Steinberg Celebrates 30 Years of VST, HALion 25th

Steinberg celebrates 30 years of VST and 25 years of HALion with new product updates and an anniversary sale. The company has released HALion 7.5, which adds MPE support, real-time Decompose, and Spectral Snapshot. HALion 7.5 is free for existing users and includes six synthesis types, a high-performance sample engine, scripting, and a wide range of effects.

Classic VST instruments are returning with full VST3 compatibility, and the VST SDK update supports more MIDI 2.0 functionality. An anniversary sale running 4–24 August offers discounts up to 60% on HALion and many VST instruments, with highlighted instruments including the Backbone drum re-synthesizer, the Etude grand piano library, and the Iconica Ensembles. The Steinberg Classics Collection is featured, and several key iOS and Android mobile apps are discounted by 25%.

HALion 7.5 adds MPE support, real-time Decompose, and Spectral Snapshot as part of its feature set, reflecting the update’s focus on expressive control and spectral processing. The release includes six synthesis types and a high-performance sample engine, consolidating multiple approaches to sound generation and playback within the HALion environment. Scripting capabilities are included in HALion 7.5, enabling programmable extensions and custom workflows, and the update bundles a wide range of effects for in-instrument sound shaping and processing.

The HALion 7.5 update is offered free to existing users. The announcement does not provide further technical specifications, performance measurements, or example presets beyond the feature list. The available sources do not provide this information.

Classic VST instruments are being reintroduced with full VST3 compatibility, and Steinberg’s Classics Collection lists LM7, CS-40 and Neon synthesizers, the VB-1 bass instrument and the Karlette vintage tape delay among the titles included. The company has highlighted a selection of instruments in its anniversary promotion, including the Backbone drum re-synthesizer, the Etude grand piano library and the Iconica Ensembles. These reissued instruments are presented as part of the VST-focused anniversary activities. The announcement does not provide technical details about the compatibility process or timelines for individual instrument releases.

The VST SDK has been updated to support more MIDI 2.0 functionality, as noted in the announcement. The update is described at a feature level without specific examples of the MIDI 2.0 functions that are now supported. The available sources do not provide further technical specifications, implementation examples, or performance details for the VST SDK changes.

Steinberg’s anniversary sale runs 4–24 August and offers discounts of up to 60% on HALion and many VST instruments. The promotion highlights a selection of instruments made available at reduced prices, with the Backbone drum re-synthesizer, the Etude grand piano library and the Iconica Ensembles specifically named among featured items. The sale applies to a range of HALion products and VST titles across the company’s catalogue, and the announcement positions these discounted products alongside the company’s anniversary activities. No individual price points or per-product discount breakdowns are provided in the announcement.

The Steinberg Classics Collection is included in the anniversary offerings and lists LM7, CS-40 and Neon synthesizers, the VB-1 bass instrument and the Karlette vintage tape delay among its titles. Several key iOS and Android mobile apps are discounted by 25% during the sale period. The full sale can be browsed at Steinberg for a complete listing of discounted products and included instrument libraries. The announcement frames these promotional discounts as part of the broader celebration of the company’s VST and HALion milestones.

The anniversary sale highlights specific instrument products, naming the Backbone drum re-synthesizer, the Etude grand piano library, and the Iconica Ensembles as featured items. These products are presented within the company’s promotional offering for the anniversary period. The announcement lists these instruments among highlighted items but does not include product descriptions, technical specifications, or audio examples for any of the named titles. The available sources do not provide this information.

The Steinberg Classics Collection is also mentioned and lists LM7, CS-40, and Neon synthesizers, the VB-1 bass instrument, and the Karlette vintage tape delay among its included titles. The collection is presented as part of the reissue and anniversary activities rather than as newly developed products. The announcement does not specify whether individual Classics titles have been updated for VST3 compatibility or detail per-item discount levels. The available sources do not provide this information.

CONCLUSION

Steinberg is marking the company’s milestones of 30 years of VST and 25 years of HALion with product and platform updates. As part of the celebrations, HALion 7.5 has been released and adds MPE support, real-time Decompose and Spectral Snapshot while also including six synthesis types, a high-performance sample engine, scripting and a wide range of effects. HALion 7.5 is provided free for existing users. On the VST side, classic VST instruments are returning with full VST3 compatibility and the VST SDK has been updated to support more MIDI 2.0 functionality.

The company is running an anniversary sale from 4–24 August offering discounts of up to 60% on HALion and many VST instruments. Highlighted items in the promotion include the Backbone drum re-synthesizer, the Etude grand piano library and the Iconica Ensembles, and the Steinberg Classics Collection is featured with LM7, CS-40 and Neon synthesizers, the VB-1 bass instrument and the Karlette vintage tape delay. Several key iOS and Android mobile apps are discounted by 25% during the sale, and the full sale can be browsed at Steinberg for a complete list of discounted products.