Dorico 5 : Halion SE Flux library

[YizAKat]

I have a brand new installation of Dorico 5 Elements.

The Halion download that accompanies this is downloading and installing a library called Flux. It is listed in the Library Manager once the download and installs are complete:

This looks to be a wavetable synth of some kind. When Halion is started it appears to be inaccessible, unlicensed perhaps?

Is this part of Halion SE supplied with Dorico Elements or not? There are some confusing conversations in the Cubase 12 forums about whether or not this is only part of the CubaseArtist package however Dorico doesn’t have an Artist package.

Cheers

[YizAKat]

Having gone on to install Cubase 12 LE which is also new, I am now getting a message from it saying that Flux is unlicensed.

The page pointed to by the dialog didn’t really help.

I’m happy to remove this library if this is the case (and if someone tells me how) but I am a little confused as to why it is included in the Dorico download at all in that case.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Ulf]

About the licensing I don’t know, but with the Steinberg Library Manager you can easily remove it.

[benwiggy]

Are you absolutely sure that it wasn’t there before you installed Dorico?

It’s not part of my install.

[YizAKat]

I’m fairly sure. I’ve never had any Steinberg software on this machine before. I use Presonus S1 and Notion but have been tempted by the maturity of Dorico!

I own Cubase Elements 10, although it has never been installed on this PC, and decided to upgrade to 12 while I was spending money. I note that it has appeared in the old e-licenser as part of the upgrade process to Cubase Elements 12, perhaps that is the source.

The curious thing is that it comes with the Dorico Halion SE install. I removed everything and started again with Cubase Elements 12 first to see if that was the culprit but it isn’t part of that install. When I then added Dorico it came back again.

I’ve also noticed also a synth called Trip in Halion which is working OK.

Anyway, not overly concerned, thanks also Ulf I’ll remove the library. I barely use half of the software synths I’ve already got.

Thanks, Ben for your reply.

[dspreadbury]

Yes, I think Flux is installed by Cubase 12, not by Dorico 5 (any flavour).

[YizAKat]

In the unlikely event of anybody else looking for an answer to this problem. I believe this is likely the cause.

Flux came with Cubase Elements 9.5 which I once owned, I believe they were also in 10 (Trip certainly was) - based on web pages and reviews.

It seems that they moved from the Elements version into Artist at some point and this is probably confusing things.

The downloader thinks I own them (presumably as part of the older versions of Cubase Elements) and installs them but the current version of Cubase Elements 12 doesn’t include a license for them anymore.

The Cubase 12 Elements Halion SE downloader doesn’t download them but the Dorico Halion SE does, or at least they only appear after running that. Go figure.

Cheers.

[YizAKat]

Thanks, Daniel, it has been many years since I used to chat occasionally with you on the Sibelius forum. An excellent job you and the team have done with Dorico. Maturing nicely

[Markus_Leuthel]

Hi @YizAKat,

[Updated]
Sorry, you all continued writing before I’d finished my posting (moved everything else to “Summary”).

Cubase Pro / Artist seems to have to be licensed on a specific machine, otherwise one still seems to need an eLicenser license whenever using the 3.35 GB HALion Sonic SE 3.3.x content pack (just tested it on a separate maching with Cubase LE 12 and HALion Sonic 7: Flux appears unlicensed).

My question would be: why is the HALion Sonic SE 3 VST sound package being associated with Dorico 5 (Pro / Elements) if not all contents can be run via Steinberg Licensing, with Dorico being the “License Boss” (as is the case with Cubase Pro / Artist 12)?

Summary

in Steinberg Library Manager, under “DETAILS”, which file version does it show?
Current file version is v2:

File name / File size / File version (current):
FCP_SMT_232_HSSE_Flux_Presets.vstsound

.
If your Flux content file is already at v2, then perhaps you can de-register Flux in Library Manager, and re-register it again and then check if the error persists. Restarting the MediaBay service might also help.

Flux itself is “just” a collection of presets that intelligently use the wavetable section of HALion (Sonic):

Flux

As far as I’m aware of, Flux (via HALion SE 3.3.x) has been part of Cubase Pro / Artist since (at least) version 10.5, up until the present day (currently: Cubase Pro 12, HALion Sonic 7, yet older HALion Sonic SE 3.3 content). Dorico Pro / Elements 5 seem to use the same HALion Sonic SE 3.3.x content pack (3.35 GB). One might expect that Activation Manager would allow these to be run within Dorico 5 + HALion Sonic 7 with no problems.

As an example: Cubase Pro 10.5 shipped with the former (free, package integrated) HALion Sonic SE 3.3.x sample player and its *.vstsound files pack (ca. 3.35 GB in size, also part of Cubase’s Pro 10.5’s large content pack which can still be downloaded as a *.ZIP file ca. 20 GB in size).

In contrast, the “weakest” version of all five Cubase variants, Cubase LE 12 currently comes with HALion Sonic 7 plus a very reduced HALion Sonic SE 3 VST sound collection (ca. 1,48 GB in size) which contains Trip, but not Flux.

So, even if a bit repetitive, the following *.vstsound container files belong to that ca. 3.35 GB HALion Sonic SE 3.3.x content package (also to be run with HALion Sonic 7):

On a side note:
sadly, there’s still no comprehensive / public VST Sound catalogue by Steinberg which could easily inform users about “which exact (named) content file(s) belong(s) to which major Steinberg program, or to which VST instrument product generation, or in which file version(s)” - without having to download any *.ZIP content packages / *.ISO files to be able to just look up the file names.

Best wishes,
Markus

[YizAKat]

Hi Markus,

Thanks for that - it is v2. I’m about to call it quits for tonight (Australia) so I’ll take a good read of your comments in the morning.

I actually just deregistered it (to get it out of the way) and had to re-register it to get the snap below. It still is unlicensed after the re-register. As I said, I’m more curious than concerned. Don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill.

I note in the Libary Manager that the Halion SSE Artist library is installed, perhaps it has come along with that!

I’ve plenty to be getting on with just exploring Dorico!

Thanks all on the message trail for your answers and support.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Markus_Leuthel]

Hi Daniel / @dspreadbury,

according to the current SDA list entries, Dorico (Pro / Elements) comes with the following older HALion Sonic SE 3.3.x content package, presumably to be used in HALion Sonic 7 (ca. 3.35 GB in size, 43 *.vstsound files, among them FCP_SMT_232_HSSE_Flux_Presets.vstsound).

Best wishes,
Markus

[BrunoDSL]

In this case, it would be pointed that is Dorico installing it because Flux is only part of Cubase Elements and Pro and it shows here, despite me having a Cubase LE license. This appeared after I installed Dorico 5 SE.

[Derrek]

I was able to bring up Flux in HALion Sonic 7 and play it, but I confess that I own Cubase Pro 12 and still have the original dongle for earlier Steinberg versions plugged in.

[benwiggy]

I don’t have Flux listed in HALion, and I don’t have FCP_SMT_232_HSSE_Flux_Presets.vstsound anywhere on my computer.

I have a full and complete Dorico installation.

[algae592009]

I spoke on the phone with tech support and they finally said Flux is NOT included in Dorico Pro 5.
I don’t know how I got it in the first place, but it showed up after I installed all of Dorico Pro 5.
In any case, I got rid of it through the Library Manager.
Alex

[JAMES_GILBERT]

This was bothering me today when I went to try out some Halion libraries I’d never tried. I’ve never installed any Steinberg software except Dorico but it is installed on my system. It is showing up looking similar to the original post’s picture. So it isn’t part of Dorico 5 pro but it gets installed anyhow but because it isn’t licensed I can’t use it?

[dspreadbury]

If you go into Steinberg Activation Manager and refresh your licenses, you should find that the Flux content becomes licensed on your system.