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Steinberg Groove Agent 2 Operation Manual

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    Groove Agent
     
    English 11 
    ENGLISH
     
    System requirements (Mac version)
     
    To run Groove Agent you’ll need: 
    •A Power Mac G4 867 MHz computer (Power Mac G4 Dual and 1.25 GHz or 
    faster recommended).
    •384 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended).
    •450 MB of hard disk space.
    •Mac OS X version 10.3 or higher.
    •CoreAudio compatible audio hardware.
    •If you want to use Groove Agent as a plug-in, you’ll need Cubase or Nuendo 
    (version 1.5 or higher) or another VST 2.0 or AU compatible host application. 
    Please note that some features may not be supported in other host applications.
    •A Steinberg Key and a free USB port.
    •Monitor and graphics card supporting 1024 x 768 resolution (a dual monitor 
    setup and a display resolution of 1152 x 864 are recommended).
     
    ❐
     
    Please also observe the system requirements of your host application.
     
    Installing Groove Agent (Mac version)
     
    To install Groove Agent on your Mac: 
    1. 
    Switch on your computer and insert the Groove Agent CD ROM. 
    2. 
    If the CD window doesn’t open automatically, double-click on the 
    Groove Agent icon. 
    3. 
    Double-click on the Groove Agent Installer icon to run the installation 
    program, and follow the on-screen instructions. 
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
     12 English 
    Activating the Steinberg Key
     
    ❐
     
    Whether you bought a new key when you bought Groove Agent, or if you 
    want to use one you previously bought with a different Steinberg product: 
    your Steinberg Key does not yet contain a valid license for Groove Agent. 
     
    You must download a license to it before you can launch Groove Agent!
     
    Use the activation code supplied with the program in order to down-
    load a valid Groove Agent license to your Steinberg Key. This process 
    is the same both for existing and new keys. Proceed as follows: 
    1. 
    After installation and restarting the computer, plug the Steinberg Key 
    into the USB port. 
    If you are unsure of which port this is, consult the computer’s documentation.
     
    2. 
    If this is the first time a copy protection device is plugged in, it will be 
    registered as a new hardware device, and a dialog will appear asking 
    you whether you would like to find drivers for the device manually or 
    automatically.  
    Choose to find drivers automatically. The dialog closes, and you may have to reboot 
    your computer.
     
    3. 
    Make sure that your computer has a working internet connection. 
    License download is made “online”. If your Groove Agent computer isn’t connected to 
    the internet, it’s possible to use another computer for the online connection – proceed 
    with the steps below and see the help for the License Control Center application.
     
    4. 
    Launch the “License Control Center” application (found in the Win-
    dows Start menu under “Syncrosoft” or in the Macintosh Applications 
    folder). 
    This application allows you to view your Steinberg Keys and load or transfer licenses.
     
    5. 
    Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function and the activation 
    code supplied with Groove Agent to download the license to your 
    Key. Simply follow the on-screen instructions. 
    If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.
     
    When the activation process has completed, you are ready to launch 
    Groove Agent! 
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
    English 13 
    ENGLISH
     
    Setting up Groove Agent as a VST instrument 
    in your host application
     
    This section describes how to set up Groove Agent with Cubase SX 
    as your host application. However, the same procedure applies to 
    most host applications, and you should consult your host’s documen-
    tation if you need further help.
    Make sure the host program has been correctly installed and set up to 
    work with your MIDI and audio hardware (e.g. MIDI keyboard and an 
    audio card).
    To set up Groove Agent: 
    1. 
    Open the VST Instruments window. 
    2. 
    Click the “No Instruments” label and select Groove Agent from the 
    pop-up menu. 
    3. 
    Wait for a few seconds while Groove Agent loads its default style 
    samples. The Groove Agent window opens automatically. 
    4. 
    In the VST host application, select Groove Agent as the output for a 
    MIDI track. 
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
     14 English 
    Setting up Groove Agent as a DXi2 instrument
     
    ❐
     
    The information in this section refers to using Groove Agent within Cake-
    walk SONAR. We assume that you have correctly set up both SONAR 
    and your available MIDI and audio hardware. Should you wish to use 
    Groove Agent within another DXi2 compatible host application, please 
     
    refer to its documentation.
     
    Proceed as follows to activate Groove Agent: 
    1. 
    Make sure that SONAR receives MIDI data that you generate with 
    your external MIDI master keyboard. You can check this visually with 
    the “MIDI In/Out Activity” tray icon. 
    2. 
    In SONAR, open the “Synth Rack” window from the View menu. 
    3. 
    Click the Insert button (or select the Insert option on the main menu). 
    4. 
    Open the DXi Synth submenu and select “Groove Agent” from the 
    pop-up menu. 
    5. 
    By default the “Insert DXi Options” dialog appears. To create one MIDI 
    track and connect an audio track to Groove Agent’s 1+2 outputs, ac-
    tivate the options “Midi Source Track” and “First Synth Output”. To 
    create all available Groove Agent outputs activate “All Synth Outputs”. 
    Refer to your host application’s documentation for further details. 
    6. 
    Clicking the “Connection State” button in the Synth Rack will acti-
    vate/deactivate Groove Agent. By default this is automatically acti-
    vated when DXi SoftSynths are loaded. 
    7. Double-click on the “Groove Agent” entry or click the “Synth Proper-
    ties” button in the tool bar of the Synth Rack to open the Groove Agent 
    window.  
    8. 
    In SONAR, select the previously created MIDI track “Groove Agent”. 
    Groove Agent will now receive MIDI data from the selected track. 
    Groove Agent receives MIDI data in 16 channel multi-mode. It is therefore not neces-
    sary to assign a specific MIDI receive channel in Groove Agent. However, you should 
    make sure that the MIDI channel of the currently selected SONAR track is set to the 
    channel on which Groove Agent is to receive MIDI data.  
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
    English 15 
    ENGLISH
     
    Using Groove Agent in an AU compatible 
    application
     
    You can use Groove Agent in an AU host application (e. g. Logic).
    The Groove Agent AU version is installed in the folder “Library/Audio/
    Plug-ins/Components” and lets Groove Agent work in an AU environ-
    ment – without any performance loss or incompatibilities.
    For Logic Pro 7 proceed as follows: 
    1. 
    Open the Track Mixer and choose the desired Instrument channel. 
    2. 
    [Command]-click the I/O field and, in the pop-up menu that appears, 
    choose either Multi-Channel or Stereo. 
    3. 
    In the sub-menu that appears, select All Instruments and then Groove 
    Agent. 
    Groove Agent is now loaded as an AU instrument.
     
    When set, you are ready to load some samples and start using 
    Groove Agent! 
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
     16 English 
    Groove Agent stand-alone and ReWire
     
    Groove Agent can be used as a stand-alone application, indepen-
    dently of any host application. This makes it possible to use Groove 
    Agent in sequencer applications that do not support one of the pro-
    vided plug-in formats of Groove Agent (i. e. VST, DXi, AU), but allow 
    for data exchange using ReWire.
    ReWire2 is a special protocol for streaming audio and MIDI data be-
    tween two computer applications. When using ReWire, the order in 
    which you launch and quit the two programs is very important, as the 
    first audio application launched will capture the sound card resources. 
    Proceed as follows: 
    1. 
    First, launch the sequencer application you wish to use (e. g. Ableton 
    Live, ProTools). 
    If your sequencer supports ReWire, it will provide a way to assign audio and MIDI 
    channels for the exchange of data. See the documentation of your sequencer applica-
    tion for details.
     
    2. 
    Now, launch Groove Agent as a stand-alone application. 
    If you chose to create desktop and Start menu items during installation of Groove 
    Agent, you can launch the program just like any other application on your computer. 
    You can also double-click the Groove Agent program file in the installation folder.
     
    When you now play a style with Groove Agent, the sound is streamed 
    via ReWire to the assigned mixer channels in your host. You can route 
    the separate instrument outputs to individual mixer channels (up to 8).
    Note that you are now running two completely separate applications. 
    When you save your sequencer project, this will include the overall 
    channel and bus configuration, but none of the settings in Groove 
    Agent! To retain your Groove Agent settings, choose the Save Bank 
    command from the Groove Agent File menu. You may want to choose 
    a file name that indicates that the file contains settings created for a 
    particular sequencer project.
    Similarly, when you re-open a project in your sequencer application 
    and have launched Groove Agent, use the Load Bank command in 
    Groove Agent to reload the Groove Agent settings pertaining to this 
    particular project. 
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
    English 17 
    ENGLISH
     
    First test
     
    Let’s make sure Groove Agent is properly set up and ready to play: 
    1. 
    If you load Groove Agent as a VST instrument, make sure Groove 
    Agent is selected as the output for a MIDI track and that the MIDI 
    channel chosen is any other than channel 10. If required, make sure 
    your MIDI controller is routed to this track. 
    2. 
    Open the Groove Agent panel. Move the Style slider to a style of your 
    choice. Be prepared to wait for a second or two while Groove Agent 
    loads its samples for this style. The green LCD window is helpful here 
    with its Loading and Ready messages. 
    3. 
    Adjust the tempo of your host application to suit each style’s favorite 
    tempo range as displayed in the “range” field in the green LCD window. 
    4. 
    Click Run in the Groove Agent window. Now you should see the red 
    LCD meters on the Groove Agent interface flash and the beat light in-
    dicate 1-2-3-4. You should also hear cool rhythms streaming from 
    your speakers! 
    						
    							 
    Groove Agent
     
     18 English 
    Groove Agent terminology
     
    LCD window 
     – The big, green window tells you, at all times, what’s 
    going on inside Groove Agent. This is your main source for information. 
    LCD meters 
     – These are the cool, red level meters that start flashing 
    when Groove Agent is playing. They indicate that sound is being out-
    put from Groove Agent, but for more detailed control you should use 
    the level meters in your host sequencer. 
    Style 
     – A certain musical style, normally linked to a unique drum and 
    percussion kit. 
    Kit 
     – A special set of drums and percussion associated with each 
    style. Style and kit can be chosen separately. 
    Complexity 
     – The level of advancement in a style. In Groove Agent 
    the complexity levels go from left (simple) to right (advanced). Music 
    in general benefits from variations in a song, and in Groove Agent 
    they’re easy to reach.
    Fill – A live drummer usually plays a fill every eight bars or so, empha-
    sizing the song’s structure and movement. A fill may be regarded as 
    “an improvised exclamation mark”. Going from the verse into the cho-
    rus? Time for a fill!
    Half tempo feel – Typically, slowing down the kick and snare pattern 
    to half speed, while keeping the rest of the pattern going in the other 
    instruments, creates a dramatic effect. This is very typical live drummer 
    behavior! Real drummers do this all the time, if you don’t stop them.
    Accent – Before drum machines became popular, an accent was a 
    marked hit, typically played on the crash cymbal and kick drum. When 
    played off beat, like e.g. on the 8th note preceding a bar line, it be-
    comes a syncope.
    Shuffle – Sometimes referred to as “swing factor”. These terms indi-
    cate the relationship between the 8th notes (sometimes 16th notes), 
    as these can either be perfect 8ths (“straight 8ths”) or swung (“triplet 
    8ths”). 
    						
    							Groove AgentEnglish 19
    ENGLISH
    Limiter – This is probably the first device a recording engineer reaches 
    out for when recording drums. Limiting (or compression, the difference 
    is not always easily defined) controls the overall output level and can 
    also be used as an effect.
    Ambience – Groove Agent comes with a complete set of ambience 
    recordings for all drums and percussion instruments. The acoustic 
    sounds have been recorded with distant microphones and the elec-
    tronic sounds have been processed through various reverb and effects 
    units.
    Dry/Wet – These are terms that describe the two extremes of a sound. 
    Either it’s recorded very closely in a damped environment – dry – or 
    we’re dealing with the sound recorded from a distance or bathed in 
    reverb – wet.
    •New in Groove Agent 2 is the right-click menu. We’ve added some 
    new features that can be reached by pressing the right mouse button 
    or by left-clicking in the logo area. 
    Via this menu you can reach the About screen or go to the Groove Agent and Stein-
    berg websites. You can also reach new functions like changing the number of mixer 
    outputs, edit MIDI output behavior, change the MIDI mute key mode or instruct Groove 
    Agent 2 what to do when the host stops. 
    						
    							Groove Agent 20 English
    About the sounds in this VST instrument
    Before we started producing the musical content for this instrument, 
    we scanned the market for existing drum libraries we could use. Using 
    ready made samples would save us oceans of time (Per “Worra” Lars-
    son/SampleTekk is the first person to agree here), but unfortunately 
    we could not find anything suitable. Either those libraries were incom-
    plete in terms of drum sounds (have you ever seen a sample archive 
    that includes “hihat gliss” or “spoons”?) or inconsistent in the way 
    they were recorded.
    We wanted (1) a complete selection of kits and sounds and (2) ambi-
    ent recordings of everything. So we started recording…
    The wonderful Studio Kuling in Örebro, Sweden, has the most dramatic 
    recording room we’ve ever seen! The room itself is large and mostly 
    covered with wood panels, and engineer Jens Bogren certainly knows 
    his way around the equipment. With Mats-Erik Björklund playing all in-
    struments, sound designers Per “Worra” Larsson/SampleTekk and 
    Sven Bornemark started recording multiple velocity levels of each 
    sound.
    There was an initial agreement that this archive should cover most 
    grounds – as many musical landscapes as possible. Therefore we 
    decided upon recording all these instruments:
    A 50s jazz kit. Not very 
    damped, sounds a bit 
    loose, sloppy.  
    						
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