The new UVI Falcon is a very powerful sampler, and synth, I just started learning, and using it, it kind of resembles Halion 5, I wonder what new features Halion 6 will offer, and if they have done further improvements to the GUI, and workflow, close integration with Cubase Pro, and Wavelab Pro.
Yes, It would be so cool if Steinberg presents Halion 6 at Musikmesse.
Do you happen to know if Falcon accepts VST-XML drag and drop? So drop regions (sliced events) directly to the sampler.
Hi Niles,
Falcon has what they call a ‘Slice’ Oscillator. Falcon is a very powerful Sampler & Synth. Quite deep, and offers lots of sophisticated effects, midi effects, granular Synthesis, …etc. Lots of info, and videos about it on Youtube, and on their website. I’m not sure what VST-XML drag and drop means when referring to Falcon, but you can surely drag and drop a .wav file into Falcon’s Slice Osc, and it will slice it for you.
Quote from the UVI Website regarding the Slice OSC. in Falcon
" SLICE
Ideal for rhythmic and percussive material, the Slice oscillator can divide samples into discrete keygroups to be resequenced. Adjust transient sensitivity manually or use embedded markers like those found in REX files. Drag-and-drop export of sliced file maps in a variety of ways including as a Falcon patch, discrete WAV files, or MIDI sequence."
Cheers,
Muziksculp
Thanks Muziksculp, Slice OSC sounds interesting too.
I just received a notice from UVI about the new Falcon update supporting VST-XML. A shame they don’t have a demo version available.
Cool !
What is VST-XML ? can you explain what this is ? and how is it useful to have ?
Thanks,
Muziksculp
With VST-XML (or VSTXML) when you drop the audio event from the arrangement, you actually drop a code snippet on the VST instrument. The code informs the VST plugins where to find the sample file(s) and what regions to play. Also how the file should be treated, like: Tempo, quantize data, root note, region data (slice) etc.
A common single XML slice looks like this:
<vst-xml>
<region id="00000000216CEA30">
<filename>C:\SomeFolder\SomeFileLocationsomeFileName.wav</filename>
<start>0</start>
<end>102775</end>
<projectTime domain="quarterNotes">1</projectTime>
<tempo>77.236682072488449</tempo>
</region>
</vst-xml>
One of the benefits is you can slice your samples in your host (I use Studio One, but Cubase supports it too) and maintain the slices in the sampler, but still have the possibility to adjust the regions of the sample in the sample player. Also you can simply edit a sliced sample as a single file, because the sample player reads the entire file and maps it according to the regional data. So the file isn’t physically sliced.
It’s pretty convenient.
Hi Niles,
That’s very interesting, and something I didn’t know. I’m guessing Halion 5 supports VST-XML.
Thanks for the explanations.
Cheers,
Muziksculp
Yes, Halion 5 and GA4 both support it.
I just want to phase out all my Steinberg software. So if Falcon can replace Halion I’m a happy camper 
I see. So you have jumped the fence to Studio One Pro. Cool DAW, just starting to learn my way around it.
imho. it is valuable to have both Cubase and Studio One, (Why Not ?) .
Hmmm… Why do you want to phase out all your Steinberg Software ? Halion, GA4 are great VSTs., and you can use them in S1Pro.
Cheers,
Muziksculp
AAX support please!
Let’s say I’m personally happier with products from other brands on the long run.
Have you tried the VST3 version of Halion in Studio One?
No I have not tried using the VST3 or the VST2 versions of Halion 5 in S1Pro yet. I’m guessing you are having issues with running the VST3 version of H5 in S1Pro. I also read that S1Pro runs more efficient, and maybe more stable on PC than on Mac. (just like Cubase) 
That’s a bummer, hopefully this can be fixed in the near future. (did you check if other S1Pro users are having issues with H5 as well ? )
Are you running S1Pro on Mac or PC ?
I’m using PC but OSX users reported the same issue since 2013. If the issue is at Steinberg’s end, it probably won’t be fixed ever. If the issue is at PreSonus end it will be fixed eventually.
However, I don’t know where the culprit is and Steinberg does not seem to care much the VST3 version of their product is failing in other hosts.
Nothing about Halion 6 today, eh? A shame. I was hoping.
I don’t think its going to happen They have a special price going on
right now. they probably just started working on the next HALion do to the survey
just recently… but Im only speculating
From my own personal taste, Halion 5 is the best workstation, sampler, synth vst even today after so many years. The flexible gui gives a wounderfull workflow and the synth is one of the best even today. Yes you have Falcon and many other similar produckts and some have new features, but no one has even shown half of what Halion 5 can realy do. It is crazy the power Steinberg put in to it. Some times we need to think about making music and not harvesting new features all the time. In fact, using to much time learning new features all the time is most likely to prevent your kreative workflow. In fact I will claim Halion 5 to be even more powerfull than Omnisphere and Falcon put together, maby even Halion sonic SE. The reason is the huge effect section, the effects in Halion is surperb and you can mix and mangle all sorts of things with that alone. Then you can layer synths, great synths or sampels wich is all you need and place midi devices as you like, even micro tuning scales. On top of this you have an enormus matrix to build from granting you access to endless posibilities. Fuck I even created combis from the Korg Oasys and M3 on the thing. Oasys is a 58.0000,- dkk. syntheziser think about it guy´s. Yes I can think of features to put in to Halion but do you realy need it`? More than likely a work arround would give me similar results. If Steinberg could do something then build patches for people to by on the Steinberg Shop, Some that would make people see what this monster can actualy do. The only think I dount get is why Halion 5 dount cost more than it does? An realy for those of who have something against Steinberg products for some reason:
Then leave Steinberg and miss out of the best Daw and Vst´s in the world. Pleace make some music and remember that most of the time it´s not the produckt that is missing something or is bad, it´s us, our computers and too much spyware.
Get creative, but keep it simpel 
I tend to agree with a lot of that ^.
I have barely scratched the surface as it is.
I think one thing that would be of use to me is to be able to create my own macro page to control various combination of settings when making an instrument.
I think it would simplify the program, and at the same time - force me to go deeper while creating.
I would do a lot more if I were able to create deeply controlled instruments/fx .
Tomorrow it is Thursday … one can only hope.