I am sorry - but this is a lazy guys request. I’ve not read the manual of halion and i know it is highly customizable. But when comparing it to Omnisphere or Kontakt or Pigments or basically any plugin i like - i have to say i wouldn’t buy absolute a second time, because of the estimated amount of time i’d have to put into learning it. Whereas the library is ok, but not superb in my opinion (too many synth sound samples - relatively few useable real instruments ). That set aside: Those three instruments mentioned above: I didn’t have to look up the manual often or at all. I know that there are probably many pro users who love the depth of options - which is why this the first feature request i post with a bit of reserve/ insecurity. On the other hand i wasn’t able to open a wave editor on a preset last time i used halion - and at this point i have to say that i started on an atari a while back and had no problems with a very much older version of halion years ago. I’d consider myself experienced. Second example: The FM engine has great options but way to many tabs - here it really continues the original dx7 editing. Which is why: I think the instrument should be deeply revised, much simplyfied and pro options should be hidden - not the other way around. Make it - sorry - more sexy…
What would you suggest to make it better?
Any more specific features and ideas? If you have specific ideas you can sketch out, I bet we users can help you make them happen.
Not a bad idea. I think the FM Lab macro editors are simply ‘too large’. At least for my screens. Maybe someday they will be more ‘scalable’. They could be compacted a bit and then perhaps more could fit on a single screen.
Still, if they did that, people with large high resolution displays would complain that it’s too small to see across their consoles?
I’d also like it if the FM Lab programs had ‘unlocked’ layers. That’d allow full HALion users the option to use the native HALion FM GUI tools without having to jump through some hoops to export or copy things to a fresh new unlocked layer.
If you spend much time exploring HALion, you’ll soon figure out that you can split that stuff into different frames, or even pull it out into independent floating windows. Once you’ve ‘designed’ a new sound, you don’t need to see everything all in front of you anymore. Make the display as simple and to the point as you like. You can link QC controls, or specific CCs, or VST Parameters to your heart’s content. You can even make simple Macro panels of your own that live at a higher level in the layer structure. With a little practice, you learn that it’s almost drag and drop simple to make your own custom Sonic compatible MACRO editors (To do custom Macro editors in Kontakt, you’ll need to open Creator Tools, and learn a heck of a lot of ‘scripting’)!
You can make a fresh FM layer with no macro editor at all, and see it all a scrollable native HALion format. With full HALion, the FM Lab macro editors are totally optional.
For what it’s worth, I have Arturia’s Analogue Lab V, I like many things about it, but there ARE tons of ‘tabs’ for the DX7 emulation in that one as well. Yes, they do have a lot of ready made presets with interesting real time controls already mapped out for us, but so does HALion…across the QC pots (and yes, there are standard hard coded CCs for that initial bank of assignable controls, or you can change them to anything you want, or skip CCs and do direct VST parameter automation via DAW controller lanes). HALion can easily be set up to display very simple looking/playable instruments.
I have a few ideas that’d help make HALion ‘sexier’:
- Provide some intuitive and easy to assign options to navigate the media bay remotely.
- A more powerful sequencer in stand alone mode. At least give it a remote manageable ‘song list’. Optionally, just include VST Live (or perhaps a scaled down version of it) as part of the deal.
- Support bank changes on the Program Table, so programs numbered higher than 128 are accessible via PC changes.
It’s a very deep instrument that does way more than host a few sounds at a time. The cognitive layout does require at least browsing the manual or watching experienced people demo the thing to catch on to how it works, and why it’s done the way it is. It’s built for live performers and sound designers who like to start with fundamentals and quickly shape it up for specific performance, arrangement, and mixing needs. It’s packed with support for legacy industry standards and cutting edge technologies. It’s worth it to learn.
Some of the MOTIF layers are locked down so you can’t manipulate the samples themselves unless you ‘resample’ it first and go from there in a new sample layer. Still, you do get quite a lot of content that is not locked down like this to explore.
Quick Gist of it is: Most of the “Sonic” libraries that ship with HALion have locked sample layers. HAL Factory sounds have unlocked sample layers. If you import stuff from HALion 3 and earlier, those will have unlocked sample layers too. Most of the stuff that came new with HALion 6 (Studio Strings, Brass, Eagle and Raven pianos, etc.) is totally unlocked, including the Macro editors, as those are intended to serve as examples to see how macros are made, and how macro controls can be linked/assigned to any parameter(s) you wish from the Macro screen…you can even borrow and mod them for your own creations.
When working with your own samples in any unlocked layer, it’s as simple as dragging your wav/aif/whatever right onto the zone map. Select the sample you want, open a wave editor, and it’s right there (the built in ones are nice, but you can also opt for external editors like WaveLab, Spectral Layers, etc). Even better, if you have samples in funky legacy formats like Roland and Akai CDROMS, you can mount images of those in HALion and browse and import their contents as well.
Right out of the box, it has a complete General MIDI pallet, scads of nice acoustic instrument programs beyond that, a tone wheel organ engine, stacks and stacks of really nice drum kits, modeled organs and guitars, PLUS thousands of patches ‘demonstrating’ possibilities for something like 6 or 7 different synth engines.
I can’t say the same thing for the base Kontakt Standard package at a similar price. There isn’t even enough in the box to do a simple String Quintet (No solo strings at all). One has to upgrade to Komplete or better, shop, or search for ‘free stuff’ enough to fill out the basic general MIDI pallet of instruments, then ‘manually’ set the thing up to make it play a GM file. The ‘learning curve’ to make Kotakt deal with things like program changes and CC assignments is quite a bit steeper than HALion in my opinion.
The flex phraser module (arps/steps/etc) in HALion is unparalleled in my opinion. You can have as many as you want, all working independently on different layers. It’s universal in nature…you’re not having to learn something totally different for whatever ‘library’ you happen to be using.
Nothing Useable? How about a mix challenge with a few simple arrangements. I’ve done a few of those myself over the years, and aside from hunting down $400 and up ‘orchestral libraries’, the base stuff that comes with HALion (especially if one has the complete Absolute collection, which also gets you full Groove Agent 5, stacks of other instruments, and a bucket full of extra ‘libraries’) most certainly holds its own. There’s much in there for the money.
Challenge 1: Get it to play a general MIDI file with a setup time of less than 2 minutes, and only using stock sounds from the base installation (no extra or 3rd party libraries involved). None of those others can do it…meanwhile HALion can do 64 channels of it all at once, over 4 different MIDI inputs.
Challenge 2: Either do a surround sound mix, or…provide 2 or more independent mixes at the same time. I.E. One for the main console engineer, and others for the stage monitors.
Challenge 3: Build and manage a set-list of programs/performance states that can all be called up via remote control.
Challenge 4: Make fresh new samples of your own in a live instance of the instrument itself, edit/clip/slice…
All things HALion does quite well right out of the box. I can’t say the same for ANY of the other titles mentioned. They don’t even ‘try’ to be a complete ‘performer’s workstation’.
Hi Brian,
thank you soo much for your detailed reply. Id surely did underline why I was insecure putting out my post in the first place. Some of you answers are probably touch questions of taste - specifically when it comes down to the library itself. As well - thank you for pointing out SE content can’t be fully edited - I wasn’t aware of this and I think many people would like it to be editable in total. Considering the unending question of a nice FM design - I think it would be best if the core could be visually arranged similarly to op4 in Ableton Live - one operator in a row, quick access to envelopes per operator, and the option to change the algorithm on the same page. But your example of layering clearly shows we all have different needs. But knobs are to large now - even on a notebook.
..I still have some 
good to know I may never use them. But nice feature
true - but those sounds are somewhat masked by million synth sounds - and if you just want to browse an check out sounds I think those synth sounds dominate the others too much.
I didn’t say nothing 
I use Halion regularly but I’ll post an example:
1: Synth sounds
-something in between
2: other sounds
I’ve sorted presets alphabetically, then scrolled down a while with the mouse wheel randomely till here:
Now those sounds are: 11112111-1-121221 so 11 synth sounds, two in between and four other sound (one guitar pattern, piano, some not to natural strings, one organ)
Maybe this gives me the feeling of to many non to usefull sounds - which clearly is a question of taste. Hans Zimmer lovers will also love those synth sounds - they are mostly “fat cinematic very produced” sounds. I do still think I will have to learn a lot more about customizing the interface - but here I still think in comparison, halion isn’t too friendly for beginners. And I really hope for a full editing capcity for all - also SE - sounds - seems so obvious.. Thanks again Brian!
Yes, HALion has a little different priority than the others. There is room for ideas like yours to be implemented, and I think the groundwork is there. More third party interest is the key. Only time will tell if that interest ever expands.
There have been a few noble efforts with titles like Iconica. In my opinion that one came out a bit on the expensive side for what it is. The HALion engine can do much better. The hurdle becomes…will the right people use it someday, and will they be able to launch something at a price point that’ll give the platform more gravity for more third party titles. For what it’s worth, the larger market share doesn’t need or want that sort of high scale library, so the existing market for it is already quite ‘competitive’.
Ah, the HALion media bay is a bit dated ‘looking’ but far more power user oriented. It is quite good though! Give it a try and learn to use it.
I’ve yet to find a browser in any other product that comes even close in terms of filtering, bagging, and tagging abilities (though some are better equipped to sell you instruments from the cloud).
It’s extremely powerful, and it integrates perfectly with Steinberg hosts. I.E. In Cubase/Nuendo, you can audition the stuff directly in the host media bay without bothering to ‘set up a track and load up an instance’ first. Pretty cool stuff!
Try using the filters and search bar
There are literally thousands of base acoustical instruments at hand. Obviously most of them are on ‘rompler’ scales (More like a MOTIF), but it’s here and ready to go.
I’ll start with all acoustic drum kits. Well over 100 kits!
Here’s a list of ‘acoustic pianos’.
Filter it even more to find those ‘tagged’ as being appropriate for the classical genera.
Note, there are obviously more piano programs in here that’ll work well in a classical mix, just showing a few things that came tagged that way out of the box. You can add or change the database tags for programs as you like. More often than not I like to start with dry or initiated versions of instruments, tweak them for my needs, then save a copy of it, and tag it so it’s super easy to find things either in Cubase media bay, or directly in HALion.
This is a quick filter for acoustic string ensemble sounds alone (I do have HSO and Iconica Sketch installed…if one has Absolute, or Dorico Pro, this is all included)!
On usability…
It’s true that most of the ‘acoustical instrument’ stuff that comes in the box for HALion are better fit for live stage, or making quick sketches of arrangements. One can do a LOT with it; however, stacking up a fat ‘orchestral template’ with 6,000 different articulation layers in a world famous virtual room is NOT among its stronger suits. Then again, Kontakt Standard, or even Komplete doesn’t do that very well ‘out of the box’ either.
The instruments it does have are meant to be simple, easy to mix, expressive and playable in real time with just two hands and feet.
Libraries that go beyond this flat out REQUIRE many tracks/channels/keyswitches with at least half a dozen controller lanes of some sort. HALion CAN do it all, but there just aren’t many developers making that kind of library for it. While HALion comes with a few base examples to demonstrate the potential of things like key-switches, VST Note Expression, and more, it doesn’t come with much of that sort of content. To put it into perspective, a single NI Solo Violin that does all that stuff has a storage layout bigger than the entire base HALion/Sonic footprint, and a decent one can cost up to $400…and that’s just for ONE violin!
If the goal is to use out of the box libraries to make complicated orchestral arrangements there is a marketplace full of products out there that may well be a better fit.
If you’re more into making your own sounds, or just need the basics for song writing, or going live on the stage, HALion packs a heck of a lot in the box for the money.
For what it’s worth…I got into Arturia Analogue Lab Pro with version 10. It’s another package that’s more geared to the ‘live player’. It doesn’t have squat for drum kits, nor orchestral instruments. It cost about as much as it did to get into HALion. It’s not even a year later, and Arturia wants 399 Euros for me to upgrade it to version 11! It’s the same stuff, with maybe 4 or 5 new instruments. I ‘like it’, but another 399 this soon after the inital layout? No thanks! Maybe there will be a sale at some point to cut that price in half.
Since I got into HALion, (the upgrade cycles are few, and way spread out over multiple years) for similar or less money than a mere one time Analogue Lab ‘upgrade’ I’ve added:
Raven and Eagle pianos
Studio Strings
Hot Brass
Anima
Flux
Skylab
Tales Guitar
FM Lab
Iconica Sketch
NAVIA Harp
HALion Symphonic Orchestra
Probably some others I can’t recall off the top of my head.
I use stuff I’ve built myself (much of it based on the boxed content) the most.
On ‘features added’ since I got into H5, I’ve invested less than this one time Analogue Lab 11 upgrade and noticed the addition and improvement of:
Dropping the ‘dongle’ requirement.
A completely built in sampler.
A complete macro editor building engine.
Advanced tools to bag and tag complete libraries (vstsound).
Addition of several new synth engines.
Addition of an acoustical guitar modeler.
More/better integration with Cubase/Nuendo/Dorico media bays.
Better integration with third party DAWs as well (drag and drop stuff between the host and HALion zones and such).
There’s a bunch more included content that I don’t even have installed. Plus, I don’t have ‘Absolute’. Since I use multiple Steinberg hosts, there’s quite a nice collection of libraries for those that I haven’t even bothered to download and try.
Again, I don’t have Absolute. I know that comes with Groove Agent 5, and a lot more. I did pick up full Groove Agent years ago, and it also packs a lot in the box for the money. Over the long haul, I might have saved a little if I’d gone with Absolute instead, but for my own reasons I’ve elected to keep the product licenses separate.