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Rating And Reviews: Steinberg Halion Sampler

VST software-based sampler.

User Ratings
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Sound
Features
Ease of Use
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Value
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"HALion is NOT a sampler!" submitted January 18, 2007

By a customer from yahoo.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: composer and producer
Music Style: alternatechnodustrial
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Sound: HALion sounds okay. It's a soundbank player, it sounds just like all the others. Feature: HALion really falls short of its potential. You should HALion is not really a sampler! It can't sample, and it can't even do any kind of waveform editing. Its lack of sampling and waveform editing MIGHT be okay if the drag-and-drop functionality were really useful. But as it is, you cannot (for example) drag/drop a region from a Cubase audio part into a HALion sample slot. It's weird, but it's easier (!!) to do sampling on a rack-mount unit than it is to use HALion. Just remember: HALion is not a sampler, it is a SOUNDBANK PLAYER. Your wallet will thank you. Ease of Use: It's fine as a "soundbank player". But if you want to create your own sounds, it's not a good choice. Have a look at Image-Line's DirectWave if you need full sampling capabilities from a soft-sampler. Quality: Low marks here. I believe Steinberg intentionally misleads customers on this product. When I first got it I was amazed that not only does this "sampler" not sample, it can't even do TRIM! WOW! I figured they'd get around to releasing an update that dealt with these problems, but nothing. They're still misleading customers about this product. I've tried to get Steinberg to do something about this, without success. Value: This product is a complete joke. If you need it for sampling and you buy it you will feel like an idiot. At least I know I sure do. Manufacturer Support: Steinberg is still misleading customers about this product. I've tried to get them to do something about it, without success. The Wow Factor: Steinberg's slick marketing tricked me into buying this "non-sampling" sampler. If you need a soundbank player, great. If you want to record and create your own unique sounds, please don't make the same mistake I did. Overall: I have already replaced this product with Image-Line's DirectWave SAMPLER. It's a much better, much more complete product at 1/4 the price of HALion. It even sounds better too.
34 of 41 people (82.93%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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"Steinberg Does It Again!!" submitted May 29, 2009

By a customer from yahoo.com
Overall
Sound
Features
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Musical Background: Singer, Songwriter, Producer
Music Style: "Rock", "RNB", "Jazz", "Dance", "Techno",
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Sound: HALion sound just as as good as any other sampler on the market. Feature: The Waldorf effects are a good touch to the program however I find myself looking for an excuse not to use HALion because of its harsh cheap user interface. Ease of Use: Not easy.... Steinberg just isn't easy..... however I am now a man of stronger character. Quality: Steinberg made it. Value: Steinberg tries the customer top value for mediocrity again. This program is rivaled by free ware programs on more than one instance. Manufacturer Support: Steinberg has a forum. We all know how dedicated and customer service oriented forums are. Overall: The fourth addition should be coming around soon and i can wait to see some Yamaha inspired tech in the new version (that is if they don't do the smart thing and upgrade HALion one to full capacity (drag and drop on window sample editing, effects and slicing.
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"Great Sampler - easy to use - recommended !" submitted May 5, 2008

By a customer from hotmail.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: semi-prof.
Music Style: rock
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Sound: Sound is great. Fantastic Filters from Waldorf are included. The best sound libraries are released for HALion anyway. Feature: I hardly can imagine anything I couldn´t do with it. Ease of Use: HALion is probably the most easy to use Sampler ever. No fiddling around in thousands of different screens and menues - it is straight forward to use. Quality: The product is 100% stable and never crashed on me. I was using a different Sampler from a very known company that caused trouble with my DAW all the time - not so with HALion. Value: After spending lots of money for a different Sampler, I´m absolutely happy in choosing HALion! Manufacturer Support: Amazing! Steinberg is supporting the product actively in the cubase.net forums. They regulary update the software and it runs on all the latest OSs without a hitch. Overall: If you need a workhouse sampler and want to get used to it fast, while still being able to grow with it: HALion is your best choice today. I even heard rumors on cubase.net that the next version (v4) is currently in development and will be a new giant step in sampling with revolutionary features.
8 of 15 people (53.33%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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