Hi I have installed the trial version of Dorico but there is no playback sound. I have searched the forum and a recent post with a similar problem suggested checking that these files were installed:
HALion Sonic SE gets installed under /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3/Steinberg
The Halion Symphonic Orchestra library (also needed) gets installed under /Library/Application Support/Steinberg/Content/HALion/VST Sound/VST Sound - HSO
I have checked this and the files have been installed and I still have no sound. I use an iMac. Any suggestions please?
Before poking here around, please create a simple piano project with just a handful of arbitrary notes. Then choose from the main menu Help > Create Diagnostics Report. That will create a zip file on your desktop, please send it to u dot stoermer at steinberg dot de and I will have a look. Thanks.
thanks for the data, I had a look. You don’t get any playback because HALion Sonic fails to load, though the audio engine does see it and enumerates it during start up.
HALion Sonic not loading, I remember we had such case before, but right now I am not able to recall what was our solution then. I’m currently not in the office and the web client to my e-mail gives only a very small portion of the history, so I can’t browse and have a look. On Wednesday I’m back and then I have full access again.
I hope in the meantime it springs into my mind again…
On the other hand, I see that you also have HALion 6 installed. If you go to Play Mode, on the right side is the “rack” with the VST instruments. Because HALion Sonic does not load, I presume currrently it is showing just “—” in your case, right? If you click on there, a drop down list with all available VST instruments shall show up. If in there you choose HALion 6, what does happen?
Could it be that you had a HALion 6 trial license and that that expired in the meantime?
If not, could you please run the eLicense Control Center and post a screenshot from the window where it shows all your eLicenses?
I started the trial period last week so I wouldn’t have thought so.
I have reinstalled all the files and some of the sounds are now working in the playback mode. I am still getting these messages though. I have also included a screen shot of my eLicenser.
Okay, so you have the Dorico trial license and that one is still valid. But you don’t have a valid license for HALion anymore.
HALion comes in different derivates: HALion (full player and editor), HALion Sonic (just player) and HALion Sonic SE (basic player).
The Dorico license contains also a license to HALion Sonic SE, the very basic player. That’s why you get the error messages for the HALion Sonic contents, as the Dorico license does not cover that. So you have still an old HALion installation around (probably also a trial) but no appropriate license for it.
But now back to your initial problem, that HALion Sonic SE would not load. You say that now you do get playback with at least some sounds. That means that at least HALion Sonic SE as player does now get loaded. So that problem seems to be fixed.
But which sounds do work with you and which not? I assume that the orchestral sounds don’t do, right? The orchestral sounds are contained in the “HALion Symphonic Orchestra”, which is just a sound library (but pretty big, around 6GB). The sounds of this library can be loaded and played by HALion Sonic SE. A license for this library is also contained in the Dorico license. HALion Symphonic Orchestra shall also get installed when you run the Dorico installer and the sound files get placed in /Library/Application Support/Steinberg/Content/HALion/VST Sound/VST Sound - HSO. Could you please check that location?
I don’t know anymore how the installation process looks like on Mac (it’s over one year ago since I did it
Basically, the overall installer fires 3 sub-installers, 1 for Dorico, 1 for HALion Sonic and 1 for HALion Symphonic Orchestra. If I’m correct then you can also opt out and choose not to install HALion Sonic or HSO. So please run the installer again and do make sure that really everything gets installed.
Thanks Ulf, I will try that now. The screen shot I have included is what is available for me to download, I don’t see HALion Symphonic Orchestra though.
And I’ve clarified this again. Until Dorico 1.0.30 we had one big installer that contained everything, Dorico, HALion Sonic SE and HSO.
For a better download experience from version 1.1 onward this was split up into separate packages, so in the Steinberg Download Assistant you should really download everything that is presented there.
If HALion Symphonic Orchestra is not presented in your case (for which I see no reason) then you could try downloading it via this link instead: https://www.steinberg.net/index.php?id=downloads_hso_11&L=0
Sorry for not including the screenshot. Here it is.
I am now downloading Absolute 2 as it contains HALion Symphonic Orchestra. Can I just make sure though that I understand this please. Are you saying that I need to download everything that is presented? The original email sent to me said that I need to install “Dorico, the HALion Sonic SE VST plug-in, and the HALion Symphonic Orchestra sample library.” But is it correct that I need to install all eight files shown on the left?
The only things you need (ironically!) is the one that you haven’t selected at all - Halion Symphonic Orchestra- and possibly Halion5.
The demo versions of other Steinberg apps are irrelevant to getting Dorico to work - though they might be confusing either you and/or the Download Assuistant. Personally, I would have do this “one app at a time” and got it working properly, rather than trying to do everything at once. If it avoids the problems you are having, you save time in the long run!
@Rocketdog: If you have an Absolute2 license, then you can go ahead and get it completely. If not, then you will be able to load HALion Symphonic Orchestra sounds (via the Dorico license) but will get error messages for all the other sounds. So in order to avoid that, you better only run the HSO installer.
And if you click in the Steinberg Download Assistant on the Dorico item, then you will be presented with 4 items: Dorico 1.1 and the updater to 1.1.10, HALion Sonic SE and HALion Symphonic Orchestra. And yes, these 4 together are the ‘full’ or ‘regular’ Dorico installation.
As you found out, Dorico runs without HALion SE and the Symphonic Orchestra, but then you don’t get any playback. (Strictly speaking, you still can get playback, but you need other instruments and sound libraries, and need to know how to set things up. For an easy workflow, Dorico just works smoothest if HALion Sonic and the Symphonic Orchestra library are around.)
