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Version History
Groove Agent 3
3.0.1.28 hotfix This hotfix release of Groove Agent 3 offers improvements
which we would like to make available to our customers as
soon as possible.
While preliminary testing carried out with this version
indicates that it is stable and reliable, it has not gone
through our full QA testing cycle. Therefore, this hotfix
update is not officially supported.
Fixes
• Saving a project with GA classic Style and Kit slider
unlinked and set to different positions resulted to both
sliders set to the same position on reloading.
• AU: Using any other sample rate than 44.1 kHz is now
working correctly.
• DXi: Fixed an issue where new projects created with
3.0.1 wouldn’t reload their settings in the DXi version.
In case you did already save DXi projects with 3.0.1 they
should open just fine after you installed this hotfix.
Groove Agent 3.0.1 – Version History 1 of 6 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH – December 2007
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3.0.1
Improvements
• Improved autofill behaviour: if autofill were set to
2/4/16/etc. a fill was not only triggered each n bars, but
also each time you change the complexity. In Groove
Agent 3.0.1 this is only the case if autofill is set to on,
else the fill will only trigger each n bars.
• GUI: The icons for MIDI various settings in the LCD
Display were missing (GM + MIDI FILE output). You
can now directly activate Ambience Split or MIDI file
output by clicking on the icons.
• A new option “limit memory usage“ (LMU) is introduced
on the Setup page. Activate it when you are low on
memory. If activated, changing from classic to dual mode
or vice versa will empty the modules previously selected.
• The MIDI remote state of Half Tempo Feel on / off and
PA start / stop wasn’t absolute. The new changed
behaviour is: a note-on velocity of 0-63 defines off / start
state, a note-on velocity of 64-127 defines on / stop state.
This may require you to adjust projects created with
3.0.15 which used MIDI remote notes to control these two
functions.
Fixes
• Under Windows Vista the FX/PA Presets dialog now
always open the default location for presets.
• Drum complexity and fill complexity can be controlled
separately via MIDI now.
• The PDF manual was updated with several corrections
and additions.
• In dual mode the SA and PA module wouldn’t unload
RAM when the module was switched off or changed. This
could lead to situations where up to 6 fully loaded
modules per GA3 instance were fully loaded into RAM.
Now only modules are loaded into RAM which are
visually present.
• Special Agent played only hi-hats if playback was started
before loading a style.
• Moving to the highest complexity level in Special Agent
could lead to a crash.
• Special Agent fills were playing back out of time or with
cut off notes when the random fill function was used.
• Fills couldn’t be automated properly via VST automation
because the fill button lift event was missing.
• Using any other sample rate than 44.1 kHz changed the
playback tempo and pitch.
• Sometimes there were audible double kicks on first beat
after a fill.
• MIDI Controller CC7 for Volume and CC91 for Ambience
didn’t work.
Groove Agent 3.0.1 – Version History 2 of 6 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH – December 2007
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• Random function in PA didn’t work in channel 1.
• The "Unload all" function on Import & FX section did
nothing.
• Sometimes the User Samples under OSX were played
back distorted.
• Under Windows Vista the installer didn’t placed a link to
the documentation pdf in the start menu.
• Groove Agent 3 standalone was counting bars and beats
even when not playing.
• AU: there were problems related to writing automation in
AU Hosts (Logic 7 and higher).
• Logic 8 compatible.
• In Cubase 4 the memory locations 3+4 didn’t work.
• Memoryslots and automation didn’t work properly: pattern
complexity level was missing from automation data.
• When the Kick drum was triggered repeatedly via Midi
some notes were getting choked.
• When using the “MIDI export to file” or “live to host”
function sometimes missing, not-tight or unused notes
could occur.
• Under specific circumstances Groove Agent 3 could
crash when selecting a user imported sample.
• Audio exported from Nuendo 4 or Cubase 4.1 couldn’t be
imported by Groove Agent 3 as User sample.
• Sometimes the style and Kit slider could split apart,
although “link” was activated.
• Fixed various redraw issues.
• Fixed crashes due to extreme memory usage.
Groove Agent 3.0.1 – Version History 3 of 6 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH – December 2007
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Groove Agent 3 Notes
• Please avoid closing your project or unloading GA3
instances from your sequencer while GA3 is still playing.
• It is not possible to export MIDI from the Special Agent
and Percussion Agent Module. This is because the audio
material consists of live played performances / audio
loops and not of playable kits like in GA classic.
• The GA classic page equals GA classic in upper module.
It also corresponds to the same MIDI channels and
messages (see below for MIDI control scheme). If you
save and then reload a project in your sequencer, Groove
Agent 3 will always display the GA classic page.
However, the correct settings will be loaded and the Song
will playback like expected.
• Special Agent: Depending on the sequencer you use it is
somtetimes necessary to advance the MIDI track that
holds triggering notes for Special Agent complexity levels
(for example by 50 ticks).
• Special Agent: for a more musical result when using fills,
you can try to set fill trigger notes not right on the
beginning of a bar but an 1/8th note later.
• If you experience stability issus (due to maxed out RAM)
while using Groove Agent 3, please activate the ”Limit
Memory Option” on the GA3 Setup page.
• Available outputs per Groove Agent 3 instance may be
limited, depending on the host application and plug-in
interface used.
• AU: If you use multi-outs in Logic and changed the
output configuration please note that you have to rescan
Groove Agent 3 in the AU Validation Manager to make
the additional outputs available in the Logic mixer.
• AU: If you open a Logic 7.2.3 project, which contains a
multi-out instance of GA3, in Logic 8 with GA 3.0.1 and
get an error about missing plugin channels, please
revalidate the plugin in the AU manager.
• AU: In Logic avoid using the setting “High” under
“Preferences / Drivers / Core Audio / Process Buffer
Range”. Keep the default setting of “Medium”.
• On the PC you can avoid “emulated Direct Music Ports”
in the standalone by putting a file called "ignorefilter" next
to the Groove Agent 3.exe. Afterwards all MIDI ports
show up in "preferences".
• If you installed any other Steinberg product after you
installed Groove Agent 3, for example, Cubase SX 3 or
any other older Steinberg product: please always make
sure to install the latest Syncrosoft drivers afterwards.
Groove Agent 3.0.1 – Version History 4 of 6 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH – December 2007
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Controlling Groove Agent 3 from a MIDI Keyboard
You can control the most important aspects of Groove Agent
3 from your MIDI keyboard. The information found in the
printed Manual is outdated. With Groove agent 3.0.1 an
updated pdf manual will be installed, which contain the
folllowing complete and updated info:
Ch 1 = GA in classic mode/upper module
Ch 2 = GA in lower module
Ch 3 = SA in upper module
Ch 4 = SA in lower module
Ch 5 = PA in upper module
Ch 6 = PA in lower module
Ch 10 = GA in classic mode/upper module in GM
mode
Ch 15 = GA in classic mode/upper module as
described on page 114 (odd channel), same
as ch 1
Ch 16 = GA in classic mode/upper module as
described on page 114 (even channel)
MIDI remote keys for Groove Agent module(s)
B0-A3 (35-69) Trigger drum sounds (as displayed on
the Import & FX page)
E2(52) Half Tempo Feel (off = 0-63 / on= 64-
127 vel.)
A#3 (70) Accent
B3 (71) Stop
C4-C6 (72-96) Complexity levels A-20
Mod wheel up Fill
MIDI remote keys for Special Agent module(s)
E2 (52) Half Tempo Feel (doubled for easy
SA/GA compatibility)
A3 (69) Half Tempo Feel (off = 0-63 / on= 64-
127 vel.)
A#3 (70) Accent
B3 (71) Stop
C4-C6 (72-96) Complexity levels A-20
Mod wheel up Fill
MIDI remote keys for Percussion Agent module(s)
Every octave on a MIDI keyboard controls one Percussion
Agent groove (group). Here are the keys and their
destinations (per octave, ranging from C0 [24] to C8 [108] with groove 1 starting at C0, groove 2 starting at C1 etc):
C Level Off button
D-E-F-G-A Levels 1-2-3-4-5
C# Mute PA groove (group)
D# Solo PA groove (group)
F# Random
B Stop/Run PA module (Stop = 0-63 / Run=
64-127 vel.)
Groove Agent 3.0.1 – Version History 5 of 6 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH – December 2007
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Groove Agent 3.0.1 Known issues
• Cubase SX3: if you to automate the RUN button of GA3
with the VST automation system, Cubase may freeze. It
works fine in Cubase 4 and other hosts.
• SONAR 6 & 7: if you use more than one instance of
Groove Agent 3 in a project, SONAR will freeze if you
close the project.
• FLstudio: FLstudio is not giving out correct position
timing info to VSTplugins. This leads to Groove Agent
believing it is looping bar one 4 times, then jumps to bar
five and loops it 4 times, then jumps to bar nine and loops
it 4 times and so on. We know of no workaround from the
plugin side, but will inform the Fruity development team.
• Special Agent: if you change the complexity level via
MIDI right on the beginning of a bar, Special Agent may
change the complexity level not immediately but on the
following bar. This depends on the system configuration
and used sequencer. If you experience such behavior the
easiest way is to bring forward the MIDI track which holds
the MIDI notes by some ticks.
• Special Agent: if you switch the style during playback
GA3 may be playing out of sync after the kit is loaded.
Workaround: stop and start your sequencer to make it
sync again.
• If you work in dual mode and switch to FX&Import page,
then switch to any other out tab than OUT1 and close the
page again GA3 switches to the classic page instead of
dual mode. If you now switch back to dual mode the
default settings are loaded and the previous settings are
lost.
Workaround: you can switch to Out 2-12 and make
settings. Just make sure you switch back to Out 1 tab
BEFORE you close the FX&Import page.
• You may experience Groove Agent 3 immediately playing
if you load a project. This is because GA3 saves the
status of the RUN button, which makes sense, so you
can just hit play in your sequencer and GA3 is playing in
sync.
o Workaround 1:
After project loading shortly start and then stop
the project.
o Workaround 2:
Before you save the project press the stop
button.
• Steinberg Key: the LCC can freeze at start when a key is
plugged to a HUB under Vista. Solution: disconnect the
steinberg key from the Hub, start the LCC, then
reconnect the key to the HUB.
Groove Agent 3.0.1 – Version History 6 of 6 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH – December 2007
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