[FEAT REQ] Dump Flexphraser patterns to midi tracks

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could dump a flexphraser pattern to our midi track in use to allow for further fine tuning or editing? The presets are great, but they are just that, set standards that only sound the way they were originally programmed by the coders at Steinberg. I would like to dump the pattern to a midi track for playback allowing me to modify the notes position and length to my liking to vary things up a bit during playback. Perhaps you could use the midi icon to drag and drop the patters like found in the Slice Player for dumping the midi notes to the randomized slice arrangement patterns?

+1

I really do hope Steinberg listen to your suggestions, Cantankerous

+1 . . . enabling Flexphraser MIDI to drive other VSTs would be a great addition . . .

Thanks for your support on my ideas guys. I hope I am not pushing it, but I do realize I am the only one coming up with ideas on how Halion 4 can be made even better. I have made zero music the past 2 weeks and have just tinkered, played with and experimented with what Halion 4 has to offer. In doing this I realized just how powerful it is, but also just how much more can still be added and tweaked to it. I too hope Steinberg takes my suggestions seriously as I feel they are not toyish, mediocre ideas but solid changes that could really benefit all users of Halion 4.

I agree!!! … I really want this too and future flexphrase packs add on’s
it would be cool to edit them

other ways are the midi loop packs Vst instruments sets ( more of as well )

Kontakt 5 now has this with there studio drums and possibility of
other future instruments

Bah, now Kontakt does this and has timestretching? It isn’t too late Steinberg, we all look forward to an update!

Does update 4.5 makes it possible? If not, you can automate variations Flex?

there are zero changes whatsoever for the flexphraser in Halion 4.5.

ehh…, :cry:

Please everyone who want this… keep this thred
active :frowning:

I’ve said it before, without the possibility to analyze, modify let alone create Flexphrases yourself, it’s an utterly useless module in my opinion.
Just the possibility to export Flexphrases isn’t enough to make the Flexphraser a valuable module. One should also be able to create its own Flexphrases of course.

OT: Why is the Flexphraser called “FlexPraser” under programs and “Flexphraser” under the layers of some presets (In the program tree)?

I too am utterly disappointed with the flexphraser module in Halion 4. The concept is solid, but it is implemented half assed and weak in my opinion. Not being able to dump and modify is a huge let down, not being able to create your own is just as bad. It is basically just a preset machine, one which is dictated by the Steinberg coders on what you can use and nothing but. I find the included presets very non inspirational as well. The other thing that I really hate about the module is the tacky, non movable preset browser that you have to wade through when selecting the presets. It looks very tacked on and in the way the way it is. Just like in Pad Shop. The fact that you cannot skip through the presets without reopening that browser each and every time is a real pain in the ass.

+100 for a complete overhaul of the Flexphraser system.

see Steinberg Forums

+1. Playing around with flex phraser left me scratching my head too, when I finally figured out they were uneditable. After hunting through the patterns I came up with a couple that made a fun dueling bass, but it is almost unusable without the ability to remove duplicate notes. I tried to come up with various ways of working around what I eventually realized was this serious limitation, like painstakingly recreating them in the midi editor, but that would have lost all the feel of the patterns. Or muting and unmuting which looked like a pair of daunting mountains to scale with clipping, let alone isolating complicated notes. I considered bouncing to audio and then using VariAudio to convert to midi and felt like all that effort would probably alter the nice feel as well. So I settled for panning and effecting them radically so that they didn’t pounce all over each other. Of course they don’t work well in mono and only hint at a good idea in stereo. All this because I couldn’t simply make one proper part out of it.

Really it’s like slapping processed cheese on your otherwise unique recipe. Prefab parts only work for a very limited style of music. Some of us like every note to be meaningful. Flexphraser would be a far better tool if it could be used as a starting point, than a mechanical end point. Music is about feel afterall.

Convert to midi, or drag and drop to a midi track would make this so much more simple, efficient and powerful. The triggers are there, why not make them available?

I hear you loud and clear. I feel I constantly run in to this kind of limitations with Halion 4. Like for instance the fact you can’t fully edit the SE drum kits either.
I really don’t understand these kind of choices. When I use a VST like this, I want all my libraries and sounds to be fully accessible and tweakable to my needs. I don’t want to jump through hoops in the middle of a production to finetune something that can’t be finetuned.
Sorry to say, but due to this kind of hustle it’s on the bottom of my toolbox.

I too agree that FlexPhraser needs an export option or something similar like “Disolve Part” that I use all the time with Groove Agent One.

Having said that, I still find it useful and in particular its quite powerful when combined with the new Chord Track .

I suppose its only us privileged full versioned Halion Sonic users that notice this shortcoming, as with Halion Sonic SE you don’t have the ability to explore most of these 1000 FlexPhaser options at all!! :slight_smile:

Very interesting idea in using the flexphraser with the new chord track introduced in Cubase 7! Care to share some ideas, or secrets on how you go about this? I am genuinely curious!

You basically create a chord track and a Halion Sonic instrument track. Select the Halion Sonic in the Chord track and choose a suitable Flexphraser in the Halion’s edit menu. I find it works best with rhythm guitars and bases, you can get great results using automation on the “picking” parameters to change the feel of the phrases dynamically.

To get an idea check out this video from Steinberg’s that explains it best at 6mins 45seconds Harmonization and Intelligent Composing Tools | New Features in Cubase 7 - YouTube

Thanks for this. I bet you get some really lush sounds like this. The chord track and the flexphrasers almost go hand in hand.