Steinberg Groove Agent 4 Manual

Working With Pads
Instrument Pads41
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 an d create subfolders to organize your 
MIDI patterns.
NOTE
Pattern pads always contain the MIDI da ta and do not reference the original 
MIDI files.
Original Tempo
Displays the original tempo  as s
 aved in the MIDI file.
Start Specifies the beat from which the pattern starts...

Working With Pads
Instrument Pads42
Performance Section
For instrument pads, 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. Ne gative values shift the timing backward, and the 
notes are played earlier. Positive values shift...

Working With Pads
Instrument Pads43
Using MIDI Effects
For each instrument pad, you can set up MIDI effects.
To open the MIDI effects page, activate the  In
 strument 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, t
 he MIDI effects are applied to the samples on the selected 
pad.
Remote In Remot
e mode, you can select to which...

Working With Pads
Instrument Pads44
If you activate Remote mode for a pad, a remote ic on is displayed on the pad 
in the pad section.
• To bypass the remote effects, click the  Di
 sable MIDI to Remote Pad 
button to the left of the remote icon.
Rudiments Section
Active
Click this to activate the articulation.
Type Determines the rudiment type.
•Flam pla
 ys 2 hits very close together.
• Drag plays 3 hits very close together.
• Ruff plays 4 hits very close together.
• Roll continually plays drum hits to...

Working With Pads
Instrument Pads45
Roll
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.
Dynamics Adjusts the dynamics of the hits. Higher values attenuate the even-numbered 
h
its of the roll.
Humanize Use this parameter to...

Working With Pads
Instrument Pads46
SyncSynchronizes the echoes to the project tempo. The time span between the 
ec
hoes 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 
yo
u set this parameter to negative values, the MIDI velocity gradually...

Working With Pads
Pattern Pads47
Pattern Pads
The pad section provides up to 128 pads, organized in 8 groups of 16 pads. Each 
pad is mapped to a MIDI note. You can assign MIDI patterns to each pattern pad, 
to trigger complete drum patterns or sing le instrument patterns, depending on the 
MIDI files. The pads are used to switch between patterns.
If a MIDI file is assigned to a pad, th e pad shows a progress indicator and a beat 
counter. When the pattern is triggered, the progress indicator shows the...

Working With Pads
Pattern Pads48
Assigning Multiple MIDI Files to Pads
You can drag and drop several MIDI files to pads at the same time.
PROCEDURE
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...

Working With Pads
Pattern Pads49
Locking Pad Settings
The settings in the Pad section ( Exclusive , Jam State , 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 se ttings with the prese
 t 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...

Working With Pads
Pattern Pads50
Overview Tab
The Overview  tab shows which patterns and styles are assigned to the pattern 
pads of the 4 agents.
Cells in which a name is disp layed have a pattern or style 
 assigned. If a pattern is 
assigned to a pad, its background is gray and if a style is assi gned, its background 
is dark blue.
The 4 columns represent the 4 agents. For ea ch agent, the 16 pattern pads of the 
selected pattern group are displayed.
• To select a pattern pad of a specific agent,...