Steinberg Announces HALion VST Instrument Sampler
 |
HALion VST Instrument Sampler
(Click image for close-up) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
January 22, 2001Steinberg Media Technologies AG today introduced HALion, a powerful virtual
sampler for VST-compatible production systems.
HALion offers all of the sampler functions the professional musician needs,
from complex automation and control effects via MIDI to simple sample tuning.
HALion's embedded loop editor illustrates how a modern software sampler 'should'
perform: a sophisticated crossfade function simplifies looping; zero crossings
are automatically identified and non-destructive editing provides a safety net
for experimentation. HALion's flexible and powerful Keyzone window makes creating
complete programs and layers fast and intuitive, regardless of whether the intent
is to pitch, modulate or reverse samples. Loading samples is a quick "drag
and drop" directly to the keyzone window where they appear as graphic elements
on the screen; velocity and layers are determined by simply resizing and moving
the keyzones. Samples are then streamed directly from the hard disk, eliminating
any memory limitations of RAM based systems.
HALion takes advantage of the full 32bit VST-range to set a new benchmark for
sonic performance among software samplers. Also provided is an array of selectable
filter types with cutoff slope range of up to 24db and a "fatness" function
offers opportunities for breathtaking sound design. All filters and settings can
be global for the whole program or specific to an individual sample. Becuase HALion
is a VST Intrument and run within Cubase, sample-accurate timing is acheived.
For maximum compatibility, HALion is open-source to ensure support for every
major sampler format. Upon release, HALion will be compatible with the majority
of CD sample libraries, supporting WAV, AIFF and AKAI import functionality. Support
for additional formats is planned. For more information, visit their web site at www.steinberg.net. | 
