Sample Oscillator Section

This section is available for sample zones. It encompasses two pages: Mode and Sample.

Load/Replace Sample

Allows you to load an initial sample or to replace the current sample.

In the Load dialog, you can prelisten the samples.

Trigger Note on Click in Sample Display

Allows you to start playback of the sample by clicking in the waveform display.

Mode Page

The Mode page contains the AudioWarp parameters that allow you to apply time stretching and formant shifting to the audio in your sample zones.

Playback Mode
  • Normal – The sample is played back from beginning to end. If loops are defined, they are played back according to their loop settings.

  • Reverse – The sample is played from end to beginning. If loops are defined, they are played back according to their loop settings.

  • One-Shot – The sample is played back from beginning to end, regardless of any loop settings.

  • Reverse One-Shot – The sample is played back from end to beginning, regardless of any loop settings.

In One-Shot and Reverse One-Shot mode, the zones ignore any MIDI note-off messages. All envelopes and LFOs play until their sustain is reached and then remain at this level for as long as the sample plays back. Any release segments of the envelopes and LFOs are not played. However, if you activate One-Shot mode in the Envelope section, the release nodes of the envelopes are included in the playback.

Fixed Pitch

If a sample zone is triggered by a MIDI note other than the one defined by the Root Key setting, the sample is normally pitched accordingly. With Fixed Pitch activated, the relation between played note and root key is disregarded, and all keys play the sample, just as it was recorded.

Note

You can still apply the usual pitch modulations in the Pitch section and set the sample to follow the keyboard according to the Pitch Key Follow setting.

Preload

A sample can either be loaded completely into RAM, or it can be streamed from the hard disk. If samples are streamed, HALion needs to preload a portion of these samples to be able to play a voice without having to search for the sample data first. The size of this preload buffer can be set in the Options Editor. The Preload setting allows you to adapt this buffer size for individual sample zones by setting a multiplier from 1 to 16. Increasing the buffer size is a good idea if a sample can be transposed in a wide range and HALion needs to read out the sample data faster, for example.

If you set Preload to its maximum, the entire sample is preloaded. This is useful for smaller samples.

Quality

If samples are not played at their original pitch or tempo, HALion calculates the transposed versions in real time using algorithms that require different CPU performance depending on the Quality setting.

Changes regarding the Quality settings are particularly noticeable for the high frequencies. The higher the setting, the better the suppression of artifacts. For samples with little high-frequency content, you can use the Standard option. For programs that use different samples for every key, you can use the Standard option to save computing power.

If Quality is set to Vintage, you can make the following settings:

  • Rate Reduction allows you to specify a sample frequency, to simulate the lower sample rates of early samplers.

  • Bit Reduction allows you to apply the bit depth that was used by early samplers.

  • Turntable emulates the memory-optimized workflow of the past, when turntables were sampled at a speed of 45 RPM to record shorter samples, and then tuned down again to compensate for the change in pitch.

    If you set this parameter to 78 RPM, you can increase the number of vintage artifacts that are generated.

Warp Mode

From the Warp Mode pop-up menu, you can select the mode to be used for the AudioWarp functions.

  • Off deactivates the AudioWarp functions.

  • Solo offers parameters for time stretching and formant shifting. This mode is suitable for solo instruments and vocals. It is highly efficient and supports polyphonic playback.

    When you activate Solo mode, HALion performs a pitch analysis of the sample and stores the pitch data, for quick reloading of the samples if they are used in presets, for example. Depending on the size of the samples, the analysis process can take some time.

    Note

    If samples are modified, the pitch analysis is performed again, and the data is updated.

  • Music offers parameters for time stretching. This mode is suitable for complex material like drum loops and samples with mixed music. It uses considerably more CPU time than Solo mode. Therefore, it is suitable for monophonic playback. The more a sample is stretched, the higher the CPU load.

    Music mode can only be used with mono and stereo samples. If you process multi-channel samples, only the left and right channels are stretched. The remaining channels are turned off.

  • Spectral offers parameters for time stretching and formant shifting. This mode is suitable for any kind of material, from solo instruments to complex material such as drum loops and samples with mixed music. It delivers the best audio quality, but it requires slightly more CPU time than Music mode.

Time Stretching On/Off

If this button is activated, you can play back a sample at a different pitch than the root key, without changing its tempo and length.

In Music mode, transposition is limited to the range between -24 and +24 semitones around the root key of the sample. If you play notes outside this limit, the highest or lowest note is used, respectively. The same applies for pitch modulation. Settings outside the -24 to +24 semitones limit lead to clipping in the modulation.

Legato

You can use this function to turn a vocal sample into a choir, for example. With the Legato button activated, you can add more voices while the sample is playing. These voices are inserted at the current playback position. All voices play in sync. If you play legato, the sample continues to play and you can change the chord without restarting the sample.

Sometimes, the added voices can have audible clicks in the attack, for example, if playback starts at some point in the middle of the sample. You can compensate for this by increasing the attack time of the amplifier envelope.

Note

Legato only works within a single sample zone, not across separate sample zones.

Sync Mode

The Sync modes are used to match the playback speed of the sample to the tempo of the host application.

  • If Off is selected, the playback speed is specified manually, in percent.

  • If Tempo is selected, the playback speed is calculated using the ratio between the original tempo of the sample and the tempo of the host.

  • If Beats is selected, the playback speed is calculated using the note length of the beats, the number of beats, and the tempo of the host.

For the Sync modes to work properly, the loop of the sample has to be set up correctly. In Tempo mode, the original tempo must be set as exactly as possible.

If you load a sample that contains tempo information in the file header, HALion uses this information to set up the parameters Original Tempo, Note Length, and Number of Beats. If a sample does not contain any tempo information, HALion estimates these values.

Note

You can always modify the parameter values manually.

Speed

Adjusts the playback speed of the sample. You can speed up the tempo by up to 800 % of the original.

In Music mode, the lower limit of the playback speed adjustment is 12.5 %. Values below this limit have no effect.

Original BPM

If Sync Mode is set to Tempo, you can enter the original tempo of the sample in beats per minute. The playback speed of the sample is adjusted to match the tempo of the host application.

Note Length and Number of Beats

If Sync Mode is set to Beats, HALion calculates the tempo of the sample, based on the note length and the number of beats that you enter.

For example, if the sample is a drum loop with four quarter notes, set Note to 1/4 and Beats to 4. The playback speed of the sample is adjusted to match the tempo of the host.

AudioWarp Key Follow

Adjusts the time stretch modulation using MIDI note numbers.

With this parameter set to a positive value, the higher the notes you play, the more the playback speed of the sample increases. Set to a negative value, the higher the notes you play, the slower the playback speed.

Key Follow Center Key

Specifies the MIDI note that is used as the center position for AudioWarp Key Follow.

Formant Shift On/Off

Activates/Deactivates the formant settings. Formant shifting allows you to avoid so-called “Mickey Mouse” effects when pitch shifting a sample. This is especially useful with samples of human voices or acoustic instruments.

Note

The Formant Shift options are only available for the Warp Mode settings Solo and Spectral.

Formant Shift

Specifies the amount of formant shifting.

Formant Shift Key Follow

Determines how much the formants follow the pitch. Use positive values to minimize the “Mickey Mouse” effect caused by pitch shifting.

Minimum Grain Size

If you use complex material, a larger grain size can improve the sound. The higher this setting, the less accurate the pitch detection, which helps to avoid misinterpretations of pitch.

In addition, you can use this parameter to experiment and create interesting effects.

Note

This parameter is only available if Warp Mode is set to Solo.

Transient Detection

Sets a threshold for the transient detection. The higher the value, the more transients are detected. Transients can sound more defined if you adjust this parameter.

Note

This parameter is only available if Warp Mode is set to Solo.

Spectral Resolution

If you use complex material with dense frequencies, a higher spectral resolution can improve the sound.

Note

This parameter is only available if Warp Mode is set to Spectral.

Transient Sensitivity

Transient Sensitivity sets a sensitivity for the transient detection. The higher the value, the more transients are detected. The detected transients are unaffected by time stretching, which results in a more defined sound.

Different types of samples need different amounts of transient sensitivity. For example, drums need a high Transient Sensitivity setting, but vocals also sound clean with a lower Transient Sensitivity setting. Reduce the Transient Sensitivity if you are faced with artifacts, such as double transients in drum loops, or if you hear clicks or pops in your samples.

At 0%, no transients are detected.

Note

This parameter is only available if Warp Mode is set to Spectral.

Sample Page

The Sample page contains the playback and loop parameters.

Waveform display

Shows the waveform of the loaded sample. For the parameters Start Range, Release Start, Loop Start and Loop End, markers are shown in the display. You can drag the markers in the display to change their position.

Playback Mode
  • Normal – The sample is played back from beginning to end. If loops are defined, they are played back according to their loop settings.

  • Reverse – The sample is played from end to beginning. If loops are defined, they are played back according to their loop settings.

  • One-Shot – The sample is played back from beginning to end, regardless of any loop settings.

  • Reverse One-Shot – The sample is played back from end to beginning, regardless of any loop settings.

In One-Shot and Reverse One-Shot mode, the zones ignore any MIDI note-off messages. All envelopes and LFOs play until their sustain is reached and then remain at this level for as long as the sample plays back. Any release segments of the envelopes and LFOs are not played. However, if you activate One-Shot mode in the Envelope section, the release nodes of the envelopes are included in the playback.

Fixed Pitch

If a sample zone is triggered by a MIDI note other than the one defined by the Root Key setting, the sample is normally pitched accordingly. With Fixed Pitch activated, the relation between played note and root key is disregarded, and all keys play the sample, just as it was recorded.

Note

You can still apply the usual pitch modulations in the Pitch section and set the sample to follow the keyboard according to the Pitch Key Follow setting.

Preload

A sample can either be loaded completely into RAM, or it can be streamed from the hard disk. If samples are streamed, HALion needs to preload a portion of these samples to be able to play a voice without having to search for the sample data first. The size of this preload buffer can be set in the Options Editor. The Preload setting allows you to adapt this buffer size for individual sample zones by setting a multiplier from 1 to 16. Increasing the buffer size is a good idea if a sample can be transposed in a wide range and HALion needs to read out the sample data faster, for example.

If you set Preload to its maximum, the entire sample is preloaded. This is useful for smaller samples.

Quality

If samples are not played at their original pitch or tempo, HALion calculates the transposed versions in real time using algorithms that require different CPU performance depending on the Quality setting.

Changes regarding the Quality settings are particularly noticeable for the high frequencies. The higher the setting, the better the suppression of artifacts. For samples with little high-frequency content, you can use the Standard option. For programs that use different samples for every key, you can use the Standard option to save computing power.

If Quality is set to Vintage, you can make the following settings:

  • Rate Reduction allows you to specify a sample frequency, to simulate the lower sample rates of early samplers.

  • Bit Reduction allows you to apply the bit depth that was used by early samplers.

  • Turntable emulates the memory-optimized workflow of the past, when turntables were sampled at a speed of 45 RPM to record shorter samples, and then tuned down again to compensate for the change in pitch.

    If you set this parameter to 78 RPM, you can increase the number of vintage artifacts that are generated.

Sample Start

The start marker of the sample.

Start Range

Determines the range for sample start offset modulation. If Sample Start is selected as a modulation destination in the modulation matrix, the Start Range parameter controls the sample portion that is affected by the start offset modulation. If this parameter is set to zero, no sample start modulation is performed.

For example, if Note-on Velocity is used to modulate the Sample Start parameter, a high key velocity starts playback later in the sample, and the range of this modulation is determined by the Start Range parameter.

If a value is specified for this parameter, a marker line is shown in the waveform display. You can also drag the marker to adjust the parameter.

Link Loop Start and End

Links the loop start and end positions. If you edit one of the values, the other one is automatically modified.

Sample End

The end marker of the sample.

Release Start

Determines the position to which the cursor jumps when you release a key.

For example, if you are playing back a sample in a loop but you want it to play its original release phase, set the Release Start parameter to this position.

If a value is specified for this parameter, a marker line is shown in the waveform display. You can also drag the marker to adjust the parameter.

Release Offset

Allows you to fine-tune the release start for each sample.

This allows you to offset the release start for several zones at the same time without losing the original release settings, for example.

Crossfade/Fade In/Fade Out

Allow you to set the curve and the length of the fade in, the fade out, and the crossfade.

Loop Sets A and B

Allow you to set up two different sets of loops for the same sample. This is useful to compare different versions of the same loop, for example.

Loop Mode

Allows you to select a mode for the sustain loop and the release loop.

  • If this is set to No Loop, the sample is played without a loop.

  • If this is set to Continuous, the loop is played continuously until the end of the amplitude envelope.

  • If this is set to Alternate, the loop runs back and forth, even if you release the key.

  • If this is set to Once, the loop is repeated once.

  • If this is set to Until Release (sustain loop only), the loop is repeated until you release the key on the keyboard.

  • If this is set to Alternate Until Release (sustain loop only), the loop runs back and forth for as long as the key is held, and then continues to the end of the sample.

Note

If Loop Mode is set to Alternate or Alternate Until Release, the loop crossfade is applied to the loop start and the loop end. All other modes on the Loop Mode pop-up menu apply the loop crossfade to the loop end only.

Loop Start

Defines the loop start for the sustain loop and for the release loop.

If a value is specified for this parameter, a marker line is shown in the waveform display. You can drag the marker to adjust the parameter.

Loop End

Defines the loop end for the sustain loop and for the release loop.

If a value is specified for this parameter, a marker line is shown in the waveform display. You can drag the marker to adjust the parameter.

Tuning

Sets the tuning of the loop. This is useful to adjust the frequency of the loop.