Since 2007 we have been testing the various changes that German company Steinberg has masterfully developed for HALion, a program that already seemed impossible to improve. It's worth noting that Steinberg released the first version of HALion in 2001. In issue 109 of ISP (March 2009), we discussed the surprising update to CUBASE, then at version 5, which marked an important shift from its earlier successes.

The following year, it gave CUBASE's improvements another turn of the screw with version 5.5, as we discussed in issue 126 of ISP (October 2010).

And that new version also integrated many of the successful tools HALion provided, which avoided the need to look for sound libraries outside CUBASE. Our musical work, now done solely with that sequencer, could thus surprise.

At that time HALion offered about 1,200 sounds, some of which resembled "classic" or "conventional" ones, while others felt more elaborate or "virtual." All of this was achieved through different synthesized combinations or by playing with various echo, panning and crossed-wave effects that we found very surprising and original. A sure way to surprise others with our musical work…

In addition, HALion included a huge number of percussion kits, as well as acoustic and electronic drum kits, easy to reprogram and usable in our Cubase projects with its loops. In other words, combining different batches or combinations already stored in this fabulous software library called HALion, which already contained the tools needed to modify all of this as we saw fit.

This impressive development already included VST support built by Steinberg's engineers. It also featured Yamaha's most solid engineering and the libraries of the famous sounds made for the MOTIF, which could be installed at either 32 or 64 bits on Windows systems or on Apple Macs.

We mentioned HALion again in issue 131 of ISP (March 2011), when Steinberg released its then-new version of CUBASE 6.

HALion SONIC
Now, in HALion, YAMAHA has contributed and integrated all the development it has been working on for quite some time: it uses instruments from the MOTIF series, considered by many professionals to be one of the best software instrument sound libraries available today.

Since HALion is developed by the same company, its integration into CUBASE is obviously ideal, as it includes VST support and a series of technical features that make it easy and efficient to use.

When working on a project in CUBASE, you can open three types of tracks: AUDIO, MIDI or INSTRUMENT, the last of which opens an easy dialogue directly with HALion's installed sounds, which are triggered via MIDI, ideally using an external keyboard. MIDI tracks can be reserved for triggering other external sound modules or for any other needs we may come up with.

For example, we edit a MIDI track and assign sounds from HALion or from other external sound sources. It also contains many tools such as “MIDI Learn,” “Quick Controls” or “MediaBay” (which let us work faster by making searching for and handling sounds more convenient). It also lets you create and rework many percussion rhythms, various types of arpeggios, sequenced arrangements of different kinds of musical phrases (in the styles DJs use) and all kinds of sound alterations that at first seemed impossible to achieve with a program of this kind.

All of this, applied to some tracks in CUBASE, can also be mixed with other tracks containing MIDI or with analog audio recordings, achieving surprising musical results. This way, our recordings can feature various styles, always original and with spectacular finishes.

At first, it can seem complicated to use. However, once we're familiar with its tools, we'll be able to tackle major changes easily. I loaded these programs onto a latest-generation iMac, installing the new updates over the older versions.

HALion SONIC, version 4.5
When I was installing this program, I only had version 4, which was the latest installable one. However, I was surprised by the arrival of version 4.5, which Steinberg has just released, so I've been impatient to try out its very recent new features.

It already contained up to 24 different filter types and virtually, theoretically unlimited polyphony, allowing up to 16 programs to be used simultaneously. Now its support has been reprogrammed to better manage today's multiprocessors such as the Dual-Core (which has two cores). These are already being installed in the new computers in our stores, even the lowest-priced ones (€500 or less)

This Version 4.5 can support processors with up to eight cores (not yet on our home markets), although INTEL has already unveiled a 6-core processor. Meanwhile, AMD says it has 12- and even 16-core processors almost ready. It's very clear this won't stop...

For the test we used a 4-core processor (i7) and 8 GB of RAM. We triggered its sounds via MIDI-USB from an external keyboard, also from YAMAHA (Tyros-2), which responds instantly. Bear in mind that it loads each different sound in two or three seconds, through the already installed CUBASE 6. It's a luxury combination whose available tools are almost endless…

It also handles pitch changes without any problems, as they've prepared very efficient algorithms that are also used in the development of the latest versions of CUBASE.

Now they say they've fixed small bugs found in Version 4, adding "time stretching" and the much-requested pitch shifting of its sounds. These tools have been welcomed by users as a major new feature in CUBASE.

It's worth highlighting that HALion 4.5 is free for users with a legal, installed copy of HALion 4, who can get the latest version over the Internet.

It's also fully compatible with versions prior to 4, as well as with VST and AU plug-ins and the most common formats, Giga, EXS and Kontakt, on 32- or 64-bit Windows 7 platforms or on iMacs running OS X 10.6

On our computer screen we find HALion's sounds grouped by family. We also find different options to meet all kinds of needs.

For example, the variety of string styles (violins, cellos, etc.) is astonishingly differentiated, so we can record several different tracks in our CUBASE, as well as different performances that we can combine as we like. It can even come close to the sound produced by a conventional orchestra or the sound of different real performers.

The range of piano sounds is impressive, both on their own and combined in a single bank. But there are more surprises… We can discover synthesized sounds, many of them combined with effects such as widely panned echoes, "unexpected" frequency crossings or subtle combinations, for making melodies or providing "harmonic pads" in the background of our backing tracks.

We also find some "Voices" sounds (simulating male and female choirs) that are quite spectacular. However, there are other sounds I consider more conventional. Even so, we might think about devoting more than one track in our CUBASE to them to bring out various nuances that make them more believable.

The same technique can be applied to other instrument families in HALion 4.5, which contains more than 1,600 presets that can be modified as we see fit.
This new version also allows up to eight oscillators to play simultaneously, and you can even change the use of those oscillators "on the fly" using a MIDI controller or the controls built into HALion.

It also has 32 stereo output channels, 44 different reverb processors, various modulations, etc., as well as six more surround and support sound channels, making it a very professional software tool that will greatly enrich our recordings.

In addition, with HALion we can modify, in real time, the sounds coming from an electric guitar as its signal passes through the whole system on its way to final amplification.
The price of HALion 4 (which includes its improved version 4.5) is around €350, but if it's an upgrade from Version 3, the price will be about €100.

This new software developed by Steinberg and Yamaha opens up an endless range of possibilities for experimentation… Try it.