Halion 5 or Padshop pro ?

I like the Demos for the Padshop pro and I am wondering if I can create also all the sounds from Padshop pro when I am buying the flagship Halion 5 since both VST´s are build on samples.

yes cause you have a granular synth Inside H5
oups it does’nt seem that you can import your own sample in Auron yet

That’s not entirely true … Auron is simply a macro page for the grain engine. You can add a Grain Zone to an Auron patch, then delete out the default one that came with the patch and Auron will control it.

great news thanks !

I have only played with H5 for a little bit still (long work weekend unfortunately) but it seems to me that the grain engine in H5 is not as comprehensive as PP. I guess this is to be expected of course, since PP is a stand alone dedicated grain synthesizer.

Nevertheless like Cecil pointed out, grain is available in H5. As a matter of fact, H5 now has 4 distinct sound sources: Synth, Sample, Grain and Organ. I suspect that all four of them make up the various sub-synthesizers now available in HALion.

As I briefly (and quickly) poked around in the grain oscillator section, some differences struck me. One such thing that I did not see in H5 but is available in PP is the sample start/end “window” or range. The settings in the “Sample” section (right next to “Grain” on the “Grain Osc” section title bar does not seem to affect the grain player. Keep in mind I only spent a few minutes looking around so I may be way off here, but as I said it struck me as missing.

(As for custom samples, sure, I just dragged a sample from MediaBay to H5 and switched it into the grain type instead of sample which it defaults to.)

If you already have Cubase, PP is only $10, and so totally worth it. It has given me a lot of ear pleasure as well as helping me accomplish really cool stuff. :slight_smile:

H5 is, when it all come down to it, a sampler with a grain oscillator built-in, so not the “same” as PP. However, here too, HALion is absolutely awesome! So much flexibility that you might get lost unless you like solo adventures on Antarctica. If you are anything like me, you’ll like operating inside a sound engine and therewith H5. :wink:

So as you can see, there was no direct answer your question “musicsound”, but I believe the two are not the same, or at least both of them do not directly show the same feature set (i.e. in the GUI). I would say that IF you have Cubase and spend your money on H5, you might as well dip in for the extra $10 and end up having access to PP as well.

The Grain engine has 1 for 1 functions of the grain portion of PSP.

PP is not as great as it seems. Read around. I am seeing people using H5 saying that the little granular synth in there is ‘better’ than the full version Padshop Pro.

I’ve probably gotten 3-4 good sounds out of PP so far, and trust that is not for lack of trying. I’m almost giving up on it, it does not let me create a pad.

then they are full of poopies. The grain engine in H5 IS the grain engine in Padshop. No more, no less. The advantage to H5 is that you add as many layers as you want instead of just two, you have many more filter types, you have more effects and effects routing possibilities etc…

That the inherent difference between a stand alone (static) architecture and a full blown creation tool. Padshop makes it easy to work with … H5 expands the complexity.


it does not let me create a pad.

that’s funny, I have a hard time making it do anything other than a pad. But it makes the best pads ever and does it so easily that I don’t really fight it.

Is it ,and you know that for a fact ??

Well if it isn’t they did a great job of plagiarizing themselves, because I can make a 100% duplicate patch between the two using the identical controls at the identical settings. There aren’t “extra” or “missing” controls on either side. And, the mods haven’t corrected me even when participating in the discussions where I make that claim.

So, although it’s all circumstantial … I’m pretty comfortable with the claim that it is the same thing. It may not be 100% code the same as the engine has to be plumbed for H5, but I’d bet the vast majority of the processing code is bit for bit identical.

EDIT: oh yeah, and when we suggested that being able to port PadShop and Retrologue patches to H5, the mods said “Great Idea!” Again, circumstantial, but you would imagine some close compatibility to make that viable.

I do agree with you on most of your point ,i was just wondering whether you had heard anything from Steinberg to verify your point but you have just answered the question :slight_smile:

Usually, I bring it up … not exactly to say they are “code” the same … but because I’ve read two types of threads

  1. PadShop is “better” because H5 can’t do xxx
  2. H5 is better because the Grain Engine has xxx

In every case so far, the posts are misleading at best and flat incorrect at worst. Toss in, some bizarre statements about Auron, Voltage and Trium functionality that are incorrect as well. I’ve just been letting people know that the synth engine is what Retrologue is built on and the grain engine is what PadShop is built on. That is actually in the marketing crap from Steinberg, not something I inferred.

If everyone would start from the Grain engine and the Synth engine and work out to the H5 Macros and then the stand alone apps people would be far less confused about feature/function.

Sorry to say, but there are technical differences between HALion 5 and Padshop Pro and I need to say that this won’t allow to import/exchange patches between both VSTi.
The program architecture has also too many differences.
No other VSTi has more possibilities than the HALion 5.
To compare Padshop Pro and the HALion 5 would be something like Snickers compared to a Twixx.
Both are candy, but in detail both have a different taste and you get 2 candy bars when buying a Twixx.
:wink:
Unfortunately… you are a bit correct, but in detail you are wrong.

Best regards,

Marcus

I’m surprised to hear that. The core layer functions are identical. Although i do understand you had to plumb them different.

No other VSTi has more possibilities than the HALion 5.
To compare Padshop Pro and the HALion 5 would be something like Snickers compared to a Twixx.
Both are candy, but in detail both have a different taste and you get 2 candy bars when buying a Twixx.

Except I can get H5 to taste exactly like PadShop… Obviously not the other way round since I can have as many layers as I want and extra filters and extra effects and extra engines and extra sample interaction etc…etc…

Unfortunately you are a bit correct, but in detail you are wrong.

I knew that was the case at the detail level … as I said I was responding to the top level stuff.

Thanks for the response … But don’t give up the fight on the patch portability at the core engine level!

I couldn’t of said that an better ,so true.
The power of H5 is outrageous , I find the sound of PP a little on the weak side and halion 5 sounds a bit stronger , maybe it’s physiological but to me it sounds different .

Hi there,

the Padshop Pro is a fair pricing VSTi which allows you to design really awesome Grain- Sounds.

The HALion 5 allows you to go deeper and design more complex Grain- Sounds and - Programs.
The HALion 5 gives a lot of more functions:
You can create more complex presets, add additional layers, use more and different FX and lets you add more modulations etc. etc.etc.


Cheers,

Marcus

Don’t forget that you can use multiple engines … I’m currently working on a patch that morphs from drawbar to grain … really cool effect.

wow…good idea actually…
nice plan JMcecil…


(damn…why did I not have that idea before)
:wink:


Cheers,

Marcus

Not to derail the H5/Padshop discussion … but now that I brought it up, I don’t think the drawbar is getting enough attention. Maybe because I’m old, that it is more interesting to me than the beatbox stuff … but it adds a great dimension to H5 patch programming. The overtones are great. In older drawbar emus the highs were all compressed and artifacted. This guy has a nice air in the higher pitched registers. Making it much more usable and pleasing. So, that percussive snap sounds good instead of annoying. It works great in conjunction with a kick or snare hit.

Actually I think the new drawbar organ sounds awesome.
I like to use it in addition to my bass synth sounds as well.

Gives a real good bass…ment…
…but I never tried it with the Grain- synth…and morphing between them…

Cheers,

Marcus