Operation Manual
The Steinberg Documentation Team: Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Lillie Harris, Christina Kaboth, Insa Mingers, Matthias Obrecht, Sabine Pfeifer, Benjamin Schütte, Marita Sladek Translation: Ability InterBusiness Solutions (AIBS), Moon Chen, Jérémie Dal Santo, Rosa Freitag, Josep Llodra Grimalt, Vadim Kupriianov, Filippo Manfredi, Roland Münchow, Boris Rogowski, Sergey Tamarovsky This document provides improved access for people who are blind or have low vision.
Table of Contents 4 4 5 5 5 Introduction Conventions How You Can Reach Us About the Documentation Setting Up 7 7 7 7 8 8 9 Common Editing Methods Dials and Sliders Multi Selection and Parameter Controls Buttons Value Fields Using Key Commands Presets 11 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 20 21 29 Getting Started Window Overview Agents, Kits, Multis, and Content Files Loading a Kit Pattern and Instrument Pads Browsing for MIDI Patterns and Styles Playing back Pattern Pads Converting Styles to MIDI P
Introduction Conventions In our documentation, we use typographical and markup elements to structure information. Typographical Elements The following typographical elements mark the following purposes. Prerequisite Requires you to complete an action or to fulfill a condition before starting a procedure. Procedure Lists the steps that you must take to achieve a specific result. Important Informs you about issues that might affect the system, the connected hardware, or that might bring a risk of data loss.
Introduction How You Can Reach Us Key Commands Many of the default key commands, also known as keyboard shortcuts, use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system. When key commands with modifier keys are described in this manual, they are indicated with the Windows modifier key first, followed by the macOS modifier key and the key. EXAMPLE Ctrl/Cmd - Z means: press Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on macOS, then press Z .
Introduction Setting Up Using the Instrument in an AU-Compatible Application The AU version of Groove Agent is installed in your AU plug-ins folder and lets Groove Agent work in an AU environment without any performance loss or incompatibilities. For example, to load Groove Agent as an AU instrument for Logic Pro, proceed as follows: PROCEDURE 1. Open the Track Mixer and select the instrument channel that you want to use. 2. Click in the I/O field and select AU Instruments > Steinberg > Groove Agent.
Common Editing Methods Dials and Sliders Dials and sliders can be unidirectional or bidirectional. Unidirectional values, for example, level values, start at a minimum value and go up to the maximum. Bidirectional controls start from the middle position and go to the left for negative and to the right for positive values. Most of the editing methods are the same for dials and sliders. ● To adjust a value, click a dial or a slider and drag up and down, or use the mouse wheel.
Common Editing Methods Value Fields Value Fields You can enter or edit values in the available value fields using your keyboard or mouse. To enter key ranges or the root key, for example, you can use an external MIDI keyboard. To set a value, you have the following possibilities: ● Double-click in a value field, enter a new value, and press Return . If the entered value exceeds the parameter range, it is automatically set to the maximum or the minimum value, respectively.
Common Editing Methods Presets ● To search for a specific function, enter its name in the search field at the top of the dialog and click the Start/Continue Search button. NOTE You can set up several key commands for the same function. Presets Groove Agent offers two types of presets: section/module presets and VST presets. Section and module presets store and recall the setup of a specific component on the Groove Agent panel.
Common Editing Methods Presets Saving VST Presets PROCEDURE ● In the header of the plug-in panel, click the Preset Management button next to the preset name field and select Save Preset. 10 Groove Agent 5.0.
Getting Started These sections help you to get started with Groove Agent and introduce program functions and settings. Window Overview The Groove Agent window is divided into several sections. 1 In the standalone version of Groove Agent, you find a number of additional functions in an extra section at the top of the application window. 2 If you use the plug-in in a host application, you find the plug-in functions section at the top of the window.
Getting Started Agents, Kits, Multis, and Content Files Agents, Kits, Multis, and Content Files Groove Agent comes with a variety of content that can be loaded and edited. At the top of the hierarchy, you can load kits or multis. Further down the hierarchy, you can load and edit MIDI patterns, styles, drum samples, etc. Agents Groove Agent combines the creative power of different rhythm modules: Acoustic Agent, Beat Agent, and Percussion Agent.
Getting Started Loading a Kit structure on your hard disk. You can create subfolders within this structure to facilitate moving or exchanging content. MIDI Patterns MIDI patterns contain information on notes and drum sounds and the rhythm in which they are played. Styles Styles are complex structures of multiple patterns suited to create different parts of the drum tracks, for example, main pattern, fill, ending, and intro.
Getting Started Pattern and Instrument Pads 4. In the attribute columns, specify the sound that you want to use, by selecting a musical style, sub style, etc. 5. In the results list, select a kit and double-click it or drag it onto the kit slot. RELATED LINKS Managing and Loading Files on page 36 Pattern and Instrument Pads In Groove Agent, you can edit both the sounds and the patterns that are used by your drum tracks. Instrument sounds can be accessed via the instrument pads.
Getting Started Browsing for MIDI Patterns and Styles Browsing for MIDI Patterns and Styles The Load panel allows you to browse for patterns and styles and assign them to the pattern pads. PREREQUISITE Show Pattern Pads is activated on the left. PROCEDURE 1. Depending on the file type that you want to load, select the Styles or MIDI page. 2. On the Select Content Set menu, select the content set from which you want to load a file. To browse the entire content, select All. 3.
Getting Started Converting Styles to MIDI Patterns 8. Keep the settings as they are and select different styles on the Pattern Library pop-up menu in the Pattern section to compare the sound and to find the style that you want to use. Converting Styles to MIDI Patterns If you have found an acoustic or a percussion style that you want to use on your pad, but want to edit it further in the Pattern editor, you must convert it to a MIDI pattern first.
Getting Started Creating the Different Sections of a Drum Track Creating the Different Sections of a Drum Track To create the different sections of your drum track, for example, an intro, a fill, a main part, and an ending, it is useful to start by copying the current style to other pads. And then, to modify the style for those pads. PREREQUISITE You have set up a pattern pad to play back a style. PROCEDURE 1.
Getting Started Dragging Patterns into a Project 3. Record the trigger notes at the positions in the project where you want to hear the drums. RESULT When you now play back the project, the trigger notes trigger the pattern playback. You can automate parameters like Complexity and Intensity from within the DAW. Any changes that you make to a pattern in Groove Agent are automatically reflected in all occurrences of this pattern in the project.
Getting Started Working with Multiple Agents The editor displays the correct drum names in the drum names list on the left. In the event display on the right, the MIDI notes are shown. 3. Set up the pattern by deleting or entering notes, by copying or moving notes, etc. For information about how to edit notes and controllers in the Drum Editor, refer to the Operation Manual for your Steinberg DAW.
Getting Started Recording the MIDI Output 5. Select the style Acid Jazz 01 for the pattern pad. 6. Select the main pattern and adjust the complexity to your liking. 7. Select the second kit, open the Select Style pop-up menu, navigate to the Complements folder, and select a style from the Acid Jazz 01 folder. The instrument sounds for this kit are received on MIDI channel 2. RESULT Now, the pattern pads for Acoustic Agent and Percussion Agent trigger matching styles.
Getting Started Note Repeat 4. Record-enable the tracks. 5. If you have not recorded trigger notes in the DAW, select the patterns that you want to use for the kits on the Pattern page and activate Follow Transport in the kit slot section. 6. In the DAW, activate recording. RESULT The MIDI output of the kits is recorded on the tracks for which Groove Agent is selected as MIDI input. NOTE Under VST2 hosts, the kits send their events only to the first MIDI output port.
Getting Started Note Repeat Sync If Sync is activated, the repeat notes always start on the next valid note position, depending on the current song position. If Sync is deactivated, the note repeat starts immediately, even if the note is not played on the beat. Mono By default, Note Repeat works on all instruments that you trigger simultaneously, which means that if you play two notes, both are repeated. If Mono is activated, only the last note that was played is repeated.
Getting Started Note Repeat trigger note. For example, if a phrase contains 3 steps with the velocity values 127, 64, and 1, and you trigger the phrase using a note with the velocity 127, the output velocity of the 3 steps is 127, 64, and 1. However, if you trigger the phrase with a velocity of 64, the output velocity of the 3 steps is scaled, and you get 64, 32, and 1.
Getting Started Note Repeat MIDI Controller If the pitch modulation curve is displayed, this pop-up menu allows you to select the MIDI controller that is used for pitch modulation. If you want to use the pitch curve to modulate the pitch of your samples, open the Pitch page for the corresponding pad and select the same MIDI controller on the MIDI Controller pop-up menu. Swing Shifts the timing of notes on even-numbered beats. This way, the pattern gets a swing feeling.
Getting Started Note Repeat Performing Simple Note Repeats You can create note repeats for a particular drum sound, and specify the interval in which the notes are repeated. PREREQUISITE ● A MIDI keyboard is connected to your computer and set up correctly. ● You have loaded a kit into the first kit slot. PROCEDURE 1. Open the Perform page in the edit display. 2. Set Trigger Source to Keys. This way, you can trigger the note repeats using the keys on your MIDI keyboard.
Getting Started Note Repeat Activating Steps A phrase can contain up to 32 steps. Only the steps that are activated are played. ● To activate a step, click its On/Off button below the display. ● To activate all steps, right-click in the step display and select Enable All Steps from the context menu. Setting the Velocity for the Steps The height of a step represents its velocity value.
Getting Started Note Repeat NOTE Note Repeat variation trigger notes have a higher priority than normal instrument notes, which means that if they share the same key, you cannot play the instrument on that key. 3. Activate the first variation button. 4. Specify the trigger note in the field below the button. The corresponding instrument pad displays a repeat icon. 5. Activate the phrase player by clicking the Phrase On/Off button. 6.
Getting Started Note Repeat Note Repeat Variations and Sync to Beat ● If Sync to Beat is activated, the repeated notes always start at the next valid position. If you play a legato to switch between two variations, the repeat phrase is not restarted, but continues from the current beat position. ● If Sync to Beat is deactivated, the note repeat starts immediately, even if the note is not played on the beat. Phrases are always restarted from the beginning.
Getting Started Decompose Recording Patterns on Pattern Pads Notes generated by Note Repeat can be used to record complex patterns directly on the pattern pads in Groove Agent. PROCEDURE 1. Load a kit in the first kit slot. 2. Activate and configure the Note Repeat parameters for that slot. 3. Select an empty pattern pad and click the Record button. 4. Click the Play button. Recording starts. 5. Play your instruments and add note repeats.
Getting Started Decompose Decomposing Samples The Decompose function separates the noise and the tonal components of a sample and allows you to save these components separately as new samples. PREREQUISITE ● The instrument pads are shown in the pad section. ● You have loaded the sample that you want to decompose and opened the Decompose tab. PROCEDURE 1. Optional: On the Main tab, click Prelisten. You can now play back the two components separately by using the corresponding Solo buttons. 2.
Getting Started Decompose 3. Drag the samples on the instrument pads. By layering two components from different original samples on one pad, you can play them together. 4. Play back the pad. 5. Experiment with different combinations. AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK When you found the combination that you want to use, you can edit the samples further on the Sample tab, for example.
Getting Started Decompose Cutoff Allows you to define the upper limit of the range in which Groove Agent searches for partials. Any signals above the Cutoff frequency are considered to be noise, regardless of the Sensitivity or Duration settings. Duration Allows you to specify the minimum length for a partial. Signals that are shorter than the value specified here are automatically considered to be noise, longer signals are considered to be part of the tonal component.
Managing Your Sounds The following sections describe how to load, save, and manage the different kinds of sound files in Groove Agent. Loading Kits You need at least one kit to produce a sound with Groove Agent. There are several ways to load kits: ● Via drag & drop from the Kits page or the Browser page in the Load panel onto the kit slot or the kit rack. ● Via drag & drop from the File Explorer/macOS Finder or the MediaBay of your Steinberg DAW. ● Via the context menu in the kit rack.
Managing Your Sounds Kit Rack Velocity Curve Sets the velocity response curve of the kit. This allows you to adapt the kit to your hardware MIDI controller or playing style. Follow Transport If Follow Transport is activated, you can use the transport functions in the DAW to start and stop playback both in the DAW and in Groove Agent. This allows you to record an audio track in your host application while Groove Agent plays the drums, for example.
Managing Your Sounds Kit Context Menu Kit Context Menu Load Kit Allows you to load a kit. Load Kit With Patterns Allows you to load a kit with its MIDI patterns or its styles, if any. Load Pattern Group Allows you to load a predefined set of MIDI file assignments and play parameter settings for the 16 pads of the selected group. Save Pattern Group Allows you to save the 16 pads of the current group and their settings as a pattern group. Delete Pattern Group Allows you to delete a pattern group.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Copy Kit Copies the kit and its patterns. Paste Kit Pastes the copied kit into the slot. If the slot already contains a kit, it is replaced. Rename Kit Allows you to rename the kit. Reset Agent Loads the Init preset of the agent. Import (Beat Agent only) Allows you to import MPC and GAK files into Beat Agent kits. Export Kit With Samples (Beat Agent only) Exports the Beat Agent kit together with its associated samples.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files In the top section of the page, you specify which sounds to look for. The lower section presents the corresponding results. ● To adjust the size of the two sections, drag the divider at the top of the results list. Managing Files via the Kits, Instruments, Styles, and MIDI Pages The Kits, Instruments, Styles, and MIDI pages are based on Steinberg’s MediaBay technology. These pages give you access to the available kits, MIDI patterns, styles, etc.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files ● The Styles page gives you access to the styles. The factory styles are created for Acoustic Agent kits and are usually loaded and used in the Style Player. Furthermore, content from Content Sets such as “Nashville” and “Simon Phillips Studio Drums”, make use of the style player. You can also load styles in Beat Agent. However, in this case, make sure to map the instruments correctly to the instrument pads.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Rescan Disk Rescans the disk. Click this button if you added or removed files on your hard disk, for example. Set up Result Columns Allows you to select which attribute columns to display in the results list. Results Counter Displays the number of files that match the filter criteria. To stop an active scanning process, click in the value field.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Assigning General MIDI Program Change Numbers to Sounds Assigning General MIDI program change numbers to sounds allows you to use MIDI program change messages to load the sounds into the slot of the corresponding MIDI channel. PROCEDURE 1. In the Load section, select the Kits, Styles, or MIDI page and click Set up Result Columns on the title bar of the lower section. 2. Select Musical > GM Sound. 3.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Play Position The play position indicator shows the playback position within the focused file. To select another position for playback, click on the slider or drag the handle. For styles, the following additional controls are available: Style Part Allows you to select a part of the style, such as intro, fill, ending, etc. Complexity/Variation ● If the Main part of the style is selected, you can select a complexity.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Prelisten in Place Activates prelistening of the selected instrument. This allows you to listen to the instrument in the context of a running style or pattern. Click the triangle above the button to select a prelisten option. ● If Always is selected, selecting an instrument in the results list always triggers the instrument.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Editing Attributes Presets can be described by using a predefined set of attributes. PROCEDURE 1. In the New Preset Attributes section of the Save dialog, click in the field of the attribute value that you want to set. Depending on the attribute, a menu or a dialog opens. 2. Select a value. Attribute values are written into the corresponding preset files.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files NOTE Samples can only be loaded for Beat Agent kits. ● MIDI files. ● Multis and kits. Path Section ● To step through the recent locations, click the Previous Browse Location/Next Browse Location buttons. ● To navigate to the folder one level up in the location tree, click the Browse Containing Folder button. ● The path to the current position in the hierarchy is shown on the right. To navigate to one of these folders, click its name.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Show in Explorer (Win)/Reveal in Finder (Mac) Shows the location of the selected file on your system. Locations You can save folders or directories on your system as favorite locations for quick access. The text field above the tree shows the name of the selected folder. If the name is preceded by an asterisk, the folder has not been saved as a location yet. Managing Locations ● To open the list of favorite locations, click in the text field.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Sound Component Filter When you want to edit or use your tonal or noise samples, you can filter the results list to show only these samples. On the toolbar, click Filter by Sound Component and select an option from the pop-up menu. Show All Files If this option is selected, the results list is not filtered. Show Tonal Components Displays only the samples containing the tonal component. Those samples have the extension “_tonal”.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files ● For MIDI files, the original tempo, signature, and length are shown, as they are saved in the file. ● For styles, the signature and length are shown. ● For samples, the length, channels, bit depth, and sample rate are shown. If available, root key, key, and velocity range are also shown. Prelisten Section for MIDI Patterns and Styles The Prelisten section below the results list allows you to listen to the selected MIDI pattern or style.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Prelisten Section for Samples The Prelisten section below the results list allows you to listen to the selected sample. Level Adjusts the playback level. Play Plays back the focused file. Stop Stops playback. The playback cursor jumps back to the start of the file. Pause Pauses playback. Click again to resume playback. Prelisten in Place Activates prelistening of the selected sample. Click the triangle above the button to select a prelisten option.
Managing Your Sounds Managing and Loading Files Loading Files ● To load the sample that is focused in the results list into the selected instrument pad, use the key commands Return or L , or double-click the file. ● To load a kit, drag it from the results list to the kit slot, the kit rack, or onto a pad. NOTE This replaces the current samples and resets the sound settings. Some file types are not supported. In this case, an icon is displayed to indicate that the file cannot be loaded.
Working With Pads Groove Agent features two different types of pads: instrument pads and pattern pads. Instrument pads are used to trigger samples. Pattern pads trigger MIDI drum patterns or styles. Instrument and pattern pads have multiple functions and can show various information about the pads. Some pad functions are only available for specific agents. If this is the case, this is clearly stated. The pad section on the left can show the instrument pads or the pattern pads.
Working With Pads Renaming Pads Pads Pattern pads trigger MIDI drum patterns or styles. Instrument pads trigger samples. ● Pads show the associated MIDI note in the top right corner. For pattern pads, you can change the MIDI note assignment. For instrument pads, you can only change this if Use Hardware Controller Mapping is activated. ● In the lower section, the name of the pad is displayed. ● If samples are assigned to an instrument pad, the LED above the pad lights up.
Working With Pads Using Different MIDI Channels/Ports for Instrument Pads and Pattern Pads NOTE You can set up different pad names for the individual kit slots if Global mode is not activated for the pattern pads. Using Different MIDI Channels/Ports for Instrument Pads and Pattern Pads By default, instrument and pattern pads share the same MIDI port.
Working With Pads Instrument Pads Instrument Pads Instrument pads are used to trigger samples. Each pad is mapped to a MIDI note, which can trigger a sample. If samples are assigned to a pad, the LED above the pad lights up. You can trigger the pads with different velocities. Click in the lower section of a pad for lower velocities and at the top of the pad for higher velocities. Mute To mute an instrument pad, click the Mute icon in the upper left corner of the pad. Click again to unmute.
Working With Pads Instrument Pads Instrument Pad Context Menu The context menu contains functions and settings for the instrument pads. Load Instrument (Beat Agent only) Allows you to load an instrument that you saved for a pad. Save Instrument (Beat Agent only) Allows you to save the current pad with its samples and settings as instrument. The created instruments are available on the Instruments tab on the Load panel. Rename Pad Allows you to rename the pad.
Working With Pads Instrument Pads Copy Pad Copies the settings of the pad to the clipboard. Paste Pad Allows you to paste the pad settings from the clipboard to another instrument pad. Select All Pads Selects all 128 pads. Select All Pads in Group Selects all 16 pads of the pad group. Invert Selection Inverts the selection for all pads, that is, all unselected pads become selected and vice versa.
Working With Pads Instrument Pads Assigned trigger notes are shown on the Trigger Notes submenu of the context menu. Assigning Multiple Trigger Notes to an Instrument Pad Some hardware drum controller instruments, like crash cymbals, provide several zones. These zones are sending different MIDI notes, in order to play different articulations. If a drum kit comes with a sample mapping that contains all articulations on dedicated instrument pads, each instrument pad only requires one specific trigger note.
Working With Pads Instrument Pads Pad Mode Pad Mode determines to which pad the settings on the MIDI FX page are applied. Internal In Internal mode, the MIDI effects are applied to the samples on the selected pad. Remote In Remote mode, you can select to which destination pad you want to apply the MIDI effects. This allows you to trigger an instrument with and without MIDI effects, for example. NOTE ● If the destination pad also contains MIDI effects, these are not taken into account.
Working With Pads Instrument Pads ● Flam plays two hits very close together. ● Drag plays three hits very close together. ● Ruff plays four hits very close together. ● Roll continually plays drum hits to produce a sustaining drum sound. ● Buzz emulates the effect of a drummer pressing the stick into the drum while hitting it. The stick bounces on the drum, producing multiple hits that sound like a decaying drum roll.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Time Adjusts the time span between the echoes. Note Value If Sync is activated, this parameter adjusts the time span in fractions of beats. Repeats Determines the maximum number of echoes. Damping Determines whether the echoes fade in or fade out with the MIDI velocity. If you set this parameter to negative values, the MIDI velocity gradually increases. If you set this parameter to positive values, the MIDI velocity gradually decreases.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads patterns are currently running and at which playing position, relative to the length of the pattern. This can be particularly helpful when Toggle is selected on the Play Mode pop-up menu, because it provides a quick overview of the patterns that will be stopped and those that will be triggered. Assigning MIDI Patterns or Styles to Pads You can assign MIDI patterns or styles to pads from various locations, by double-clicking, by using drag and drop or via the Load dialogs.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads 2. Drop the files. RESULT The files are imported to your user library and are automatically assigned to the pads. Pattern Pad Context Menu The context menu contains functions and settings for the pattern pads. Rename Pad Allows you to rename the pad. Set Color Allows you to select one of the 16 available colors for the pad.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Invert Selection Inverts the selection for all pads, that is, all unselected pads become selected and vice versa. Reset Pad Removes the MIDI file and the name from the pad and resets color and trigger note settings to the default values. Reset All Pads Removes the MIDI file and the name from all pads and resets their color and trigger note settings to the default values. Remove Patterns Removes all patterns and styles.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Playing Patterns Using the Transport Controls In individual mode, each kit has its own transport controls. PROCEDURE 1. Select a pattern pad for one kit slot and press Play. Only this pattern is played back. 2. Switch to another slot, select a pad, and press Play. The second kit slot starts to play. If Sync to Beat is activated, playback starts based on the current playback position. 3. If you now press Stop, playback only stops for the current kit slot.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Locking Pad Settings Locking the pad settings is useful if Global mode is activated for the pattern pads and you want to keep the current pad settings for one kit slot, for example. If the pad settings are not locked and you load a new kit, pad settings that are saved in the kit preset, such as Exclusive, Play Mode, pad color, etc. overwrite the existing pad settings. NOTE Inactive pads saved in the kit preset do not overwrite any existing pad settings.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Agent Page The Agent page allows you to select and set up the patterns or styles that are played by the pattern pads. With the two buttons at the top, you can select whether you want to use the MIDI Player or the Style Player. The MIDI Player allows you to play and modify one pattern. The Style Player offers a variety of patterns, suited to create the different parts of your drum tracks, for example. Both players offer you a range of playback functions and settings.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads You can import multiple MIDI files at the same time. The first file is assigned to the selected pad. Load MIDI Pattern Allows you to load a MIDI pattern. NOTE Pattern pads always contain the MIDI data and do not reference the original MIDI files. You can also load a pattern by dragging it from the Load panel onto the Load MIDI Pattern field. If you drag a style file onto the field, the Agent page automatically switches to the Style Player.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Gate Scale Allows you to shorten or lengthen the notes of the pattern. At a value of 100 %, the notes play with their original gate length. NOTE Gate Scale has no effect on samples that are played in One Shot mode. They always sound until the end. Velocity Scale Raises or lowers the note-on velocities of the pattern. At a value of 100 %, the notes are played with their original velocity. Tempo Scale Defines the speed at which the pattern is running.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads NOTE If you want to use Beat Agent kits with the Style Player, make sure to use a GM instrument mapping, such as is used in the Acoustic Agent kits, for example. Mute Pattern Mutes the current pattern. Load Style Allows you to load a style. You can also load a style by dragging it from the Load section onto the Load Style field. If you drag a MIDI pattern file onto the field, the Agent page automatically switches to the MIDI Player.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads NOTE The Complexity parameter is only available for main and halftime patterns, not for intros, fills, and endings. Intensity The intensity is controlled via the y-axis of the x/y control of the Style Player. All patterns support the Intensity parameter. The patterns play with their original velocity at the top position of the y-axis. Decreasing the intensity means decreasing the velocity.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Break The fills from the style player do not have to cover an entire bar. For example, a fill might cover only the last two beats of a bar. ● If you want a pause before the fill starts, activate the Break button. ● If you want the previous pattern to play up to the start of the fill, deactivate the Break button. This way, no gaps occur. If no pattern is playing when you trigger a fill, the main pattern of the style that is used by the pad is played until the fill starts.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads ● External MIDI input is not affected by this setting, that is, you can play all articulations. Ride Mode Specifies whether a pattern plays the ride cymbal with or without bell articulation. NOTE ● This setting is taken into account when you export a pattern by dragging the MIDI export field to a MIDI track in your host application. ● External MIDI input is not affected by this setting, that is, you can play all articulations.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads When converting the Main part of a style, all performance settings, such as Auto Complexity, Auto Fill, Quantize, etc. are taken into account. For example, if Auto Fill is set to 2 and the Main part is 4 bars long, the converted MIDI pattern will contain a fill on bar 2 and another one on bar 4. If Auto Fill is set to 4, only the last bar will be a fill. RESULT The style is converted into a MIDI pattern and the MIDI Player is automatically shown on the Agent page.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Quantize Adjusts the timing of the pattern, from live-played to hard-quantized timing. ● At a setting of 0 %, the pattern plays with the original timing. ● At a setting of 100 %, the timing is hard-quantized. NOTE Rudiments in the MIDI patterns are not affected by this parameter. Global Intensity Decreases the intensity for the style. Global Swing Allows you to shift the timing of notes on even-numbered beats to give the pattern a swing feeling.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Swing Adjusts the swing factor for each substyle individually. The swing grid is defined globally with the Global Swing Grid parameter. Compiling a Percussion Style You can compile a percussion style using up to eight substyles. The substyles are organized into folders according to their musical style. PREREQUISITE ● You have activated the pad that you want to use and the Style Player is activated on the Agent page.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads ● If Next is selected, playback jumps automatically to the first pad for which Standard jam state is selected and which is mapped higher up on the keyboard. If no pad with Standard jam state exists, the current pad plays back in a loop. ● If Return is selected, playback jumps back to the previous pad. Use this mode to switch from a pad with a fill back to the previous pad, for example.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads ● If Original + As Played is selected, the pattern velocity is determined by the combination of the velocity saved with the pattern and the velocity of your playing. Setting the Pattern Length Limit When you work with multiple kits in different kit slots, they each have different patterns and these patterns or styles can differ in length. In this case, the corresponding players must use different loop intervals.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads NOTE If Jam Mode is activated, Sync to Beat is automatically deactivated for exclusive pads. This way, the patterns on exclusive pads are always played on the first beat, to ensure a predictable pattern switching behavior. Jam States How the pattern pads behave in Jam Mode is defined by the Jam State parameter. This parameter is available if the Jam Mode button and the Exclusive Mode button are activated for a pattern pad.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads NOTE To activate/deactivate Jam Mode for all kit slots simultaneously, Shift -click the Jam Mode button. 4. Trigger a pad. Playback of this pad now joins the playback of the first pad at the current play position. RESULT You can now switch between the two running kit slots and switch pattern pads. Jam Mode and Follow Transport If Follow Transport is activated in the kit slot section, Groove Agent reacts to the transport commands in the DAW.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads For each kit slot, the 16 pattern pads of the selected pattern group are displayed. Cells in which a name is displayed have a pattern or style assigned. If a pattern is assigned to a pad, its background is gray. If a style is assigned, its background is dark blue. ● To activate/deactivate playback for a pad, click its Pad Active button. This allows you to mute individual pads in Global mode.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads ● Click the arrow icon on the right of a cell to open the Load dialog, select the pattern or style that you want to use and click OK. ● Open the MIDI or Styles page in the Load section, activate Auto Play, step through the list until you found the file that you want to load and double-click it. Moving and Copying Patterns and Styles The Overview page offers several possibilities to move, copy, or exchange the patterns or styles between the cells.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Pattern Editor In the Pattern editor, you can create and edit MIDI drum patterns. ● To open the Pattern editor, click the Pattern tab on the Edit page. NOTE The Pattern editor is only available for MIDI patterns, not for styles. You can convert styles to MIDI patterns on the Agent page. The editor is subdivided into several sections: ● The title bar showing the name of the current pattern at the top. ● The toolbar below the title bar.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Select All Notes Selects all notes in the Pattern editor. Clear Pattern Deletes all notes in the Pattern editor. Delete Double Notes Deletes all double notes in the Pattern editor, that is, all notes that are placed on top of other notes at the same positions. Double notes can occur when quantizing, drawing in notes, etc. Trim Pattern to Start/End Deletes all notes outside the pattern start and end markers.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Pattern Editor Toolbar The toolbar contains tools, visibility options, and settings for creating and editing your patterns in the Pattern editor. Object Selection Use this tool to select drum notes. Drumstick Use this tool to draw in individual drum notes. To remove a note, click on it. Erase Use this tool to remove drum notes. Zoom Use this tool to zoom in on the click position. Hold down Alt/Opt to zoom out. Mute Use this tool to mute individual drum notes.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Preview Notes If this button is activated, notes are played back automatically when you create or select them. Show Pad Colors If this button is activated, the notes in the editor are shown in the colors of the corresponding pads. This allows you to keep a better overview over the different instruments if you are working with sliced loops that have been classified into kick, snare, hihat, etc.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Auto Quantize If this button is activated, Groove Agent automatically quantizes the recorded notes according to either the note value set in the Q column of the instrument or, if Global Quantize is activated, according to the global quantization note value. Metronome Activates/Deactivates the metronome for live recording of MIDI events. Precount Click Activates/Deactivates a 1-bar precount for the metronome for live recording of MIDI events.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads If Snap to Grid is activated, the note end or start snaps to the grid when you change the note length. ● To move a note, drag it to another position. ● To delete a note, click it with the Erase tool. ● To cut, copy, and paste notes, use the standard key commands. Notes are pasted at the cursor position. ● To duplicate notes, select them and press Ctrl/Cmd -[D]. Duplicated notes are inserted after the last note of the selection, according to the set grid.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Trimming Patterns If you edit a pattern by changing its length, you can remove the notes and controllers that are no longer part of the pattern. PROCEDURE 1. Set up the pattern start and end to encompass the range that you want to use for the pattern. 2. Right-click in the column header section of the drum sounds list, and select Trim Pattern to Start/End. RESULT All events outside the pattern start and end borders are removed.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads This makes the samples available for pitch modulation in the Pattern editor. 2. In the Pattern editor, open the controller lane pop-up menu and select the MIDI controller that you selected for the pad. 3. Draw in controller data to modulate the pitch of the samples. At a value of 65, the sample is played back without changes. Values above 65 increase the pitch, and values below 65 lower the pitch.
Working With Pads Pattern Pads Scale Around Absolute Center If you click in the middle right border of the editor, you can scale the curve absolute to its center. This allows you to raise or lower the event values horizontally around the center of the editor. Scale Around Relative Center If you Alt/Opt -click in the middle right border of the editor, you can scale the curve relative to its center. This allows you to raise or lower the event values horizontally around the center of the editor.
Beat Agent Beat Agent is a full beat production instrument with all the tools and sounds to create amazing beats for any electronic or urban music genre. Many amazing sounding drum kits are included, alongside all the advanced features that you need to edit existing kits and create your own ones. Beat Agent also excels in manipulating samples and loops, with features like automatic loop slicing, one-click drum hit replacement, an onboard FX rack and much, much more.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing NOTE Relative changes can be made for all parameters that can be adjusted continuously. Changes of parameters that select one of multiple modes or switch between two states are always absolute. RELATED LINKS Multi Selection and Parameter Controls on page 7 Showing Information About the Pads Below the pads in the pad section, you can find two buttons that allow you to show more information on the instrument pads. Show Pad Info Activate Show Pad Info output on the pads.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing NOTE This button is only available if Edit Selected Samples or Pads is set to SEL. Assigning Samples to Pads You can assign samples to pads by using drag and drop, replace existing samples using the mapping view context menu, or add samples to pads using the Browser. You can drag one or more samples from the File Explorer/macOS Finder and from your host application onto Groove Agent. Samples can be mapped to the same pad, or to different pads.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing If Groove Agent cannot supply a sufficient number of free pads for the number of dropped samples, a dialog is displayed, allowing you to proceed or cancel the operation. If pads already contained samples, these are replaced. RELATED LINKS Mapping View on page 95 Moving and Copying Samples between Pads You can be move and copy samples between pads, and even between different pad groups, using drag and drop.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Removing Samples From Pads ● To remove a sample from a pad, right-click it and select Remove Sample from the context menu. ● To remove all samples of a pad, right-click one of the samples and select Remove Selected Samples. NOTE If the PAD/SEL button is set to PAD, you cannot select individual samples and Remove Selected Samples removes all samples of the pad.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing 3. Optional: Use the Prelisten controls below the results list to listen to the instruments. This helps you to find the instrument that works best in your current context. 4. When you have found the instrument that you want to use, double-click it or drag it onto the instrument pad. NOTE You can also load instruments via the pad context menu. Mapping View The mapping view shows the sample mapping of the selected pad.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Editing the Mapping of a Pad A pad can contain up to 32 samples. ● You can add samples by dropping them onto the mapping view. They can be inserted between two other samples, behind the last sample, or in front of the first sample. This is indicated by a red insert line. ● To replace a sample, drag a new sample onto an existing sample. Which sample will be replaced is indicated by a red frame. ● To change the order of the samples, drag them to a new position.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Replace Sample Allows you to replace the focused sample. Cut Samples Cuts the selected samples to the clipboard. Copy Samples Copies the selected samples to the clipboard. Paste Samples Pastes the samples from the clipboard to the focused pad. The pasted samples are inserted after the selected sample on the destination pad. All samples are evenly distributed over the velocity range.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● In Random Exclusive mode, samples are played randomly, but repetitions are not allowed. Poly Sets the maximum polyphony of a pad. For example, if this is set to 4, you can trigger a pad 4 times before notes are stolen. NOTE The polyphony value represents the number of notes that can sound simultaneously, therefore triggering layered samples on a pad may lead to a much higher number of actual sample voices.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing NOTE Samples that are routed to an output that is deactivated in your host application are automatically sent to the Master output of the plug-in. ● One of the AUX channels. This allows you to create sub groups, for example. NOTE These outputs can all contain insert effects. Playback Quality Sets the quality. ● Standard: Select this mode to play back the samples with their original bit depth and sample rate.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● BR12 + LP6 and BR12 + LP12 are combinations of a band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 6 and 12 dB/oct, respectively. Frequencies around and above the cutoff are attenuated. ● BP12 + BR12 is a band-pass filter with 12 dB/oct plus a band-reject filter with 12 dB/ oct. Frequencies below, above, and around the cutoff are attenuated.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Selecting Nodes CHOICES ● To select a node, click on it in the graphical editor. The focused node is indicated by a frame. The value fields above the graphical envelope editor display the parameters of the focused node. ● If multiple nodes are selected, you can use the Selected Node value field on the toolbar to set the focus to a different node without losing the current selection. ● To add a node to a selection, Shift -click the node.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Ctrl/Cmd -click a curve to reset it to linear. Adding and Removing Nodes CHOICES ● To add a node, double-click at the position where you want to add the node. ● To remove a node, double-click it. ● To delete several selected nodes, press Delete . NOTE ● You cannot remove the first, the last, or the sustain node. ● All nodes added after the sustain node always affect the release phase of the envelope.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing NOTE ● Envelope nodes that do not exactly match a note value display the closest note value. ● Nodes that exactly match a note value are indicated by a red dot inside the handle of the node. This is useful if you switch the grid between triplets and normal note values, for example. The triplet nodes still indicate that they match a note value, even if the grid shows normal note values. You can also enter note values and triplets manually in the value field.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Pitch Tab On the Pitch tab, you can set up the pitch envelope. Polarity You can switch the pitch envelope from unipolar to bipolar. If the Polarity button is activated, the envelope is bipolar, which means that you can modulate the pitch of the sample in two directions, higher or lower than the original pitch. If the Polarity button is deactivated, the envelope cannot be set to values below the original pitch.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing The level of the envelope depends on two factors: the setting of this parameter and how hard you hit a key. Positive values increase the level of the envelope the harder you hit a key. Negative values decrease the level of the envelope the harder you hit a key. Time Velocity Adjusts the influence of velocity on the phases of the envelope. Positive values decrease the length of the phases for higher velocity values.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● If Fixed Pitch is activated, the sample is played with its original pitch on all the pads in the key range. ● If Fixed Pitch is deactivated, the sample is played chromatically within the key range. RESULT The samples are mapped to the pads. An icon with two notes indicates which pads play a chromatically mapped sample.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● HP24, 18, 12, and 6 are high-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct. Frequencies below the cutoff are attenuated. ● BR12 and BR24 are band-reject filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct. Frequencies around the cutoff are attenuated. ● BR12 + LP6 and BR12 + LP12 are combinations of a band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 6 and 12 dB/oct, respectively. Frequencies around and above the cutoff are attenuated.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● All – The velocity affects all phases. Level Velocity Curve You can select the curve type to specify how the incoming velocity translates to the level of the envelope. The characteristic of each curve is displayed by a small icon. RELATED LINKS Editing Envelopes on page 100 Amp Tab Volume Sets the level of the sample. Pan Sets the position of the sample in the stereo panorama.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● All – The velocity affects all phases. Level Velocity Curve You can select the curve type to specify how the incoming velocity translates to the level of the envelope. The characteristic of each curve is displayed by a small icon. Output The output to which the samples are routed. The following outputs are available: ● The Kit Mix. ● One of the 16 Agent mixer channels. ● One of the 16 stereo output busses of the plug-in.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Toolbar The toolbar contains different tools for editing sample markers, loop markers, and slices. Play Sample Plays back the raw sample. Play Selection Looped Activate this button to play back the selection in a loop. Auto-Scroll If this button is activated, the waveform display is scrolled during playback, keeping the playback cursor visible. Follow Sample Playback Activate this button to see a playback cursor when triggering a sample via MIDI.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Trim Sample Trims the sample, either to the selection or to the range that is set with the sample start/end markers. Normalize Sample Normalizes the sample by detecting the highest peak level in the sample and adjusting the gain to reach a predefined level. Normalize Level Sets the level for the Normalize Sample function. Revert to Full Sample Undoes the trimming, so that the entire sample is restored.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● To select whether the level is shown as a percentage or in dB, click the level scale label at the top (dB or %), and select an option from the pop-up menu. ● To display the half level axis, right-click in the waveform display and select the corresponding option on the context menu. Parameter Section Velocity Start Range Determines the influence of the velocity on the sample start.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Link Sample Start and End If this button is activated, moving the sample start also moves the sample end, and vice versa. Loop Start Specifies where the loop begins. You can enter a value numerically or move the start marker in the waveform display. Loop End Specifies where the loop ends. You can enter a value numerically or move the end marker in the waveform display.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing considerably more CPU time than Solo mode. Note that the more the sample is stretched, the higher the CPU load. ● Select Off to deactivate the AudioWarp functions. Sync Mode The Sync modes are used to match the playback speed of the sample to the tempo of the host application. ● If this is set to Off, you can specify the playback speed manually, in percent.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Sample End Defines where the sample stops playing. Audio after this marker is ignored. Loop Start Defines where the loop starts. Loop End Defines where the loop ends. Velocity Start Range Defines the attack phase of a sample, which can be used for the modulation of the sample start via velocity.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing View Range When changing from one sample to another, you can specify which range to show in the waveform display for the new sample. These options can be found on the View Range submenu of the waveform display context menu. Auto Follows the visible view range of the previous sample. Last Each sample stores the visible range individually. When you select a sample again, its view range is restored. Full Shows the entire sample.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● To move a selection, position the mouse pointer inside the selection and drag. Editing Selections Once you have made a selection in the Sample editor, you can edit these selections further. ● To define the sample start and end from a selection, right-click in the Sample editor, and select Selection > Set Sample Start/End to Selection. ● To define the loop from a selection, right-click in the Sample editor, and select Selection > Set Loop to Selection.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● To undo a trim operation, click the Revert to Full Sample button on the toolbar, or rightclick the sample and select Revert to Full Sample from the context menu. NOTE After undoing the trim functions, make sure to set the start/end markers to their original positions, otherwise these parts are not included in the playback. Slice Tab On the Slice tab, you can slice audio loops and automatically map the slices to instrument pads.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Parameter Section Create/Remove Slices Click this button to create slices for the selected loop. If slices exist, click this button to remove them. Slice Detection Mode The slice detection automatically sets slice markers in the sample waveform. The following modes for slice detection are available: ● Transient mode allows you to specify the minimum peak level that a transient needs to become a slice marker. ● Grid mode sets the slice markers according to a beat grid.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Automatically Classifying Drum Sounds The Slice page offers a sophisticated Classify Slices feature to analyze sliced drum loops. This function analyzes the slices and assigns them automatically to one of five basic classes: kick, snare, hihat, tom, and percussion. Each slice is assigned to the class it comes the closest to. For example, a kick drum with some hihat on top will still be assigned to the “kick” class.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing This function is available on the pad context menu and on the context menu for the slice classes in the classifier section. ● Right-click a pad in the pad section and select Select Pads of Same Class on the context menu. ● On the Slice tab, right-click the classifier section of a slice that has the right drum class and select Select Pads of Same Class on the context menu. RESULT All pads of the current sliced loop that contain slices of the same class are selected.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Decompose Tab On the Decompose tab, you can separate the tonal from the noise component of a sample, for example, the harmonic tonal part of a tom sample from the attack part, where the stick hits the drum head. This allows you to mix the noise and tonal components of a sample differently, or to create new sounds by exchanging the noise component within a sample with the noise component of another sample.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Scrub Tool If this tool is selected, you can click in the waveform and drag sideways to play back the audio. The playback direction and speed depend on how fast and how far you move the mouse left or right from the position where you clicked. Snap If this button is activated, the selection start and end points and markers snap to other markers.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Main Tab Sensitivity Specifies the relative level difference between signal partials and the noise floor. For a partial to be considered part of the tonal component of the sample, it requires the difference in level specified with this parameter. Cutoff Allows you to limit the range in which Groove Agent searches for partials. Any signals above the Cutoff frequency are considered to be noise, regardless of the Sensitivity or Duration settings.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing write-protected VST Sound container, you can specify an alternative destination folder on the Options tab. In the Custom Sample Folder section, you specify the location for samples that are created from unprotected source samples, and in the Library Sample Folder section, you specify the location for samples that are created from write-protected VST Sound containers. As Source Activate As Source to save the created samples in the same folder as the original sample.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Waveform Display During recording, the waveform display shows the sample waveform. When recording is stopped, it shows the sample that was created. If nothing has been recorded yet, the waveform display shows the waveform of the sample zone that is selected in the mapping view. The ruler above the display can be switched between Beats, Seconds, and Samples. Main Tab Record/Record Enable The behavior of this button depends on the Record Start Trigger setting.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing Sample Mode Determines whether you can make a single recording or record multiple samples. ● In Single mode, you can only record one sample. ● In Auto-Next mode, you can record multiple samples in a row. This is particularly useful when working with the Audio Threshold, MIDI Note-On, and MIDI NoteOff modes.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing If Trigger – Start is set to MIDI Note-On, recording stops when the corresponding MIDI note-off is received on the specified channel and port. NOTE Only this specific note-off event stops the recording. Any other MIDI notes can be played and the resulting audio will be recorded. If Trigger – Start is set to a setting other than MIDI Note-On, recording stops when a MIDI note-off event is received on the specified port.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing EXAMPLE Recording With an Audio Threshold and Pre/Post Record Set Auto Trim to Off, specify an audio threshold for both the start and the stop trigger for the recording, and activate and set up Pre/Post Record. Now, click the Record/Record Enable button to enable recording and play a note on your instrument. As soon as the signal exceeds the Start threshold, recording starts and when the audio level falls below the Stop threshold, it ends.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing ● You can modify the naming scheme by cutting, copying, and pasting in the text field. The resulting name is displayed as an example above the text field. NOTE To avoid duplicate file names, a continuous counter is automatically added to the file name. Monitoring the Input Signal The Sample Recorder can play back the input signal. This is useful if you have routed an audio track from the DAW to the side-chain input of Groove Agent.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing RESULT Groove Agent creates a sample for each audio event on the track and maps them to the corresponding pads. Recording the Output of Another Plug-in Recording the output of another plug-in allows you to save the sounds that you created with other plug-ins, software or hardware, exactly the way that you set them up. This can be particularly useful if a plug-in does not allow you to create presets, for example.
Beat Agent Beat Agent Sound Editing 2. Open the Record tab. 3. In the plug-in header of Groove Agent, activate the Activate Side-Chain button. 4. In the DAW, route the output of the audio track that contains the drum loop to the side-chain input of Groove Agent. Alternatively, you can also add a send on the mixer channel of the audio track and route it to the side-chain input of Groove Agent. 5. On the Record tab in Groove Agent, set Trigger – Start and Trigger – Stop to MIDI NoteOn.
Beat Agent Importing and Exporting Files 5. Now play your guitar, or record various drum sounds, for example. 6. When you are done, click the Record/Record Enable button again to deactivate recordenable. RESULT As soon as the signal exceeds the Start threshold, recording starts, and when the audio level falls below the Stop threshold, it ends.
Beat Agent Importing and Exporting Files free the necessary pads. As soon as enough pads are available, the slices that could not be mapped are automatically added. NOTE If you import a REX file, the Slice Mode in the slice editor is automatically set to Manual, to preserve the slice markers specified in the REX file. Note, however, that in some cases, the slices saved in a REX file may not represent a useful audio loop.
Beat Agent Importing and Exporting Files Each sample or folder that is resolved this way disappears from the Missing Files list. Favorite Search Paths If a path might be helpful for future searches, you can add it to the search path list. The next time the dialog opens, it allows you to select one or multiple predefined paths to specify which places to include in the search. ● To add a path, click the + sign.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent is a next-generation virtual acoustic drummer that offers first-class drum sounds and an integrated player that creates the perfect accompaniment for your songs. The style player can conjure different grooves in a wealth of genres including Blues, Punk, Hip Hop, and Indie Rock – perfect for any contemporary music style. And you retain full control, both over intensity and complexity of the style player’s drumming and over the sound, thanks to the included Agent mixer.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing 24 Bit and 16 Bit Sample Versions All Acoustic Agent and Percussion Agent kits come with dedicated samples in 16 and 24 bit. The 24 bit versions have the better audio quality at the cost of longer loading times and higher RAM usage. The 16 bit versions load faster and utilize less RAM at the cost of a lower audio quality. You can set up which samples are loaded by default with the Load Preference setting on the Options page.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing Kick Drums Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Bleed Adjusts how much the kick drum bleeds into the snare bottom microphone. Tune Adjusts the pitch. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope. Hold Adjusts the hold time of the amplifier envelope. Turn the control all the way to the right to play the entire sample. Decay Adjusts the decay time of the amplifier envelope.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing Tune Adjusts the pitch. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope. Hold Adjusts the hold time of the amplifier envelope. Turn the control all the way to the right to play the entire sample. Decay Adjusts the decay time of the amplifier envelope. Snare A/B Each kit allows you to choose between two alternative snare drums. Click the buttons to switch between snare A and B. Toms Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing Tambourine Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope. Hold Adjusts the hold time of the amplifier envelope. Turn the control all the way to the right to play the entire sample. Decay Adjusts the decay time of the amplifier envelope. Claps Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing Ride Cymbal You can play the ride cymbal with the shoulder of the stick on the bell of the cymbal, with the tip of the stick on the bow of the cymbal, or you can hit the cymbal on the edge for a crash sound. Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Bow Adjusts the level of the Bow articulation that is triggered with D#2.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing The Kit Kick Drum Articulation For the kick drum, you can choose between four different beater articulations. The sound of the felt beaters is softer and with the wood beaters, the kick is more pronounced. Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Tune Adjusts the pitch. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope. Hold Adjusts the hold time of the amplifier envelope.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Tune Adjusts the pitch. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope. Hold Adjusts the hold time of the amplifier envelope. Turn the control all the way to the right to play the entire sample. Decay Adjusts the decay time of the amplifier envelope. Toms Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Tune Adjusts the pitch.
Acoustic Agent Acoustic Agent Sound Editing Ride Cymbals You can play the ride cymbals with the shoulder of the stick on the bell of the cymbal, with the tip of the stick on the bow of the cymbal, or you can hit the cymbal on the edge for a crash sound. Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Overhead Level Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone. Bow Adjusts the level of the Bow articulation that is triggered with D#2.
Percussion Agent Percussion Agent specializes in instruments, grooves, and styles that feature percussive elements. Not only does this agent play perfect accompaniments to many of Acoustic Agent’s grooves, but it offers an ideal way to create your own percussion tracks from scratch in just a few clicks using the integrated style player. Over 20 percussion instruments, such as bongos, congas, shakers, tambourines, and many more, have been recorded in minute detail using multiple microphones.
Percussion Agent Percussion Agent Sound Editing 24 Bit and 16 Bit Sample Versions All Acoustic Agent and Percussion Agent kits come with dedicated samples in 16 and 24 bit. The 24 bit versions have the better audio quality at the cost of longer loading times and higher RAM usage. The 16 bit versions load faster and utilize less RAM at the cost of a lower audio quality. You can set up which samples are loaded by default with the Load Preference setting on the Options page.
Percussion Agent Percussion Agent Sound Editing Hold Adjusts the hold time of the amplifier envelope. Turn the control all the way to the right to play the entire sample. Decay Adjusts the decay time of the amplifier envelope. Crash Cymbal For the crash cymbal, the following parameters are available. Room Level Adjusts the level of the room microphone. Choke On/Off A choke effect for cymbals is created by hitting a cymbal, and then grabbing it with the hand, dampening the sound.
Mixing and Effect Handling You perform your mixing operations on the Mixer page. Each agent has a dedicated Agent mixer. In addition, the AUX mixer, the Kit mixer, and the Master mixer are available. The order of the mixer tabs on the page represents the signal flow. Beat Agent Mixer The Agent mixer of Beat Agent offers 16 busses. You can access the busses via the numbered buttons at the top. Click the buttons 1, 2, 3, or 4 to display the busses 1 to 4, 5 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 16, respectively.
Mixing and Effect Handling Acoustic Agent Mixer Solo Soloes the channel and mutes all other channels. Several channels can be soloed at the same time. Peak Level Indicates the highest level on the bus. ● To reset the peak level, click the text field. Insert Effect Slots You can use the slots on the right of the channel strip to add insert effects to the bus. AUX Sends 1-4 Use these controls to send the signal to the corresponding AUX busses of the agent.
Mixing and Effect Handling Acoustic Agent Mixer ● To make settings for all instruments of a group simultaneously, select the Group tab. Close Microphone Channels Studio Kit/Rock Kit/Vintage Kit If you are using a kit from the “Studio Kit”, “Rock Kit”, or “Vintage Kit” content sets, the Kick/SN/HH (kick, snare, hihat), Toms, Cymbals, and Percussion tabs display separate channel strips for the close microphone channels for the selected instrument.
Mixing and Effect Handling Acoustic Agent Mixer Channel Parameters The channel strips in the mixer contain a set of parameters. Some channel strips, such as the Room and Overhead channel strips, have additional controls. Level Adjusts the volume of the channel. Pan Defines the position of the sound in the stereo panorama. Mute Mutes the channel. Solo Soloes the channel and mutes all other channels. Several channels can be soloed at the same time. Peak Level Indicates the highest level on the bus.
Mixing and Effect Handling Acoustic Agent Mixer Agent Mixer Equalizer and Effects In the lower section of the Agent mixer, you can make equalizer and effect settings for the channels and groups. ● To make settings for an entire group, open the Groups tab and click the label of the channel strip for the group. ● To make settings for a single microphone channel, select the tab for the instrument that you want to edit, and click the label of the channel strip for that channel.
Mixing and Effect Handling Percussion Agent Mixer PROCEDURE ● Right-click the kit in the Kit Rack and select Export Mixer to Cubase/Nuendo or Export Mixer and FX to Cubase/Nuendo. Now, the following happens: ● For all Groove Agent group channels, such as Kick or Snare, corresponding group channels are created in your Steinberg DAW. ● Instrument channels, such as Kick Main, Kick Add, etc. are routed to individual plug-in outputs.
Mixing and Effect Handling Percussion Agent Mixer In the top right corner of the Agent mixer, you can find the global Mute and Solo buttons. ● To reset all Mute buttons of the Agent mixer, click the global Mute button. ● To reset all Solo buttons of the Agent mixer, click the global Solo button. Room Microphone The Room channel strip contains the channels for the room microphone. Channel Parameters The channels have the following parameters: Level Adjusts the volume of the channel.
Mixing and Effect Handling AUX Mixer Agent Mixer Equalizer and Effects In the lower section of the Agent mixer, you can make equalizer and effect settings for the channels. ● To make settings for an instrument channel, select the tab for the instrument that you want to edit, and click the label of the channel strip for that channel. If a channel strip is selected, the section below the mixer channels shows the insert effects for this channel.
Mixing and Effect Handling Kits Mixer Kits Mixer The Kits mixer contains a channel strip for each bus that is assigned to a kit slot. Groove Agent allows you to load up to 4 kits into the kit slots. Each slot comes with a dedicated mixer channel that can be used to adjust levels between the different kits, for example. You can also solo and mute kits, to listen to individual kits, or combinations of them.
Mixing and Effect Handling Master Mixer Master Mixer The Master mixer shows the channel for the Master stereo output bus. It can host up to four insert effects that can be used to add a global EQ or compressor to the signal chain, for example. Level Allows you to set the level of the Master bus. Effect Slots You can use the effect slots on the right to add insert effects.
Mixing and Effect Handling Effect Handling ● To edit an insert effect, click the e button of the corresponding slot. You can edit only one effect at a time. The parameters of the insert effect are displayed in the bottom section. ● To move an effect to another slot, click its drag icon and drag it to another slot. This replaces any effect loaded in this slot. ● To change the order of the effects, drag them by their drag icon to a new position between two slots.
Effects Reference Reverb Effects REVerence REVerence is a convolution tool that allows you to apply room characteristics (reverb) to the audio. By recording an impulse in a room, you capture the characteristics of this room. Convolution superimposes these characteristics to the sound. The result is a very natural sounding reverb. Included with this effect is a collection of high-quality reverb impulse responses. Impulse Response Allows you to select an impulse response.
Effects Reference Reverb Effects front of the room. Settings above 50 % raise the tail and lower the early reflections, as a result the sound source moves towards the back of the room. Reverb This effect produces a high-quality algorithmic reverb with early reflections and reverb tail. The early reflections are responsible for the spatial impression in the first milliseconds of the reverb. For emulating different rooms, you can choose between different early reflection patterns and adjust their size.
Effects Reference Reverb Effects High Time Controls the reverb time for the high frequencies of the reverb tail. With positive values, the decay time of the high frequencies is longer. With negative values, it is shorter. Frequencies are affected depending on the High Freq parameter. Low Time Controls the reverb time for the low frequencies of the reverb tail. With positive values, you get a longer decay for the low frequencies. With negative values, you get a shorter decay.
Effects Reference Delay Effects Chorusing On/Off Activates/Deactivates the chorusing effect. Chorusing Rate Specifies the frequency of the pitch modulation. Chorusing Depth Sets the intensity of the pitch modulation. Delay Effects Multi Delay This effect produces delays, with adjustable time, feedback, and filters. Delay Mode ● Stereo has two delays in parallel, one for the left and one for the right audio channel, each with a feedback path of its own.
Effects Reference EQ Effects Delay L/R Offsets the time of the left or right delay from the overall delay time. At a factor of 1, the right or left delay time has the same length as the overall delay time. At a factor of 0.5, the time is half as long as the overall delay time. ● To offset the left delay time, turn the control to the left. ● To offset the right delay time, turn the control to the right. Feedback Sets the overall amount of feedback for the left and right delay.
Effects Reference EQ Effects Gain Sets the amount of cut or boost for the corresponding band. Freq Sets the frequency that is cut or boosted with the Gain parameter. Q (Quality) Adjusts the bandwidth of the mid-range peak filters from wide to narrow. By increasing the Q value on the low and high shelving filters, you can add a dip to their shape. Graphic EQ Graphic EQ is an equalizer with ten frequency bands that can be cut or boosted by up to 12 dB.
Effects Reference Filter Effects DJ-EQ This plug-in is an easy-to-use 3-band parametric equalizer that resembles the EQs found on typical DJ mixers. This plug-in is designed for quick sound fixes. Low Freq/Mid Freq/High Freq Set the amount of boost or attenuation for the low, mid, and high bands. You can also click and drag in the display to change these values. Low Cut/Mid Cut/High Cut Cut the low, mid, and high bands. Reset Output Peak Level Resets the peak level that is displayed in the output meter.
Effects Reference Filter Effects Frequencies below and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation is more pronounced for the frequencies below the cutoff. ● HP24, 18, 12, and 6 are high-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct. Frequencies below the cutoff are attenuated. ● BR12 and BR24 are band-reject filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct. Frequencies around the cutoff are attenuated.
Effects Reference Filter Effects LFO Section LFO Waveform and Shape Waveform selects the basic type of waveform. Shape changes the characteristic of the waveform. ● Sine produces smooth modulation, suitable for vibrato or tremolo. Shape adds additional harmonics to the waveform. ● Triangle is similar to Sine. Shape continuously changes the triangle waveform to a trapezoid. ● Saw produces a ramp cycle. Shape continuously changes the waveform from ramp down to triangle to ramp up.
Effects Reference Filter Effects Depth Determines the output level of the modulation signal of the Envelope Follower. Cutoff Determines the modulation intensity of the Envelope Follower on the filter cutoff. Morph Determines the modulation intensity of the Envelope Follower on the filter morph. Pedal Section Pedal Sets the position of the pedal. Depth Determines the output level of the pedal modulation signal. Cutoff Determines the modulation intensity of the pedal on the filter cutoff.
Effects Reference Distortion Effects Distortion Effects Distortion This effect offers the whole range of distortion, from low fidelity, digital distortion to high fidelity, analog sounding distortion. The available distortion types (Rate Red, Tube Drive, Hard Clip, and Bit Red) can be freely combined. In Gain Adjusts the input level of the sound. Rate Red (Rate Reduction) Rate reduction distorts the sound by means of aliasing.
Effects Reference Distortion Effects Oversampling Activate this parameter to increase the accuracy of the effect by oversampling. NOTE If this parameter is activated, the effect requires more processing power. Drive Determines the level of the input signal and thus the amount of saturation. Auto Gain Activate this option for an automatic level compensation. Low Filter Here, you can adjust the low frequency range below 1000 Hz by +/- 3 dB. High Filter Here, you can attenuate the high frequency range.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects Modulation Effects Chorus Chorus thickens and broadens the sound by means of pitch modulation. Rate Allows you to specify the frequency of the pitch modulation in Hertz. Sync Activate this to set the Rate value in fractions of beats. Depth Sets the intensity of the pitch modulation. Phase Widens the sound image of the effect from mono to stereo. Shape Adjusts the characteristics of the modulation.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects Mix Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal. Feedback Adds resonances to the effect. This allows for jet-like sweeps of the sound. Cross FB Mixes the feedback of the left channel with the right channel, and vice versa. The effect of this parameter is influenced by the Phase parameter. NOTE This parameter only takes effect if the Feedback parameter is set to a value above 0 %. Tone Adjusts the tone color of the feedback.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects NOTE This parameter only takes effect if the Feedback parameter is set to a value above 0 %. Tone Adjusts the tone color of the feedback. At lower values, the feedback is less bright. Type Defines the length of the delay line that is modulated. Short produces a sharper and Long a less defined, more blurred flanger sound. S&H Mix Use this parameter to blend the normal modulation signal with the stepped modulation signal. At 100 %, only the stepped modulation is used.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects Ring Modulator The Ring Modulator provides a sine oscillator that is multiplied with the input signal. This creates metallic, or bell-like, frequencies. The integrated LFO modulates the frequency of the sine oscillator to vary the created frequencies over time. In addition, an envelope follower is available, which can be used to modulate the frequency of the sine oscillator depending on the level of the input signal.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects Envelope Follower The Envelope Follower traces the input signal with an adjustable attack and release time and delivers a modulation signal representing the level envelope of the signal. Sensitivity All input signals are mixed down to mono before they are sent to the Envelope Follower. The Sensitivity parameter sets the optimum input level for the Envelope Follower.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects Mod Coarse Sets the maximum amount of frequency shift via modulation from LFO and Envelope Follower. Mod Fine Allows for fine-adjustments to the amount of frequency shift via modulation from LFO and Envelope Follower. Feedback Sets the amount of feedback, that is, the amount of signal that is sent from the output of the effect back to its input. The sound is similar to that of a phaser. You can control the direction and speed of this effect with the Freq Fine parameter.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects Sensitivity All input signals are mixed down to mono before they are sent to the Envelope Follower. This parameter sets the optimum input level for the Envelope Follower. Attack Adjusts the attack time, that is, the time the Envelope Follower needs to approach increasing input levels. Release Adjusts the release time, that is, the time the Envelope Follower needs to approach decreasing input levels.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects High Cut Applies a high-cut filter to the signal. Only frequencies below the set frequency are sent to the effect. FX Level Allows you to adapt the effect signal level to compensate for level reductions caused by the low-cut and high-cut filters. Mix Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Soft Knee If this button is deactivated, signals above the threshold are compressed instantly according to the set ratio. If Soft Knee is activated, the onset of the compression is more gradual, producing a less drastic result. Make-Up Raises the overall sound. This can become necessary if too much gain reduction is introduced by the Threshold and Ratio parameters. You can see the amount of gain reduction in the Gain Reduction meter.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Vintage Compressor Vintage Compressor is modeled after vintage type compressors. This compressor features separate controls for Input and Output gain, Attack, and Release. In addition, there is a Punch mode which preserves the attack phase of the signal and a programdependent Auto feature for the Release parameter. In/Out Meters Show the highest peaks of all available input and output channels. GR Meter Shows the amount of gain reduction.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Tube Compressor This versatile compressor with integrated tube-simulation allows you to achieve smooth and warm compression effects. The GR meter shows the amount of gain reduction. Tube Compressor features an internal side-chain section that lets you filter the trigger signal. In/Out Meters Show the highest peaks of all available input and output channels. GR Meter Shows the amount of gain reduction. Input Determines the compression amount.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Q-Factor If Side-Chain is activated, this sets the resonance or width of the filter. Limiter The Limiter effect prevents the sound from exceeding the set output level. This can be used to avoid clipping in following effects, for example. The input and output meters indicate the level before and after the Limiter. The Gain Reduction meter in the middle indicates the current attenuation of the level. Input Adjusts the input level of the sound.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Threshold (-20 to 0 dB) Determines the level where the limiter kicks in. Only signal levels above the set threshold are processed. Release (ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gain returns to the original level when the signal drops below the threshold. If the Auto button is activated, the plug-in automatically finds the best release setting for the audio material.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Expander The Expander reduces the output level in relation to the input level for signals below the set threshold. This is useful to enhance the dynamic range or reduce the noise in quiet passages. The graphical control to the left shows the expansion curve. You can edit the Threshold and Ratio values with the handles of this control. The input and output meters indicate the level before and after the expansion.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects sensing responds faster than RMS sensing. Typically, Peak sensing is used for transient and RMS sensing for sustained sounds. Live If this button is activated, the look-ahead feature of the effect is disengaged. Lookahead produces more accurate processing, but adds a certain amount of latency as a trade-off. If Live mode is activated, there is no latency, which is better for live processing.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects Release Determines how fast the gate closes after the sound falls below the set threshold. The longer the release time, the longer it takes for the sound to fade out. NOTE This parameter is not available when the Auto button is activated. Auto Activate this to set the Release time automatically. The Gate analyzes the input sound continuously to find the optimal setting.
Effects Reference Spatial and Panner Effects Spatial and Panner Effects Stereo Pan This effect allows you to set the stereo position and width of the signal. Input Swap Swaps the stereo channels. Pan Sets the pan position of the signal. The panning is available for mono and stereo input signals. Width Adjusts the stereo width of the signal from stereo to mono. Stereo Enhancer This plug-in expands the stereo width of stereo audio material. It cannot be used with mono files.
Automation and MIDI Controllers Automation You can automate most of the Groove Agent parameters from within your host application, whether these are kit parameters or global parameters such as AUX effects. Groove Agent provides 512 automation parameters that can be addressed from within the host application. You can assign Groove Agent parameters to one of these automation parameters, and even assign multiple parameters to the same automation parameter, to control these parameters at the same time.
Automation and MIDI Controllers MIDI Controllers ● To assign a parameter to an automation parameter automatically while working in your host application, activate Automation Read/Write, start playback, and use the controls on the Groove Agent interface. MIDI Controllers You can assign Groove Agent parameters to MIDI controllers. Some parameters are assigned to controllers by default, but you can customize this factory controller mapping.
Automation and MIDI Controllers MIDI Controllers RESULT Now, each time that you load a new instance of the plug-in, your customized MIDI controller mapping is available as default. NOTE ● Saving the controller mapping as default does not include the MIDI controller assignments of the AUX FX. ● The MIDI controller mapping is saved with each project. This way, you can transfer your settings to other systems. The project also includes the MIDI controller assignments of the AUX FX.
Global Functions and Settings Plug-in Functions Section The plug-in functions section at the top of the window gives you access to global functions that affect both the currently loaded programs, and the general working of the plug-in. The plug-in functions section contains the multi slot section, the master section, and the performance displays. Multi Slot Section Load Multi-Program Opens a window that allows you to load multi-programs.
Global Functions and Settings Plug-in Name and Steinberg Logo Master Tune You can set the Master Tune slider from 415.3 Hz to 466.2 Hz, which equals -100 cents to +100 cents. Performance Displays The meters and text displays indicate the system load of the plug-in. CPU This meter shows the processor load during playback. The more voices you play, the higher the processor load. If the overload indicator lights up, reduce the Max Voices setting on the Options page.
Global Functions and Settings Toolbar Controller Selector By default, incoming velocity values determine which sample is played. You can use another controller instead. This allows you to select the sample via the modulation wheel, for example. ● To use another controller, activate the controller selector button, right-click it, and select the controller that you want to use from the list. NOTE You cannot change the controller for sample playback if Fix Velocity is activated.
Global Functions and Settings Keyboard RESULT The unused samples are unloaded. To deactivate RAM Save and reload the unused samples, click the RAM Save button again. Keyboard You can use the keyboard to get a better overview of the mapping and to trigger MIDI notes. ● To open the keyboard, click the Show/Hide Keyboard button in the upper right corner of the panel. The keyboard shows the pattern pads and the instrument pads of the selected kit.
Global Functions and Settings Options Page Disk Streaming Section Some of the programs come with a large amount of data. Ideally, the computer would load all the program data into the RAM for fast access. However, this would leave less RAM for other applications. Also, your computer may not be able to handle this kind of load. Therefore, Groove Agent loads only the initial milliseconds of each sample into RAM.
Global Functions and Settings Options Page ● Preload Time defines how much of the start of the samples is preloaded into the RAM. Larger values allow for more samples to be triggered in a short time. ● Prefetch Time determines the read-ahead capacity into the RAM while streaming samples for a voice that is playing. Larger values allow for better transfer rates from disk, and usually for more voices. However, this requires larger streaming cache in RAM.
Global Functions and Settings Options Page NOTE If problems occur, reduce the number of cores, or set the pop-up menu to Off and load multiple instances of Groove Agent instead. This way, the host application distributes the work load across the available cores. Global Section Here, you find common settings of Groove Agent. NOTE The settings in this section are not saved with a project, but affect the plug-in as a whole.
Global Functions and Settings Options Page MIDI Controller Section Controller Assignment With the two buttons in this section, you can save your customized MIDI controller assignments as default or restore the factory MIDI controller assignments. NOTE Save as Default does not include any of the MIDI controller assignments of the AUX FX. The current MIDI controller mapping is also saved with each project. This way, you can transfer your settings to other systems.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in You can use Groove Agent independently from a host application. If you use Groove Agent as a standalone application, an additional section is available at the top of the control panel. Here, you can define key commands, set up audio and MIDI interface routings, adjust the master volume, and access the integrated MIDI scratch pad, which allows you to record your musical ideas without having to start a MIDI sequencer application.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Preferences Dialog Filter ‘All Notes Off’ Controller Activate this parameter to avoid unwanted “All Notes Off” messages. Such messages are sent by some keyboards when the last key is released. This causes Groove Agent to stop playback, even when the sustain pedal is still in use. Inputs Page Here, you can specify which inputs of the audio interface are connected to Groove Agent’s stereo input. This is the input that can be selected in the Sample Recorder.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Preferences Dialog Metronome Page On the Metronome page, a number of settings can be made regarding the use of a metronome. Mode Activates/Deactivates the metronome or sets it to Count In mode. Accent Accentuates the first beat of each bar. Level Adjusts the volume of the metronome. Connections Allows you to select a separate stereo output for the metronome.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Preferences Dialog ASIO Driver Page On the ASIO Driver pop-up menu, you can select your audio hardware driver. Release Driver when Application is in Background Activate this option if you plan to use several audio applications simultaneously. Input Latency/Output Latency The input and output latency values for your audio hardware are displayed. Latency is the amount of time it takes for your system to respond to any messages that are sent to it.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Selecting the MIDI Input and the Audio Output Advanced Page Once you have selected the driver, you can specify which inputs and outputs to use and name these on the Advanced page. Click the Control Panel button to open the control panel for the audio hardware and adjust the settings as recommended by the audio hardware manufacturer. Selecting the MIDI Input and the Audio Output The MIDI input pop-up menu lists all MIDI devices that are installed on your system.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Scratch Pad Transport Controls Play Click Play to start playback of the MIDI file. Playback always starts at the song position. Stop Click Stop to pause the MIDI file at the current position. Click the button twice to reset the song position to the start. Record Click Record to start recording. Loop Activate Loop to play the entire MIDI file in a loop.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Loading a MIDI File Recording Your Performance PROCEDURE 1. 2. Click the record symbol below the Record button to select a record mode. ● To start recording immediately when you click the record button, select Direct. ● To start recording with the first MIDI note, select MIDI. ● To start the recording after a count-in of one bar, select Count In 1. ● To start the recording after a count-in of two bars, select Count In 2.
Using the Standalone Version of the Plug-in Master Volume 2. In the file dialog, specify a location and a file name. 3. Click Save to save your recorded performance as a MIDI file. Master Volume Use the volume control on the right to set the master volume of the outputs of the standalone version of Groove Agent. This includes the volume of the outputs of Groove Agent and the output of the metronome. 206 Groove Agent 5.0.
Mixer Routing Diagrams Beat Agent Routing 207 Groove Agent 5.0.
Mixer Routing Diagrams Acoustic Agent Routing 208 Groove Agent 5.0.
Mixer Routing Diagrams Percussion Agent Routing 209 Groove Agent 5.0.
Index A Effects (continued) Phaser 173 Reverb 160 REVerence 159 Ring Modulator 174 Step Flanger 172 Stereo Pan 187 StereoEnhancer 187 Studio EQ 163 Tape Saturator 169 Tube Compressor 181 Tube Saturator 170 Using 157 Vintage Compressor 180 Vintage Ensemble 177 Effects Page 157 Envelopes Editing 100, 101 Selecting nodes 101 Setting up the Loop 103 Synchronizing to host 102 EQ Effects 163 Exporting Kit with Samples 134 ABS button 90 Absolute Editing 90 Acoustic Agent 136 Sound Editing 136 Audio Output 203 Au
Index MediaBay Filters 38 Loading Kits 42 Results List 38 MIDI Controllers 189 Assigning 189 Parameter range 190 Unassigning 189 MIDI File Loading 205 MIDI Input 203 Missing Samples Finding 134 Mixing 148 Modulation Effects 171 MPC Files Importing 133 Multi Selection 7 Multis 12 Spatial Effects 187 Standalone Plug-In Version 199 Saving MIDI Files 205 T Tonal Samples Showing in the Results List 46 V Value Ranges Adjusting 7 N Noise Samples Showing in the Results List 46 O Options Page 194 P Pad Sectio
