Today Steinberg released the free X-Stream monophonic spectral synthesizer, a Windows and Mac release.
X-Stream requires the free Halion Sonic player or the paid Halion player to run.
The developer said the synth has been developed for sound design, ambient music, beat making, soundtrack work, and electronic music.
The drag-and-drop design of X-Stream allows you to turn any sample into smooth-evolving drones and textures.
Steinberg states that X-Stream “transforms your samples into a colorful spectrum of sounds.”
The synth “stretches the playback of samples, loops or even whole tracks to extreme lengths and creates ethereal, dreamy soundscapes and textures.”
Furthermore, “With tools like the new Blur and Stack, X-Stream will act like a prism, revealing shades of sound you have never heard before.”
Steinberg hosts several SoundCloud and YouTube demos on the product page for the release.
These showcase the synth both solo and in the context of an arrangement. The videos also show off the feature set and presets.
It’s certainly an interesting and novel approach to creating a synth and integrating samples.
As you can see from the video demos, there are many different potential approaches to working with X-Stream, so it’s great to be able to get it as a free release.
A lot of plugins claim to allow you to unlock new and creative approaches to making music, and this might just be one of those that actually delivers on that promise, thanks to the drag-and-drop sample transformation ability.
The official introductory video from Paul Marx is in German, but the English subtitles are accurate and are a good way of getting to grips with the design of X-Stream.
Marx contributed some of the sounds featured on X-Stream, and you can see from his introduction that there are plenty of presets to jump right in and start working with the synth.
X-Stream is compatible with VST 3, and AAX for Windows systems (64-bit only) and for VST 3, AU and AAX for Mac systems.
To access X-Stream, you’ll need to have a Steinberg ID, which requires an email address.
You’ll then need to activate the license and register the product, both of which will require an internet connection.
You can run X-Stream on the free Halion Sonic player, but if you want to go the paid route, Halion 7 is currently 50% off and is available for just €124.50.
Download: X-Stream (FREE – Steinberg ID and Halion Sonic player required)
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18 Comments
Frits van Zanten
onI went to their website, because of this, but previous this week I also went for some Halion libraries I had seen op YT. I found it all very confusing, including what versions do still work or even still exist? In the past I tried Halion, but removed it quite soon after. Unless your familiar with the Steinberg eco-system maybe, it isn’t inviting at all. I’ll pass.
Gery Zenz
on2 Versions:
Halion und Halion Sonic.
Sonic is free!
PureFire
onThanks Steve, BPB & Gery for all of the info you share, all is really helpful and is very much appreciated 🙏
Steve Charlton
onThank you, and glad it’s helpful! :)
Numanoid
onSteinberg releasing freebies, is as I understand an incentive for users to upgrade to the latest version of Halion / Halion Sonic
This is most part for the better, but sometimes for the worse. You find your previous libs in Halion Sonic needs to be authorized again, or their GUI have completely changed, which can be confusing.
Frits van Zanten
onThis kinda meets my experience. As far as I could see there’s no consistency in names and versions, you arrive at pages that seems to makes no sense, for things seem to be there but also not there ar the same time. Just went there for some library (Studio Strings) and got lost on their site. The relationship with their (?) forum also is unclear. When you want know something you have to make an account there. Et etc. In a comment above it is mentioned Sonic is free, but Sonic 3 was paid, where Sonic 3 SE was free. But Sonic 3 (SE) featured alongside Halion 6. Since we are on BPB here, Sonic is most relevant to us. I think some manufacturers focus too much on the quality of their ‘core’ software, but neglect user friendliness and the environment their product has to function in. When you want to lure in potential customers with free products you should make things complicated with dedicated software centers, making a, or sometimes even multiple accounts as if you had bought their product (for which you are willing to go some more miles to get it working). Finally, of course things are rather clear when you start with a clean sheet, but when you already have installed earlier versions installing an update/upgrade for some free plugin may make you lose all you had already.
george
onlooks great but monophonic ??!! sounds boring
TooMany
onlike if we needed another vst instrument!!
I dont know you guys but I am getting bombarded by so many “spammers” promoting their plugins and their unreal prices, some for just $1, then a week later it is $1000.
ANYONE can explain that? They are absolutely taking the piss.
NO, i am not checking on this Free one, I have enough plugins to keep me going. I don’t want to be massively spammed with all these stupid plugins, all these stupid companies promoting their fantastic plugins and bundles.
When is on sale the difference in price is so ridiculously big that you wonder if their current prices are just too high.
I have nothing against free plugins, nobody gives anything for free, there is always a catch. I dont want to find out that “catch”, I am using now what I got, I dont need anything else. My home studio is set!.
Make that phrase yours!!!
“My home studio is set”
you dont need anything else, setup your boundaries
Brenny C
onCongratulations. 👏
Raven
onHave to agree here.. the synth sounds “hooj” but thats it. Not worth the infinite installations, registrations, and multiple hoops and data breaches. LOTS of our existing synths sound huge already and honestly has anyone maxed out vital, grainbow or surgext?! I know its BPB’s job to cover ALL the news.. but i’m thinking it will be better if I just hold off on “newness” in favour of “greatness”.
That said, try to type some insane descriptions into UDIO with manual mode on and instrumental mode on, Or get free “sample to text” and get actual “completely new” movements and timbres. THATS FREE with 1 hoop.
WTF-Guy
onwhat happened to all the comments?
one second they are all here, the next only 1 comment? wtf!!
Darryl Lim
onThis has been the norm here for a couple years already, so i assume it is a bug with the site’s old code. BPB are in the process of overhauling the site, & i believe in them, that issues like these could be fixed by V2.0.
In the mean time, you just gotta delete the extra parameters in the URL, & refresh the whole page, & all comments should reappear. Do it like this:
bedroomproducersblog DOT com/2024/07/05/steinberg-x-stream/#comments
(–> remove the “/#comments”)
bedroomproducersblog DOT com/2024/07/05/steinberg-x-stream/
(–> make sure the “/” remains at the end, click on “reload page”, & everything should reappear :))
Tomislav Zlatic
onThanks, Darryl!
Tomislav Zlatic
onIt seems the server showed you an old cached version of the page without the comments. If that happens, please refresh the page to see the latest content.
We are working on a website overhaul that will fix this and some other minor issues.
Grannitus
onAs a former cubase 12 user, it was easy to install this plugin. It’s Helion (Free) and the xTREM plugin… I tried it one afternoon and that was it! Thanks Steinberg, I now know why I use Reaper or Waveform.
Greetings to a all BRṔs
Urs
onSo it’s basically a lamer version of harmor
Wing Yee
onCool Synth – thanks!
Bob
onI thought installing Syntronik Instruments was the hardest thing in the world but Steinberg now has the crown! After downloading and installing the Install Manager, then the License Manager, then the Elicenser, then Hallion Sonic, then the Synth, but obviously the wrong way because it worked once, next time Hallion was not installed? files there, plugins there, but DAW couldn’t load it? reinstall everything, same issue. Solution delete everything Steinberg and Hallion with extreme prejudice, there everything is better now! It was raining so an entertaining day really!