Interview with Pete Namlook
VST-Sampler "HALion"

For quite some time now Mosel has been producing more than just good wines..., one of the major influences in German Techno and its variations, is also being producing there. For the last 8 years Pete Namlook has been using this area as his base for success. What's known today as Trance, Hardtrance, Ambient and Chill-Out was initiated by the sound "fuss-pot" and pioneer of electronic music, Pete Namlook. He has been working with Cubase since his first hour in the music scene and this has driven his love for developing new music and technical innovations.

It was through his time spent "developing" that he came up with the concept of a "software sampler" ? an idea Steinberg ran with. Now, Pete Namlook talks about his part in the development of HALion with Steinberg Product Coordinator Tobias Beitzen.

Tobias Beitzen:
Hi Pete! Please give us a short introduction of yourself for the people that might not know you.

Pete Namlook:
As a musician, composer and producer I am a sound-fetishist and with my publications on my label FAX +49-69/450464 better known as FAX-Records, I am trying to lay stress on it. With over 300 publications during the last 9 years with FAX I am searching for the future of music and of sound with the help of new (DSP based) and old (analog) technologies and instruments.

Tobi:
You've taken part in the beta testing stage of Steinbergs brand-new VST-Sampler "HALion". Have you worked with software samplers before?

Pete:
Yes, but they were always too copious and crashed often. I have no time for these kind of things!

Tobi:
What is your first impression of HALion?

Pete:
Exactly (and more) what I wanted when I first talked to Markus Engel (Sales Manager MI Steinberg Germany) in 1998 and surprised him with the idea of a software sampler. At that time I had the vision of a complete portable studio based on Cubase VST that would fit on my powerbook. The development after software synthesizers to software samplers was logical for me.

Tobi:
Are there features in HALion that you like more, or that you missed in other programs?

Pete:
I really like the idea that you can import samples and programs from a wide range of common hard- and software samplers and that they can be edited with a number of innovative modulation possibilities. I also like the advantage that inside a program that contains a set of different samples, each sample can have its own and individual envelope, filter and modulation setting. Furthermore the absolutely intuitive work in HALion is a big advantage. Everything you want is availible (and much more) and can be found exactly where it's supposed to be. A manual is as good as unnecessary.

Tobi:
How do you like using HALion, especially compared with using a hardware sampler?

Pete:
HALion's usage is much easier. You don't have to do your editing on tiny "mouse-screens" like on a hardware sampler. The time-saving workflow is enormous and and you'll miss nothing (even from my fastidious point of view). Not to mention the tremendous sound-manipulation possibilities that you have with various sound-editing programs on PC and Mac. Just drag-and-drop the edited files in the HALion Keyzone-Editor and you can use them immediately in your production. Besides that there is no limit in terms of the sample size. The samples can be streamed directly from hard disk and are not loaded resident into RAM which means that you are not limited to your RAM size.

Tobi:
You are producing a lot of music. Have you used the beta version of HALion in any of your current productions?

Pete:
Yes, I produced 2 tracks using HALion for my new record "Silence V" with huge samples and weird effects. HALion is simply a dream. The thing that amazed me the most was that HALion didn't crash a single time and I had no trouble with the beta version. I had some small suggestions for the version and guess what: They have been implemented already! The enthusiasm on the beta-list and the response of the developers is great! A big praise to Charlie Steinberg and his developer-team.

Have fun and create !