I use fl studio not cubase. Is there like a plugin pack i have to buy or something? can I buy it on it’s own? Just watched a piano comparison video on yt, looking for a piano to sit with a full orchestra nicely and really liked this one. I just have no idea how to get it lol.
Hi and welcome to the forum!
This grand is a part of the Halion Sonic SE library that comes for free with every Cubase version. Halion Sonic SE 7 itself is a free sample player that works in FL Studio,too.
You could download and trial Cubase Elements (2 months) and see if the content is still available in FL using the free Halion Sonic SE version. Elements is probably on sale in a couple of weeks. This way, you would also get a lot of library content for little money.
However, better safe than sorry. Download Elements and see if the library is still available in FL using the free Halion Sonic SE 7 player.
Good luck!
HALion Sonic is a free download and works in FL Studio as well.
I don’t know whether the stock library comes with SR Live Grand Piano – it’s in the “Sonic Selection”.
I am not sure, either. Google says it’s part of SE but I can’t tell for sure because I also own the full version.
What I do know: The free player does not come with that library. I guess it’s best to test before buying anything like I suggested…
OK this might help – I just fired up an old laptop with only Cubase LE 15 activated, no HALion licenses, and indeed the Sonic Selection library is available in HALion Sonic, including the SR Live Piano.
So it appears that Sonic Selection is now included in all Cubase editions, so the Elements trial would be a good option (and hopefully the sale will start before the trial runs out!). Curious to see whether the Sonic Selection would then also be available in HALion Sonic running inside FL Studio.
Check to see if you don’t already have a Cubase LE license somewhere – bundled with hardware such as Line 6, and previously Zoom.
Ah, good to know @MrSoundman 
You never know these days with all these random AI answers. They sound good but that’s about it. Your old laptop doesn’t lie… 
Another idea: You could also buy a used Cubase version on knobcloud.com - any version will do. Starts at a tenner - it doesn’t get any cheaper 
The quick answer: Get yourself a free Dorico SE key, install everything that comes with Dorico SE to start with. You can later uninstall Dorico itself if you don’t use it.
The Sonic engine itself as an individual download is free. In its pure form with no content installed you get some basic synth engines that you can build your own programs/patches for, and it’s ready to add content from Steinberg and/or third parties. If you scroll to the bottom of the page featuring the free Sonic player, you can also find some free instruments to try.
HALion Sonic : Download for Free | Steinberg
In that state the key only unlocks the player itself, but libraries and content might require individual keys of their own. You might also find totally unlocked content for the player out there from 3rd party developers or individual users. Some users even share content they’ve made here on this very forum:
Latest user-content topics in HALion - Steinberg Forums
You can purchase libraries for it separately, or in collections and bundles. Scroll to the bottom as you’re exploring Sonic instruments available from Steinberg’s store and you’ll also find some nice ‘free’ instruments you can try.
Virtual Instruments & Sample Libraries | Steinberg
Most if not all Steinberg hosts come with a bunch of content that works in Sonic. The bigger or more professional the host, the more Sonic content is likely to come with it (and be optional to install). I.E. A Dorico Pro key will unlock extra libraries such as HALion Symphonic Orchestra, Etude Elements, Iconica Sketch, Olympus Choir Micro, Navia Harp Free Editon, etc. Cubase Pro will unlock (or come with vouchers for) a lot of extra synths, Iconica Sketch, etc. VSTLive comes with its own list of Sonic content as well. The different Steinberg hosts will also typically come with some Groove Agent content as well. In short, check out the versions of your Steinberg hosts on the website and you can see what Sonic libraries come with them.
You could get a free Dorico SE Key. That will unlock a decent set of general MIDI instruments plus a little. I think it might also unlock a bit of Groove Agent content as well. I’m not ‘positive’ as I’ve never tried a clean install of just Dorico SE, but I think it might come with the “Sonic Selection” library, which does include the piano sound you asked about. In the least, you’ll get a complete set of General MIDI instruments…they’ll be similar sounding to the famous Yamaha MU series of instruments. Not bad at all…
Dorico SE: Free Music Notation Software | Steinberg
Having the free Dorico SE key active on the system should unlock a fair amount of content. You can even set Sonic to a special GM mode that’ll allow it to play General MIDI files right out of the box.
It’s possible to uninstall the Dorico part if you don’t use it, but keep Sonic, Groove Agent, and the base Sonic and Groove Agent libraries. Of course you’ll have to keep Steinberg Activation Manager installed, and the Dorico key activated.
Now having some content to play through Sonic, you can run Sonic stand alone, or in any DAW that supports VST3, AU, and maybe whatever funky format the AVID Pro Tools DAW uses as well.
Host Unlocked vs Vouchers…
Typically the key for a Stienberg host itself will unlock a good bit of Sonic content straight away. There will be some base Sonic libraries that are considered standard with the host. I.E. The 'Sonic Selection" library sets up a bank of General MIDI sounds plus a good bit of more advanced content to explore, and it’s content that you can usually be confident will be present for pretty much anybody out there running a Steinberg Host. I.E. If I’m building a project to share and collaborate with other Cubase or Dorico users…if I stick with those base libraries, there’s a very high probability my colleges will have that content installed and be able to play my project too.
In other cases you might have a Steinberg Host that comes with some extra content that still requires a unique key of its own to be unlocked. Such vouchers are distributed through your My Steinberg account. Once activated, the keys show up in your Steinberg Activation Manager independently. I.E. Cubase Pro users get the X-Stream synth for HALion/Sonic, but it does have a key of its own. Users go to their MyStienberg page, claim the voucher, then activate it in the Activation Manager.
If you own any Steinberg hosts, instruments, plugins, etc, it’s a good idea to check your MySteinberg page a few times a year in the least, as sometimes content promotions and such come down the pipe line that you are entitled to claim. Sometimes they might be third party and have registration schemes of their own, and sometimes they are gifts direct from Steinberg of which you’ll manage the keys through the Steinberg Activation Manager once claimed.
I got it working! thanks guys!
Glad to hear that you managed to get your hands on SR Live Grand
Would you mind telling us how, please? This way, future users can take the shortcut right away.
Cheers!
Him gone!
