Metronome button. You can select one of the following 
modes from the pop-up menu:
Option Description
Off The metronome is switched off.
Count In The metronome plays onl
 y during the count-in of a re -
cording.
On The metronome is always switche
 d on.
The volume control next to the metronome icon allows you 
to set the volume of the metronome. The Preferences dia -
log also provides metronome settings.
Volume
Use this control to set the over all volume of the outputs of 
the standalone plug-in. This includes the volume of the 
main outputs, the rear outputs and the output of the met -
ronome.
MIDI controllers
Using MIDI controllers
You can assign the parameters volume, pan, mute, solo, 
send FX 1 – 4 and the quick controls of each slot to a 
MIDI controller. In addition to the slot parameters, you can 
also assign the parameters of the AUX FX. By default, vol -
ume, pan, send FX 1 – 4 and the program quick controls 
are already assigned.
  You can customize this factory MIDI 
controller mapping by assigning your own MIDI controllers 
with a convenient learn function. This way, you can adapt 
the mapping to your MIDI keyboard or controller. To pro-
vide much better control, you can set the minimum and 
maximum range 
 for each assignment separately.
Assigning MIDI controllers
To assign a MIDI controller to a parameter:
1.Ri
ght-click (Win) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac) the control you 
want to remote.
2. Sel
ect “Learn CC” from the menu.
3.On your MIDI keyboard or contr
 oller, use the potenti-
ometer, fader, or button.
Ö T
he next time you right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]+click 
(Mac) the control, the menu shows the assigned MIDI 
controller.
ÖYou can 
 assign the same MIDI controller multiple 
times to different parameters. However, you cannot assign 
different MIDI controllers to the same parameter.
Unassigning MIDI controllers
To unassign a MIDI controller assignment:
1. Ri
ght-click (Win) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac) the control you 
want to unassign.
2. Sel
ect “Forget CC” from the menu.
Setting the minimum/maximum range
You can set the minimum and maximum range of the pa -
rameter for each assignment separately. This way, you 
have much better control 

over the parameter, for example, 
when you are performing on stage. 
						

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HALion Sonic
To set the minimum range of the parameter:
1.Set the parameter to the desired minimum value.
2.Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac) the control.
3.Select “Set Minimum” from the menu.
To set the maximum range of the parameter:
1.Set the parameter to the desired maximum value.
2.Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac) the control.
3.Select “Set Maximum” from the menu.
Assigning MIDI controllers to AUX FX
You can assign the parameters of the AUX FX to MIDI 
controllers as well. Unlike the slots, the AUX FX do not 
have a MIDI Port and Channel of their own. Instead, they 
listen to any incoming MIDI controller message regardless 
of the MIDI channel (Omni mode). Therefore, if you assign 
a parameter to a MIDI controller, you should use a control
-
ler number which is not already in use by any of the as-
signments you made on the slots.
•To assign a MIDI controller, load the effect, right-click 
the parameter and assign the controller you wish as de
-
scribed above.
•If you unload the effect or replace the effect by another 
one, the MIDI controller assignment of this effect will be 
lost.
Saving a MIDI controller mapping as default
After you customized the factory MIDI controller assign-
ments, you can save them as default.
To save the current MIDI controller mapping as default:
1.Go to the Options page.
2.Click “Save as Default” in the MIDI controller section.
Now, each time you load a new instance of the plug-in, 
your customized MIDI controller mapping will be available 
as default.
Ö“Save as Default” does not include any of the MIDI 
controller assignments of the AUX FX.
ÖThe current MIDI controller mapping will also be saved 
with each project. This way, you can transfer your settings 
to other systems. The project also includes the MIDI con
-
troller assignments of the AUX FX.
Restoring the factory MIDI controller 
assignment
To restore the factory MIDI controller assignments:
1.Go to Options page.
2.In the MIDI controller section, click “Reset to Factory”.
3.Click “Yes” to restore the mapping or “No” to cancel.
Automation and factory MIDI controller 
assignments
The following parameters on the plug-in surface are avail-
able for automation from your host software and can be 
assigned to an external MIDI controller. The controller 
numbers and names refer to the default Factory MIDI con
-
troller assignment of these parameters:
ÖThe assigned MIDI controller numbers are the same 
for all 16 slots. However, the MIDI controllers listen only to 
the MIDI channel of the respective slot.
Slot 1 – 16:
Parameter:Controller:Number:Name:
Volume#07Volume
Pan#10Pan
Mute--
Solo--
Send FX 1#91Effect 1 Depth
Send FX 2#92Effect 2 Depth
Send FX 3#93Effect 3 Depth
Send FX 4#94Effect 4 Depth
Program  QC 1#74Brightness
Program  QC 2#71Harmonic Content
Program  QC 3#73Attack Time 
						

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HALion Sonic
ÖYou can remote control any other parameter by as-
signing the parameter first to a quick control and then to a 
MIDI controller.
ÖYou can use MIDI controllers inside the Modulation 
Matrix of a synth or sample layer, for example, to control 
the Cutoff.
CC 121 support
HALion Sonic can be controlled with the ai-Knob of Stein-
berg’s CC121 MIDI controller unit. To change a parame-
ter value:
1.Move the mouse pointer over the control you want to 
change.
2.Turn the ai-knob to set the desired value.
ÖPlease note that the ai-knob only works on parameters 
that are automatable. This means, for example, that you 
cannot use the ai-knob to change the parameters of the 
Options page.
Program  QC 4#72Release Time
Program  QC 5#75Sound Controller #6
Program  QC 6#76Sound Controller #7
Program  QC 7#77Sound Controller #8
Program  QC 8#78Sound Controller #9
Layer 1 QC 1--
Layer 1 QC 2--
Layer 1 QC 3--
Layer 1 QC 4--
Layer 1 QC 5--
Layer 1 QC 6--
Layer 1 QC 7--
Layer 1 QC 8--
Layer 2 QC 1--
Layer 2 QC 2--
Layer 2 QC 3--
Layer 2 QC 4--
Layer 2 QC 5--
Layer 2 QC 6--
Layer 2 QC 7--
Layer 2 QC 8--
Layer 3 QC 1--
Layer 3 QC 2--
Layer 3 QC 3--
Layer 3 QC 4--
Layer 3 QC 5--
Layer 3 QC 6--
Layer 3 QC 7--
Layer 3 QC 8--
Layer 4 QC 1--
Layer 4 QC 2--
Layer 4 QC 3--
Layer 4 QC 4--
Layer 4 QC 5--
Layer 4 QC 6--
Layer 4 QC 7--
Layer 4 QC 8-- 
						

							Index 
						

							99
Index
A
activation code 6
Amplifier page 32
C
CC 121 Support 97
D
Drum and loop layers 59
E
Edit Display 13
Envelope pages 34
Expression Maps 53
F
Filter page 30
FlexPhraser 54
G
Global Effects 73
H
Host application
AU 8
Cubase 8
I
Inserts page 49
Installation 6
Instrument layer 50
K
Key command 5
Keyboard 14
L
Layers 10
LFO pages 39
M
Master section 16
MediaBay 87
MIDI controller 95
MIDI page 20
Mix page 20
Mod Matrix page 44
Modulation Destinations 47Modulation Modifiers 48
Modulation Sources 46
Multi Chain 91
Multis 10
O
Options page 90
Oscillator page 28
P
Performance controllers 14
Performance displays 16
Pitch page 27
Program page 21
Program slot 15
Programs 10
Q
Quick controls 67
R
Reset MIDI 17
S
Scratch pad 93
Slot Rack 17
Sphere 14
Step Modulator page 42
System requirements 7
T
Toolbars 14
Trigger pads 71
U
USB-eLicenser 6
V
Voice page 24
W
Wheels 14 
						

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