Steinberg Groove Agent 2 Manual

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Using the automation in Cubase SX
This and the following section give step by step instructions describ-
ing how you create a drum track in Cubase SX. However, similar pro-
cedures apply to most host applications, and you should consult your 
host’s documentation if you need further help.
Working with automation is perhaps the most straightforward method. 
If you’re not used to this approach, here’s a helpful guide to get the 
job done in Cubase SX.
1.Open Groove Agent in your VST instruments rack. From Groove 
Agent’s panel, activate the Write button (W). Look in the Cubase SX 
project window, and you’ll notice that a new track called VST Instru-
ments, plus another track below it, have been created. For most situa-
tions, the auto quantize function in your sequencer should be turned 
OFF. You’re now ready to start recording your drum track.
2.Start Cubase SX. When it’s time for the drums to start playing, hit the 
Run button (with or without a fill being armed, remember?). Drag the 
sliders, push the buttons and turn the knobs until your drum track 
sounds right. When the song or section of the song is over, hit Groove 
Agent’s Stop button and then Cubase’s Stop button.
3.After recording, right-click the VST Instrument Automation track and 
select “Show used automation for all tracks”. All the automation classes 
(Run/Stop, Fill, Pattern Select etc.) will have a separate track.
4.Click the Read button (R) in Groove Agent or in one of the newly cre-
ated automation sub-tracks. Now you’ll see the actual data in all the 
tracks. This data can be freely edited.
5.To prevent unintentional over-writing of data, make sure the Write but-
ton is only lit when you deliberately want to over-write the automation 
data. 
						

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Composing with Groove Agent’s Memory slots 
in Cubase SX
For more drastic changes, i.e. if you want to change style, kit and sound 
in one go, the Memory buttons come into play. Proceed as follows.
1.Open Groove Agent in your VST instruments rack. Prepare settings 
for the various parts of your song in Groove Agent and save those 
“snapshots” in different memory locations. You may want to use one 
snapshot for the first verse and another snapshot for the chorus etc.
2.From Groove Agent’s panel, activate the Write button (W). Look in 
the Cubase project window, and you’ll notice that a new track called 
VST Instruments, plus another track below it, have been created. For 
most situations, the auto quantize function in your sequencer should 
be turned OFF. You’re now ready to start recording your drum track.
3.Start Cubase SX. Record your drum track by hitting Run and selecting 
different Memory slots when you reach various sections of your song. 
When the song or section of the song is over, hit Groove Agent’s Stop 
button and then Cubase’s Stop button.
4.After recording, right click on the VST Instrument Automation track 
and select “Show used automation for all tracks”. All the automation 
classes (Run/Stop, Fill, Pattern Select etc.) will be on a separate track.
5.Click the Read button (R) in Groove Agent or in one of the newly cre-
ated automation sub-tracks. Now you’ll see the actual data in all the 
tracks. This data can be freely edited.
6.To prevent unintentional over-writing of data, make sure the Write but-
ton is only lit when you deliberately want to over-write the automation 
data.
❐You may prefer sending Program Change commands from your MIDI key-
board to select memory locations. If so, use normal MIDI recording, since 
automation will not be involved. If you play live drums on your keyboard 
while recording, those notes will also be recorded.
❐In Cubase SX, the MIDI SysEx filter must be turned OFF for parameter 
automation to work. 
						

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About the styles
Here’s a short description of each style, as expressed by the musicians 
themselves. Those styles that are new to Groove Agent 2 are marked 
with an asterisk (*). Please note that while the original 54 Groove Agent 
styles were closely related to years and the timeline, the new styles are 
not related to any years in particular. Example: “Vintage FR-3” is a sub 
style to “1981 Elektro”, not because it has a particular 1981 flavour, 
but because those old analogue machines are electronic devices.
1950 Swing
Here’s a style used for jazz and big band playing. It’s hard to cover all 
the possibilities in a field as complex as swing/big band drumming, so I 
chose a straight, forward view for this one. The style was programmed 
around 144 BPM. It’s divided into two sections: the first half in “2”, the 
second in “four on the floor” in order to match the different bass pat-
terns often used in this type of drumming. RB
1951 Samba
This Samba style is a mixture between the authentic Samba (when 
played on the drum kit) and the Samba style that many jazz and fusion 
drummers use in their playing. MEB
1952 Jazz Trio
The lost art of brushes! Not many people these days know how to use 
brushes “the right way”! It’s one thing to own a pair, another to be able 
to play them. A third issue is to make a VST instrument handle them 
convincingly.
We’ve implemented the “brush stroke” in Groove Agent and combined 
it with my own inspiration from brush greats such as Buddy Rich, Louie 
Bellson, Jo Jones and all the lessons taken from brush legend Ed Thig-
pen (known from the Oscar Peterson Trio among others). You should 
know that I don’t agree 100% with Sven about what happens when we 
push the sidestick button! It’s a “hire one drummer – get two” effect 
and that’s not so bad, after all! RB 
						

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*Bop
This busy jazzy style could easily be used in a small jazz combo, like pi-
ano, bass, drums and a solo instrument. A good choice when you 
want to make your version of one of the many jazz standards out there. 
So open up Real Book, hit the Run-button and play. MEB
1953 Paint
Sometimes there’s no need for regular, rhythmic drum playing. If you 
tell a drummer to “do something”, he or she will probably get into 
some sort of creative mood and start producing wonderful noises. 
This is a style that emulates such a situation. SB
* Ominous
This style is a non-rhythmic sound-fx journey through different moods 
and places, preferably unpleasant ones… Heartbeats, scary noises, 
chimes and many more noises merge into a melting pot of suggestive 
impressions. It ranges from the simple to the complex but in a non-lin-
ear fashion, beyond the boundaries of standard pattern playing. Still 
the Fill, Sidestick and Half tempo functions will vary the contents. Also 
try using the Random-function a lot. So, imagine where you will be, 
and it will be so… NE
* Machinery
Factory hall? No it’s not a reverberation algorithm this time. It’s the 
static rhythm of machines working together. Some are small and fast, 
others are big and slow or vice versa, and they’re added one by one 
and speeding from a small scale industry into the final cacophony of 
hammers and wheels. Move carefully and put your helmet on! NE
1954 Cha-Cha
Cha-Cha style is a sidestick based style that sounds best with the 
sidestick button enabled. MEB 
						

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1955 3/4
Here are a number of different styles that have the 3/4 signature in 
common. The complexity doesn’t go from easy to wild in this one. It’s 
more like a journey through different attitudes and emotions, all in 
“three quarter time”. For best results, set your sequencer’s time signa-
ture to 3/4. SB
* 6/8
One silly omission in the original edition of Groove Agent was that the 
6/8 style was missing. There are many lovely songs that need this kind 
of rhythm, songs like “If you don’t know me by now” and “When I need 
you”. Please note that you must set the time signature of your host to 
6/8 to play this style properly. SB
1956 Rumba
This is the Afro-Cuban version of the Rumba, not to be confused with 
the Rhumba (with an “h”) that can often be heard in older drum ma-
chines. MEB
1957 Shuffle
An uncomplicated style which can give you, as a drummer, a lot of 
possibilities if you are creative. Instead of just playing backbeats on 
the snare drum, you can play the whole pattern along with the hihat or 
ride cymbal, which will give you a “fat” sound in what you’re produc-
ing. It’s harder for your left hand (if you play an ordinary drum set) but 
a lot more fun! RB
1958 Fox
This is one style that has been around for longer than anyone cares to 
remember. Call it foxtrot, slowfox of whatever; some people would still 
refer to it as “music”. A merry and light uptempo style. SB 
						

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1959 Tom-Toms
This style is used in many different situations. With it’s origin in the 
1920’s, when Duke Ellington played “jungle music” in Harlem and then 
made totally unforgettable by Gene Krupa with the Benny Goodman 
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall playing “Sing, Sing, Sing” in 1938, this 
type of drumming is heard in almost every movie made reflecting the 
30’s and 40’s. RB
1960 Bossa Nova
The traditional Bossa Nova style is played with the sidestick on the 
snare drum. Activate the sidestick button for that authentic feel. MEB
1961 Twist
The inspiration here was of course Chubby Checker’s classic “Let’s 
Twist Again”. On the record, the song is played really straight and sim-
ple, but as you crank up the complexity slider here in Groove Agent, 
you’ll get more variations and additions of bass drum patterns and ride 
cymbals. RB
1962 12/8
This style is a hybrid. The original idea was to create a slow 12/8 feel, 
similar to what you can hear in many love songs from the fifties. While 
composing the patterns, I raised the tempo just for fun and noticed 
that with faster BPM rates there’s a whole new feeling, a funky and 
pretty modern touch. Use it in a ballad or turn it up for that groovy 
beat. PS
* Slow Blues
If I were forced to choose one style and one tempo for an all-night jam 
session, I’d say “Slow blues at 60 BPM” without hesitation. It’s a mood 
and tempo that could last an entire evening. There are so many cool 
standards that fit here: “Summertime”, “Red House”, “Sweet Sixteen” 
and numerous other classics. Or any relaxed improvisation. Slow Blues 
in Groove Agent is rather dynamic; see how it increases in volume and 
intensity as the complexity levels get higher. Also, it re-starts a couple 
of times (at level 7, 12 and 18) from it’s basic closed hihat groove. SB 
						

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1963 Train Beat
This is a style where the drummer has to work hard with the snare 
drum. It works well in country and rock’n’roll songs and will give your 
music a “busy” feeling. PS
1964 Tamla
For this style I was inspired by the rock classic “Pretty Woman”. This 
rhythm was also frequently used by artists on the legendary Tamla 
Motown label. There can’t be a better way to start an up-tempo song, 
than with a snare drum pounding the beat! PS
1965 Soul
This style is influenced by some of the groovy drummers behind 
James Brown. MEB
1966 Pop
High energy pop drumming at your service! Fave tempo is 146 BPM. 
These rhythms were created to inspire all the other boys in the band. 
Pop drumming is the motor to a popcycle, with fill-ins from corny to 
rocket fuel. Can you find the two-bar fill going from A to Z and back 
again? Happy ride! dB
* Steady Beat
Here’s a very basic style that suits almost any tempo. It’s perfect when 
you need a steady drummer who doesn’t do any unexpected exercises, 
someone who never flips out, someone who’s not into impressing any-
one – but just plays. Plays a steady beat. This style can also be used if 
you want something with a triplet feeling. Just turn the Shuffle-knob to 
the right and you will have a steady Shuffle-beat. MEB
1967 Backbeat
This is the perfect up-tempo style. The drumming is pretty intense and 
it doesn’t stop to catch its breath, and maybe that is why it’s very easy 
to create a dance friendly song based on this groove. PS 
						

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1968 New Orleans Funk
In the winter of 1968-69, great drummer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste 
recorded the classic New Orleans R’n’B style tune “Cissy Strut” with 
funk pioneers The Meters. Zigaboo invented the characteristic funk 
groove often referred to as “the second line” style, very typical for The 
Meters’ groove. The Zigaboo grooves are (together with James Brown’s 
“Funky Drummer”) among the most sampled and recycled grooves in 
the history of modern Afro-American music. This exact groove is found 
at complexity level 8. Enjoy! MK
1969 Songo
Songo was created in the late sixties by drummer Chanquito of the 
group Los Van Van. This style has inspired many of today’s jazz and 
fusion drummers. Songo is one of the more modern Afro-Cuban styles 
and is sometimes a drummer’s first step into the world of Latin music. 
MEB
* Mozambique
The Mozambique was invented in the 1960s and is one of the more 
modern Latin rhythms. It’s often heard on recordings with funk, jazz 
and Latin bands and has been developed by several well known drum-
mers. MEB
1970 Olympic
It’s funny how a drumming style without accentuated backbeats can 
make a song really swing. I took the drumming from The Beatles’ Get 
Back and scaled it down. The result can be heard at the lower levels. 
I also took the style a few steps further, the levels to the right. My 
graphics designer suggested that this one could be used for gymnas-
tic exercises, hence the style name. SB 
						

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1971 Cajun
You no longer need to go “Deep down in Louisiana close to New Or-
leans” to get that spicy cajun feeling. Just tune in to Groove Agent’s 
1971 Cajun style, set your VSTi host to preferred 86 degrees, or… 
BPM, and get cooking! Add a pinch of accordion and a bouncing 
bass to the busy snare, and you’re off. Bon appetite! MK
1972 Bonzo
This style is, as the name suggests, to some extent inspired by the late 
great John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, perhaps the most influential hard 
rock drummer. I suggest you turn the Ambience dial up to at least 2 
o’clock to get that big heavy feel. The patterns A to E are intended to 
emulate Mr. Bonham’s habit of playing the drumkit with his bare hands. 
To achieve this effect, Percussion 2 should be activated for these pat-
terns. Percussion 1 is supposed to sound like a tambourine attached 
to the hihat. The complexity increases from pattern 1-10 with hihat and 
then it starts over for Pat 11-20 with ride. The 1/2 Tempo Feel patterns 
have small snare triplet things going on that are not found in the regular 
patterns.
Although perhaps not environmentally correct, some songs just call 
for being run on leaded fuel. MD
1973 Dark Side
It never ceases to amaze me, how you can sell so many records and 
play so few notes. There’s a fair amount of inspiration from Pink Floyd’s 
“Dark Side of the Moon” album in this style, well suited for slow songs. 
SB
1974 Reggae
This is a triplet based version of reggae usually played with sidestick. 
The sound of the drums is very dry. When we recorded these drum 
samples for Groove Agent, sound engineer Jens Bogren turned around, 
looked at us and asked: “Do you really want it to sound like that?”. We 
nodded. MEB 
						

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* Bombay Dance Hall
It’s the third millennium global dance hall beat. Could be London, 
could be Bombay, could be Sollentuna. It doesn’t really matter, as 
long as everybody is having a good time. Some artists marry this style 
to Reggae, others to Hip Hop. It’s all around and it’s up to you. Try 
adding or subtracting ambience to the different instruments to vary 
the sense of space. NE
* Roots
Roots, rock, reggae. The percussionist – playing big bottles and a 
vibra-slap – is free-wheeling through the different complexity levels, 
whereas the drummer goes from simple to busy. He’s using rim-shot 
already on some mid levels, so selecting the “Sidestick” function will 
make him play a deep fur-drum accordingly. Enough of tech-talk, it’s 
time to quote the old rasta in Trench-town who once said: “It’s like 
football. It’s there. It’s in your knees…”. NE
1975 Funk
This is funk drumming inspired by funk guru George Duke (Party Down) 
at one end to the unexpected Frank Zappa (I Don’t wanna Get Drafted) 
at the other… As a matter of fact, they did some great music together, 
too! Of course, many are the innovators of funk. Earth Wind & Fire’s 
Fred White really did some seriously simple but stunningly groovy stuff.
In the 1970’s, funk music was often played quite straight except for 
the drums that added a little more swing to it. Add the Slick Triangle 
and the Wood Block at any time. Style programmed in 126 BPM. dB
1976 Disco
In the early 1970’s, the disco era began. In April 1976, the famous 
New York club Studio 54 took disco-ing to a higher level, but it was the 
movie Saturday Night Fever that spread the hustling world wide. The 
drums may sound muffled and some of the fills are kind of cheesy, but 
that is the charm of this style. When mixed with the rest of the band, 
this beat makes a nice and funky dance groove. So bring out your bell-
bottom pants and your platform shoes, grow some hair on your chest, 
put on a satin shirt slashed to the waist and get down on it! FvW