Halion Symphonic Orchestra

I believe in order to import, or add expansions, you do need the bigger brother H5.

Hi,

I’m just gonna post into this thread.

On my quest for an affordable orchestral sample library without annoying iLok, I’ve come to Steinberg’s Halion Symphonic Orchestra. Now there are some issues:

1.) I’ve downloaded the trial version (http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/vst/halion_symphonic_orchestra/trial_version.html)
and installed the eLicenser, since without it, nothing would actually work. Now having done this, it tells me “No valid license detected” if I try to load it into my DAW (FL Studio). Why do I need a license for trial products, and where do I find it?

2.) Is it true that I get a complete orchestral library with all instruments/sections and articulations for 99€??? Appears a little unrealistic to me. But there is, unfortunately, NO information WHATSOEVER on any of the Steinberg pages. Not even in the manual that comes with the trial version is anything mentioned about the specifications of the program (which instruments are implemented, what sections, what articulations - I mean exactly, not general statements like “over hundreds of different programs” etc.) and if there are different versions of Halion Symphonic Orchestra, or only the 99€-version. Can anyone help me to clarify things, please?

Thanks in advance,
Yinyue

Yinyue,
Search for the manual for the old VST, it’s around 3.5 MB and has all the info you need.
And, no, I don’t know the current price for HSO, but it really is all you think it is, best deal for an orchestra VST around!
Cheers,
Benji

Hi, yes, you get a full orchestral library with HSO.
There are quite a few articulations, but not all…

Please mind that HSO is great tool for doing layouts or capturing ideas.

BUT:

It sounds actually quite cheap, it never satsisfied me really.

I finally bought me the VSL SE library and it is soooo much, much better than HSO in any regard!
You can expand the VSL library any time with is a great thing.
The VSl SE library for me is finally a tool for orchestral work that sound awesome, is very easy to use,
gives you great performance CPU wise, and again, sounds really good.

I have been fiddling around for years with cheap / old Orchestral Librarys.
Since i have VSL Library its a completely different game.
Authentic sounding, great GUI, you get good sounding results fast, faster with any library i know.
Save your money and do your self a favor and get VSL SE Vol1.
Its a very good starting point and gives you everything you need in the first place.
It’s really worth it!

(no, i don’t work for VSL)

Regards,
Paul

Ah, and you can put you Licence on the Steinberg Dongel, since it also uses the eLincencer system.
NO additional Dongle!

Regards,
Paul

Vienna is a dedicated software.

In that regard it probably is better than HSO.
But I had gotten good use from HSO, not for orchestral but for other genre of music, and some of the percussion is pretty good to my ears.

Hi,

I looked at two of the ORCH type Vienna libraries last year. Yes, they were extremely good indeed and superior to HSO. Some of them run on the FREE Vienna (“5” I think it is) PLAYER. But they are expensive as you would expect. HSO is a good all-rounder.

Cheers,

Paul