User Manual

REGION MENU
586
“Applying a groove to beats within soundbites” on
page 670 and “Extracting a groove from audio” on
page 670.
What is a groove?
In musical terms, a groove is a unique rhythmic
feel. Many artists are famous for a certain feel—or
groove—in their music that makes their sound
unique.
Digital Performer’s Groove Quantize feature gives
you complete reign over this important aspect of
your music.
The effect of adding a groove to an otherwise
mundane track can be stunning: the music
instantly feels like it has a third dimension, and the
sensation can be similar to that moment when you
put on 3-D glasses in an old 3-D movie.
Sometimes, the effect is subtle. Often, however,
you’ll find that a groove completely transforms
music, making it sound totally different from its
original form.
The elements of a groove
To master grooves, it is important to recognize the
musical elements of a groove. A groove is generated
by variations in the timing, accent, and duration of
the notes being played. This is true for either MIDI
data or audio data. In Digital Performer, a groove
consists of a combination of the following
elements:
■ A quantize grid that affects the timing of notes
(attacks only)
■ A note-on velocity map
■ A note duration map
■ A meter
■ A length (in measures)
■ An overall beat subdivision
For example, a swing groove is usually based on a
swung 8th note beat subdivision. If it’s a hard
swing, the eighth-note offbeats may be played quite
late. The durations of the notes in such a groove
tend to be longer, and the velocities emphasize the
offbeats. The length of the groove is usually two
measures, and it is often in 4/4 time.
When you apply a groove to some MIDI data in a
track, the selected notes are modified according to
these groove parameters.
Applying a groove
To apply an existing groove:
1 Use Digital Performer’s Memory Cycle feature
to cycle playback over the region you wish to apply
the groove to.
2 Start playback.
3 Select the data you wish to apply the groove to.
Make sure that what you select is within the region
Digital Performer is currently looping. If you don’t,
you won’t be able to audition the groove before
applying it. Use any method of selection that you
prefer. You can select individual notes or an entire
region of data. The groove will be applied at the
measure boundaries of the region you select.
4 Choose Groove Quantize from the Region
menu, or press command-G.
The Groove Quantize window appears.