I've just updated to Cubase 13. I had EW Virtual Instruments Composer Cloud rented for -silly things I do-. Far too expensive and for my intented use much too complex. So thank you Steinberg for giving as this wonderful library and thank YOU for this wonderful demonstration. By the way: I laughed my ass off, when it came to the GM part.......
I think it's worth pointing out that Legato and Sustain are not just the same thing but Sustain allows you to play more than one note at a time. The reason Legatto only plays one note at a time is because it's for playing melodies (typically) and it will play very short transitions between the notes you play, there by more accurately simulating the way a real player would sound. How important that is to anyone is up for a lot of debate but it does serve a purpose. I would also point out that you can switch articulations using Articulation Maps within Cubase and because this library is in Halion, you shouldn't have to build your own settings in articulation maps in order to use it, like you would with most 3rd partly libraries. That can be a huge time saver. How much that's worth to anyone is also up for debate.
Maybe so. But for me they don't sound very good. Too little dynamics, sample quality is average for me. I have Cubase 13pro but some Steinberg sounds should not be included in Cubase 13. Better to have fewer of the worse ones. Only the better ones should be left. Because it's a waste of space on your hard drive. Of course, everyone has a different opinion and what suits their ideas.
Nice update, but would be great if we could get, instant audition of presets sound, like in Komplete Kontrol.. Loading sounds in Halion is too slow, killing the workflow.
I have several third-party sample libraries. However, this included library sells the upgrade for me. I like the direction Steinberg is going. My first DAW was Reason by Propellerhead. Their library was/is expansive using low CPU. If Cubase were to continue improving upon this proprietary library, I'm all for it:) Perhaps, ever so-slowly will other libraries become less and less needed.
Hi . Just reading were a Reason user. I'm on Reason 12 and though I like it a d got used to it over the years .I feel i need to explore another DAW now. . I'm looking g at cubase or luna well backed by komplete 14 ..standard.. How would you compare cubase sounds with komplete and if you can gvie some pointers at the direction I need to go for me .. Many Thanks and regards
I dont know why everyone is seemingly sleeping on iconica. To me, this is a fantastic orchestral library in general and especially as a free one, it beats similar libraries like BBC SO Discovery any day.
Just updated to Cubase 13 Pro. I'm just wondering now which other products are part of the update. I had no idea about Halion Sonic (had the SE version). Now it's got me wondering what else I'm missing.
All of the content should be visible in the Steinberg Download Assistant, and then you should be good to go - you should see all the libraries in the right-hand side of Halion Sonic.
Ah, old school... I'm actually looking to get an MU90R for reasons for a couple of videos (plus available rack space) and kind of looking forward to going old school with needlessly complex XG bank changes and NRPN stuff!
GM rulez! Ah, the good old days.. when we also had Roland's GS and Yamaha's XG... The good things? A bass clarinet would not eat half your hard drive :)))
Yeah, it would be funny to go back in time to the late 90s, and tell people you'd have a single instrument sample set which would be larger than any hard drive you could afford at that time! There's a lot to be said for how efficient GM, GS and XG synths were.
So now the full Halion Sonic comes as standard with Cubase? That's good to know if and when I ever have to buy a new computer. It would mean I no longer have to shell out on the flagship version of Halion, I could probably cope without the Halion 4 Factory library as many of the Halion Sonic sounds are very similar. Even though I have Halion 7 I do still also use the SE version that came with Cubase 12, I made do with Halion Sonic SE until 2019 when I finally got Halion 6 at discount because before then the paid versions of Halion/Halion Sonic were more expensive at the time. I'm going to be sticking with Cubase Artist 12 as I only bought it a year ago but if I ever have to replace my current computer it's good to know I will no longer have to shell out for the flagship Halion, I could live without the editing capibilities and FM Lab as I tend to mainly use Halion as a rompler. Even though I'm sticking with Cubase Artist 12 I think it's fantastic there is now a cut down version of Iconica that comes as standard with Cubase. I also still use midi sound modules like my Roland SC-88 Pro, I hope all future versions of Cubase will keep the full general midi compatibility but Cubase 13 has still kept things familier and the basic layout that's been used since SX, I still have SX 3 on my old laptop and Artist 7 on my Windows 7 computer although I don't use it anymore. But I would certainly be more than happy with Iconica Sketch and see that as a bonus considering Halion Sonic now comes as standard, having a harp that actually sounds like a harp is the cherry on the cake as the Halion Sonic SE Basic harp doesn't really sound like a harp but as I also have the full version of Kontakt and BBCSO Discover I would either use BBCSO Discover or the Kontakt Factory Library if I need a harp. When it comes to general midi I prefer my gm sound modules like my Roland SC-88 Pro.
Unfortunately not. Halion Sonic (7, the current version) is no longer the same product as it was in the 6 and earlier versions. Or rather, you don't get the libraries with it that you would do if you had it. I think Steinberg have made this much more confusing than it needed to be as a result - the SE made it obvious that this was a cut-down version, as is common with Groove Agent as well. I believe that you actually get less included with it now if you just download it, but I need to confirm that with a totally new account so my paid for libraries don't cloud the situation. One thing's for sure, it's not clear!
How do you visually know which articulations are velocity sensitive and which ones are modulation sensitive? Or is it always the 2 on the left and the 2 on the right?
I don't think it is visually apparent - they don't look any different to me (which possibly would be a good suggestion for it!). The velocity sensitive ones are always on the left, but it's not always a 2/2 split - Bassoon is 2/3, violins are 3/4... the same articulations are always modulation or velocity (i.e. if it's a sustained one it's always modulation-driven), but I'm not aware of any visual differences, no...
I wanted to buy a DAW for audio post-production for films, and I bought Cubase 13 Pro. I was not aware of Nuendo, which is designed for post-production. Am I out of luck now? Can't afford the upgrade now. Any advice??
OK, first I think it depends if you need the post features that only Nuendo provides (I'm not a post guy so I don't know how much of the workflow it provides is non-negotiable). There is a lot of crossover between Cubase and Nuendo, so a lot of the workflow will be similar, but clearly Nuendo provides features that post people need and if they are deal breakers than I'd think you'd need to upgrade at some point when the funds are available. I do all my VO work in Cubase (and I know quite a few people who do), but that's just editing rather than specific post stuff. There's a feature comparison chart here - www.steinberg.net/nuendo/compare-editions/ - which may help you, although I'd think some of those features could be covered with (possibly free?) plugins, such as the loudness monitoring. There's sometimes deals on for cheaper upgrades, so you may eventually be able to get it at a better price at some point. I think that between version upgrades of Nuendo are more expensive than those for Cubase though, hence me never upgrading as it would be an increased maintenance cost for no good reason!
Yeah, the confusion is that pre version 7, Halion Sonic was a paid piece of software (which you got bundled in with Halion), and SE was the free version. It's confusing for users (I've had some clients not even install it as they think they don't have a licence for it!).
Well, I think it's bad but but not as bad as what happened with the USB standards mess, which was decently clear up to 3.0, then all hell broke loose. @@musictechtuition
OK, thanks. I knew about the SE part. Sometimes companies coming up with product names aren't exactly a lesson on clarity and efficiency ;)@@machineagevoodoo2106
Yes.. but the confusion was that the free version was previously Halion Sonic SE, and Halion Sonic was a paid piece of software (usually bought as part of Halion, but could also be bought on its own at one point); it's the repurposing of the name that's problematic to me.
Cubase should update expression maps rather. than throw in this stuff. This would be far better for composers most of which have many many orchestral and strings libraries.
Yes, but there was a separate product called Halion Sonic which was the 'full' version of Halion Sonic SE, so it came with lots of libraries etc. So prior to Version 7, Halion Sonic was a paid piece of software, and now it's the free version (even though it has a cut-down 'SE' feature/soundware set). Halion always included Halion Sonic, but you could buy Halion Sonic separately. Hence the confusion for a lot of people since the change.
The full version of Iconica (Iconica Opus) does have some solo instruments for some parts. Just not the strings. I will agree however that Iconica has always felt like something Steinberg made to be included with other products more than a full fledged product of it's own. Even this sketch library seems to have some solo instruments, some were played in this video. It looks like it just stripped out some of the more advanced articulations.
@@musictechtuition so all editions do not have the full orchestral sample articulations ?? in the video the reviewer said that the sustain long articulations were missing, I'm even more confused now ?
@@arnolduk123 All three versions of Cubase (Pro, Artist, Elements) get the same Iconica Sketch. But that version doesn't include the articulations that the full version (Iconica) gets - you get the cut down version. HTH
@@arnolduk123 No Problem! I don't think companies help themselves by using names that aren't consistent across their entire range. If they called everything 'lite', then you'd know that Groove Agent lite or Iconica lite was what you were getting...
I'm all for the GM as it really stands out. The Halion sounds like the usual suspects. The GM is just amusing. With proper care, it would be fun LOL The GM set sounds like the worst ever made tho. I'm sure that with, for example, Purity and a bit of care it would sound less like it was trying to sound like a 2 Cent Rapper. :-)
I LOLed when the GM came in. OMG.
Yeah... it's easy to forget how far we've come, so I thought I'd throw it in for a proper comparison.
@@musictechtuition You're right! It was an inspired choice. We're so spoiled.
I've just updated to Cubase 13. I had EW Virtual Instruments Composer Cloud rented for -silly things I do-. Far too expensive and for my intented use much too complex.
So thank you Steinberg for giving as this wonderful library and thank YOU for this wonderful demonstration. By the way: I laughed my ass off, when it came to the GM part.......
That sounds amazing for a stock orchestral library! Cubase 13 is awesome!
Absolutely. It's going to be a massive upgrade for anyone who doesn't have a third-party library.
I got this a few days ago. Your presentation was excellent so many thanks. Just what I needed. It seems to work in Cakewalk too by the way!
This really sounds amazing. I'm not much of a symphonic type of a guy. So this takes care of my needs for sure
The demo project is awesome✨️
General midi 😅 sounds fantastic
I think it's worth pointing out that Legato and Sustain are not just the same thing but Sustain allows you to play more than one note at a time. The reason Legatto only plays one note at a time is because it's for playing melodies (typically) and it will play very short transitions between the notes you play, there by more accurately simulating the way a real player would sound. How important that is to anyone is up for a lot of debate but it does serve a purpose.
I would also point out that you can switch articulations using Articulation Maps within Cubase and because this library is in Halion, you shouldn't have to build your own settings in articulation maps in order to use it, like you would with most 3rd partly libraries. That can be a huge time saver. How much that's worth to anyone is also up for debate.
Maybe so. But for me they don't sound very good. Too little dynamics, sample quality is average for me. I have Cubase 13pro but some Steinberg sounds should not be included in Cubase 13. Better to have fewer of the worse ones. Only the better ones should be left. Because it's a waste of space on your hard drive. Of course, everyone has a different opinion and what suits their ideas.
Helpful overview!
The gm is giving me flash backs
Nice update,
but would be great if we could get, instant audition of presets sound, like in Komplete Kontrol..
Loading sounds in Halion is too slow, killing the workflow.
Very helpful. Thank you.
Hilarious demo
I have several third-party sample libraries. However, this included library sells the upgrade for me. I like the direction Steinberg is going. My first DAW was Reason by Propellerhead. Their library was/is expansive using low CPU. If Cubase were to continue improving upon this proprietary library, I'm all for it:) Perhaps, ever so-slowly will other libraries become less and less needed.
Hi . Just reading were a Reason user.
I'm on Reason 12 and though I like it a d got used to it over the years .I feel i need to explore another DAW now. .
I'm looking g at cubase or luna well backed by komplete 14 ..standard..
How would you compare cubase sounds with komplete and if you can gvie some pointers at the direction I need to go for me ..
Many Thanks and regards
I dont know why everyone is seemingly sleeping on iconica. To me, this is a fantastic orchestral library in general and especially as a free one, it beats similar libraries like BBC SO Discovery any day.
GM Demo -> Back to the 90´s and Dos Games on the Sound Blaster card 🙂
I should get hold of one and record that - one where the OPL3 FM sounds all sounded pretty much the same!
Cheers for that. From a fellow old git.
Ha ha the comparison with General MIDI made my day 🙂
Very useful info in this good video. Would like to know if the sounds are dry, or with reverb that can't be removed.
Awwww. I miss GM 🧡
Just updated to Cubase 13 Pro. I'm just wondering now which other products are part of the update. I had no idea about Halion Sonic (had the SE version). Now it's got me wondering what else I'm missing.
All of the content should be visible in the Steinberg Download Assistant, and then you should be good to go - you should see all the libraries in the right-hand side of Halion Sonic.
Friendly reminder that Orchestral Tools Organic Samples line has some fantastic solo strings for a decent price
Thanks Darren. I chuckled at the TG reference. I started with the MU100R and Pro24 on the Atari ST.
Ah, old school... I'm actually looking to get an MU90R for reasons for a couple of videos (plus available rack space) and kind of looking forward to going old school with needlessly complex XG bank changes and NRPN stuff!
@@musictechtuition I've still got my MU100R. Would you like to borrow it for your videos?
@@Jan-S-Simonsen Thanks for that! Whereabouts are you?
@@musictechtuition I'm in Newcastle upon Tyne. I'm happy to courier it to you.
Blackadder...yeah!
GM rulez! Ah, the good old days.. when we also had Roland's GS and Yamaha's XG... The good things? A bass clarinet would not eat half your hard drive :)))
Yeah, it would be funny to go back in time to the late 90s, and tell people you'd have a single instrument sample set which would be larger than any hard drive you could afford at that time! There's a lot to be said for how efficient GM, GS and XG synths were.
Indeed. I still have, love & use my 3 Yamaha QY sequencers ;) 10, 100 & 700.@@musictechtuition
Some of the GM sounds are ok.
I suppose there is no round robin implemented on this free version, right?
So now the full Halion Sonic comes as standard with Cubase? That's good to know if and when I ever have to buy a new computer. It would mean I no longer
have to shell out on the flagship version of Halion, I could probably cope without the Halion 4 Factory library as many of the Halion Sonic sounds are very similar.
Even though I have Halion 7 I do still also use the SE version that came with Cubase 12, I made do with Halion Sonic SE until 2019 when I finally got Halion 6
at discount because before then the paid versions of Halion/Halion Sonic were more expensive at the time.
I'm going to be sticking with Cubase Artist 12 as I only bought it a year ago but if I ever have to replace my current computer it's good to know I will no longer have
to shell out for the flagship Halion, I could live without the editing capibilities and FM Lab as I tend to mainly use Halion as a rompler. Even though I'm sticking
with Cubase Artist 12 I think it's fantastic there is now a cut down version of Iconica that comes as standard with Cubase.
I also still use midi sound modules like my Roland SC-88 Pro, I hope all future versions of Cubase will keep the full general midi compatibility but Cubase 13 has
still kept things familier and the basic layout that's been used since SX, I still have SX 3 on my old laptop and Artist 7 on my Windows 7 computer although I don't
use it anymore.
But I would certainly be more than happy with Iconica Sketch and see that as a bonus considering Halion Sonic now comes as standard, having a harp that actually
sounds like a harp is the cherry on the cake as the Halion Sonic SE Basic harp doesn't really sound like a harp but as I also have the full version of Kontakt and BBCSO
Discover I would either use BBCSO Discover or the Kontakt Factory Library if I need a harp. When it comes to general midi I prefer my gm sound modules like my Roland
SC-88 Pro.
Unfortunately not. Halion Sonic (7, the current version) is no longer the same product as it was in the 6 and earlier versions. Or rather, you don't get the libraries with it that you would do if you had it. I think Steinberg have made this much more confusing than it needed to be as a result - the SE made it obvious that this was a cut-down version, as is common with Groove Agent as well. I believe that you actually get less included with it now if you just download it, but I need to confirm that with a totally new account so my paid for libraries don't cloud the situation.
One thing's for sure, it's not clear!
How do you visually know which articulations are velocity sensitive and which ones are modulation sensitive? Or is it always the 2 on the left and the 2 on the right?
I don't think it is visually apparent - they don't look any different to me (which possibly would be a good suggestion for it!). The velocity sensitive ones are always on the left, but it's not always a 2/2 split - Bassoon is 2/3, violins are 3/4... the same articulations are always modulation or velocity (i.e. if it's a sustained one it's always modulation-driven), but I'm not aware of any visual differences, no...
I wanted to buy a DAW for audio post-production for films, and I bought Cubase 13 Pro. I was not aware of Nuendo, which is designed for post-production. Am I out of luck now? Can't afford the upgrade now. Any advice??
OK, first I think it depends if you need the post features that only Nuendo provides (I'm not a post guy so I don't know how much of the workflow it provides is non-negotiable). There is a lot of crossover between Cubase and Nuendo, so a lot of the workflow will be similar, but clearly Nuendo provides features that post people need and if they are deal breakers than I'd think you'd need to upgrade at some point when the funds are available. I do all my VO work in Cubase (and I know quite a few people who do), but that's just editing rather than specific post stuff. There's a feature comparison chart here - www.steinberg.net/nuendo/compare-editions/ - which may help you, although I'd think some of those features could be covered with (possibly free?) plugins, such as the loudness monitoring. There's sometimes deals on for cheaper upgrades, so you may eventually be able to get it at a better price at some point. I think that between version upgrades of Nuendo are more expensive than those for Cubase though, hence me never upgrading as it would be an increased maintenance cost for no good reason!
As far as I can tell, the paid version is now simply called HALion, without "Sonic", which indicates the free version included with CB.
Halion always existed though, as did Halion Sonic, both were not free. "SE" was free.
Yeah, the confusion is that pre version 7, Halion Sonic was a paid piece of software (which you got bundled in with Halion), and SE was the free version. It's confusing for users (I've had some clients not even install it as they think they don't have a licence for it!).
Well, I think it's bad but but not as bad as what happened with the USB standards mess, which was decently clear up to 3.0, then all hell broke loose. @@musictechtuition
OK, thanks. I knew about the SE part. Sometimes companies coming up with product names aren't exactly a lesson on clarity and efficiency ;)@@machineagevoodoo2106
I am using this with my SWAM solo strings solos which I think is a better use of my cash than the expensive orchestral libraries.
Seems to me that from now, "Halion Sonic" is the free version of "Halion" (the full product).
Yes.. but the confusion was that the free version was previously Halion Sonic SE, and Halion Sonic was a paid piece of software (usually bought as part of Halion, but could also be bought on its own at one point); it's the repurposing of the name that's problematic to me.
Nice! I wonder how it compares to the free BBCSO Discovery
I shall put that on the list of videos to do!
Cubase should update expression maps rather. than throw in this stuff. This would be far better for composers most of which have many many orchestral and strings libraries.
there is a full version of Halion. It's just called Halion. I thought the full verison of Halion was always called Halion, but who knows...
Yes, but there was a separate product called Halion Sonic which was the 'full' version of Halion Sonic SE, so it came with lots of libraries etc. So prior to Version 7, Halion Sonic was a paid piece of software, and now it's the free version (even though it has a cut-down 'SE' feature/soundware set). Halion always included Halion Sonic, but you could buy Halion Sonic separately. Hence the confusion for a lot of people since the change.
The f...I've been using Cub years and why i havent discovered this!!?
It was only introduced with Cubase 13... so you've only been missing this since whenever you upgraded! Glad you've discovered it now though.
Iconica full version doesn't have solo instruments either. Which, for the price, is ridiculous.
I was not aware of that! Thanks for the heads up.
The full version of Iconica (Iconica Opus) does have some solo instruments for some parts. Just not the strings. I will agree however that Iconica has always felt like something Steinberg made to be included with other products more than a full fledged product of it's own. Even this sketch library seems to have some solo instruments, some were played in this video. It looks like it just stripped out some of the more advanced articulations.
@@rbingraham I should have been more clear, what is notoriously missing are the solo violin solo cello Etc
Exactly.
Which editions of Cubase have this reduced function orchestral library ?
Pro, Artist and Elements
@@musictechtuition so all editions do not have the full orchestral sample articulations ?? in the video the reviewer said that the sustain long articulations were missing, I'm even more confused now ?
@@arnolduk123 All three versions of Cubase (Pro, Artist, Elements) get the same Iconica Sketch. But that version doesn't include the articulations that the full version (Iconica) gets - you get the cut down version. HTH
@@musictechtuition I see, makes sense now. Thanks!
@@arnolduk123 No Problem! I don't think companies help themselves by using names that aren't consistent across their entire range. If they called everything 'lite', then you'd know that Groove Agent lite or Iconica lite was what you were getting...
I'm all for the GM as it really stands out. The Halion sounds like the usual suspects. The GM is just amusing. With proper care, it would be fun LOL The GM set sounds like the worst ever made tho. I'm sure that with, for example, Purity and a bit of care it would sound less like it was trying to sound like a 2 Cent Rapper.
:-)