Installing instruments for HALion and HALion Sonic
This article describes how to install an instrument for HALion or HALion Sonic - hereafter named 'HALion instrument'.
A HALion instrument is a sound library (sound content) that can include sound files, presets and an own graphical user interface to turn HALion and HALion Sonic into a specialized tone generator.
HALion instruments overview (free ones included)
Requirements
If you have already installed the Steinberg Download Assistant and HALion / HALion Sonic, and the required licenses are activated, you can skip this section. If not, learn how to prepare the installation here.
Steinberg Download Assistant
If you haven't yet, download and install the Steinberg Download Assistant.
From within this tool, you can download all required components of your instrument.
The installation is also done via the Steinberg Download Assistant.
HALion / HALion Sonic
HALion instruments can only be used with a compatible version of HALion / HALion Sonic. Please ensure you have installed one of these versions:
| Current | Legacy |
|
|
It is highly recommended to install the latest version available in the Steinberg Download Assistant.
Please remember that your HALion instrument requires a valid license, just like HALion / HALion Sonic.
HALion instrument licenses include a license for the free HALion Sonic 7 player, which is also included in current Cubase versions. Older HALion instrument versions included a license for HALion Sonic SE 3, which is a free version as well. It was included in previous Cubase versions, too.
If you want to use your HALion instrument with HALion 7, please ensure that the corresponding license is activated on your system as well.
⚠️ Legacy license issues
A HALion instrument can only be used in HALion or HALion Sonic, if the same licensing technology is used for both.
- HALion 7 and HALion Sonic 7 have Steinberg Licensing-based licenses and thus can only load HALion Instruments with Steinberg Licensing-based licenses managed in the Steinberg Activation Manager.
- HALion 6, HALion Sonic 3 and HALion Sonic SE 3 have eLicenser-based licenses and thus can only load HALion Instruments with eLicenser-based licenses manged in the eLicenser Control Center.
To solve an existing license conflict, the older component using the outdated eLicenser-based license must be updated to Steinberg Licensing.
- Most eLicenser-based HALion Instrument licenses can be switched to Steinberg Licensing for free. Read more...
- The update from HALion 6 to HALion 7 is available in our online shop.
- Alternatively, all HALion instruments with a Steinberg Licensing-based license can be used with the free HALion Sonic 7 player.
Installing a HALion instrument
If all requirements are met, please install the HALion instrument as follows:
- In the Steinberg Download Assistant, select the requested HALion instrument on the left (1).
- The corresponding components are listed on the right.
- Optional: Downloading and installing HALion instruments that contain large sound libraries can take a long time. The installations run much faster if the 'Target folder' in the Steinberg Download Assistant and the installation path defined in the Steinberg Library Manager match. Learn more...
- To start the installation, click on 'Install' in the corresponding line in the list of components (3). Click on 'Install all' at the top right, if you want to install all the components listed.
- A progress bar provides you with information on the running download.
- Please note that HALion instrument libraries can be huge. Depending on your internet connection and the size of the library, the downloads can take a considerable amount of time.
- The 'Install' button will be labeled 'Install again' as soon as the installation is completed.
- Optional: You can verify the installation of your HALion instrument anytime in the Steinberg Library Manager. (It is automatically installed along with the Steinberg Download Assistant). On the Steinberg Library Manager's HALION page, click the DETAILS button of any installed HALion instrument, to show its installation path.
POP-UP
Harmonizing the download and installation path
During an automatic installation via the Steinberg Download Assistant, the Steinberg Library Manager is installing and registering HALion instrument content in the background.
Here is how to find out the installation path used by the Steinberg Library Manager:
- Open the Steinberg Library Manager. (Is installed along with the Steinberg Download Assistant.)
- Click on the gear symbol (1) at the top right.
- The installation path is now displayed in the top line as 'Library default location' (2).
If the line is empty, Steinberg Library Manager is using these standard paths:- macOS: Library/ApplicationSupport/Steinberg/Cóntent/VST Sound/...
- Windows: C:\ProgramData\Steinberg\Content\VST Sound\...
If you use the same path for the 'Target folder' in the Steinberg Download Assistant, the downloaded files no longer need to be moved during the installation. The larger the sound library used, the greater the time saving.
⚠️ It is generally advisable to keep the standard paths for the 'Library default location'. Only as an experienced user and if you have good reasons should you select a different setting here.