Steinberg Mobile Summer Update: New HALion Sonic Play, Instrument Updates & Cubasis 3.8.5 Available

Cubasis
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Hi everyone,

We have a few exciting things to share today!

Today we’ve released a range of updates across the Steinberg mobile lineup, including the new HALion Sonic Play music workstation, Cubasis 3.8.5, and free updates for our Verve and Etude pianos, and our Iconica Sketch orchestral app.

We hope you enjoy the new releases and updates, and we’re looking forward to hearing what you create with them!

Please support us by rating our apps on the App Store and Google Play!

Enjoy being creative!

Lars

HALion Sonic Play iPhone iPad.pdf (2.9 MB)
New in Cubasis 3.8.5.pdf (2.7 MB)
Summer Updates - Verve, Etude, Iconica Sketch iPhone iPad.pdf (2.6 MB)

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HALion Sonic Play Available Now

HALion Sonic Play is now available for iPhone, iPad, and AUv3-compatible hosts.

Our new music workstation app comes with 2,000+ sounds, covering everything from keyboards, synths, and guitars to orchestral instruments, drums, and much more. It also includes integrated arpeggiator, filter, and amp controls, making it a versatile companion for songwriting, production, and live performance.

Download HALion Sonic Play on the App Store

Verve 1.1, Etude 1.1 & Iconica Sketch 1.2

Free updates for Verve, Etude, and Iconica Sketch are available now.

These updates introduce user preset management with AUv3 support, an enhanced preset browser with search and favorites, a new scalable keyboard with chord pads and sustain support, plus various fixes and improvements.

Download Verve on the App Store

Download Etude on the App Store

Download Iconica Sketch on the App Store

Cubasis 3.8.5 Available

Cubasis 3.8.5 for iOS and Android is available now as well.

The update includes new features and fixes based on user feedback, while further enhancing overall stability and performance (see below for more details).

Download Cubasis on the App Store

Get Cubasis on Google Play

*On Android, all instruments are available via in-app purchase in Cubasis for Android.

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Flagship Workstation Instrument for Mobile Music Creation| HALion Sonic Play for iPhone, iPad & AUv3

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New in Cubasis 3.8.5

New Features & Workflow Improvements
CBT-591 Support for system-wide Audio Unit user preset support
CBT-4249 Streamlined plug-in preset management
CBT-4551 Instrument browser search now includes subfolders
CBT-4548 Added adaptive snap grid
CBT-4527 Improved Follow Playhead behavior
CBT-4531 Added mixer option to pin output channels
CBT-4537 Added MIDI Learn for Amp Rack and Bass Amp stomp effect switches
CBT-4571 Renamed Hub to Home and moved the button to the MediaBay toolbar
CBT-4575 Keyboard minimap now shows keyswitches and non-playable ranges
CBT-4426 Improved MIDI Mixdown workflow
CBT-4610 Automation data is now copied when using the copy event handle

AU & Plug-in Fixes
CBT-4416 Fixed AU effects sometimes not loading correctly
CBT-4043 Fixed AU freeze sometimes producing silence
CBT-3057 Fixed first note not playing with AU instruments
CBT-4550 Fixed MasterStrip Stereo Imager control issues
CBT-4568 Fixed reordering of insert and send effects
CBT-4549 Fixed long notes when recording from Octachron MIDI Effect
CBT-3584 Fixed Perforator AU gated notes not playing in the first loop

MIDI & Editing Fixes
CBT-4543 Improved MIDI editor note length handle usability
CBT-4595 Fixed MIDI editor selection scrolling behavior
CBT-4581 Fixed vertical MIDI editor zoom centering
CBT-4559 MIDI export now uses track names correctly
CBT-4538 Fixed incorrect Undo description after MIDI recording
CBT-4565 Corrected chord naming and octave labeling on chord pads
CBT-4525 Registering Cubasis in the Steinberg account is supported again
CBT-4607 Fixed global mute button state display
CBT-4606 Fixed frozen levels in the Inspector’s channel after reopening the mixer
CBT-4570 Fixed track rearranging mode getting stuck
CBT-4539 Fixed undo behavior after audio recording
CBT-4530 Fixed audio editor minimap jitter
CBT-4214 Fixed MediaBay sorting by file type
CBT-4541 Fixed deleted presets being restored automatically when opening the trash
CBT-1876 Improved launch times
CBT-4542 Fixed instrument list buttons overlapping other controls
CBT-4593 Fixed unexpected arranger behavior during vertical pinch zoom
CBT-4582 Fixed instrument rack resizing behavior
CBT-4603 Fixed tempo track drawing artifacts
CBT-4590 Fixed mixer channel width changing after resizing the app window
CBT-4601 Fixed empty undo point after clearing undo history
CBT-4217 Improved chord button edit mode text display on phones
CBT-4518 Instrument rack preset arrows sometimes did not work
CBT-4617 Fixed negative value display for NeoFM fader

Apple Pencil Fixes
CBT-4441 Fixed Apple Pencil Hover movement snapping back
CBT-4560 Fixed event handle dragging with Apple Pencil when snap is disabled

Stability Fixes
CBT-4526 Updated the app framework and improved UI performance
CBT-4479 Fixed a sporadic crash on iOS at launch
CBT-4585 Fixed crash when quitting after loading several projects with AU plug-ins
CBT-4500 Fixed a rare iOS crash related to the audio session

Android Improvements
CBT-4326 Improved Android audio session behavior
CBT-4325 Added support for Android audio hardening requirements
CBT-4324 Added Android AudioFocus support
CBT-4178 MIDI device feature requirement is now optional on Android
CBT-1732 Microphone permission is now requested only when required
CBT-2621 Audio recording permission is now optional on Android
CBT-1731 Fixed crash when denying permissions at first launch on Android
CBT-3802 Fixed blurry Android splash screen icon
CBT-4454 Fixed an intermittent crash on Android
CBT-4528 Fixed a rare My MIDI Files folder issue
CBT-4602 Fixed an intermittent crash when returning to the Home screen on Android
CBT-4535 Updated Android network components
CBT-1264 Improved audio recording timing
CBT-4514 Revised Bluetooth audio recording with warning message
CBT-4544 Fixed high monitoring latency on Android after changing buffer settings
CBT-4540 Fixed crackling when looping auto-stretched audio events
CBT-4520 Fixed incorrect freeze results in projects with mixed sample rates
CBT-4605 Fixed silent audio events when playback starts during fade-out
CBT-4583 Improved recording behavior when storage space is full
CBT-2477 Progress indicator is shown while recorded audio files are being written

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New in Verve 1.1, Etude 1.1 and Iconica Sketch 1.2

  • Total Recall (State Saving): Instrument state is automatically saved and restored when closing and reopening the apps
  • Save and recall your own presets for quick access to your favorite sounds
  • New preset browser with Search and Favorites for faster sound browsing and workflow
  • Play and sketch ideas with a new scalable keyboard
  • New Chord Pads for quickly triggering chords and exploring harmonic ideas
  • Added Sustain support for more natural and expressive playing
  • Performance optimizations for faster loading and improved overall efficiency
  • Stability enhancements and bug fixes across the apps
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Cubasis 3.8.5. Halion Sonic Selection + Updates To Iconica Sketch, Etude + Verve

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Hi all,

We’ve published a dedicated support article explaining how HALion Sonic Play replaces HALion Sonic Selection, including what this means for existing users, the differences between the products, and answers to frequently asked questions.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us/articles/35150006046738-HALion-Sonic-Play-replaces-HALion-Sonic-Selection

If you have any questions about HALion Sonic Play, this article is a great place to start.

Best,
Lars

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Bit weird that you make it look like that the HALion Sonic Play is only for Ios and Auv…

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Btw Sonic Play is not really a replacement for Sonic Selection when i have to purchase it as an seperate instrument.

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Hi @CJ_Monster,

Our standalone instruments are currently available for iPhone and iPad only. The reason is that iOS provides technologies such as AUv3, which allow instruments, DAWs, and other music apps to work together seamlessly.

Unfortunately, Android does not offer a comparable system-wide plug-in standard, so the same level of app-to-app integration is currently not possible.

To support our Android users as well, we’ve taken the extra step of offering our instruments as in-app purchases within Cubasis for Android. This allows Android users to access the same sounds and content, even though standalone instrument apps are not available on the platform.

Of course, whether to purchase HALion Sonic Play is entirely up to you, especially if you already own HALion Sonic Selection. To help users understand the differences and available options, we’ve published a dedicated support article that answers the most common questions on this topic (as stated above).

Best,
Lars

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Or you say: HALion Sonic Play is now available for iPhone, iPad,Android InApp and AUv3-compatible hosts.

Much more clarity instead of announcing it in a sub-forum (help center)..

Just a thought..

Reality is: when i saw the forum announcement, my first thought was: great​:angry:, another IOS instrument that is exclusive for IOS (like Waves).

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I try to understand, Halion sonic selection was 1100sounds for 1,8 gb and the new halion sonic play is about 21,7 Mo for 2000 sounds :face_with_spiral_eyes:… It’s much sounds with much less size…:tired_face:

Will halion sonic play use my halion sonic selection 1,8 gb also ?:thinking:

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When will scrolling on Cubasis (iPad) with a magic keyboard / trackpad be fixed? At the moment it is slow and clunky, and not up to standard of the rest of the app in my opinion. I would love to use Cubasis on an external monitor too and feel like a desktop app, but this scrolling speed takes me right out of the experience, on iPad with Magic Keyboard, and on external display. I was glad to see it wasn’t just a setting I haven’t found, as I saw Dom struggling with it in a very recent video.

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All great news! Halion Sonic Play has what I’ve been missing in Halion Sonic Selection, and the Cubasis fixes and features look very promising.

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Hi @eliternity

Do you own both HALion Sonic Selection and HALion Sonic Play?

If so, the smaller download size is expected. Both apps share content, so only the additional content required by HALion Sonic Play needs to be downloaded. This is especially useful if you use both the standalone apps and the Cubasis plug-in versions.

On its own, HALion Sonic Play requires approximately 2.1 GB of content.

Best,
Lars

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Restrict Android again this timeIs it too big to limit the minimum system requirement of Android to 12 this time? Last time I went from Android 8 to Android 9, this time I went to Android 12, which was quite uncomfortable.

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Had a go with the new Cubasis, and hats off to the developers for fixing the two main issues I’ve been having with Cubasis: the Follow Playhead behaviour and MIDI note length handle issues. Works beautifully now! Much more convenient editing.

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Awesome! I continue to appreciate not just the fine work of the Cubasis team, but also your excellent communication skills in sharing what’s new, and engaging with this forum. Cubasis is a much better product for it.

We are playing a show on August 28 (with Cubasis being the center of our live setup), and I’m currently in the lockdown period where I am not making any changes to our technology since it runs well. The last thing I want is to run into some sort of reliability issue that won’t be fixed before the show.

Having said that, do you recommend upgrading to this latest Cubasis release? I see that there are stability fixes in it, and anything that makes our live gear more reliable is always welcome, so if this is a net gain in reliability, without the risk of introducing new issues, I’d upgrade.

In the unlikely case that I do encounter an issue - is there a way to go back to the previous version of Cubasis, which I’m running right now and which works reliably?

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Am I understanding this correctly that HALion Sonic Play replaces HALion Sonic Selection?
Does HALion Sonic Play include all the sounds from Selection, and will I lose anything if I delete Selection and only use Play from now on?

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I agree it does not replace Halion Selection. Instead of a separate new app, Play should have simply been an update that added standalone support.

For a brand-new app, it needs to offer more than just a handful of low-quality samples(not being sarcastic), an arp, an envelope, and quick controls. It really should have included advanced features from HALion, like the spectral oscillator.