Musikmesse 2010: HALion Sonic VST workstation launched by Steinberg/news/article/Musikmesse-2010-HALion-Sonic-VST-workstation-launched-by-Steinberg/1CX/2010-03-24

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HALion Sonic is Steinberg?s premier VST workstation that breaks new ground in terms of performance, versatility and ease of use.

Over a thousand instrument sounds created by top sound experts at Yamaha and Steinberg offer a staggering array of first class synths, hybrid and acoustic instruments, covering almost any conceivable style.

HALion Sonic is the long-anticipated successor to the highly acclaimed Hypersonic 2 workstation, and allows you to work more productively than ever before.

Exclusive and comprehensive content, an intuitive interface for seamless handling and the sheer endless possibilities of creating entirely new landscapes deliver truly unlimited sonic dimensions.

The audio and synth engine that powers HALion Sonic builds on Steinberg?s upcoming cutting-edge VST3-based HALion 4 sampler.

Four different modes guarantee phenomenal sonic variety - to start with a high performance disk-streaming sample playback for breathtaking recreation of natural instruments including all articulations.

Next in line is the dedicated sliced-loop mode for using and abusing loop-based beats.

In addition there is a special drum mode with all the tools needed to produce studio-grade drum tracks.

Finally there's a complete and fully editable virtual analog synthesis engine offering a full range of sounds and timbres for the most demanding synthesis experts.

All four modes include unique morphing filters which seamlessly blend between up to four of the 24 different filter types.

Virtually unlimited polyphony provides enough creative headroom to max out the Multi Program Rack with up to 16 individual programs sounding at the same time.

Each program is made of up to four different complex sound layers and features its own effect rack with up to four insert slots fuelled by one of the 16 effect types.

These are including gems like REVerence or the exceptionally sounding rotary cabinet emulation.

HALion Sonic redefines quality and variety for workstation instruments with its 1,000 instrument sounds across 12 GB of custom-recorded samples.

Created by the Yamaha sound design team behind Yamaha?s legendary MOTIF synthesizers, this world-class library with up to 18 articulations per instrument covers an enormous range of styles.

These range all the way from finest detailed acoustic instruments to legendary synthesizers, club sounds and soundscapes, from ultra-realistic acoustic drum kits to the latest hip-hop loops.

All included sounds with articulations feature real-time control and support for Steinberg?s VST Expression, delivering easy articulation editing in Cubase 5.

The massive library also includes over 1,500 patterns for the FlexPhrase module that drives beats, arpeggios and complex tonal phrases, plus automatic articulation switching.

And should you covet more content, HALion Sonic supports expansion packs for even more creative power.

The MediaBay database means you search less and produce more, with immediate access to any sound within the huge content library in the blink of an eye.

HALion Sonic is your go-to composition and production instrument, offering the complete range of sound-shaping and creative editing features you expect from studio-grade instruments.

Yet HALion Sonic also shines when performing live: building keyboard or layer splits is absolutely effortless.

Use a MIDI controller to tweak the eight quick controls live or switch to a new multi-setup with a single key or button push, ready to perform the next song.