Steinberg VST Workstation Halion Sonic Operation Manual

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HALion Sonic
Synth and sample layers
For synth and sample layers, you will get access to a fully-
fledged synthesizer editor with components such as a 
highly flexible filter section, powerful multi-stage enve
-
lopes, LFOs, a Step Modulator and a Modulation Matrix. 
These layer types differ in their basic sound source. While 
a synth layer provides an oscillator section with three main 
oscillators, namely a sub oscillator, a noise generator and 
a ring modulation stage, the sample layer loads a specific 
multi sample instead.
Drum layers
The drum layers load a multi-sampled drum set, where you 
can individually adjust the most important parameter per 
drum instrument. Each drum instrument can be set to a 
specific pan position or individual output, be filtered, re
-
versed, and so on.
Loop layers
Loop layers load a sliced loop, which is a combination of a 
loop specific MIDI phrase and the individual slices 
mapped out onto the keyboard. You can then either play 
the original loop, transposed version of it or trigger single 
slices manually. Each slice can be modified with the same 
parameters as the drum instruments.
Instrument layers
Instrument layers contain several multi samples of an in-
strument that can either be sound parts or completely dif-
ferent articulations. These sublayers are called 
Expression. Every Expression can be modified individually 
by its most important parameters or simply be turned off, 
to speed up loading time for sound, where not all of the 
Expressions are needed. 
						

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HALion Sonic
HALion Sonic interface
The HALion Sonic interface follows a fixed size, single 
window concept and is subdivided into several main sec
-
tions. To save pixel space on the computer monitor it can 
be collapsed to a smaller version which only shows one 
slot with the most important sections and hides the Multi 
Program Rack and Edit Display sections.
Collapsed View
Plug-in functions section
At the top of the HALion Sonic window you find the plug-
in functions section. It contains important controls such as 
the main volume, tuning, indicators for disk activity and 
CPU load, as well as the number of voices currently 
played. Furthermore, it provides a duplicate of the cur
-
rently focused slot and the program loaded in this slot.
Performance 
controllersPlug-in func-
tions section
Standalone 
functions 
section
Multi Program 
Rack
Toolbars
Trigger Pads
Sphere
Edit Display
Quick Controls 
						

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HALion Sonic
Multi Program Rack
In the Multi Program Rack (located to the left of the Edit 
Display) you can load up to 16 programs into HALion So
-
nic. Slots can be muted or soloed. Programs can be se-
lected to edit their parameters.
You can load programs into slots by drag&drop from the 
Load page. You can also click the down arrow button to 
open the MediaBay.
Edit Display
The Edit Display is a multipurpose display that shows var-
ious editor views depending on the selected page and 
slot. There are seven pages that can be chosen using the 
page switches above the editor views. These pages are 
the Load, Edit, MIDI, Mix, Effects, Multi and the Options 
page.
Load page
The Load page gives you access to the huge library that 
comes with HALion Sonic. It provides an interface to the 
integrated MediaBay which is used to categorize and rate 
multis, programs and layers. It allows you to quickly find 
the sounds you are looking for and of course it conve
-
niently manages all the sounds that you create as well.
Edit page
The Edit page allows you to edit all the parameters that ex-
ist inside a program. This comprises the parameter of up 
to four layers as well as all parameters for the integrated 
FlexPhrasers and insert effects.
MIDI page
The MIDI page shows the MIDI parameters of all 16 pro-
grams and allows you to adjust parameters such as MIDI 
Channel, Low Key, High Key, Low Vel, High Vel and Po-
lyphony.
Mix page
The Mix page shows the main audio parameters of all 16 
programs and allows you to adjust parameters such as 
level, pan, output, effect send levels for the four AUX ef
-
fects that can be commonly used. In addition, it also dis-
plays a level meter for each slot.
Effects page
The Effects page gives you direct access to the four AUX 
busses used to realize global send effects as well as the 
main bus. Each bus can load up to four inserts in serial or
-
der to create further sophisticated multi effects.
Multi page
The Multi page allows you to manage and control the so-
called Multi Chains. Multi Chains consists of a list of up to 
128 multis. This gives you quick access to all multi pre
-
sets, for example, during a live performance situation.
Options page
The Options page provides you with all the parameters 
that can be set for the HALion Sonic plug-in. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Toolbars
Above the Edit Display section you find two small toolbars 
with various useful global functions.
Global insert, AUX and FlexPhraser buttons
Use these buttons to switch off all insert effects, all AUX 
effects and all FlexPhrasers for the whole plug-in at once. 
For instance, you can use this feature to quickly compare 
sounds with and without effects or to use a preset without 
the FlexPhrasers that have been stored with the preset.
Undo/Redo
HALion Sonic features an undo/redo command stack that 
allows you to undo or redo the last 10 operations. With 
the aid of this function you can test new settings without 
having to worry about losing any of your previous settings.
You can either click the Undo/Redo buttons to undo or 
redo 
 a single step or:
1. Click on the small triangle s to 
 see Undo/Redo history.
2. Click on a
 n entry in the hi story list to go back (or for -
ward) to that particular step.
Ö You
 cannot undo loading a multi (instance) preset.
MIDI Reset
The MIDI Reset button allows you to reset all playing MIDI 
notes and sounds with one single click.
Editor / Player
This button toggles between the two views available for 
HALion Sonic: the full-size editor view (e), and the smaller 
player view (p).
Trigger Pad section
The pads section shows eight pads used for triggering 
complex chords, remote controlling key switches, etc.
Quick controls
The HALion Sonic quick control section provides you with 
eight quick controls that can be used to directly adjust the 
most important parameters of  a program. In addition, you 
can also switch to the four sets of layer quick controls.
Performance controllers
Wheels
The wheels on the left side represent the pitch and modu -
lation wheels on a hardware controller keyboard and can 
be used in 
 the same way.
Keyboard
The virtual 88-note keyboard of HALion Sonic can be 
used to trigger MIDI notes just like a real keyboard. By 
clicking the keys on different vertical positions you can 
control the note on velocity. Furthermore, the keyboard 
displays keys that are not used to trigger notes but act as 
key switches. The up/down switches on the left and right 
side of the keyboard shift the keyboard range by octaves. 
This allows you to display, for instance, key switches that 
are located on lower keys.
Sphere
The sphere control is a 2-dimensional-controller that acts 
as two quick controls, one for vertical and one for horizon -
tal movements. This can be used, for example, to control 
the morphi
 ng filter. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Standalone functions section
Using HALion Sonic as a standalone application adds the 
standalone functions section above the plug-in. Here you 
can set Audio and MIDI interface routings, adjust the main 
volume and get access to the integrated MIDI scratch pad 
that allows you to easily record your musical inspirations 
without having to start a MIDI sequencer application. It 
can also be used to play multi track arrangements that 
trigger the 16 different sounds inside HALion Sonic.
Plug-in functions section
Introduction
The plug-in functions section gives you access to general 
functions of the plug-in. It is divided into three sections: 
program slot, master section and performance displays. 
With Master Volume and Master Tune you can control the 
overall loudness and tuning of the plug-in. A large display 
shows you the name of the currently selected program 
along with its main parameters. With the performance dis -
plays you can monitor the Polyphony and Mono Voices, or 
the Me
 mory, CPU and Disk usage of the plug-in.
Program slot
The program slot shows the main program parameters for 
the program currently selected in the Multi Program Rack. 
You can adjust settings such as level, pan, output bus, 
MIDI channel and polyphony. Furthermore, you can use 
the program slot to load prog rams and to mute/solo them.
Slot selector
The slot number not only serves as a label but also allows 
you to select the slot you would like to have displayed.
To select the slot:
1.Ope
n the context menu on the number.
2.Select the 
 desired slot.
To make the slot selection easier, programs already 
l
 oaded will be displayed with their name.
Loading programs into the slot
To load a program directly into the program slot:
1. Sw
itch to the Load page and double-click the desired 
program.
2.D
rag the program and drop it to the name field of the 
program slot.
Alternatively you can click the load program button on the 
righ

t end of the program loader to open a MediaBay dia -
log. You can then load the program from there. This 
method 

is especially useful when you are working with the 
smaller Player view that does not have direct access to 
the Load page.
Loading layers into the slot
You can also load a layer preset directly into the program 
slot. In this case, HALion Sonic creates a new program 
and drops the layer into the first of its four layer slots. To 
load a layer into the slot, use the Load page or the Media  
Bay Browser Window in the same way as for programs.
Ö B
e sure to have the view filter for layers active. Other -
wise you will see program presets only.
Aborting the loading of layers
Programs containing lots of sample data may take some 
time to load. In this case, a progress bar is shown directly 
in the slot. In addition, the Load button changes to an 
“Abort” button (x) that allows you to stop the loading pro -
cess and to reset the slot to the previous state.
Removing programs from a slot
To remove a program from the slot:
1. Open 
the context menu on the program name.
2.Sel
ect “Remove Program”.
Saving a program
To save a modified program:
1.Open 
the context menu on the program name.
2.Sel
ect “Save Program”.
The program will be saved in your user folder.
MIDI activity indicator
The MIDI icon indicates incoming MIDI data by blinking. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Solo
Enable the Solo button of a slot in order to hear only the 
respective program.
Mute
Enable the Mute button to turn off a program. The program 
remains loaded and can therefore be turned on again 
smoothly.
Loading programs into the program slot
To load a program into the slot you have two options:
•Switch to the Load page and double-click the desired 
program.
•Drag the program and drop it to the desired slot.
Level
Use the level fader to adjust the output level of the slot. 
The maximum value is +12dB (the default value is ±0dB).
Pan
Use the pan fader to adjust the position of the slot in the 
stereo panorama.
Output
Use the output selector to define the output destination of 
the slot signal. By default all signals are sent to the Main 
output.
Polyphony
This parameter allows you set the number of keys you can 
play simultaneously. Keep in mind that one key can trigger 
several layers. Check the Performance Meter to see how 
many voices are triggered by your playing.
Program Icon
The program icon on the left side shows to which Cate-
gory of sounds the preset belongs. It cannot be assigned 
freely but depends on the Category and Sub Category 
tagged in the MediaBay. If no Category is set, a default 
icon will be shown.
Master section
Master Volume
Use the Main Volume knob to adjust the overall volume of 
HALion Sonic. The maximum value is +12dB (the default 
value is ±0dB).
•Turn the control clockwise by clicking on it and drag-
ging upwards to raise the volume.
•Turn the control counter-clockwise by clicking on it and 
dragging downwards to lower the volume.
Master Tune
You can set the Master Tune within a range from 415.3Hz 
to 466.2Hz, which equals -100 cents to +100 cents. The 
default value is 440Hz.
Performance displays
In the upper right of the plug-in panel, you find meters and 
text displays that indicate the system load of the plug-in.
CPU
This meter shows the processor load during playback of 
voices. The more voices you play, the higher the proces
-
sor load will be. If the red overload indicator lights up, re-
duce the Max Voices setting on the Options page.
Disk
This meter shows the hard disk transfer load from stream-
ing samples or loading presets. If the red overload indica-
tor lights up, the hard disk is not supplying data fast 
enough to the computer. In such a case, adjust the Disk 
vs. RAM slider on the Options page towards RAM. You 
can also decrease the Max Voices setting on the Options 
page. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Polyphony (Mono Voices)
This display indicates the number of samples currently 
played back to help you trace performance problems. For 
example, if you have to reduce the Max Voices setting on 
the Options page, you can verify your settings by monitor
-
ing the Voices display.
Memory
MEM is an abbreviation for Memory. This display indicates 
the overall amount of RAM currently used by the plug-in 
and the loaded programs. The amount you see results 
from the streaming buffer and the preloaded samples. The 
MEM display helps you to trace performance problems. 
For example, if you need to free memory for other applica
-
tions, you can do so by adjusting the Disk vs. RAM slider 
on the Options page towards Disk. You can verify your 
settings by monitoring the MEM display.
Reset MIDI
Sometimes notes can get stuck, due to reasons such as 
the plug-in losing MIDI connection, or the plug-in receiv
-
ing wrong MIDI controller data. In such a case, you can 
“emergency reset” the plug-in:
•Click the Reset MIDI button (the lightning icon) located 
under the Steinberg logo to send an “All Sound Off” and 
“Reset All Controllers” message to the plug-in.
This is the same as sending the MIDI controllers 120 (All 
Sound Off) and 121 (Reset All). The plug-in stops play
-
back immediately and resets the controllers to their default 
values.
Steinberg logo and about box
If you click on the Steinberg logo in the upper right corner 
of the plug-in, a pop-up menu opens. You can open the 
manual in pdf format by selecting Help. Selecting one of 
the other options opens your default internet browser, di
-
recting you to the Steinberg web site. To check for soft-
ware updates and to find information for trouble shooting, 
select the corresponding link from the menu.
•To open the manual in pdf format, a pdf reader applica-
tion must be installed on your computer.
•Your computer needs an active and working internet 
connection to access the Steinberg web site.
If you click on the plug-in logo in the upper left of the con-
trol panel, the about box opens. It contains information re-
garding the version and build number of the plug-in. With 
the plug-in version and build number you can verify if your 
software is up-to-date. Please visit www.steinberg.net 
regularly to check for updates. To close the about box, 
click on it or press [Esc] on your computer keyboard.
Multi Program Rack
Introduction
The Multi Program Rack provides 16 slots, so you can 
load up to 16 programs simultaneously. To show which 
program is triggered, the slot number indicates incoming 
MIDI data by blinking. Also, each slot provides a Solo and 
a Mute button. The Multi Program Rack is linked to the 
various pages of the Edit Display: When the Edit page is 
open, you can click individual slots in the Multi Program 
Rack and see the settings for each loaded program. Addi
-
tional slot parameters such as level, pan, MIDI channel, 
etc. can be found on the MIDI and Mix pages.
Managing multis
Above the Multi Program Rack you find the multi preset 
controls which can be used to load, save and remove multi 
presets for the entire plug-in.
When using HALion Sonic as a plug-in in Cubase or 
Nuendo, you will find these presets listed in the Preset 
Management pop-up menu of the host application.
When using HALion Sonic as a plug-in in a different host 
application, you can use either this host’s preset function
-
ality, or the multi preset features provided by HALion So-
nic.
MIDI Reset 
						

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HALion Sonic
Loading multis
To load a multi preset you have two options:
•Switch to the Load page in the Edit Display and double-
click the desired multi preset or drag the multi preset and 
drop it onto the multi loader.
•Click the Load button to open a MediaBay browser win-
dow and load the multi program with a doube-click.
MediaBay
Saving multis
To save multi presets with HALion Sonic’s integrated multi 
preset management:
1.Click the disk icon button in the multi preset slot to 
open the save dialog.
2.Enter the name of the multi.
3.Assign any tags you require.
4.Click OK.
ÖIf you choose an existing file name, you will be asked 
whether you want to “Overwrite” the file. If not, press 
“Cancel” to modify the name first or press “Make Unique 
Name” to add a number suffix (-01,-02, …) to the preset 
name.
Removing a multi
To remove all loaded programs, and to reset HALion So-
nic to its default state, click the trash button.
Loading programs into slots
To load a program into a specific slot you have two op-
tions. You can either:
1.Switch to the Load page in the Edit Display and dou-
ble-click the desired program.
2.Drag the program and drop it to the name field of the 
program slot.
Or you can click the Load program button on the right to 
open a MediaBay browser window and load the program 
from there. This method is especially useful when in the 
Player view, where the Load page is not available.
ÖWhen you reopen the MediaBay browser on a slot that 
already has a program loaded into it, the Category and 
Sub Category filters will automatically be set to those of 
the current program. Through this, it becomes very easy to 
exchange sounds with similar ones at a later stage, with
-
out having to readjust the search filter settings again. Of 
course, you can then modify your search or reset it com
-
pletely to see all presets.
ÖClicking an empty slot automatically switches the edi-
tor to the Load page.
Loading layers into slots
You can also load a layer preset directly into a program 
slot. In this case, HALion Sonic creates a new program 
and drops the layer into the first of its four layer slots. To 
load a layer into a specific slot, use the Load page or the 
MediaBay browser window in the same way as for pro
-
grams.
ÖBe sure to have the view filter for layers active. Other-
wise you will see program presets only.
Aborting the loading of programs
Programs containing lots of sample data may take some 
time to load. In this case, a progress bar is shown directly 
in the multi and/or program slot. In addition, the Load but
-
ton changes to an “Abort” button (x) that allows you to 
stop the loading process and to reset the slot/multi slot to 
its previous state.
Removing programs from slots
To remove a program from a slot:
1.Open the context menu on the program name.
2.Select “Remove Program”. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Saving program
To save a modified program:
1.Open the context menu on the program name.
2.Select “Save Program”.
The program overwrites the original program on your sys-
tem. Note that you cannot overwrite protected factory 
content. In this case, the save dialog appears.
Saving program as…
To save a modified or new program under another name:
1.Open the context menu on the program name.
2.Select “Save Program As…”.
3.The save dialog appears.
4.Enter the new name and set the database attributes.
5.Click OK to save the program.
Reverting to last saved program
Use this option to reload the program as it was saved the 
last time. This allows you to step back to where you 
started in case you realize that your edits have gone into 
the wrong direction:
1.Open the context menu on the program name.
2.Select “Revert to last saved Program”.
ÖYou do not need to save a program first to use this op-
tion. Without a previous save action the program will sim-
ply be reloaded in its original version.
Renaming a program
To edit the name of a program directly in the Multi Pro-
gram Rack:
1.Double-click the program name.
2.Enter the new name.
3.Press Enter.
When you save the program, the “Save as” dialog sug-
gests a file name.
Switching between slots
You can use the arrow up and down keys of your com-
puter keyboard to select a slot. This allows you to move 
from one program’s settings to another quickly.
MIDI activity indicator
The slot number not only serves as a label but also indi-
cates incoming MIDI data by blinking.
Solo slots
Enable the Solo button of a slot in order to hear only the 
respective program. You can also enable multiple slot 
Solo buttons. Note that several slots can be soloed at the 
same time.
Muting slots
Enable the Mute button to turn off a program. The program 
remains loaded and can therefore be turned on again 
smoothly.
Save dialog options
Adding folders within the save dialog
You can create subfolders inside your user preset folder 
to organize your presets. Normally, this is not necessary to 
retrieve presets - for this purpose you would rather use 
the tagging and search function of the MediaBay – but it 
allows you, for example, to copy presets to their own 
folder and move them to a different location.
Navigating through the folder hierarchy
You can move through your folder hierarchy using the 
three navigation buttons in the title bar. These allow you 
to:
•Go to the previous Browse location.
•Go to the next Browse location.
•Browse the containing folder. 
						

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HALion Sonic
Tagging with the save dialog
When you save a preset, the save dialog opens and 
shows the tagging editor section on the right side. Here 
you can easily edit your tags before saving the preset. To 
make it even simpler, you can first click an existing preset 
file in the file list on the left to copy its name and all its 
tags, then make changes the new preset requires, modify 
the preset name and save it.
Mix page
Introduction
The Mix page gives you access to the audio slot parame-
ters of HALion Sonic. This comprises the level and pan 
settings, as well as the AUX effect sends and the output 
selector. To control the output levels, each slot also fea
-
tures a level meter.
On/Off
This switch allows you to turn the MIDI input of the slot on 
and off. In contrast to the Mute function that only mutes 
the audio output of the slot but keeps on processing the 
sound in the background, this switch interrupts the MIDI 
communication with the slot and prevents sounds from 
being processed.
Level
This parameter allows you to set the output level of the 
slot.
Pan
This parameter allows you to set the position in the stereo 
panorama.
Meter
The meter displays the slot output level.
FX1-4 Send Levels
Here you can specify the amount of signal sent to the four 
auxiliary busses which host up to four 
 effects each.
Output
This parameter defines to which of the 16 plug-in outputs 
the slot is routed. All slots are routed to the Main output by 
default.
MIDI page
Introduction
The MIDI page gives you access to the MIDI slot parame-
ters of HALion Sonic. This comprises the MIDI channel, 
Key and Velocity ranges as well as Transpose and Polyph
-
ony settings.
Channel
Here you can specify on which MIDI channel a slot should 
“listen”. You can set multiple slots to the same MIDI chan
-
nel and trigger them simultaneously with the same note 
events.