Steinberg has announced Hypersonic 2. Featuring 1.7 GB of sounds, 1800 factory presets, and four sound generation engines , Hypersonic 2 will be available this month.

“This update extends the strengths of the Hypersonic concept considerably by adding even more quality sounds and more creative potential while still being exceedingly resource-efficient,” comments Helge Vogt, Steinberg’s Product Manager for Virtual Instruments.

Combining the best of Steinberg’s sound generation technology with sample content, Hypersonic 2 features not only a 1.7 GB sound library but also four specially engineered synthesizer engines. Over 1800 factory presets offer a range of sounds that cover the full range of modern and classical instruments and sound sources including pianos and keyboards, strings and wind instruments, drums and percussion, guitars and basses, drum loops, sound FX and more.

Hypersonic 2 has been engineered to run at maximum CPU efficiency, and features a unique, lossless playback engine that provides significant performance advantages. Up to 1024-voice polyphony across a maximum of 32 outputs is available per instance, with further “under-the-hood” enhancements providing very low CPU load, RAM usage and patch loading times according to the company.

Hypersonic 2 also incorporates a range of features to aid swift editing over the enormous range of sounds included. The mixer panel provides full control for panning, output channel and FX levels per patch, while the new patch editor allows speedy access to every sound-shaping parameter. Hyperphrase — a new polyphonic arpeggiator with MIDI file import — is also included, further extending the creative options available. Hypersonic 2 also features the HyperKnobs editing concept first seen in Hypersonic 1, offering tailored controls for each patch that allow quick, effective sound tweaking for the most important parameters.

Hypersonic 2 also includes exciting new features for live keyboarders using its immense sonic palette on stage. A new live play mode allows the dynamic loading of patch sets into memory whilst another set is being played. Because the patch change can be triggered with any MIDI controller such as the Mod Wheel or any key, keyboarders playing Hypersonic 2 live can swiftly and dynamically integrate new sounds directly into their performance without even having to look at the computer screen.

Hypersonic 2 is ready for Windows XP and Mac OSX, and supports the VST, DXi and AU standards; ReWire support allows easy integration into Pro Tools software. A standalone version is also provided.

Price and availability

Hypersonic 2 will be available in November 2005 for $399/Euro 389.00. Existing Hypersonic customers can update to the new Hypersonic 2 version for $129/Euro 129.00.

More information is available at the Steinbert site.