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Operation Manual
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Matthias Klag, Michael Ruf
Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Christina Kaboth, Insa Mingers, Sabine Pfeifer,
Quarshie, Benjamin Schütte
Kevin
This PDF provides improved access for vision-impaired users. Please note that due to the
complexity and number of images in this document, it is not possible to include text
descriptions of images.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent
a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described
by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media
except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be
copied, reproduced, or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior
written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Registered licensees of the
product described herein may print one copy of this document for their personal use.
All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective holders. For more
information, please visit www.steinberg.net/trademarks.
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2014.
All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
4 Introduction
4 Window Overview
4 About Agents, Kits, Presets, and Groove
Agent ONE Content
7 Getting Started
7 Presets
7 Loading a Kit Preset
8 Pattern and Instrument Pads, MIDI Patterns,
and Styles
9 Playing back Pattern Pads with the Style
Player
10 Creating the Different Parts of a Drum Track
11 Recording Trigger Notes for Your Patterns
11 Dragging Patterns into a Project
12 Modifying Patterns in the DAW
13 Managing Your Sounds
13 Loading Kits
13 Kit Slot
14 Kit Rack
14 Kit Context Menu
17 Common Editing Methods
17 Encoders and Sliders
17 Multi Selection and Parameter Controls
18 Buttons
18 Value Fields
19 Using Key Commands
20 Presets
22 Working With Pads
22 Common Pad Settings
23 Pad Functions
24 Instrument Pads
31 Pattern Pads
75 Acoustic Agent SE (Cubase Elements
only)
75 Sound Editing
81 Pattern Editing
87 Mixing
90 Mixing and Effect Handling
90 AUX Mixer
91 Kit Mixer
92 Master Mixer
92 Effect Handling
94 Effects Reference
94 Reverb and Delay Effects
98 EQ Effects
101 Filter Effects
105 Distortion Effects
107 Modulation Effects
116 Dynamics Effects
126 Panner Effects
127 Automation and MIDI Controllers
127 Automation
128 MIDI Controllers
131 Global Functions and Settings
131 Plug-in Functions Section
132 The Plug-in Name and Steinberg Logo
132 Toolbar
134 Options Page
138 Mixer Routing Diagrams
140 Index
39 Beat Agent SE
39 Sound Editing
70 Pattern Editing
70 Mixing
72 Importing and Exporting Files
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Window Overview
The application interface follows a fixed-size single window concept.
Introduction
The window is subdivided into several sections:
• The plug-in functions section at the top.
• The pad section on the left.
• The edit display on the right. It contains the Edit, Mixer, and Options pages.
About Agents, Kits, Presets, and Groove Agent ONE Content
Agents
Groove Agent SE combines the creative power of different rhythm modules:
Acoustic Agent SE and Beat Agent SE.
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Introduction
NOTE
About Agents, Kits, Presets, and Groove Agent ONE Content
Each of these tools offers its own approach to drums and rhythms, with special
ways of creating your own inspiring beats in a huge range of styles.
Kits
Kits contain all information about the kit or sliced loop and about the insert effects
that are used on the mixer channel. Kits can also contain MIDI patterns.
Kits can be saved and loaded via the kit rack or the kit slot section.
Kit Rack
Kit Slot Section
Sliced Loop Kits
Instead of MIDI patterns, sliced loop kits contain the MIDI phrase that is needed to
play back the loop. Other than that, sliced loop kits are similar to regular kits, in that
they can use insert effects, etc.
Plug-in Presets (VST Presets)
A plug-in preset contains all information necessary to restore the complete state of
the plug-in. This includes the kit, the MIDI patterns, as well as any insert and AUX
effects. All of these settings are also saved with the project in your host application.
Groove Agent ONE Content
Groove Agent SE can load Groove Agent ONE presets. The presets can either be
loaded as kits in the kit rack or the kit slot section or as plug-in presets via the preset
management menu in the plug-in header.
If you load a Groove Agent ONE preset as a plug-in preset, the global plug-in
parameters are set to the default values.
If you load a preset as a kit, all global plug-in parameters remain unchanged.
Groove Agent ONE presets always show the icon for a plug-in preset in the
MediaBay, even if they are shown in the preset loader.
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Introduction
About Agents, Kits, Presets, and Groove Agent ONE Content
Content Files and Folder Structure
Groove Agent SE comes with a large amount of ready-to-use sound content. This
content is write-protected. You can edit files while they are loaded, but you cannot
overwrite the factory content files.
To save edits to the factory content, save the files under a new name. These files
get the file name extension .vstpreset and are referred to as user content. They
can be searched and categorized in the same way as factory content.
User content is saved in a predefined folder structure on your hard disk. You can
create subfolders within this structure to facilitate moving or exchanging content.
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Presets
PROCEDURE
Getting Started
To be able to play a sound in Groove Agent SE, you must load a preset. This can
either be a VST preset or a kit preset.
VST Presets
VST presets contain all Groove Agent SE settings, that is, all loaded kits and
their settings and all settings that are made for the plug-in instance. You can
load VST presets via the pop-up menus in the plug-in header and in the
plug-in functions section. In the Load dialog and in the MediaBay, these
presets are identified by the VST preset icon
.
Kit Presets
Kit presets contain the following:
• The kit and its samples. These are used on the Instrument page.
• The MIDI pattern or style with the corresponding MIDI files. These are
used on the Pattern page.
• The mixer presets. These are used in the Mixer.
Furthermore, kit presets contain information on the agent that the kit uses. In
the Load dialog and in the MediaBay, kit presets are identified by the kit
preset icon
Loading a Kit Preset
PREREQUISITE
Groove Agent SE is assigned to a MIDI track in your DAW.
.
1. Select the kit slot in the kit rack.
2. In the DAW, open the MediaBay.
3. Set up the MediaBay to show the Attributes Library Name, Style, and
Substyle.
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Getting Started
Pattern and Instrument Pads, MIDI Patterns, and Styles
4. In the Library Name column, select a content set for an agent, for example,
Acoustic Agent SE Studio Kit.
5. In the Style and Substyle columns, specify the musical style that you want to
use.
6. In the results list, locate a preset for Acoustic Agent SE and double-click it.
Pattern and Instrument Pads, MIDI Patterns, and Styles
In Groove Agent SE, you can edit both the sounds and the patterns relayed by your
drum tracks.
Instrument sounds can be accessed through the instrument pads. The pattern that
is played can be edited via the pattern pads.
• To switch between the instrument pads and the pattern pads, click the
corresponding button above the pads.
Instrument Pads
If the instrument pads are shown, the pads trigger the instrument samples and
you can edit the sound of the instruments. These instruments are then used
by the pattern pads to play the selected MIDI pattern or style.
Pattern Pads
If the pattern pads are shown, the pads trigger the selected MIDI pattern or
style.
• MIDI patterns contain information on notes and drum sounds and the
rhythm in which they are played.
• Styles are complex structures of multiple patterns suited to create
different parts of the drum tracks, for example, main pattern, fill, ending,
and intro.
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Getting Started
PROCEDURE
Playing back Pattern Pads with the Style Player
Playing back Pattern Pads with the Style Player
You can play back pattern pads using the MIDI pattern player or the style player.
The MIDI pattern 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.
PREREQUISITE
You have loaded an Acoustic Agent SE preset.
1. In Groove Agent SE, open the Pattern page and click on an empty pattern
pad.
If a pattern pad is empty, it also plays the instrument sound, that is, if you click on the
empty pattern pad for C3, you will hear the same sound as if you clicked on the
instrument pad for C3.
2. To activate the pattern pad and make it play the pattern, open the Edit page
in the right section of the plug-in panel and click the Active button in the Pad
section so that it lights up.
3. In the Pattern section, click the Active button to activate the player, activate
the Use Style button to use the style player, and select a style from the Style
Library pop-up menu.
4. Adjust the tempo in the DAW to match the tempo of the style.
The original tempo of the style is indicated by the second number in the file name of
the style and in the Original Tempo value field in the Pattern section next to the Style
Library pop-up menu.
5. Click the Play button in the transport section to play back the style.
6. In the Performance section, try out different settings. Move the Complexity
slider, select a main pattern, a fill, an ending, etc., and listen to the results.
7. 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.
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Getting Started
PROCEDURE
Creating the Different Parts of a Drum Track
Creating the Different Parts of a Drum Track
To create different parts for 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. Then
modify the style for those pads.
PREREQUISITE
You have set up a pattern pad to play back a style.
1. To copy the settings of the current pad to another pad, hold down
[Alt]/[Option] and drag the pad onto another pad.
2. Repeat this until you have 4 pads with the same settings.
3. Select the second pad. In the Performance section, set the dial on the left to
a fill.
You can choose between 8 fills.
4. Set up the fill by using the controls in the Performance section. For example,
change the complexity, activate half-time, try out different intensity settings,
etc.
5. When the fill sounds the way you want it, right-click the pattern pad, select
Rename Pad from the context menu, and enter a name for the pad, for
example Fill.
6. Set up the pads for intro and ending in the same way.
AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK
You can now record trigger notes for the pads in the DAW or transfer the patterns
to the DAW by dragging them into a project.
RELATED LINKS
Converting Intros, Main Patterns, Fills, or Endings into MIDI Patterns
on page 82
Dragging Patterns into a Project on page 11
Recording Trigger Notes for Your Patterns on page 11
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Getting Started
PROCEDURE
Recording Trigger Notes for Your Patterns
Recording Trigger Notes for Your Patterns
When you use Groove Agent SE in a DAW project, you can record trigger notes at
the positions where you want to trigger the pattern. This allows you to create the
drums for your project on the fly, in the project context.
PREREQUISITE
You have created a project in your DAW to which you want to add a drum track.
You have added a MIDI track that is assigned to Groove Agent SE.
1. In Groove Agent SE, set up the MIDI patterns or styles for your drum track.
2. In the DAW, record-enable the MIDI track and start playback of your 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 SE are automatically
reflected in all occurrences of this pattern in the project.
Dragging Patterns into a Project
You can drag patterns from Groove Agent SE into your DAW project and edit them
there.
PREREQUISITE
You have created a project in your DAW to which you want to add a drum track.
You have added a MIDI track that is assigned to Groove Agent SE.
Before you drag your patterns into a project, make sure that the pattern pads are
not mapped to the same keys as the instrument pads.
If pattern and instrument pads share keys, activate the Use MIDI Port B for Pattern
Pads button in the lower left corner of the pattern pad section.
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Getting Started
PROCEDURE
PROCEDURE
Modifying Patterns in the DAW
If you use separate MIDI ports for pattern and instrument pads, the trigger notes of
the pattern pads do not interfere with the notes that are part of your patterns, even
if pattern pads and instrument pads are mapped to the same keys.
1. In Groove Agent SE, set up the MIDI patterns or styles for your drum track.
2. Select the pad that plays the pattern that you want to use and drag it onto the
3. In the same way, drag the other pads into the project until you have assembled
RESULT
The patterns are inserted as MIDI parts on the track. When you play back the
project, the drum parts are played back as well.
RELATED LINKS
MIDI track at the position where you want to insert it.
your drum track.
Modifying Patterns in the DAW on page 12
Modifying Patterns in the DAW
When you have created MIDI parts for your Groove Agent SE patterns in your
project, you can further edit the parts in the DAW.
PREREQUISITE
You have assigned a MIDI track in your DAW to Groove Agent SE.
You have dragged your patterns to this track.
1. In the Inspector of your Steinberg DAW, open the Drum Map pop-up menu
for the track and select Create Drum Map from Instrument.
This creates a drum map based on the information about the used drum sounds in
Groove Agent SE.
2. Open the part in the Drum Editor.
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.
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Loading Kits
There are several ways to load kits:
• Via drag & drop from the MediaBay or the Windows Explorer/Mac OS Finder.
• Via the context menu in the kit rack.
• By clicking the Load Kit button at the right of the kit name in the kit slot
Managing Your Sounds
section.
Kit Slot
This section shows the name of the loaded kit. In addition, the following global
controls are available:
Load button
Click this button to show the list of available kits.
You can also click the kit name to open this list. Right-click the kit name to
open the kit context menu.
Load Previous/Next Kit
Click these buttons to load the previous/next kit from the list of available kits.
Load Kit with Patterns
Activate this button to make sure that kits are always loaded together with
their patterns.
Polyphony
Adjusts the polyphony of the kit.
MIDI Input Indicator
The MIDI symbol starts blinking if incoming MIDI signals are detected.
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Managing Your Sounds
Kit Rack
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.
Song Position Counter
The song position counter shows the current song position in bars, beats, and
16th notes. If you activate the Play button in Groove Agent SE, the song
position counter always starts at 1.0.0.0 and runs until you click stop.
Tempo Display
The tempo display next to the position counter shows the tempo of the host
application.
The kit rack can be found to the right of the kit slot section.
It gives you an overview over the loaded kit and its agent, and allows you to perform
some kit editing via the context menu.
Kit Context Menu
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Managing Your Sounds
Kit Context Menu
Load Kit
Opens a pop-up menu containing the available kits. Double-click a kit to load
it.
Load Kit With Patterns
Allows you to load a kit with its MIDI patterns, 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 group.
Save Pattern Group
Allows you to save the 16 pads of the group and their settings as a pattern
group.
Delete Pattern Group
Allows you to delete a pattern group.
Save Kit
Saves the kit. If you try to overwrite write-protected factory content, a dialog
opens that allows you to save the edited kit under a new name.
Save Kit As
Allows you to save the kit under a new name.
Revert to Last Saved Kit
Reverts to the kit that was originally loaded on the slot. If the kit was loaded
without patterns, only the kit and no patterns are loaded.
Cut Kit
Copies the kit and its patterns and removes it from the slot.
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
Allows you to import MPC and GAK files into Beat Agent SE kits.
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Managing Your Sounds
NOTE
Kit Context Menu
Export Kit With Samples
Exports the Beat Agent SE kit together with its associated samples.
Samples that are part of protected content, such as the VST Sound content,
cannot be exported.
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Common Editing Methods
NOTE
Encoders and Sliders
Encoders 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 encoders and sliders.
• To adjust a value, click an encoder or a fader and drag up and down, or use
the mouse wheel.
If you press [Alt]/[Option] when clicking an encoder, a small fader appears,
allowing you to set the parameter.
• To make fine adjustments, press [Shift] and move the encoder or use the
mouse wheel.
• To restore the default value for a parameter, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click
on the control.
Multi Selection and Parameter Controls
To edit multiple pad parameters at the same time, select the pads that you want to
edit.
If several pads are selected and they are not set to the exact same values, most of
the controls indicate this by turning red. This is true for encoders, switches, combo
boxes, value fields, and text faders.
For example, if you have selected 3 pads with cutoff frequency values of 1200,
1400, and 2500
1200 to 2500. The corresponding field shows the value of the focused pad in red.
More complex controls, such as the envelope editors, only show the values of the
focused pad.
Hz, the corona of the frequency encoders shows a range from
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Common Editing Methods
Buttons
Adjusting the Value Ranges
You can adjust the value range of a parameter using the corona of the encoder. The
values for the pads are distributed within the new range, keeping their relative
distances.
• To compress or expand the value range, drag the corona.
• To adjust the upper limit of the range, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag
the corona.
• To adjust the lower limit of the range, hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the
corona.
Buttons
On/Off Buttons
Push Buttons
Value Fields
These controls normally have two states, off and on. If you move the mouse over an
On/Off button, it changes its appearance to show that you can click it.
Push buttons only trigger an action and then go back to their inactive state. These
buttons can be found for opening menus or file dialogs.
To set a value, you have the following possibilities:
• Double-click in a value field, enter a new value, and press [Enter].
If the entered value exceeds the parameter range, it is automatically set to the
maximum or the minimum value, respectively.
• Click in the value field and drag up or down to change the value.
• Position the mouse over a value field and use the mouse wheel to adjust the
value.
• To set the parameter to its default value, [Ctrl]/[Command]-click the value
field.
• To use a fader to adjust the value, [Alt]/[Option]-click a value field.
• Click the up/down triangles next to the field.
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Common Editing Methods
NOTE
Using Key Commands
• You can adjust musical values, such as key ranges or the root key, using your
MIDI keyboard.
To enter a value with your MIDI keyboard, double-click the value field, press a
key on your MIDI keyboard, and press [Return].
• To navigate to the next parameter, press [Tab]. To jump backwards to the
previous parameter, press [Shift]-[Tab].
If no parameter is selected inside the focused view, pressing [Tab] always
jumps to the first parameter.
Using Key Commands
• To open the Key Commands dialog, click the Key Commands button.
The commands are arranged in a hierarchical folder structure on the left. When you
open a category folder, the items and functions are displayed with any currently
assigned key commands.
• To set up a key command, select the function in the list, enter the key
command in the Type in Key field and click the Assign button to the right of
the field. If this key command is already used for another function, this is
displayed in the field below.
• To delete a key command, select the corresponding command, select the key
command in the Keys list and click the Delete button (the trash icon).
• To search for a specific function, enter its name in the search field at the top
of the dialog and click the search button (the magnifying glass).
You can set up several key commands for the same function.
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Common Editing Methods
NOTE
NOTE
PROCEDURE
Presets
Presets
Groove Agent SE offers two types of presets: section/module presets and VST
presets. VST presets contain all information necessary to restore the complete state
of the plug-in. Section and module presets store and recall the setup of a specific
component on the Groove Agent SE panel.
During setup, the factory presets are installed in a dedicated folder and a user folder
is created for your own presets. The handling of presets is the same throughout the
program.
Factory presets are write-protected, but may be overwritten when a software
update is executed. Presets in your user folder are never changed by the software
update.
For more information on VST presets, see the Cubase/Nuendo “Operation Manual”.
Handling Section and Module Presets
The preset controls can be found throughout the program. The handling is always
the same.
• To save a preset, click the Save button (the disk icon).
You cannot overwrite factory presets. If you want to save changes made to a factory
preset, save the preset under a new name or in a new location.
• To load a preset, click the arrow icon and select a preset from the list.
• To delete a preset, click the Delete button (the trash icon). Note that factory
presets cannot be deleted.
Handling VST Presets
Loading VST Presets
1. In the header of the plug-in panel, click the Preset management button next
to the preset name field and select Load Preset.
2. Select a preset to load it. Double-click a preset to load it and close the preset
loader.
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Common Editing Methods
PROCEDURE
Presets
Saving VST Presets
• In the header of the plug-in panel, click the Preset management button next
to the preset name field and select Save Preset.
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Working With Pads
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.
Instrument pads can be used to trigger samples. Pattern pads can trigger MIDI
drum patterns or styles.
• To switch between the instrument pads and the pattern pads, click the
corresponding button above the pads.
Transport Controls
• To start or stop playback of the selected pad, use the corresponding controls.
Common Pad Settings
• 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.
• If a MIDI file is mapped to a pattern pad, the LED above the pad lights up.
• A pad lights up if the associated MIDI note is triggered.
• A yellow frame around a pad indicates that this pad is selected for editing.
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Working With Pads
Pad Functions
Pad Colors
Selecting Pads
You can colorize the instrument pads and the pattern pads using up to 16 different
colors.
This can be used to improve the overview of instruments within your kit, for example.
You can set the bass drum to one color, the snare to another, toms and cymbals to
another, and so on.
• To apply a color to a pad or to several selected pads, open the context menu
and select a color from the Set Color submenu.
Apart from the regular selection options, you can use the additional selection
options on the pad context menu.
• Select All Pads – All 128 pads are selected.
• Select All Pads in Group – All 16 pads of the pad group are selected.
• Invert Selection – Selects all unselected pads and deselects all selected
• Invert Selection in Group – As above, but only for the pad group.
Pad Functions
• To change the name of a pad, right-click the pad, select Rename Pad from
• You can edit multiple selected pads. The first selected pad shows a yellow
• To select a pad without triggering a sample or pattern, [Alt]/[Option]-click the
• In Instrument mode, the pads can be used to trigger sounds. You can trigger
pads.
the context menu, enter a new name and press [Enter].
This is useful if the names of the samples are either too long or not very
intuitive. Renaming pads also allows you to indicate that more than one
sample is mapped to a pad, for example.
frame, the rest of the selected pads a lighter yellow frame.
pad.
them with different velocities. Velocities are lower the further down towards
the bottom of a pad you click. Clicking towards the top of the pad results in
higher velocities.
• To mute or solo an instrument pad, click the corresponding icon in the upper
left corner of a pad. Click again to unsolo or unmute.
• To unmute or unsolo all instrument pads, click the Reset All Mute/Reset All
Solo buttons below the pads.
• To remove samples from an instrument pad, right-click the pad and select
Remove All Samples from the context menu.
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Working With Pads
Instrument Pads
• To reset a pad, right-click the pad and select Reset Pad from the context
menu. To reset all 128 pads, right-click a pad and select Reset All Pads from
the context menu.
For instrument pads, this removes all samples and resets name, color, and
trigger note for the pads to their default values.
For pattern pads, this removes the MIDI file and the name from the pads and
resets color and trigger note to the default values.
Instrument Pads
The pad section provides up to 128 pads, organized in 8 groups of 16 pads. The
instrument pads can be used to trigger sounds. Each pad is mapped to a MIDI note,
which triggers a sample. If samples are assigned to a pad, the LED above the pad
lights up.
You can switch between the groups by clicking on the group buttons below the
pads. The button of the active group is highlighted. If one or more pads of a group
have samples mapped to them, an orange LED above the group button lights up. If
a pad within a group receives a MIDI note, a green MIDI indicator LED lights up.
By default, group 3 is active when you open Groove Agent SE.
Below the pad section, you find several buttons. These are different for the different
agents.
Showing Information about the Instrument Pads (Beat Agent SE Only)
• Activate the i button below the pad section to show the following information
for the pads: the pad number, the number of samples, and the output.
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Working With Pads
PROCEDURE
Instrument Pads
• Activate the E button to show the exclusive group settings for the pads. If you
move the mouse over a pad that belongs to an exclusive group, all pads that
belong to the same exclusive group are highlighted. If a hidden pad group
contains pads that belong to the same exclusive group, a red LED above the
group button lights up.
Setting the Output for the Pads (Beat Agent SE Only)
You can set the output of the samples via the pad context menu.
• Right-click the pad, open the Assign Output submenu, and select the output
that you want to use.
This sets all samples of the pad to this output.
Locking Color and Output Settings (Beat Agent SE Only)
• You can lock the color and output settings for the pads. For example, this
allows you to lock the output configuration for the pads, and then switch
between kits while keeping these outputs. You can specify which parameters
you want to lock for the pads on the context menu for the Lock button below
the pads. If the button lights up, at least one setting is locked for the pads.
Locking Pad Settings (Acoustic Agent SE Only)
You can lock the color settings for the pads by activating the Lock Pad Colors
button. The button lights up when it is active.
Using an Alternative MIDI Note Assignment
If you use an external hardware drum controller that sends specific MIDI notes for
specific instruments, you can specify an alternative MIDI trigger note mapping.
1. Activate the Use Hardware Controller Mapping button in the lower right
corner of the pad section.
Now you can load, save, and delete different trigger note configurations.
2. Specify a new trigger note for the pad.
• Right-click a pad, select Edit/Learn Trigger Note and specify the new trigger
note by entering it into the value field or by playing the corresponding note on
your hardware controller.
• Right-click a pad, select Trigger Notes > Assign Trigger Note and select the
note from the submenus.
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PROCEDURE
Instrument Pads
3. Groove Agent SE jumps to the next pad. Assign a MIDI note to all the pads
that you want to use and press [Enter] to stop assigning MIDI notes.
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.
However, if the kit does not provide a pad for each articulation, you might need to
assign mutiple trigger notes to one instrument pad, so that each zone on the
hardware controller triggers the same sample.
1. Activate the Use Hardware Controller Mapping button in the lower right
corner of the pad section.
Now you can load, save, and delete different trigger note configurations.
2. Specify an additional trigger note for the pad.
• Right-click the instrument pad, select Trigger Notes > Add/remove Trigger
Note and select the note that you want to add from the submenus.
• Right-click the instrument pad, select Trigger Notes > Learn Additional
Trigger Notes and play the additional note on your keyboard.
You can specify up to 3 additional notes for each pad.
Assigned trigger notes are shown on the Trigger Notes submenu of the context
menu.
Removing Additional Trigger Notes
You can remove additional trigger notes in the following ways:
• On the context menu for an instrument pad, select Trigger Notes >
Add/Remove Trigger Note and deselect the note that you want to remove.
• On the context menu for an instrument pad, select Trigger Notes > Remove
Trigger Notes and select the note that you want to remove.
• To remove all additional trigger notes and replace them with a new single
trigger note, use the Edit/Learn option on the context menu.
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Working With Pads
NOTE
Instrument Pads
Using MIDI Effects
For each instrument pad, you can set up MIDI effects.
To open the MIDI effects page, activate the Instrument button in the pad section,
open the Edit page on the right side of the panel, and click the MIDI Fx tab.
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. Also,
any sound editing can be performed on one pad.
• If the destination pad also contains MIDI effects, these are not taken into
account.
• If you set up remote MIDI effects on a pad for which samples are
assigned, the remote MIDI effects are applied only to the samples on the
destination pad.
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Working With Pads
Instrument Pads
Rudiments Section
Active
Type
If you activate Remote mode for a pad, a remote icon is displayed on the pad
in the pad section.
• To bypass the remote effects, click the Disable MIDI to Remote Pad
button to the left of the remote icon.
Click this to activate the articulation.
Determines the rudiment type.
• Flam plays 2 hits very close together.
Flam, Drag, and Ruff
For Flam, Drag, and Ruff, the following parameters are available:
Sync
Time
Note Value
• Drag plays 3 hits very close together.
• Ruff plays 4 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.
Synchronizes the hits to the project tempo. The time span between the hits is
set in fractions of beats.
Adjusts the time span between the hits.
If Sync is activated, this parameter adjusts the time span in fractions of beats.
Dynamics
Adjusts the dynamics of the hits.
• With negative values, the first hit is softer than the following hit or hits.
• With positive values, the first hit is louder than the following hit or hits.
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Working With Pads
Instrument Pads
Roll
Humanize
Use this parameter to randomize the timing, the dynamics, and the pitch of the
hits.
For Roll, the following parameters are available:
Sync
Activate this button to synchronize the hits to the project tempo. The time
span between the hits is set in fractions of beats.
Time
Adjusts the time span between the hits.
Note Value
If Sync is activated, this parameter adjusts the time span in fractions of beats.
Buzz
Dynamics
Adjusts the dynamics of the hits. Higher values attenuate the even-numbered
hits of the roll.
Humanize
Use this parameter to randomize the timing, the dynamics, and the pitch of the
hits.
For Buzz, the following parameters are available:
Grip
Determines how the drumstick is held. Higher settings produce less buzz.
Pressure
Adjusts the pressure on the stick. Higher settings produce a longer decay of
the buzz.
Humanize
Use this parameter to randomize the timing, the dynamics, and the pitch of the
hits.
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Working With Pads
NOTE
Instrument Pads
MIDI Delay
MIDI Delay produces echo effects by repeating the notes that you play.
The subsequent note events can be modified, for example, you can vary the time
span between the echoes with the Distribution parameter.
Active
Activates/Deactivates the MIDI Delay effect.
Sync
Synchronizes the echoes to the project tempo. The time span between the
echoes is set in fractions of beats.
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 the 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.
Damping shows only an effect if the sound settings of the samples use
velocity.
Pitch
Determines how much the pitch changes from echo to echo.
Distribution
Determines the time distribution of the echoes. If you set this parameter to
negative values, the time span between echoes gets shorter, that is, the
echoes speed up. With positive values, the echoes slow down.
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Working With Pads
Pattern Pads
Pattern Pads
The pad section provides 16 pattern pads. Each pad is mapped to a MIDI note. You
can assign MIDI patterns to each pattern pad, to trigger complete drum patterns or
single instrument patterns, depending on the MIDI files. The pads are used to switch
between patterns.
If a MIDI file is assigned to a pad, the pad shows a progress indicator and a beat
counter. When the pattern is triggered, the progress indicator shows the playing
progress graphically. In addition, the beat counter shows the current beat during
playback. This allows you to see which patterns are currently running and at which
playing position, relative to the length of the pattern. This can be particularly helpful
when Toggle mode is selected, because it provides a quick overview of the
patterns that will be stopped and those that will be triggered.
The Transport controls above the pads allow you to trigger the focused pattern pad
without playing a MIDI note. Click the Stop button to end playback. If you switch
between pattern pads during playback, the pattern changes according to the set
Restart Mode.
Assigning MIDI Files to Pads
• Drag a MIDI file from the Explorer/Finder or from the MediaBay onto a pad.
• Drag a MIDI part from the host application onto a pad.
• Drag a file from the Explorer/Finder onto the import field. The file is imported
to your user pattern library and assigned to the selected pad.
• Select a pad and click the Agent tab on the Edit page. This opens the Agent
page. In the Pattern section, open the Pattern Library or the Style Library
pop-up menu and select one of the factory or user MIDI patterns or one of the
available styles.
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Working With Pads
PROCEDURE
Pattern Pads
Assigning Multiple MIDI Files to Pads
You can drag and drop several MIDI files to pads at the same time.
1. Move the mouse over the lower part of the pad on which you want to drop the
first MIDI file.
A yellow frame indicates which pads receive a MIDI file.
2. Drop the files.
RESULT
The MIDI files are imported to your user MIDI pattern library and are automatically
assigned to the pads.
Removing MIDI Files from Pads
• To remove a MIDI pattern, right-click a pad and select Remove Pattern from
the context menu.
• To remove the MIDI patterns from all selected pads right-click one of the pads
and select Remove Pattern from the context menu.
Using MIDI Port B for Pattern Pads
By default, instrument and pattern pads share the same MIDI port. If instrument and
pattern pads are both assigned and share the same trigger note, the pattern pad
always gets priority, therefore, instrument pads that use the same trigger note as a
pattern pad cannot be played via the same MIDI port.
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Working With Pads
PROCEDURE
Pattern Pads
To be able to play all instrument and pattern pads via MIDI, assign MIDI port B to
the pattern pad section. This way, you can trigger instruments on one MIDI port and
patterns on the other.
1. To use Port B, activate the Use MIDI Port B for Pattern Pads button in the
lower left corner of the pattern pad section.
If port B is used, MIDI data is received on all MIDI channels.
2. In your DAW, set up two MIDI tracks and set the MIDI output of the first track
to Groove Agent SE Main and the MIDI output of the second track to Groove
Agent SE Pattern.
RESULT
You can use one MIDI track to play the instrument pads and another MIDI track to
play the pattern pads.
Locking Pad Settings
The settings in the Pad section (Exclusive, Play Mode, etc.) are common to all
slots, that is, you set them up only once. However, these settings are part of kit
presets, and are replaced when you load a preset to a kit slot.
• To avoid overwriting your existing pad settings with the preset settings when
loading a preset to a kit slot, activate the Lock Pad Settings button below the
pad section.
If this button is activated, the pad settings from the preset are not applied and
the existing settings remain active.
•If the Lock Pad Settings button is deactivated and you load kit presets to
different slots, the pad settings saved in the presets overwrite the existing pad
settings.
Any active pattern pads from the new preset overwrite the current pad
settings on the associated pads. Inactive pads are not restored from the
preset, that is, existing settings for these pads remain active.
Moving and Copying Pattern Pads
You can copy or move pattern pads with all their settings to other pattern pads of
the same or a different pattern group.
• To move the active pattern pad with all its settings to another pad, drag the
pad and drop it on the destination pad.
• To copy a pattern pad to another pad, hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the
pad on the destination pad.
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Working With Pads
NOTE
NOTE
Pattern Pads
• To move or copy one or more pads onto other pads, use the context menu
commands Cut Pad, Copy Pad, and Paste Pad.
This way, you can move or copy multiple pads at the same time.
You can also move or copy pads between pad groups. To do so, first drag the pad
onto the group button for the group to which you want to move or copy the pad,
then drop it onto the destination pad.
Managing Pattern Groups
You can save the 16 pads with their patterns and settings as a pattern group. This
allows you to quickly restore and reuse particular patterns and settings. Pattern
groups include all pad settings, that is, the settings for Exclusive Mode, Play
Mode, etc.
Agent Page
Pad Section
• To save the current pattern group for a kit, right-click the kit in the kit rack and
select Save Pattern Group….
• To load a pattern group, right-click the kit in the kit rack and select Load
Pattern Group….
If you load a pattern group, the pad settings are only restored on empty pads. If you
have assigned a pattern to a pad, your pad settings are not overwritten by the pattern
group.
For pattern pads, the Agent page is available on the Edit page.
The Agent page contains the Pad, Pattern, and Performance sections. Depending
on which agent you use, different functions and settings are available.
The Pad section on the Agent page contains several playback functions and
settings.
Active
Activates/Deactivates playback for the pad.
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Pattern Pads
Exclusive
Activates/Deactivates exclusive playback for a pad. Triggering an exclusive
pad stops playback of the current pattern, according to the set restart mode.
Pads for which this button is not activated can play simultaneously with other
patterns.
If Exclusive mode is activated for a pad, this is indicated by an icon in the
upper left corner of a pad.
Play Mode
• To play a pattern for as long as you hold down a key, select Hold.
• To start and stop playback with the trigger note for a pad, select Toggle.
Toggle mode is best used for live performances. Otherwise, it can lead
to unpredictable results, for example, when stopping and restarting
playback in the host application or when locating to another position
during playback.
• To play a pattern completely to its end, select One Shot. In this mode,
note-off events are ignored. Playback stops automatically at the end of
the pattern. To make sure that the pattern plays from start to end,
deactivate Sync to Beat.
Restart Mode
Determines whether a pattern starts to play immediately, at the next beat, or
at the next full measure.
Sync to Beat
If Sync to Beat is activated, triggering a pattern starts the pattern in sync with
any other patterns that are playing. For example, if you trigger a pattern and
trigger the next pattern after 3 beats, this pattern starts playing at beat 3. If
Sync to Beat is deactivated, the second pattern starts from the beginning.
Velocity Mode
Specifies how the velocity of the notes that you play affects the notes of the
pattern.
•If Original is selected, the notes of the pattern are played with the
velocity that is saved with the pattern.
•If As Played is selected, the notes of the pattern are played with the
velocity that you are playing on the keyboard.
•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.
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Working With Pads
NOTE
Pattern Pads
Pattern Section
For Beat Agent SE pattern pads, the Pattern section on the Agent page contains
MIDI pattern and pattern player functions. For Acoustic Agent SE instrument pads,
you can choose between MIDI pattern player and style player.
The MIDI pattern player offers the following functions and settings:
Pattern Library
Allows you to select a MIDI pattern. Click to select the file from the list.
To access the folder where the user MIDI patterns are saved, right-click the
Pattern Library field and select Show in Explorer/Finder. In this location,
you can add, remove and rename files and create subfolders to organize your
MIDI patterns.
Pattern pads always contain the MIDI data and do not reference the original
MIDI files.
Original Tempo
Displays the original tempo as saved in the MIDI file.
Start
Specifies the beat from which the pattern starts to play.
End
Specifies the end of the pattern. Initially, this parameter is set to the original
length of the MIDI pattern.
Import Field
To import MIDI files from your file system or MIDI parts from your host
application into the user pattern library, drag them onto the MIDI import field.
You can import multiple MIDI files at the same time by dropping them on the
import field. The first file is assigned to the selected pad.
MIDI Export Field
To export a pattern, click the MIDI export field and drag it onto a MIDI track
in your host application. You can also drag the field to other locations and
applications that support MIDI files.
Import/Export and Alternative Trigger Note Mappings
If you are working with alternative trigger note mappings, this is taken into
account and the MIDI pattern is adapted automatically on import/export. This
is important if you are recording MIDI with a hardware drum controller and you
want to import MIDI parts from the host application or export patterns from
Groove Agent SE to the host application during that process.
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Working With Pads
NOTE
Pattern Pads
If you recorded the MIDI file with the standard trigger note mapping,
deactivate alternative trigger note mapping in the pad section.
RELATED LINKS
Using the Style Player on page 82
Performance Section
If the MIDI pattern player is active for a pattern pad, the Performance section on
the Agent page contains MIDI pattern player settings.
Swing Grid
Determines the grid for applying Swing. For example, to shift the timing of
every 16th note in a pattern, set this to 1/16.
Swing
Allows you to shift the timing of notes on even numbered beats to give the
pattern a swing feeling. Negative values shift the timing backward, and the
notes are played earlier. Positive values shift the timing forward, and the notes
are played later.
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.
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.
Quantize Amount
This parameter defines how much of the quantization grid is applied. A value
of 100
% means the MIDI note events play back only at the specified quantize
note value. Smaller values move the notes only partially towards the next
quantize note value. With a value of 0
37
%, no quantization is applied.
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Working With Pads
Pattern Pads
Quantize Grid
This parameter allows you to set up a quantization grid, in fractions of beats.
You can also specify dotted and triplet values.
Tempo Scale
Defines the speed at which the pattern is running. You can choose between
half, normal, and double speed.
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Beat Agent SE 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 SE also excels in manipulating samples and loops, with features like
automatic loop slicing, an onboard FX rack, and much more.
Sound Editing
Beat Agent SE
On the Edit page for instrument pads, you set up the sound of the kits.
•To open the Edit page, click the Edit button in the upper section of the plug-in
panel.
The Edit page contains the Main, Pitch, Filter, Amp, Sample, Slice, and MIDI FX
tabs.
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Beat Agent SE
NOTE
Sound Editing
Absolute and Relative Editing
When editing multiple samples, you can either change values absolutely for all the
samples (ABS) or make relative changes (REL), depending on the setting of the
corresponding button on the toolbar.
• If you use absolute editing and you change a parameter from 50 % to 60 % for
one sample, all other samples are also set to 60
• If you use relative editing and you change a parameter from 50 % to 60 % in
one zone, another selected zone that was set to 70
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.
%.
% is set to 80 %.
Editing Selection or All
You can apply your editing either to the selection (SEL) or to all samples of the pad
(PAD), depending on the setting of the corresponding button on the toolbar.
Assigning Samples to Pads
You can assign samples to pads by using drag and drop, or replace existing
samples using the Mapping View context menu.
Assigning Samples to Pads using Drag and Drop
You can drag one or more samples from the Explorer/Finder and from your host
application onto Groove Agent SE. Samples can be mapped to the same pad, or to
different pads.
• To assign a sample to a pad, drag it onto the pad.
You can drag files from the following locations:
•MediaBay
• Project window
• Pool
• Sample Editor (regions)
• Audio Part Editor
• LoopMash slices
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Beat Agent SE
NOTE
Sound Editing
When you drag one or more samples onto a pad, the drop icons are shown. These
determine whether the samples are added to the pad, whether the current sample
is replaced with the one you are dragging, or whether the samples that you drag are
assigned to multiple consecutive pads.
• Drag samples to the topmost drop icon to add them to the pad.
You can assign up to 8 samples to a pad.
• Drag one or more samples to the middle drop icon to replace the currently
assigned samples with the ones that you are dragging.
• Drag several samples to the lowest drop icon to assign them to several
consecutive pads in one or in several groups.
A yellow border is shown around the pads that receive one of the samples.
How many samples can be dropped to several pads depends on the number of
available pads.
If Groove Agent SE 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 43
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Beat Agent SE
NOTE
NOTE
Sound Editing
Moving and Copying Samples between Pads
Samples can be moved and copied between pads.
• To move the samples from one pad to another pad, drag the pad to either the
top, the middle, or the bottom drop icon of the destination pad.
To copy the samples instead of moving them, keep [Alt]/[Option] pressed when
dragging the samples.
When you copy pads that are part of a sliced loop, they are pasted as normal
instrument pads, that is, they are no longer related to the loop.
Moving and Copying Samples between Groups
To move or copy the samples to pads in another group, drag the samples on the
group button first to show the group, and then to the new pad.
The options are the same as when moving samples between pads of the same
group.
Moving Sliced Loops
You can move sliced loops with one drag and drop operation.
• Drag the first slice of the loop and move it onto the pad section.
When you start dragging, Groove Agent SE shows the pads on which the
sliced loop can be dropped, that is, the pads that are followed by enough
empty pads to insert all the slices. Pads on which the loop cannot be dropped
are grayed out.
• Drop the slice on the pad from which you want to start inserting slices.
Changing the Order of Pads
By default, instrument pads are sorted chromatically, based on the standard
mapping. However, in some cases, you may want to display pads from other groups
within a particular group. Therefore, you can exchange the position of pads.
For example, often a second bass drum is mapped to B0, which can be found in
pad group 2. Most of the other common drum kit instruments are, however, located
in group 3. If you want to see the second bass drum together with the other
instruments of group 3, exchange the B0 pad with an unused pad in group 3.
• To exchange 2 pads, hold down [Shift] and drag one pad onto another pad.
This exchanges the entire contents of the pads with all their settings.
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NOTE
NOTE
Sound Editing
• To see whether the order of the pads differs from the standard sorting, you
• To reset the order of all pads to a chromatic order, open the context menu for
Mapping View
The mapping view shows the current sample mapping of the selected pad.
You can replace and remove samples in the mapping view and adjust their velocity
ranges. The focused sample is displayed in a lighter color.
can either check the trigger notes of the pads to see whether they are mapped
chromatically or not, or you can click the Info button to see the pad index of
all pads.
a pad and select Reset Pad Order.
The mapping view always shows the velocity ranges, even if they are not used to
trigger samples. However, the values only have an effect in Velocity mode.
Changing the Velocity Ranges of Samples
• Select the sample in the mapping view and enter new values in the Hi and Lo
fields on the right.
• Position the mouse between two samples, so that a double-arrow is shown,
and drag to the left or right.
Changing the velocity range of a sample automatically adapts adjacent samples,
that is, velocity ranges cannot overlap.
Editing the Mapping of a Pad
A pad can contain up to 8 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.
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PROCEDURE
NOTE
Sound Editing
• To change the order of the samples, drag them to a new position.
• To map a sample to another pad, drag it onto the pad.
Replacing Samples
You can replace individual samples in the Mapping View with other samples on your
hard disk.
1. Right-click the sample and select Replace Sample from the context menu.
2. In the file dialog, navigate to the file that you want to use instead, select it, and
This removes the sample from the current pad. To map the sample to another
pad without losing the current mapping, hold down [Alt]/[Option] while
dragging.
click Open.
RESULT
The sample is replaced.
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.
If the PAD/SEL button is set to PAD, you cannot select individual samples and
Remove Selected Samples removes all samples of the pad.
Main Tab
The Main tab gives you access to the sample mapping of the pad as well as to the
most important parameters, like Volume, Pan, Cutoff etc.
The Main tab also shows a simplified sample editor. You can adjust the sample start
and end markers as well as fade-in and fade-out markers and fade curves in the
display.
Mode
Determines the trigger mode for the samples of a pad:
•In Velocity mode, the incoming velocity determines which sample is
played.
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Beat Agent SE
NOTE
NOTE
NOTE
Sound Editing
•In Layer mode, all samples are played at the same time, regardless of
their velocity.
•In Round Robin mode, the samples are played repeatedly one after the
other, from left to right.
•In Random mode, samples are played randomly. Repetitions can occur.
•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.
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.
Fade
Specifies the time it takes for a voice to fade out when voices are stolen.
You can specify different fade settings for the different samples of a pad.
Exclusive Group
This allows you to assign a pad to one of 32 exclusive groups. Pads within a
group are never played back simultaneously. When a new note is played, the
previous note stops.
Volume
Sets the level of the sample.
Pan
Sets the position of the sample in the stereo panorama.
Coarse
Adjusts the tuning in semitones.
Fine
Adjusts the fine tuning in cents.
Cutoff
Controls the cutoff frequency of the filter.
Cutoff, Resonance, and Distortion are only available if a filter is used.
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NOTE
NOTE
NOTE
Sound Editing
Resonance
Sets the filter resonance.
Distortion
Sets the amount of distortion. The effect of this parameter depends on the
selected filter mode.
Output
The output to which the samples are routed. You can select the following
outputs from the pop-up menu:
• The Kit mix.
• One of the 16 Agent mixer channels.
• One of the 16 stereo output busses of the plug-in. The first stereo out
is always the Master output. This output is always active.
These outputs can all contain insert effects.
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.
• You can also route a pad directly to one of the 4 AUX channels, to
create sub groups, for example.
Playback Quality
Sets the quality.
• Standard: Select this mode to play back the samples with their original
bit depth and sample rate.
• Vintage: Select this mode to emulate the sound quality of early 12-bit
drum machines. The detuning of the samples produces the typical
aliasing effect. The sample rate is limited to 26040 Hz.
• Turntable mode is similar to Vintage mode. The samples are played
with 12bit/26040 Hz. Use this mode to emulate the typical workflow of
hip hop producers. Because the first digital drum machines only had a
very limited amount of RAM, turntables were sampled at a speed of 45
RPM instead of 33 1/3 RPM. This way, more samples could be saved
into the available RAM. During playback, the samples were tuned down,
to correct for the change in pitch. This added the typical crunch and
aliasing that the early drum machines are famous for.
If Vintage or Turntable is selected for a sample, you cannot edit the sample
using the AudioWarp functions on the Sample tab. If you try to select one of
these modes for a sample that uses AudioWarp, a warning message is
displayed.
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Sound Editing
Filter Type
Sets the filter type. You can choose between Classic, Tube Drive, Hard Clip,
Bit Reduction and Rate Reduction.
To deactivate the filter, select Off.
Filter Shape
• LP 24, 18, 12, and 6 are low-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct.
Frequencies above the cutoff are attenuated.
• BP 12 and BP 24 are band-pass filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct.
Frequencies below and above the cutoff are attenuated.
• HP6+LP18 and HP6+LP12 are combinations of a high-pass filter with
6 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 18 and 12 dB/oct, respectively
(asymmetric band-pass filter). Frequencies below and above the cutoff
are attenuated. Attenuation is more pronounced for the frequencies
above the cutoff.
• HP12+LP6 and HP18+LP6 are combinations of a high-pass filter with
12 and 18 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 6 dB/oct (asymmetric
band-pass filter). Frequencies below and above the cutoff are
attenuated. Attenuation is more pronounced for the frequencies below
the cutoff.
• HP 24, 18, 12, and 6 are high-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct.
Frequencies below the cutoff are attenuated.
• BR 12 and BR 24 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.
• 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.
• HP6+BR12 and HP12+BR12 are combinations of a high-pass filter
with 6 and 12 dB/oct and a band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct.
Frequencies below and around the cutoff are attenuated.
• AP is an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct. Frequencies around the cutoff are
attenuated.
• AP+LP6 is an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct plus a low-pass filter with
6 dB/oct. Frequencies around and above the cutoff are attenuated.
• HP6+AP is a high-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus an all-pass filter with
18 dB/oct. Frequencies around and below the cutoff are attenuated.
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Editing the Envelope
An envelope section is available on the Pitch, Filter, and Amp tabs. Each
multisegment envelope has up to 128 nodes with the Time, Level, and Curve
parameters. The nodes and their parameters specify the overall shape of the
envelope. You can edit one or multiple nodes in the graphical envelope editor or by
entering values.
Fixed
•If Fixed is activated and you move selected nodes on the time axis, only the
selected nodes are moved.
•If Fixed is deactivated, all nodes that follow the edited nodes are also moved.
Snap
You can select a second envelope to be displayed in the background of the edited
envelope. If Snap is activated and you change the position of nodes, they snap to
the nodes of the envelope that is shown in the background.
• To specify the envelope for the background, open the pop-up menu to the
Selecting Nodes
• To select a node, click on it in the graphical editor.
• If multiple nodes are selected, you can use the Node pop-up menu to set the
• To add a node to a selection, [Shift]-click the node. Selected nodes are edited
• You can select multiple nodes by drawing a rectangle around the nodes with
• If the graphical editor has the focus, you can select the next or the previous
right of the Snap button and select an envelope from the list.
Selected nodes turn light blue. The focused node is indicated by an orange
frame. The value fields to the left of the graphical envelope editor display the
parameters of the focused node.
focus to a different node without losing the current selection.
together.
the mouse.
node with the left and right arrow keys.
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Adjusting the Time Parameter
The Time parameter specifies the period of time between two nodes. Depending
on the Sync mode, the Time parameter is displayed in milliseconds and seconds,
or in fractions of beats.
• To set the Time parameter, select the nodes that you want to adjust and enter
a value in the Time field.
• You can also adjust the Time parameter in the graphical envelope editor, by
dragging the nodes left or right, to decrease or to increase the time span.
For a higher resolution, hold [Shift] while moving the nodes.
To limit the movement to the time axis, that is, to change only the horizontal
position of a node, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] while dragging.
Adjusting the Level Parameter
The Level parameter specifies the amplitude of the envelope at the position set by
the Time parameter.
•To set the Level parameter, select the nodes that you want to adjust and enter
a value in the Level field.
• You can also adjust the Level parameter in the graphical envelope editor by
dragging the selected nodes up or down, to decrease or increase the levels.
For a higher resolution, hold [Shift] while moving the nodes.
To limit the movement to the level axis, that is, to change only the vertical
position of a node, hold down [Alt]/[Option] while dragging.
Adjusting the Curve Parameter
The Curve parameter allows you to adjust the curvature of the envelope curve
between two nodes from linear to logarithmic or exponential behavior.
• To set the Curve parameter, select the nodes that you want to adjust and
enter a value in the Curve field. Positive curve values change the curvature
towards logarithmic and negative values towards exponential behavior.
• You can also adjust the Curve parameter in the graphical envelope editor by
dragging the curve between two nodes.
[Ctrl]/[Command]-click a curve to reset it to linear.
Adding and Removing Nodes
All nodes added after the sustain node always affect the release phase of the
envelope.
• To add a node, double-click at the position where you want to add the node.
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• To remove a node, double-click it.
• To delete several selected nodes, press [Delete] or [Backspace].
You cannot remove the first, the last, or the sustain node.
Adding Nodes Using the Fill Function
The Fill function allows you to add multiple envelope nodes after the selected
nodes.
1. On the pop-up menu to the right of the Fill button, select the number of nodes
that you want to add.
2. In the graphical envelope editor, select the node after which you want to add
nodes.
If several nodes are selected, the new nodes are inserted after the last selected node.
If the Fixed function is deactivated, the added nodes are placed with the interval
specified by the Time parameter of the selected node. If multiple nodes are selected,
the interval is specified by the focused node.
By activating Sync, you can specify the interval with the Sync note value. For example,
if 1/4 is selected, new nodes are added at exact quarter note intervals.
If the Fixed function is activated, the added nodes fill the space between the last
selected node and the following one.
Using Sync
3. Click the Fill button.
RESULT
The nodes are added.
You can synchronize the envelopes to the tempo of your host application. This
allows you to set envelope times that relate to musical time intervals, regardless of
any tempo changes.
1. Click Sync to activate sync mode for the envelope.
Sync mode is active if the button is highlighted. A grid spaced in fractions of beats is
displayed in the graphical envelope editor.
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2. On the pop-up menu located to the right of the Sync button, select a note
value.
This sets the resolution of the grid.
The Time field of a node displays times in fractions of beats. The fraction is always
reduced to the smallest possible value. 2/16 is displayed as 1/8, for example.
3. To use triplet note values, activate the T button.
• 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.
4. You can also enter note values and triplets manually in the value field.
Envelope Modes
On the Mode pop-up menu, you can select one of 4 envelope modes, to specify
how the envelope is played back each time you hit a key.
Sustain
Loop
One Shot
The envelope starts playback from the first node to its sustain. The sustain
level is held as long as you play the note. When you release the note, the
envelope continues with the phases after the sustain. This mode is ideal for
looped samples.
The envelope starts playback from the first node to the loop nodes. The loop
is repeated for as long as the key is held. The envelope plays the phases after
the sustain when you release the note. This mode is ideal for adding motion
to the sustain.
The envelope is played from the first to the last node, even if you release the
key. The envelope has no sustain. This mode is ideal for drum samples.
Sample Loop
Preserves the natural attack of the sample. The decay of the envelope does
not start until the sample has reached the sample loop start.
If you set the second node to the maximum level and use the following nodes
to shape the decay during the loop phase of the sample, the envelope only
affects the loop phase. The attack of the envelope is still executed.
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Sound Editing
Setting Up the Loop
You can set up the envelope to repeat its playback between the selected nodes.
1. Set the envelope mode to Loop.
2. Adjust the loop with the graphical envelope editor.
3. The loop is indicated by the green region in the graphical envelope editor.
Specify the loop start and end by dragging the borders of the region.
The loop region can only be set up in the decay phase of the envelope.
Pitch Tab
Key Range
Activate this button to specify the key range of the sample, that is, the range
over which it is mapped chromatically to pads.
• Low Key specifies the first key for the mapping.
• High Key specifies the last key for the mapping.
If you deactivate the Key Range button, the Low Key and High Key fields are
reset.
Fixed Pitch
•If Fixed Pitch is deactivated, the sample plays chromatically within the
key range.
•If Fixed Pitch is activated, the sample plays with its original pitch on all
of the keys within the key range. This is useful if you want to layer a pad
with the neighboring pads, for example.
Coarse
Adjusts the tuning in semitones.
Fine
Adjusts the fine tuning in cents.
Random
Determines how much the pitch of a sample is changed randomly with each
note that is played.
Env Amnt
Determines how much the pitch is affected by the pitch envelope.
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Level Velocity (Vel>Lev)
Determines how the velocity affects the level of the envelope. The level
depends on this parameter and on 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 (Vel>Time)
Adjusts the influence of velocity on the phases of the envelope. Positive
values decrease the times for higher velocity values. Negative values increase
the times for higher velocity values.
Segments
Here, you can select which phases of the envelope are affected by the Time
Velocity parameter.
• Attack – The velocity affects the attack only.
• Attack + Decay – The velocity affects all phases until the sustain.
• Decay – The velocity affects all phases until the sustain but without the
attack.
• Attack + Release – The velocity affects the attack and the release
phases.
• 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.
Mapping Samples Chromatically over Multiple Pads
The Key Range settings on the Pitch tab allow you to map samples chromatically
over multiple pads.
If Edit Selected Sample or Pad (SEL) is activated, you adjust the key range for
each sample individually.
1. Set up the range with the Low Key and High Key value fields.
When you adjust the key range for chromatically mapped samples, the pads within
the key range inherit the name of the pad to which the original sample is assigned.
The name is only set if the corresponding pad does not have a name. The offset in
semitones from the original pad is added as suffix to the name. This helps you to find
the original pad more easily.
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Filter Tab
2. Optional: Set up the Fixed Pitch parameter.
•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.
AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK
The context menu of pads that contain chromatically mapped samples offers the
Chromatically Mapped from function, allowing you to locate the original pad for
the mapped samples. The original pad itself does not contain this function.
The Filter tab allows you to adjust the tone color of the sound. The filter envelope
controls the cutoff frequency to shape the harmonic content over time.
Filter Type
Sets the filter type. You can choose between Classic, Tube Drive, Hard Clip,
Bit Reduction and Rate Reduction.
To deactivate the filter, select Off.
Filter Shape
• LP 24, 18, 12, and 6 are low-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct.
Frequencies above the cutoff are attenuated.
• BP 12 and BP 24 are band-pass filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct.
Frequencies below and above the cutoff are attenuated.
• HP6+LP18 and HP6+LP12 are combinations of a high-pass filter with
6 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 18 and 12 dB/oct, respectively
(asymmetric band-pass filter). Frequencies below and above the cutoff
are attenuated. Attenuation is more pronounced for the frequencies
above the cutoff.
• HP12+LP6 and HP18+LP6 are combinations of a high-pass filter with
12 and 18 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 6 dB/oct (asymmetric
band-pass filter). Frequencies below and above the cutoff are
attenuated. Attenuation is more pronounced for the frequencies below
the cutoff.
• HP 24, 18, 12, and 6 are high-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct.
Frequencies below the cutoff are attenuated.
• BR 12 and BR 24 are band-reject filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct.
Frequencies around the cutoff are attenuated.
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• 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.
• HP6+BR12 and HP12+BR12 are combinations of a high-pass filter
with 6 and 12 dB/oct and a band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct.
Frequencies below and around the cutoff are attenuated.
• AP is an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct. Frequencies around the cutoff are
attenuated.
• AP+LP6 is an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct plus a low-pass filter with
6 dB/oct. Frequencies around and above the cutoff are attenuated.
• HP6+AP is a high-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus an all-pass filter with
18 dB/oct. Frequencies around and below the cutoff are attenuated.
Cutoff
Controls the cutoff frequency of the filter.
Resonance
Sets the filter resonance.
Distortion
Sets the amount of distortion. The effect of this parameter depends on the
selected filter mode.
Velocity
This parameter determines the influence that velocity has on the cutoff
frequency. If Velocity is set to 0
%, the setting has no effect. At any other
value, the cutoff frequency changes with the velocity.
Env Amnt
Determines how much the filter is affected by the filter envelope.
Level Velocity (Vel>Lev)
Determines how the velocity affects the level of the envelope. The level
depends on this parameter and on 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 (Vel>Time)
Adjusts the influence of velocity on the phases of the envelope. Positive
values decrease the times for higher velocity values. Negative values increase
the times for higher velocity values.
Segments
Here, you can select which phases of the envelope are affected by the Time
Velocity parameter.
• Attack – The velocity affects the attack only.
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Amp Tab
• Attack + Decay – The velocity affects all phases until the sustain.
• Decay – The velocity affects all phases until the sustain but without the
attack.
• Attack + Release – The velocity affects the attack and the release
phases.
• 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 the Envelope on page 48
Volume
Sets the level of the sample.
Pan
Sets the position of the sample in the stereo panorama.
AUX 1-4
Here, you can specify the signal level that is sent to the 4 integrated AUX FX
channels.
Level Velocity (Vel>Lev)
Determines how the velocity affects the level of the envelope. The level
depends on this parameter and on 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 (Vel>Time)
Adjusts the influence of velocity on the phases of the envelope. Positive
values decrease the times for higher velocity values. Negative values increase
the times for higher velocity values.
Segments
Here, you can select which phases of the envelope are affected by the Time
Velocity parameter.
• Attack – The velocity affects the attack only.
• Attack + Decay – The velocity affects all phases until the sustain.
• Decay – The velocity affects all phases until the sustain but without the
attack.
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• Attack + Release – The velocity affects the attack and the release
phases.
• 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. You can select the following
outputs from the pop-up menu:
• The Kit mix.
• One of the 16 Agent mixer channels.
• One of the 16 stereo output busses of the plug-in. The first stereo out
is always the Master output. This output is always active.
Sample Tab
These outputs can all contain insert effects.
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.
• You can also route a pad directly to one of the 4 AUX channels, to
create sub groups, for example.
Norm (Use Normalized Velocity)
• If you are working with normalized samples, keep this button
deactivated.
• If you are using velocity-layered samples that are not normalized,
activate this button. Otherwise, you might create unrealistic level
transitions between different velocity layers when setting the Vel<Lev
parameter.
The Sample tab contains the Sample editor. The upper section of the tab shows
the waveform display and the lower section gives you access to all relevant sample
parameters.
Toolbar
The toolbar contains different tools for editing sample markers, loop markers, and
slices.
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Play Sample
Activate this button to play back the raw sample.
Play Selection Looped
Activate this button to play back the selection repeatedly.
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 play locator when triggering a sample via MIDI.
Range Selection Tool
Click and drag with this tool to create a selection.
Zoom Tool
If this tool is selected, you can click in the waveform to zoom in on the position
where you click.
Play Tool
If this tool is selected, click in the waveform display to play back the sample.
It is played back from this position until you release the mouse button.
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 far you
move the mouse left or right from the position you clicked.
Snap
If the Snap button is activated, the selection start and end points and markers
snap to other markers.
Snap to Zero Crossing
If this button is activated, markers and selection start and end points are only
placed at zero crossings (positions in the audio where the amplitude is zero).
This helps you avoid pops and clicks that are caused by sudden amplitude
changes.
Edit Loop
If this icon is activated, the editor shows the looped region repeatedly instead
of the original sample data. This provides a better overview over the transition
between loop end and loop start and allows you to set the loop markers to the
best positions.
If loop mode is deactivated when you activate the Edit Loop icon, loop mode
is automatically set to Continuous and the loop markers are placed at the
start and end of the sample.
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Show Resulting Loop Crossfade
Activate this button to see the effect of your crossfade settings in the
waveform display. If this button is activated, the resulting waveform is
displayed in red.
This button only has an effect if Edit Loop is activated.
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 of the sample and
adjusting the gain to reach a predefined level.
Normalize Level
Sets the level for the Normalize function.
Revert to Full Sample
Undoes the trimming, so that the entire sample is restored.
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.
Show Fades in Waveform
Activate this button to show your fade settings directly in the waveform.
Show Channel Sum
Activate this button to show the sum of the left and right channels in the
waveform display.
Show Left Channel
Activate this button to show the left channel in the waveform display.
Show Right Channel
Activate this button to show the right channel in the waveform display.
Preview Volume
Click this icon to display a level slider. Use the slider to specify the level for
previewing your samples.
Output
On this pop-up menu, you can specify to which plug-in output the Sample
editor sends its signals.
This is especially useful if the Master output uses insert effects that you do
not want to hear while editing the samples.
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Ruler
The ruler shows the timeline in the specified display format.
• To select the format, click the arrow button to the right of the ruler and select
an option from the pop-up menu.
You can choose to display bars and beats, seconds, or samples.
If the Slice tab is selected, the ruler shows the timeline in bars and beats.
Waveform Display and Level Scale
The waveform display shows the waveform image of the sample. To the left of the
waveform display, a level scale is shown, indicating the amplitude of the audio.
• To select whether the level is shown as a percentage or in dB, click the level
scale label (dB or %), and select an option from the pop-up menu.
• To display the half level axes, right-click in the waveform display and select the
corresponding option on the context menu.
Parameter Section
Velocity Start Range
Key On Delay
Loop Mode
Determines the influence of the velocity on the sample start. Move the start
range marker to the right to start the sample later for lower velocities.
Maximum velocity starts the sample at the original sample start.
With this parameter, you can delay the playback of the zone by a specified
time or a note value.
• To synchronize the delay time to the host tempo, activate the Sync
button and select a note value from the pop-up menu.
• To change the selected note value to a triplet, activate the T button.
If Sync is deactivated, the delay is specified in milliseconds. If Sync is
activated, the delay is specified in fractions of beats.
• One Shot – the sample is played from start to end.
• No Loop – the sample is played for as long as the note is held.
• Continuous – the loop is played even if you release the note.
• Until Release – the loop is played for as long as the note is held and
then continues to the end of the sample.
Reverse
Reverses the sample, so that you hear it backwards.
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Sample Start
The start marker of the sample.
Sample End
The end marker of the sample.
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.
Link Loop Start and End
If this button is activated, moving the loop start also moves the loop end, and
vice versa.
Loop Crossfade
Specifies the time of the crossfade.
The Curve parameter defines the curve of the crossfade, from linear to equal
power.
Loop Tuning
Here you can adjust the frequency of the loop in cents.
Detune
Allows you to tune the sample by +/- 1200 cents.
Gain
Determines the level of the sample.
When using the Normalize function, this parameter is set automatically.
Pan
AudioWarp Parameters
Determines the panorama position of the sample.
In the AudioWarp section, you can apply time stretching and formant shifting to your
samples.
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The AudioWarp functionality is not available if the playback quality is set to Vintage
or Turntable on the Main tab.
Mode
On this pop-up menu, you select the mode that is used for the AudioWarp
functions.
• Solo mode offers parameters for time stretching and formant shifting.
This mode is suitable for loops and samples with solo instruments or
vocals.
• Music mode offers parameters for time stretching. This mode is suitable
for complex material like drum loops and samples with mixed music. It
uses 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.
• If this is set to Tempo, the playback speed is calculated using the ratio
between the original tempo of the sample and the tempo of the host.
• If this is set to Beats, the playback speed is calculated using the note
length of the beats, the number of beats, and the tempo of the host.
For the Sync modes to work properly, the loop of the sample has to be set up
correctly. In Tempo mode, the original tempo must be set as exactly as
possible.
Speed
This control adjusts the playback speed of the sample in percent. You can
speed up the tempo by up to 800
limit of the playback speed adjustment is 12.5
% of the original. In Music mode, the lower
%. Values below this limit have
no effect.
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Original BPM
If Sync Mode is set to Tempo, you can enter the original tempo of the sample
in beats per minute. Groove Agent SE adjusts the playback speed of the
sample to match the tempo of the host application.
If you load a sample that contains tempo information in the file header, this
information is used to set the Original Tempo parameter. If a sample does
not contain any tempo information, the value is estimated. You can modify the
parameter values manually.
Note Length and Number of Beats
When Sync Mode is set to Beats, Groove Agent SE calculates the tempo of
the sample, based on the note length and the number of beats you enter. For
example, if the sample is a drum loop with four quarter notes, set Note to 1/4
and Beats to 4. Groove Agent SE adjusts the playback speed of the sample
to match the tempo of the host application.
Markers
If you load a sample that contains tempo information in the file header, this
information is used to set the Note Length and Number of Beats
parameters. If a sample does not contain any tempo information, the values
are estimated. You can modify the parameter values manually.
Formant (Solo Mode Only)
Specifies the amount of formant shifting.
You can use a set of different markers to specify important positions in a sample.
Sample Start
Defines where the sample starts to play. Audio before this marker is ignored.
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.
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Creating Fades
• To create fades, drag the fade handles in the waveform display on the Sample
tab or specify the length for fade in and fade out on the Slice tab (if you
created slices from the audio).
• To adjust the curvature, drag the fade line in the display up or down. To reset
the fade curve back to linear, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on the
fade line.
Zooming
The fades directly influence sample playback. They are not part of the amp
envelope.
• To zoom in/out on the time and level axis, use the horizontal and vertical zoom
sliders.
Vertical zoom slider
• The three buttons to the right of the horizontal zoom slider allow you to zoom
to the start, the end, and to the full range.
Depending on your work situation, these options refer to the sample, the
selection, or a loop. Clicking several times increases the zoom level.
• To toggle between full zoom and the previous zoom setting, click the A button
to the right of the horizontal zoom slider.
• To zoom in/out on the locator position, press [G] and [H].
• You can click and drag the ruler to zoom in/out on the position you have
clicked.
• Use the options on the Zoom submenu of the context menu.
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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.
Sample
Shows the range between sample start and sample end markers.
Sample Start
Shows the sample start marker with the current zoom factor.
Sample Start Range
Shows the sample start range marker with the current zoom factor.
Sample End
Shows the sample end marker with the current zoom factor.
Loop
Shows the entire loop.
Loop Start
Shows the loop start marker with the current zoom factor.
Loop End
Shows the loop end marker with the current zoom factor.
Auditioning Samples
You can play back the sample using the Play Sample icon on the toolbar.
The following applies:
• If you have not made a selection, the whole sample is played back.
• If you have made a selection, this selection is played back.
•If the Edit Loop icon is activated, playback continues repeatedly until you
deactivate the audition function.
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Making Selections
1. To make a selection, click and drag with the Range Selection tool.
•If Sna p to Zero C rossi n g is activated, start and end of the selection are always
placed at zero crossings.
2. To resize the selection, drag its left or right border, or [Shift]-click at the
position where you want the selection to start/end.
3. To move a selection, position the mouse pointer inside the selection and drag.
Defining Sample Start and End from a Selection
• Make a selection, right-click in the Sample editor, open the Selection
submenu, and select Set Sample Start/End to Selection.
Defining Loop Start and End from a Selection
• Make a selection, right-click in the Sample editor, open the Selection
submenu, and select Set Loop to Selection.
Assigning a Portion of a Sample to another Pad
• Make a selection, position the mouse pointer inside it, click and drag the
selection to a new pad.
This assigns only the selected part of the sample to the pad.
The sample portion that is assigned to the new pad still references the original
sample, that is, no new sample is created on disk.
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PROCEDURE
NOTE
NOTE
NOTE
Sound Editing
Normalizing Samples
The Normalize function detects the highest peak level of the sample, and adjusts
the gain to reach a predefined level.
1. On the toolbar, in the Normalize Level field, specify the level that you want
to normalize the sample to.
2. Click the Normalize Sample button on the toolbar, or right-click the
sample and select Normalize Sample from the Sample submenu of the
context menu.
RESULT
The Gain parameter of the sample is adjusted to conform with the predefined
Normalize level. The amplitude of the waveform in the Sample editor changes
accordingly.
If you adjust the gain of the sample, the amplitude of the waveform in the Sample
editor changes. This might be confounded with an adjustment to the vertical zoom
of the waveform. To get a better visual feedback, set the vertical zoom to the
minimum before you adjust the gain.
To play back the sample at its original level, set the Gain parameter to 0.0 dB.
Trimming Samples
In the Sample editor, you can trim samples to the start and end markers, or to the
selection.
• To trim the sample to the start and end markers, adjust the markers and click
• To trim the sample to a selection, make a selection and click the Trim
The trim functions are also available on the context menu of the Sample editor.
All trim operations can be undone.
the Trim
button on the toolbar.
button on the toolbar.
• To undo a trim operation, click the Revert to Full Sample button on the
toolbar, or right-click the sample and select Revert to Full Sample from the
context menu.
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.
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Sound Editing
Slice Tab
Toolbar
On the Slice tab, you can slice audio loops and automatically map the slices to
instrument pads. During this process, a MIDI track is created and is associated with
the first empty pattern pad.
After slicing a loop, you can play back the entire loop via the pattern pad or trigger
individual slices with the instrument pads.
The toolbar contains several tools that are also available on the Sample tab. In
addition, the following tools are available:
Play Slice
Activate this button to play back slices when clicking on them.
Lock Slices
Activate this button to prevent slice markers from being moved. Locked slices
are shown with red markers.
Jump to Previous/Next Slice
BPM
Bars/Beats
Parameter Section
Create/Remove Slices
Slice Detection Mode
Click these buttons to jump to the next/previous slice.
Displays the tempo of the loop, as read from the sample file or calculated from
the sample length.
You can adjust this value manually.
Shows the length of the sample found by the automatic tempo detection, in
bars and beats. You can adjust this value manually, which has an effect on the
grid and the tempo.
Click this button to create slices for the selected loop. If slices exist, click this
button to remove them.
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.
You can combine the Transient and Grid modes to detect slices that
match both conditions.
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NOTE
PROCEDURE
Sound Editing
•In Manual mode, no automatic slice detection is performed. Instead,
you can add and remove slices manually by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking in the
waveform.
Threshold
Determines the minimum level that a transient must have to be detected as
the start of a new slice.
Min Length
Determines the minimum length of a slice. Use this to avoid creating
unwanted short slices.
Grid Catch
In Transient+Grid mode, you can use this control to specify how close to the
grid a transient marker must be.
Fade In/Out
Sets the length of the fade in and the fade out for all slices of the loop.
MIDI Export Field
Slicing a loop
You can export the MIDI phrase by dragging the MIDI export field on a MIDI
track in your host application.
PREREQUISITE
To slice a loop, it is best to start with an empty kit.
The maximum number of slices is 128. Therefore, it is recommended to start on a
pad that is assigned to a lower note, so that enough empty pads are available.
1. Drop the audio loop on the instrument pad that you want to start with.
2. Open the Slice tab and click Create Slices.
If the number of slices exceeds the number of available pads, some slices cannot be
mapped to instrument pads. These slices are shown in red in the waveform display.
In this case, the loop plays only with the length of the mapped slices.
3. Adjust the parameters on the Slice tab to create the best set of slices.
Any changes that lead to more or less slices will create slices on or remove slices
from pads.
Adding and Removing Slices
• To add a slice marker, [Alt]/[Option]-click in the editor.
• To remove a slice marker, [Alt]/[Option]-click it.
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NOTE
Pattern Editing
The number of slices that can be created is limited to the number of available empty
instrument pads.
Pattern Editing
On the Edit page for pattern pads, you can make settings for the MIDI patterns.
•To open the Edit page, click the Edit button in the upper section of the plug-in
panel.
Mixing
The pattern editing functions for Beat Agent SE are described in the chapter
Working with Pads.
RELATED LINKS
Working With Pads on page 22
Each agent comes with a dedicated Agent mixer that contains agent-specific
options and settings.
The AUX mixer, Kit mixer, and Master mixer are available for all agents, and are
described in a separate chapter.
RELATED LINKS
Mixing and Effect Handling on page 90
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Mixing
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.
You can access the busses via the numbered buttons at the top.
Parameters
• 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.
• To assign a sample to an Agent mixer bus, open the Edit page for the
Instrument page. Then open the Main tab, select the pad that you want to
edit, and select the bus from the Output pop-up menu.
Level
The level fader allows you to adjust the volume of the bus.
Pan
Sets the position of the bus in the stereo panorama.
Mute
Activate this to mute the bus.
Meter
The meters of the mixer channel show the output level of the bus.
Peak Level Meter
The meter indicates the highest level on the bus in dB. To reset the peak
meter, click on the value field.
Insert Effect Slots
You can use the 4 slots on the right of the channel strip to add insert effects
to the bus.
Bus Name
At the bottom of a channel strip, the name of the bus is displayed.
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NOTE
NOTE
Importing and Exporting Files
• To rename a bus, double-click its name and enter a new name.
Importing and Exporting Files
Importing MPC and GAK Files
You can import AKAI MPC 500 and MPC 1000 files and GAK files created in
Groove Agent ONE into Groove Agent SE.
You can import the files in the following ways:
• Drag a file from the Windows Explorer/Mac OS Finder onto the slot in the kit
slot section or on the kit name in the kit rack.
• On the context menu for the kit, select Import, select the file in the dialog, and
click OK.
When importing GAK files, you will be asked to specify the folder in which to save
the included files.
Importing REX Files and Sliced Loops
You can import REX files and sliced audio parts from Cubase/Nuendo into Groove
Agent SE.
• To import a REX file or a sliced audio part into Groove Agent SE, drop it onto
an empty pad.
The slices are automatically distributed across the pads, and a MIDI phrase is
created and assigned to the first empty pattern pad.
Once the file is imported, you can trigger the slices with the instrument pads, or play
back the entire loop by triggering the pattern pad.
Imported REX files and sliced audio parts are treated like audio loops that were
sliced in Groove Agent SE.
Pads that are part of the sliced loop display a loop icon. The pad that contains the
first slice displays a larger loop icon.
If the number of available pads is not high enough to map all slices to pads, the
slices that could not be added are shown in red on the slice edit page. You can
move pads using drag and drop to free the necessary pads. As soon as enough
pads are available, the slices that could not be mapped are automatically added.
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NOTE
PROCEDURE
NOTE
NOTE
Importing and Exporting Files
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.
Exporting Kits with Samples
Groove Agent SE kits can be exported together with the associated samples.
1. Right-click the kit in the kit bar and select Export Kit with Samples from the
context menu.
2. In the dialog, specify a name and a location for the file.
RESULT
The kit file is created together with a folder containing the samples.
Samples that are part of the protected factory content cannot be exported.
Finding Missing Samples
There might be situations where loaded programs cannot find the samples they use.
This can happen if the referenced samples are located on a different drive and the
drive name has changed, or because the program was created on a different
computer system.
When this happens, the Find Missing Sample dialog opens, showing a list of all
samples that are missing, with additional information about the format, size, and
creation date. The list groups all samples that are located in the same subfolder.
Entering a Search Path
In the Find Missing Sample dialog, below the list of missing samples, you can enter
the search path to find the missing samples.
All subdirectories are searched before the results are displayed, therefore the
search takes longer if you specify entire drives.
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Importing and Exporting Files
Starting the Search
Once you have specified the search path, click the Start Search button to start the
search process.
If the search only finds a single result for each missing sample, the sample path is
automatically corrected in the program and the sample disappears from the
Missing Files list. If all samples are found, the dialog is closed.
Multiple Results
If sample files with the same name are found in more than one location, an additional
Found File list appears below the Missing File list. This shows the available
samples and their file locations.
• To select a sample or a complete folder that is to be used to resolve the
missing samples, double-click it in the Found Files list.
Each sample or folder that is resolved this way disappears from the Missing
File list.
Favorite Paths
Search Options
Once all samples are resolved the dialog closes.
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.
By default, Groove Agent SE searches for samples that do not only have the same
file name, but also correspond in terms of time, size, and format information. A
sample is considered found only if all of the information is identical. However, you
can exclude this information by activating the Ignore File Time and Size and
Ignore Audio Format options.
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Acoustic Agent SE (Cubase
Elements only)
Acoustic Agent SE 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.
The MIDI pattern player is the same as for Beat Agent SE.
RELATED LINKS
Pattern Section on page 36
Sound Editing
On the Edit page for instrument pads, you set up the sound of the kits.
•To open the Edit page, click the Edit button in the upper section of the plug-in
panel.
• To show the parameters for a particular drum instrument, click on it.
Depending on the setting of the Mute Instrument Trigger on Editor button
in the upper right corner of the Edit page, this also previews the instrument.
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Sound Editing
• If a drum instrument is triggered, this is shown by the instrument turning dark.
Instrument Preview
On the Edit page, you can specify whether you want to preview and select an
instrument when clicking on it, or whether you only want to select it and show its
sound parameters.
• To preview an instrument when clicking on it, deactivate the Mute Instrument
Trigger on Editor button in the upper right corner of the Edit page.
Instruments that have multiple articulations play the standard articulation. For
example, a snare can be played open, with a rimshot, or with sidestick. For
preview, the open articulation is used. To trigger the other articulations, use
the instrument pads.
• To select an instrument and show its settings when clicking on it, activate
Mute Instrument Trigger on Editor.
Sound Parameters
If you select an instrument in the picture on the right, its sound parameters are
available at the bottom of the panel.
Each instrument has its own set of parameters.
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.
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Sound Editing
Snare Drums
Room Level
Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Overhead Level
Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone.
Master Bleed
Adjusts how much the kick and the toms bleed into the snare bottom
microphone. This control serves as master control by attenuating the snare
bottom samples of the kick and toms.
Tune
Adjusts the pitch.
Attack
Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope.
Toms
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.
Room Level
Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Overhead Level
Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone.
Bleed
Adjusts how much the tom 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.
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Sound Editing
Cowbell
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. Turn the control all the way to
the right to play the entire sample.
Decay
Tambourine
Claps
Adjusts the decay time of the amplifier envelope.
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.
Room Level
Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Attack
Adjusts the attack time of the amplifier envelope.
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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.
Single, Small Group, Large Group
Determines whether the D#1 key triggers a single clap, or claps from a small
or a large group.
Cymbals
Room Level
Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Overhead Level
Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone.
Ride Cymbal
Choke On/Off
A choke effect for cymbals is created by hitting a cymbal, and then grabbing
it with the hand, dampening the sound. If Choke is activated, you can choke
a cymbal using poly pressure, aftertouch, or note-off events.
Choke Controller
Specifies which MIDI event triggers the choke for the cymbal.
• Note-off: To play the cymbal, hit the key and hold it. To choke the
cymbal, release the key.
• Aftertouch: To play the cymbal, trigger the corresponding note. To
choke the cymbal, send an aftertouch event that is greater than 64.
• Poly Pressure: To play the cymbal, trigger the corresponding note. To
choke the cymbal, send a poly pressure event that is greater than 64.
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.
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Sound Editing
Bell
Adjusts the level of the Bell articulation that is triggered with F2.
Edge
Adjusts the level of the Edge articulation that is triggered with B2.
Hihat
Room Level
Adjusts the level of the room microphone.
Overhead Level
Adjusts the level of the overhead microphone.
Shank, Tip, Foot
You can play the hihat with the shoulder of the stick on the edge or with the
tip of the stick on the bow of the hihat. When you close the hihat, it produces
a foot chick. You can adjust the level for each of these articulations.
• Shank adjusts the level of the shank hihat articulation that is triggered
with F#0 and A#0.
• Tip adjusts the level of the tip hihat articulation that is triggered with F#1
and A#1.
• Foot adjusts the level of the foot and pedal hihat articulation that are
triggered with G#0/G#1 (Foot) and A0/A-1 (Pedal).
Hihat Open Min/Max
These controls adjust the minimum and the maximum opening state of the
hihat, that is, they specify how much the hihat can be opened or closed with
the corresponding hihat controller.
Controller Filter
The open state of the closed hihat on A#1 and the shank hihat on A#0 can
be controlled with MIDI controller #1 (modulation wheel) or with MIDI
controller #4 (foot controller). Use these buttons to filter out any incoming
MIDI data for controllers #1 or #4.
For example, activate MW to avoid that any incoming MIDI controller #1 is
received from your MIDI keyboard.
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Pattern Editing
Pattern Editing
On the Edit page for pattern pads, you can make settings for the MIDI patterns and
styles.
Agent Page
Pattern Section
The Agent page contains the Pad, Pattern, and Performance sections.
The common pad and pattern functions are described in the chapter Working with
Pads. Those functions that are agent-specific are described in the following
sections.
RELATED LINKS
Working With Pads on page 22
For Acoustic Agent SE pattern pads, the Pattern section offers functions for the
style player.
Use Style
Activates the style player.
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NOTE
Pattern Editing
Style Library
Allows you to select a style. Click to select the file from the list.
Original Tempo
Displays the original tempo as saved in the style.
MIDI Export Field
• To export a pattern, set the dial in the Performance section to the MIDI
pattern that you want to export, adjust the playback parameters, and
click the MIDI export field and drag it onto a MIDI track in your host
application. You can also drag the field to other locations and
applications that support MIDI files.
If you export a main pattern, it will be 4 bars long. The lengths for intro,
ending, and fill vary.
Your settings for Halftime, Complexity, Intensity, Quantize, Crash
Mode, Hihat Mode, and Ride Mode are taken into account. Not taken
into account are the parameters that vary the playback automatically,
like Auto Complexity and Auto Fill.
Using the Style Player
If the Use Style button is activated and a style is selected on the pop-up menu, the
style player is active and you can assign intros, fills, and endings to pattern pads by
using the large dial in the Performance section.
• To do so, activate the pattern pad and set the dial to the intro, fill, or ending
that you want to use.
The pattern pad plays the selected part each time you trigger it.
You can choose between 4 intros, 8 fills, and 4 endings.
• Intros and endings are not affected by the parameters Halftime, Complexity,
Auto Complexity, Auto Fill, and Crash Mode.
• Fills are not affected by the parameters Halftime, Complexity, Auto
Complexity, and Auto Fill.
Removing a Style
• To remove the selected style, right-click the Style Library pop-up menu and
select Clear.
Converting Intros, Main Patterns, Fills, or Endings into MIDI Patterns
You can convert the selected part of a style to a MIDI pattern. This allows you to edit
this part in the Pattern editor, for example.
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NOTE
NOTE
Pattern Editing
The conversion takes into account the playback parameters of a style, for example,
Intensity, Quantize, Swing, and Crash Filter and converts them into MIDI events
in the MIDI pattern. The resulting MIDI pattern for the main pattern of a style also
reflects the set Complexity.
Auto Complexity and Auto Fill are not taken into account.
You can convert styles on the Agent page or on the Overview page.
• On the Agent page, select a style, and select the main pattern, intro, fill, or
ending that you want to convert. Set up the playback parameters, and click
the Convert Style to MIDI Pattern button between the Use Style and Use
MIDI File buttons.
• On the Overview page, right-click the cell that contains the style and select
Convert Style to MIDI Pattern on the context menu.
Once you have converted a part of a style into a MIDI pattern, it cannot be used in
the style player any longer.
Performance Section (Style Player)
Pattern Dial
Allows you to specify whether you want the style player to play a main pattern,
a fill, an ending, or an intro. Depending on which part of the style you select,
you can choose between different variations, for example, 8 different fills are
available.
Complexity
You can modify the complexity of drum patterns. Increasing the complexity
can add more notes, change from hihat to ride or from snare to toms, for
example. This allows you to introduce a feel of free-style playing to a pattern.
You can set the complexity in the following ways:
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NOTE
NOTE
Pattern Editing
•Move the Complexity handle below the display to the right or left. Drag
to the right to increase the complexity, and to the left to decrease the
complexity.
• Click in the display and move the combined Complexity/Intensity
control to the left or right.
You can modify complexity and intensity at the same time by moving the
control both on the x and the y axis.
• Double-click in the Complexity value field above the display and enter a
new value.
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. You can set the intensity in the following ways:
• Move the Intensity handle to the right of the display up or down.
• Click in the display and move the combined Complexity/Intensity
control up or down.
You can modify complexity and intensity at the same time by moving the
control both on the x and the y axis.
• Double-click in the Intensity value field below the display and enter a
new value.
Half Time On/Off
Activates halftime rhythmic feel for the playback of the main pattern. This is
reached by extending the normal rhythm over two bars rather than by halving
the tempo. If a style does not contain halftime patterns, this parameter is not
available.
This parameter affects only the main patterns. Intros, endings, and fills do not
support halftime playing.
Auto Complexity
This parameter varies the set Complexity randomly, creating a less static
playback of the styles.
To set up the Auto Complexity parameter, click the Auto Complexity button
and select an option from the menu:
• 1/1 bar – The complexity varies randomly after a full bar.
• 1/2 bar – The complexity varies randomly after half of a bar.
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NOTE
NOTE
Pattern Editing
• 1 – The complexity is increased on the first beat of a bar. All other beats
of the bar have the same or a lower complexity.
• 1+3 – The complexity is increased on the first and the third beat of a
bar. The other beats have the same or a lower complexity.
• 2+4 – The complexity is increased on beat 2 and 4 of the bar. All other
beats of the bar have the same or a lower complexity.
• 1+4 – The complexity is increased on beat 1 and 4 of the bar. All other
beats of the bar have the same or a lower complexity.
• To deactivate Auto Complexity, select Off.
If Auto Complexity is activated, the dot in the background of the
complexity/intensity display indicates which complexity is currently played.
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 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. The Complexity
setting of the pad is taken into account.
• If you want a pause before the fill starts, activate the Break button.
Auto Fill
With the Auto Fill function, the main pattern can play back a fill after a
specified interval of bars. This is useful for jamming with Groove Agent SE.
For example, with a setting of 4, you get a fill every 4 bars. Each time, the fill
is randomly chosen from the eight available fills.
If Auto Fill is activated, the number of the fill that is playing lights up in yellow.
This setting affects only the main pattern. Intros, endings, and fills are not
affected. They play back as usual, that is, they do not change into a fill after
the set interval.
Quantize Amount
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.
Flams and rolls are not affected by this parameter.
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NOTE
NOTE
Pattern Editing
Swing
Allows you to shift the timing of notes on even numbered beats to give the
pattern a swing feeling. Negative values shift the timing backward, and the
notes are played earlier. Positive values shift the timing forward, and the notes
are played later.
Crash Mode
Determines whether main pattern, intro, fill, and ending play with crash
cymbals.
•If Always is selected, the style player plays the crash cymbals of the
main pattern and a crash cymbal on the first beat after the fill.
•If Fill/Ending is selected, the style player plays only crash cymbals that
are part of the fill or the ending. For example, crash cymbals from a main
pattern that are used to fill up endings that do not start at the first beat
are not played.
•If Main is selected, the style player plays only the crash cymbals of the
main pattern.
•If Off is selected, the style player leaves out all crash cymbals.
Hihat Mode
Specifies whether a pattern plays the hihat with all articulations, or only with
the tip or the shank articulation.
• 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.
Ride Mode
Specifies whether a pattern plays the ride cymbal with or without bell
articulation.
• 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.
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Mixing
Mixing
Each agent comes with a dedicated Agent mixer that contains agent-specific
options and settings.
The AUX mixer, Kit mixer, and Master mixer are available for all agents, and are
described in a separate chapter.
RELATED LINKS
Mixing and Effect Handling on page 90
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.
Groups
The left section of the mixer contains dedicated group channels for kick, snare,
hihat, toms, cymbals, and percussion.
Room and Overhead Microphones
The Room/OH tab contains channels for the room and the overhead microphones.
Kit Mix Channel
The Kit Mix tab contains the channel strip for the Kit Mix output.
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Acoustic Agent SE (Cubase Elements only)
Mixing
For the Kit Mix output channel, you can add a Tube Saturator effect.
• To activate the Tube Saturator effect, click its On/Off button.
• To change the effect sound, adjust the Drive parameter.
Channel Parameters
The channels have the following parameters:
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.
• To reset the peak level, click the text field.
Output
Each channel can be routed to the main output of Groove Agent SE or to one
of the individual outputs.
• Click the Output field to open the pop-up menu with the available
outputs.
AUX Sends 1-4
Use these controls to send the signal to the corresponding AUX busses of the
agent.
Width (Room and Overhead Channel Strips Only)
Adjusts the stereo width of the signal from mono to stereo.
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Acoustic Agent SE (Cubase Elements only)
Mixing
Agent Mixer Equalizer and Effects
In the lower section of the Agent mixer, you can make equalizer and effect settings
for the groups.
If a channel strip is selected, the section below the mixer channels shows the insert
effects for this channel. The order of the effects can be modified by dragging the
tabs. To show the parameters of an insert effect, select the corresponding tab.
• To activate an insert effect, click the corresponding On/Off button.
Each channel offers an equalizer, a vintage compressor, a tape saturator, and an
envelope shaper for the insert effects. These effects correspond to the included
effect plug-ins of the same name.
Mixer Presets
RELATED LINKS
Studio EQ on page 98
VintageCompressor on page 118
Tape Saturator on page 106
Envelope Shaper on page 125
You can create mixer presets for Acoustic Agent SE. These presets contain all
Agent mixer, AUX mixer, and Kit mixer settings for the loaded kit.
Mixer presets can only be applied to the kit they were saved for, because the
number of used instruments and mixer channels varies between the kits. Each kit
comes with its own set of presets.
The controls for loading, saving, and deleting mixer presets can be found to the left
of the ROOM/OH tab.
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Mixing and Effect Handling
AUX Mixer
You perform your mixing operations on the Mixer page.
For each agent, a specific Agent mixer is available. The Agent mixer functions are
described in the separate chapters for the agents.
The Mixer page contains tabs for the Agent mixer, the AUX mixer, the Kit mixer, and
the Master mixer. The order of the tabs represents the signal flow.
The AUX mixer features 4 AUX busses that can be used to realize classic send
effects.
Parameters
Each bus hosts up to 4 insert effects, which allows you to set up complex effects.
The busses can be routed to the Master output of the plug-in or to one of the
individual outputs. Each agent has its own AUX mixer. This means that you can use
different Reverb send effects for the different agents, for example. All settings of the
AUX mixer are saved in kit presets.
Output
On this pop-up menu, you can select one of the 16 available outputs for the
AUX bus or you can route the signal to the Kit mixer.
Level
Allows you to set the level of the AUX bus.
Pan
Sets the position of the AUX bus in the stereo panorama.
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Mixing and Effect Handling
Kit Mixer
Mute
Effect Slots
Kit Mixer
The Kit mixer contains the channel strip for the bus that is assigned to the kit slot.
Parameters
Mutes the AUX bus.
You can use the 4 slots on the right of each channel strip to add insert effects
to the slot.
Output
On this pop-up menu, you can select one of the 16 available outputs.
Level
The level fader allows you to adjust the volume of the slot.
Pan
Sets the position of the slot in the stereo panorama.
Mute
Mutes the slot.
Solo
Solos the slot.
Meter
The meters of the mixer channel show the output level of the kit.
Peak Level Meter
The meter indicates the highest level on the bus in dB. To reset the peak
meter, click on the value field.
Effect Slots
You can use the 4 slots on the right of the channel strip to add insert effects
to the slot.
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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 4 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
Effect Handling
Each agent in Groove Agent SE features an AUX mixer with 4 AUX busses that can
be used to realize classic send effects. Each bus hosts up to 4 insert effects, which
allows you to set up complex effects. The busses can be routed to the Master
output of the plug-in or to one of the individual outputs.
The Kit Mixer provides access to the mixer channel of the kit which also features 4
inserts.
Furthermore, the Mixer provides access to the master output bus. This can be used
to add a global EQ or compressor to the signal chain, for example.
Default Effect Settings
Each effect comes with factory default settings. However, you can save your own
default settings for each effect as a preset.
You can use the 4 slots on the right to add insert effects to the slot.
• Set up the effect.
•Click the Save Preset button in the title bar of the effect section and save the
preset under the name --Default--.
The preset is saved in the presets folder of the effect and is loaded each time you
load the effect.
• To return to the factory default settings, delete your default preset.
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Mixing and Effect Handling
NOTE
NOTE
Effect Handling
Using the Insert Effect Slots
On the Mixer page, you can set up insert effects for the kit channel and the the AUX
busses.
Each bus provides 4 slots for insert effects.
• To assign an insert effect, click the effect slot and select the effect from the
menu.
• To remove an insert effect including its current settings, click the effect slot
and select None from the menu.
• To bypass an effect, activate the Bypass button of the slot. Bypass is active
when the button lights up.
• 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 the drag icon below the edit button
and drag it to another slot. This replaces any effect loaded in this slot.
• To change the order of the effects, click the drag icon below the edit button
and drag it to a new position between two slots.
• To copy an effect into another slot, hold down [Alt]/[Option], click the drag
icon below the edit button and drag it onto the new slot. This replaces any
effect loaded in this slot.
You can also copy effects between the different mixers. First drag an effect to the
corresponding mixer tab. Then drag it to the position where you want to insert it.
• To copy an effect and insert it between two effect slots, hold down
[Alt]/[Option], click the drag icon below the edit button and drag between two
slots.
You can also copy effects between the different mixers. First drag an effect to the
corresponding mixer tab. Then drag it to the position where you want to insert it.
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Reverb and Delay Effects
Reverb
This effect produces a high-quality algorithmic reverb with early reflections and
reverb tail.
Effects Reference
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 reflections patterns and adjust their size. The reverb tail, or late
reverberation, offers parameters for controlling the room size and the reverb time.
You can adjust the reverb time individually in 3 frequency bands.
Pre-Delay
Determines how much time passes before the reverb is applied. This allows
you to simulate larger rooms by increasing the time it takes for the first
reflections to reach the listener.
Early Reflections
Here, you select an early reflections pattern. The early reflections pattern
contains the most important delays that deliver the key information for the
spatial impression of the room.
ER/Tail Mix
Sets the level balance between the early reflections and the reverb tail. At a
setting of 50
below 50
source moves towards the front of the room. Settings above 50
tail and lower the early reflections, as a result the sound source moves
towards the back of the room.
%, early reflections and tail have the same volume. Settings
% raise the early reflections and lower the tail, as a result the sound
% raise the
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Effects Reference
Reverb and Delay Effects
Size
Adjusts the length of the early reflections pattern. At a setting of 100 %, the
pattern is applied with its original length and the room sounds the most
natural. At settings below 100
%, the early reflections pattern is compressed
and the room is perceived smaller.
Low Cut
Attenuates the low frequencies of the early reflections. The higher this value,
the less low frequencies are present in the early reflections.
High Cut
Attenuates the high frequencies of the early reflections. The lower this value,
the less high frequencies the early reflections will have.
Delay
Delays the onset of the reverb tail.
Room Size
Controls the dimensions of the simulated room. At a setting of 100 %, the
dimensions correspond to a cathedral or a large concert hall. At a setting of
50
%, the dimensions correspond to a medium-sized room or studio. Settings
below 50
% simulate the dimensions of small rooms or a booth.
Main Time
Controls the overall reverb time of the tail. The higher this value, the longer the
reverb tail will decay. At a setting of 100
%, the reverb time is infinitely long.
The Main Time parameter also represents the mid band of the reverb tail.
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. For positive
values, low frequencies decay longer and vice versa. Frequencies will be
affected depending on the Low Freq parameter.
High Freq
Sets the cross-over frequency between the mid and the high band of the
reverb tail. You can offset the reverb time for frequencies above this value
from the main reverb time with the High Time parameter.
Low Freq
Sets the cross-over frequency between the low and the mid band of the
reverb tail. The reverb time for frequencies below this value can be offset from
the main reverb time with the Low Time parameter.
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Effects Reference
Reverb and Delay Effects
Shape
Controls the attack of the reverb tail. At a setting of 0 %, the attack is more
immediate, which is a good setting for drums. The higher this value, the less
immediate the attack.
Density
Adjusts the echo density of the reverb tail. At a setting of 100 %, single
reflections from walls cannot be heard. The lower this value, the more single
reflections can be heard.
High Cut
Attenuates the high frequencies of the reverb tail. The lower this value, the
less high frequencies the reverb tail will have.
Width
Adjusts the output of the reverb signal between mono and stereo. At a setting
%, the output of the reverb is mono, at 100 % it is stereo.
of 0
Mix
Multi Delay
Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. If the effect
is used as a send effect, set this parameter to the maximum value as you can
control the dry/effect balance with the send.
This effect produces delays, with adjustable time, feedback, and filters.
With the Mode parameter, you can set up this effect as Stereo, Cross, or
Ping-Pong delay effect. Depending on the selected mode, the echoes repeat in
varying patterns across the stereo panorama.
Mode
Multi Delay offers three different modes:
• Stereo mode has two independent delay lines, one for the left and one
for the right audio channel, each with a feedback path of its own.
• Cross mode has two delay lines with cross feedback. Cross feedback
means that the delay of the left channel is fed back into the delay of the
right channel, and vice versa.
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Effects Reference
NOTE
NOTE
Reverb and Delay Effects
• Ping-Pong mode mixes the left and right input channel and sends it to
hard-panned left and right delays. This way, the echoes bounce like a
ping-pong ball between left and right in the stereo panorama.
Time
Sets the overall time for the left and right delay. Use the Delay L/R parameter
to shorten the time for the left or right delay. Activate Sync to set the delay
time as a note value.
Sync
Activate Sync to synchronize the delay time to the host tempo. When Sync is
activated, the time is set as a note value.
The maximum delay time is 5000 ms. If the note length exceeds this value, it
is automatically shortened.
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. Feedback
means that the output of the delay is fed back to its input. At a setting of 0
you hear one echo. At a setting of 100
%, the echoes repeat endlessly.
Feedback L/R
Offsets the amount of feedback of the left or right delay from the overall
feedback. A factor of 1 means that the amount of feedback corresponds to
the overall feedback. A factor of 0.5 means that the amount is half the overall
feedback. To offset the left feedback, turn the control to the left. To offset the
right feedback, turn the control to the right.
This parameter is only available in Stereo mode.
Filter Low
%,
Attenuates the low frequencies of the delays.
Filter High
Attenuates the high frequencies of the delays.
Mix
Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal.
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Effects Reference
EQ Effects
EQ Effects
Studio EQ
Studio EQ is a high-quality 4-band parametric equalizer.
With the 4 frequency bands, you can shape the tone color, to create a brighter or
darker sound, for example. The two mid-range bands act as peak filters and the low
and high bands act as shelving filters. All bands are fully parametric with adjustable
gain, frequency, and Q factor.
Each frequency band offers the following controls:
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)
Use this parameter to adjust 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.
• To adjust the parameters Gain and Freq simultaneously, drag the points in the
EQ curve display.
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Effects Reference
EQ Effects
Graphic EQ
Graphic EQ is an equalizer with ten frequency bands that can be cut or boosted by
up to 12
dB. In addition, you can specify the overall range and output of the
equalizer.
Output
Controls the overall output level of the equalizer.
Mode
Allows you to add color or character to the equalized output. The following
options are available:
• True Response mode uses serial filters with accurate frequency
response.
• Classic mode uses parallel filters where the resonance depends on the
amount of gain.
• Constant Q mode uses parallel filters where the resonance is raised
when boosting the gain.
Range
Adjusts the maximum cut or boost for all frequency bands together.
Invert
Activate this to invert the EQ curve.
Flatten
Resets all frequency bands to 0 dB.
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Effects Reference
EQ 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.
• To set the Low, Mid, and Hi frequency bands, click and drag the EQ points.
• To fine-adjust the Low, Mid, and Hi frequency bands, press [Shift] and drag
the EQ points.
• To set a parameter to zero, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click it.
• To change the Gain values, click them and move the mouse up or down.
Low Gain
Sets the amount of boost or attenuation for the low band.
Low Kill (Activates Low Cut)
Cuts the low band.
Mid Gain
Sets the amount of attenuation/boost for the mid band.
Mid Kill (Activates Mid Cut)
Cuts the mid band.
Output meter
Indicates the level of the output signal.
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