FM Lab / Halion Sonic

Virtual instruments HALion
1

Hi all,

This FM Lab VST really sounds nice in the videos, but I’d like to make sure I don’t make a mistake buying it…so, a couple of basic questions:

  1. The requirements list says that FM Lab is “compatible” with Halion 7 and Halion Sonic 7. Does this mean that one of these is a prerequisite, or can it be used as an independent VST with Cubase?
  2. I’m currently using Halion Sonic 3, so it is fair to assume that I’d have to update to 7 first?

Thanks in advance!

Srini

2

FM Lab only runs inside HALion 7 or HALion Sonic 7 and can’t be used as standalone VST. HALion 7 comes with FM Lab included, so there’s no need to buy it separately in this case. If you don’t need the full HALion, you can buy FM Lab and use it with the free HALion Sonic 7.

3

Thanks so much, Martin. I did download the free Halion Sonic 7, and realized what you mentioned (except the inclusion of FM Lab in Halion 7). I think FM Lab will work well for me, although I’m unable to pull up any of the sounds from V3. Maybe V3 got uninstalled while installing V7, because it doesn’t come up in the Cubase list any more.

Well, that’s another speedbump to be navigated!

Thanks again for your help!

Srini

2 Likes
4

One more question - this time, an opinion question…

I managed to get Halion Sonic 7 working, and pulled in my V3 sounds into it no problem. I was auditioning an EP track in Cubase with a few different patches, and truth be told, they all sounded great.

So, the question is, do you think FM Lab sounds that much better? I’m not as interested in the synthesis part and the other bells and whistles, but just the sounds. Obviously the only way is to try it, I guess, but I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts.

Thanks!

Srini

5

In MY opinion, I have no clue why everyone was so excited with the FM engine. I have FM7 from Native Instruments and it sounds completely lifeless and lo-fi.

When I played with the Halion 7 demo….the FM engine sounded very plain and that could be just because they used old DX7 presets? It didn’t sound as good as the FM in the Modx to my ears.

Amadeus e.d.p.

6

Martin,
I own the previously paid-for version of Halion Sonic, not the full version. Now Sonic 7 is free. What do I own that is not included with the free version? Is FM Lab and Tales included with my paid version of Sonic?

7

Hi Bob,
FM Lab and Tales are only bundled with HALion 7 (the full version). Here you can find a comparison chart.
The new HALion Sonic 7 is similar to the former free HALion Sonic SE and the former HALion Sonic 3 (the non-SE version) seems to be discontinued. So, I don’t think you get any free additional content but you can update to the HALion Sonic 7 Collection at a reduced price. It contains all the new HALion 7 content that can also be used with HALion Sonic 7.