Can anyone clarify for me - what is the difference between the HSO VST Instrument Set (included with full Cubase Versions as a Trial) and the Full HSO product? Are the sound libraries different? Or is it the ‘host’ player thats different? Indeed, is there any difference at all?
I did do a search but there seems to be no definitive answer as yet - or at least, non that I could find. Steinberg don’t help by removing product pages from their own site! I LOVE Cubase but Steinberg do seem to operate in a very strange way sometimes. Lots of SE editions of VSTs not even mentioned on their own website. No upgrade path from SE products to full products etc.
I digress - sorry. Any help with the original question would be appreciated.
Steinberg had a trial version of HSO with Cubase 5 (maybe 4 to - I don’t recall). It used the Halion 3 OEM VST plugin to play 16-bit HSO samples. It was a time limited for x number of days at which point the licenses (one for the HSO VST Content and one for the HSO Halion 3 OEM Player) expire. There was an offer to purchase this for $99.00 so that the licenses do not expire.
They also offered a boxed version of the same thing for much more, the difference being it used 24-bit samples. This is no longer offered by Steinberg but I believe there is still inventory that can be purchased. I suspect this is what you are refering to when you talk about the “Full HSO”
In Cubase 6, provided the same 16-bit content in a different format. This is the VST Sound Set that works in conjunction with HalionSE. They offered a similar $99.00 purchase for a non-expiring license for this.
This license and the C5 HSO Soundset license work for both the C5 and C6 content. However to play the C5 content you still need a player that can play it, and Steinberg no longer makes the Halion 3 OEM license available (I don’t believe). Bottom line, if you bought the C5 $99.00 deal you have acess to both the Halion 3 OEM version and the HalionSE version. If you bought the C6 Content then you only have access to the HalionSE Contenet unless you laready own the full Halion 3 player to play back the C5 content.
So, basically, if you own a ‘trial’ version and subsequently pay for the license to become unlimited, you still don’t actually own the ‘full’ HSO?! And there is no upgrade path to acquire the full version either?
It seems to me that Steinberg are really devious about their included Trial versions. They give minimal information in the hope you pay for the ‘half’ version. Then when you realise its not the ‘full’ version (just called something incredibly similar), they don’t offer you an upgrade path? The Grand SE, Halion Sonic SE, Groove Agent One etc etc are all bundled with Cubase in one way or another but offer absolutely no path to upgrade to full versions. There is next to NO information about these ‘SE’ versions on their website and so it leaves the consumer wondering which product is which.
As mentioned above, I love Cubase, but the Steinberg really do appear criminal in the way they treat consumers. The recent upgrade to Cubase 6.5 costing most people around $40 - when in fact its a necessary upgrade to get FUNCTIONAL use of the original Cubase 6 advertised features (lanes etc etc).
Again I digress. Thanks for the Info buddy. Very useful. Moan over.