HALion Symphonic Orchestra is a soundbank application designed to emulate the acoustic sounds of a full orchestra. It was created by German company Steinberg, known for producing MIDI music sequencer software, software synthesizers and digital audio editing tools.
When used as a Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugin to other hosts such as Cubase, HALion Symphonic Orchestra provides high quality orchestral sounds for all four sections of the orchestra: woodwind, brass, percussion and strings.
Michael Fakesch, a Cubase veteran, produced a score for the Philips commercial Carousel using the HALion Symphonic Orchestra. The composer Tom Staples has also used HALion Symphonic Orchestra to create pieces for string quartets, and other chamber music.
Alternatives to the Steinberg Halion Symphonic Orchestra include EastWest Symphonic Orchestra and Garritan Personal Orchestra.
Steinberg recently released an update to the HALion Symphonic Orchestra, offering support for 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows, in conjunction with a light version for 32-bit users.