KVR Audio

Roman Wisniak · Post by **Roman Wisniak** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 9:31 am

I've tried Halion 7 and found it unintuitive and illogical. Definitely need to read manual.
Sounds great but CPU utilization is unacceptably high. I have 13th gen Core i5.

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 10:48 am

Halion 7 is easier to use than 6 and probably no harder to program than Falcon (I also had to read the manual for Falcon, having to drop oscillators on keyzones before you can play them etc). All the Uber synths take some learning....if you make it simple like Omnisphere everyone calls you a Rompler!

I do think the GUI makes things more difficult than they need to be, but it can be customised (but unfortunately not scaled and it seems very dark to me)

ASA for CPU, I am on a new i9 and didn't find a patch that made the needle move so no issues (for me) with CPU, not sure if multicore optimised, I didn't see any options to select it.

There are some good user guide type videos for HALion 6, nothing yet for 7 but I am sure it will come!

A few days in I am pretty confident that Falcon is better all-round for this type of thing, but there are some unique things in HALion (like it samples!) and the FM and Spectral may be worth the entry fee for some. The VA type synth sounds pretty good and is peobably the most used in the presets along with the sample, the WT synth is very basic in terms of modulating the tables (vital, serum etc blow it away). The bundled content (strings, piano etc) is just OK, Kontakt has this type of things covered if you already have Kontakt but you could of course use them as part of a layered multi so good to have.

digitallysane · Post by **digitallysane** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:17 am

SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 10:48 am A few days in I am pretty confident that Falcon is better all-round for this type of thing

Definitely.
Besides Falcon having a better modulation architecture and better and more varied effects, I just found over on the Steinberg forum that most effect parameters in HALion are *not* modulable...

Bee_Abney · Post by **Bee_Abney** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:54 am

I haven't upgraded to Halion 7 yet, but when they mentioned making adding modulation to parameters easier, I had hoped that it had been improved all round, including the range of parameters that can be modulated. The other improvements still make me keen to upgrade in time, though.

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:31 pm

digitallysane wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:17 am
SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 10:48 am A few days in I am pretty confident that Falcon is better all-round for this type of thing
Definitely.
Besides Falcon having a better modulation architecture and better and more varied effects, I just found over on the Steinberg forum that most effect parameters in HALion are *not* modulable...

I am new to Halion and to be honest haven't looked at the manual yet as most thing are pretty clear once you work out the display changes depending where you click on the program tree. The Mixer is a bit of a PITA as you keep having top set all busses manually as far as I can see (I just expect my layers/zones to have a fader!) and again, as far as I can see you add your effects in the mixer (I am sure their must be a way to see them in zone view in the 'rack' but I haven't found it yet. I also haven't worked out how to modulate any FX parameters (possibly for that reason) as they don't show in the modulation matrix.

I am not sure how helpful the new start page is to new users as you can end up on pages where you cant edit and if you delete a program you will have no idea how to make once from scratch, I think you are better just opening in the advanced menu until you know how to use the program, click on the slot and start with a 'init layer' with an instrument on.

billcarroll · Post by **billcarroll** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:49 pm

Sampleconstruct wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 4:24 am Here is a HALion 7 tutorial on how to edit multiple spectral zones at once in Tree View, using a patch from my library Aureus Ventus.

Sounds like being underwater in a dream by the end

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:54 pm

Just did a search and it seems you cany modulate FX in Halion? I find that a bit hard to believe, its a feature on any basic synth?

T-CM11 · Post by **T-CM11** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:02 pm

SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:54 pm Just did a search and it seems you cany modulate FX in Halion? I find that a bit hard to believe, its a feature on any basic synth?

I don't know many basic synths that do that. Maybe you mean automate in a DAW?

billcarroll · Post by **billcarroll** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:10 pm

Jonas 'Estuera' Steur just posted a cool HALion 7 video. one of my favorite producers, I love his work.

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:15 pm

T-CM11 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:02 pm
SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:54 pm Just did a search and it seems you cany modulate FX in Halion? I find that a bit hard to believe, its a feature on any basic synth?
I don't know many basic synths that do that. Maybe you mean automate in a DAW?

No, modulate - apply LFO, ADSR etc to fx like delay time or reverb size…you can definitely do it in Falcon.

T-CM11 · Post by **T-CM11** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:26 pm

SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:15 pm No, modulate - apply LFO, ADSR etc to fx like delay time or reverb size…you can definitely do it in Falcon.

Interesting example of a basic synth

Alexander137 · Post by **Alexander137** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 3:03 pm

Since we are talking about modulation:
Haven't tried it personally, but do I understand correctly that mseg (user evenlope) is only one per layer?

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 3:42 pm

T-CM11 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:26 pm
SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:15 pm No, modulate - apply LFO, ADSR etc to fx like delay time or reverb size…you can definitely do it in Falcon.
Interesting example of a basic synth

OK how about Pigments, Phase Plant, Modwave, Serum, Rapid, Avenger, MasiveX, Synthmaster, all the Dawsome synths (even via MPE!). Honesty, I am having a harder time thinking of synths that I use that cant do this alone very expensive flagship synth...

Just seems lazy not exposing those parameters for modulation - perhaps to do with the (over) complex mixer system. The need to add this (and scaling and MPE ) in my opinion to be a competitive synth with some of those I have mentioned.

billcarroll · Post by **billcarroll** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 4:22 pm

Summing up the typical KVR response ...

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Wed Feb 22, 2023 4:31 pm

SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 3:42 pm
T-CM11 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:26 pm
SLiC wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:15 pm No, modulate - apply LFO, ADSR etc to fx like delay time or reverb size…you can definitely do it in Falcon.
Interesting example of a basic synth
OK how about Pigments, Phase Plant, Modwave, Serum, Rapid, Avenger, MasiveX, Synthmaster, all the Dawsome synths (even via MPE!). Honesty, I am having a harder time thinking of synths that I use that cant do this alone very expensive flagship synth...

Just seems lazy not exposing those parameters for modulation - perhaps to do with the (over) complex mixer system. The need to add this (and scaling and MPE ) in my opinion to be a competitive synth with some of those I have mentioned.

None of the synths mentioned are multi-engine instruments like Halion is. Maybe you don’t want that kind of thing, but it’s not nothing. One could use layering and more focused styles of plugin to achieve similar results, but I personally sometimes like an all-in-one environment when doing sound design.