Steinberg HALion Symphonic Orchestra Acoustic Orchestral Instruments

HSO offers over 15000 Samples, each in both 16-bit and 24-bit versions (27 GB total), and organized in more than 45 groups and 1250 programs of solo, tutti and ensemble instrument sounds in various playing styles and articulations. The wide selection of playing techniques allows full control over a range of articulations including crescendo, decrescendo, accents, half and whole tone thrills, bowing, portamento, pizzicato, expressivo by using innovatively programmed facilities like key-switches, crossfades among others.

Keeping the instrument easy to use was a top priority throughout the HALion Symphonic Orchestra development process. It puts all the important playing techniques and articulations at the user’s disposal without overwhelming with too many parameters and options. All of the 1250 programs are clearly organized in detailed categories and make finding the right sound as easy as possible thanks to the well thought-out library structure and the ability to access any sound within a maximum of 2 mouse clicks.

The content for HALion Symphonic Orchestra was painstakingly recorded in 24-bit using top-grade equipment to ensure the highest sonic fidelity, and was performed by one of Europe’s leading orchestras under the direction of Claudius Brüse (see below for a full biography). HALion Symphonic Orchestra provides a full, richly detailed orchestra with its full range of vibrant, evocative sounds, instruments and textures. The wealth of recording expertise of Claudius’ team is reflected in the accuracy of the reproduction of these exquisite instruments with a breathtaking transparency - right down to the finest detail. Thanks to its outstanding sound quality, realism and expressiveness, HALion Symphonic Orchestra is the virtual instrument of choice if you want maximum orchestral output with a single computer system.

The single-window interface lets users tweak their sounds quickly and intuitively. Each program features 8 predefined Sound Edit knobs which offer control over the most important sound shaping parameters like the "Body" & "Air" controls to easily add warmth, presence and richness. Key-switching allows for quick and easy changing of articulations in real-time by using specially assigned keys below the usual playing range.

The unique Crescendo Controller feature allows users to seamlessly blend samples of a note that is already playing between different dynamic characteristics in real-time with a configurable controller. This avoids cumbersome operations required in other orchestral libraries such as having to load different articulation programs across several MIDI channels and setting up complicated keyboard splits for being able to trigger them. A range of flexible tools such as the definable crescendo Controller, the key-switches, crossfades and cross-switches make this instrument as expressive as it is joyful to use.

The advanced disk-streaming mode and efficient CPU performance both help the composer to effectively focus on composing rather than technology. Under the hood, HALion Symphonic Orchestra is highly optimized for exceedingly efficient computer resource use. The included special "Economy" versions of many programs can further reduce demands on the computer’s resources, freeing up power for other processing tasks. In addition to the immaculate 24-bit sound set, every single sample and program is included as 16-bit variant for ultimate user flexibility and choice between computer performance and highest audio fidelity.

The RealAmbience feature offers true recorded ambience that can be perfectly blended into any mix or production. Using no artificial reverb, RealAmbience builds extraordinarily convincing environments such as from concert halls to smaller, more intimate sound stages - with fully adjustable ambience time and wet/dry balance.

HALion Symphonic Orchestra supports all major plug-in formats such as VST, DXi, and AU. ReWire support offers easy integration into Pro Tools. Also included is a multi-out capable standalone version for using HSO without a host application.

HALion Symphonic Orchestra suits almost any musical style from classical to contemporary and captures the full emotive power of an entire orchestra, making it a fascinatingly rich and versatile orchestral library, one that sounds just as powerful and emotive in the context of a movie as in a dance music production. While the huge HSO library has been painstakingly constructed to form a uniquely playable virtual orchestra, the individual sounds can also be quickly adjusted to let them sit even better in a mix. Individual sections blend perfectly to create that silky, crystal clear and detailed sound that only a top orchestra can produce. See below in the “Program Reference” for the entire exhaustive list of Programs and their variations in HALion Symphonic Orchestra.

HALion Symphonic Orchestra includes Steinberg’s RAMSave technology, first seen in Steinberg’s HALion 3 virtual sampler. It allows for highly efficient use of the host computer’s RAM. RAMSave allows the “freezing” of the instrument and automatic unloading of unneeded samples from memory, resulting in low RAM usage and faster project load and save times.