Feature request...GM/GM2/XG reference plugin

Virtual instruments HALion
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In recent months Roland has pulled one of the industry’s last software based General MIDI architecture plugins that works in every modern host on the market. It doesn’t seem possible to get keys anymore, despite the code working perfectly in 99.9% of the PC/Mac based music Workstations in the wild.

This leaves HALion/Sonic in a position to remain one of the few Software products left that will at least attempt to playback GM files in modern DAW platforms (or as a complete stand alone software based MIDI controlled instrument) moving forward.

With this in mind I would like to respectfully request Steinberg consider making a few improvements to HALion and Sonic.

Support for building multiple program banks in full Halion (use GM CC bank calls to get at the programs in the table past 128…and also give us a way to assign the bank calls as we like). In the short term having bank-swap options would allow we users to fill out our own extended GM2 and/or XG/GS instruments.

I.E. Bank MSB121, LSB0 = The first 128 programs in the table. Bank 121, 1 for the next 128 programs, 121, 2 for the next 128, and so forth.

Support for the sysex based setup of the standard Reverb and Chorus aux FX units according to GM2/XG standards.

Full XG RPN/NRPN support for GM/XG specified instruments. Stuff like vibrato control, drum kit adjustments, etc.

In Sonic…
At minimum, GM2 style bank change for channels 10 and 11 so channel 10 can easily be used for non drum kit program calls, support more drum kit options, and also grant the power to easily play back those GM2 files that also use channel 11 for drum kits.

Eventual multiple PC banks would be nice in Sonic as well. Seems like Sonic Selections already includes the proper drum kits to support the channel 10 and 11 aspects of GM2. Just have it accept those bank changes on these channels?

Also clone a copy of the drum kits and have a second copy provide the option of the Roland brush/snare mapping (slightly different between Yamaha and Roland conventions).

The same GM2/XG sysex and RPN/NRPN as requested for full HALion. Again this stuff could come ‘later’, but it sure would be nice.

Perhaps at some point further down the pipeline might be full GM2 and XG extended sound-banks, all balanced and ready to emulate some of the legendary Yamaha XG tone modules/sound-cards/soft-synths over the years.

This stuff has been ‘industry standard’ for a really long time. It would be nice if at least one pro line instrument like HALion more fully supported it out of the box.

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I fully support this feature request.

I still keep two Yamaha DB50XG and a QY70 … and, in the past, Yamaha did in fact offer a VSTi plug-in version, the S-YXG50.

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Since Roland’s stunt with their cloud (I had no idea they were discontinuing it, or I’d have purchased several copies before it went poof)…I’m Having to pull my old Fantom XR out of storage and get it going (needed a new screen). I love the sound of the Fantom, and since I’ve still got solid SPDIF interfaces on this rig it’s darn near flawless (gotta work in 44.1khz to go that route though, ouch), but I am not looking forward to losing the ‘instant render’ abilities of the now defunct software/plugin options. Also a pain to carry a 1u rack module around when going mobile with a laptop.

Sadly I don’t have any XG hardware. If I find the right deal on something I’ll probably jump on it (eBay watch, activated). For the Yamaha vibe I’ve been using HALion’s GM layout up front (then manually tweaking it to taste from there), and really enjoying the sound of it. Frustrating that I have to go through bidule or something to get it instant rendering with stuff like Band In a Box (no VST3 support yet, maybe never?).

Sometimes I notice S-YXG kits (official copies, and also ‘scary hacks’ and/or attempts at sf2 rips).

Considered grabbing one of the ‘official/legit’ copies next time I get a chance, but will it still work with 64bit Windows 11?

HALion is so close to being a perfect replacement. Just a few minor touches in order. HALion/Sonic could hold solid as the ultimate GM reference platform for many years into the future. I don’t know if Steinberg would be even remotely interested in working out a deal to offer a Roland GS library too…but I’d take what I can get…XG alone would make me a pretty happy camper :slight_smile:

Even if in the shorter term all we get are the extra program banks, and more GM2 like support for channels 10 and 11 in Sonic, that’d be a huge help.

If SYSEX is an absolute no-go in VST3 world, it might be possible to settle for the next best thing…slap together a simple command line style ‘side-program’ that’d quickly ‘batch convert’ that sysex stuff (back and forth both ways) into conventional CC events that HALion/Sonic can easily manage with a bit of ‘learning’ and/or simple LUA scripts.