Steinberg Groove Agent 4 Manual

							Effects Reference
Dynamics Effects161
ThresholdSets the threshold. Sounds that are softer than the threshold are reduced in 
gain. Sounds 
 above the threshold stay untreated.
Ratio Sets the amount of gain reduction for sounds that are softer than the 
th
reshold. The higher the ratio, the more the output is lowered. For example, 
if the ratio is set to 2:1 and the amplitude of the sound is 4  dB below the 
threshold, the output 

is lowered by 2  dB. If the amplitude is 8  dB below the 
threshold, the output 

is lowered by 4  dB.
Soft Knee If this button is deactivated, sign als above
  the threshold are compressed 
instantly according to  the set ratio. When Soft Knee is activated, the onset of 
the expansion is more gradual,  producing a less drastic result.
Attack Determines how fast the Expander reduces the gain when the sound falls 
be
low the set threshold. The longer the  attack time, the longer it takes to 
reduce the gain.
Hold Sets the time period during which the expansion is applied after the sound 
fal
ls below the set threshold.
Release Determines how fast the Expander effe ct r
 aises the gain after the sound 
exceeds the set threshold. The longer the release time, the longer it takes to 
raise the gain.
NOTE
This parameter is not available when the  Auto Release button is activated.
Auto Release
Activate this to set the release time automatically. The Expander analyzes the 
inpu
t sound continuously to find the optimal setting.
Peak – RMS Determines whether the input 
 signal is analyzed according to peak or RMS 
values or a mixture of both. At a setting of 0  %, the Expander uses Peak 
sensing only and at 100  %, RMS sensing only. Peak means that the Expander 
dir

ectly senses the peak level of the sound. RMS means that the Expander 
senses the average power of the sound.  Peak sensing responds faster than 
RMS sensing. Typically, Peak sensing  is used for transient and RMS sensing 
for sustained sounds. 
						

							Effects Reference
Dynamics Effects162
Gate
The Gate effect passes sound only to its output if the input sound exceeds the set 
threshold. Sounds below  the threshold are silenced.
An internal side-chain filter allows you to analyze a filtered version of the input sound 
in
 stead. This way, the gate  detects only certain frequencies of the input sound.
Threshold Determines the level that  a
 ctivates the gate. Signal levels above the set 
threshold trigger the gate to open, and  signal levels below the set threshold 
close the gate.
Filter Activates the internal side-chain filter. If this button is activated, the input 
sound is 
 filtered before it  is analyzed. The gate opens only if the filtered sound 
exceeds the set threshold. When the  Filter button is deactivated, the filter 
controls are not available.
Filter Type Sets the filter type for the side-chain filter. Select high-pass ( HP) to 
 detect 
high frequencies, band-pass ( BP) to detect mid frequencies, and low-pass 
( LP ) to detect low frequencies only.
Monitor Activate this button to listen to the sound of the side-chain filter. The gate is 
in
active when the  Monitor button is activated.
Center Sets the center frequency of the side-chain filter.
Q-Factor Activate this button to adjust the band width o
 f the band-pass filter from wide 
to narrow.
Attack Determines how fast the gate opens when the sound exceeds the set 
thre
shold. The longer the attack time, the longer it takes for the sound to fade 
in.
Hold Sets the time period during which the gate is applied after the sound falls 
below
  the set threshold. 
						

							Effects Reference
Dynamics Effects163
ReleaseDetermines how fast the gate closes after the sound falls below the set 
thre
shold. The longer the release time, t he longer it takes for the sound to fade 
out.
NOTE
This parameter is not available when the  Auto button is activated.
Auto
Activate this to set the Release time  automat
 ically. The Gate analyzes the 
input sound continuously to find the optimal setting.
Peak – RMS Determines whether the input 
 signal is analyzed according to peak or RMS 
values (or a mixture of both). At a setting of 0  %, the Gate uses Peak sensing 
on

ly and at 100  %, RMS sensing only. Peak means 
 that the Gate directly 
senses the peak level of the sound. RMS means that the Gate senses the 
average power of the sound. Peak  sensing responds faster than RMS 
sensing. Typically, Peak sensing is used for transient and RMS sensing for 
sustained sounds.
Envelope Shaper
This effect can be used to attenuate or boost the gain of the attack and release 
phase of audio material.
Be careful with levels when boosting the ga in and, if ne
 eded, reduce the output level 
to avoid clipping.
Attack – Gain
Changes the gain of the attack phase of the signal.
Attack - Length Determines the length of the attack phase of the signal.
Release - Gain Changes the gain of the re lease ph
 ase of the signal.
Output Sets the output level. 
						

							Effects Reference
Panner Effects164
Panner Effects
Stereo Pan
This effect allows you to set the stereo position and width of the signal.
Input SwapSwaps the stereo channels.
Pan Sets the pan position of the signal. The panning is available for mono and 
stereo input signals.
Width Adjusts the stereo width of the  sign
 al from stereo to mono.
StereoEnhancer
This plug-in expands the stereo width of (s tereo) audio material. It cannot be used 
with mono files.
Width
Controls the width or depth of the stereo enhancement. Turn clockwise to 
in
crease the enhancement.
Delay Increases the amount of differences between left and right channels to further 
in
crease the stereo effect.
Color Generates additional differences between the channels to increase the stereo 
en
hancement.
Mono Switches the output to mono, to check for possible unwanted coloring of the 
sou
nd which sometimes can occur when enhancing the stereo image. 
						

							165
Automation and MIDI Controllers
Automation
You can automate most of the Groove Agent parameters from within you host 
application, whether these are kit parame ters or global parameters such as AUX 
effects.
Groove Agent provides 512 automation para me
 ters that can be addressed from the 
host application. You can assign Groove Agent parameters to one of these 
automation parameters, and even assign  multiple parameters to the same 
automation parameter, to control th ese parameters at the same time.
If you are working with Beat Agent kits, automated parameters always control the 
parameters of whole pads and not of single  samples. Therefore, individual settings 
of samples are overwritten. For example, if  the samples of a pad have different cutoff 
values, and you start automating the cutoff parameter, the samples are all set to the 
same cutoff value.
Setting Up Automation
By default, the most import ant parameters for the 16 pads of group 3 are already 
assigned to automation parameters.
• To assign a parameter to an automation parameter, right-click the parameter  control and select  Ass

ign to New Automation.
The automation parameter is created on th
 e first free automation parameter.
• To add a parameter to an existing automation parameter, right-click the  control, select  Add to 

Automation and select the automation parameter.
• To remove a parameter from the automation, right-click an automated control  and select
  Forget Automation .
Automation Page
All assigned automation parameters are shown on the  Automation page. 
						

							Automation and MIDI Controllers
MIDI Controllers166
To access this page, open the Options page and activate the  Automation tab at 
the top.
With the tabs at the top of the  Automation page, you can specify whether you want 
to show automation parameters for the kit,  the global parameters, or all automation 
parameters.
On the left, the name of the automation pa rameter is shown, and on the right, the 
name of the assigned Groove Agent  parameter. If multiple Groove Agent 
parameters are assigned to one automation parameter, these are listed below each 
other on the right.
• To remove an automation parameter, cl ick the trash icon to the right of the 
parameter name.
• To remove all automation parameters, c lic
 k the trash icon at the top of the 
page.
• To rename an automation parameter,  double
 -click the parameter name and 
enter the new name. This name is then used in your host application.
• To replace the names for all automation  
 parameters with the names of the 
pads, click the  Refresh All Parameter Names  button on the toolbar.
MIDI Controllers
You can assign Groove Agent parameters to MIDI controllers.
Some parameters are assigned to controller s by default, but you can customize this 
factory controller mapping. This way, yo u can adapt the mapping to your MIDI 
keyboard or controller.
To provide more control, you can set the minimum and maximum range for each 
assignment separately. 
						

							Automation and MIDI Controllers
MIDI Controllers167
NOTE
The controller assignments for the parameters Volume (CC 007) and Pan (CC 010) 
are fixed and cannot be edited or removed.  To change volume or pan of a kit slot, 
send CC#7 or CC#10 messages on the corresponding MIDI channel of the slot.
Assigning MIDI Controllers
To assign a MIDI controller to a parameter, proceed as follows:
PROCEDURE
1. Right-click the control that you want to control remotely.
2. On the context menu, select  Learn CC.
3. On your MIDI keyboard or controller, use the potentiometer, fader, or button.
RESULT 
The next time you right-click the control, the menu shows the assigned MIDI 
controller.
NOTE
You can assign the same MIDI controller  several times to different parameters. 
However, you cannot assign different MIDI controllers to the same parameter.
RELATED LINKS
MIDI Controller on page 176
Unassigning MIDI Controllers
PROCEDURE
• To remove a MIDI controller assignment, right-click the control and select 
Forget CC.
Setting the Parameter Range
You can set the minimum and maximum values for the parameter for each 
assignment separately. This gives you more  control over the parameter, for example, 
when you are performing live on stage.
PROCEDURE
1. Set the parameter to the minimum value.
2. Right-click the control and select  Set Minimum from the context menu. 
						

							Automation and MIDI Controllers
MIDI Controllers168
3. Set the parameter to the maximum value.
4. Right-click the control and select Set Maximum. 
						

							169
Global Functions and Settings
Plug-in Functions Section
The plug-in functions section at the top of the window gives you access to global 
functions that affect both the currently loaded programs, and the general working 
of the plug-in.
The plug-in functions section contains the kit slot section, the master section, and 
the
 performance displays.
Multi Slot Section
Load Multi-Program
Opens a window that allows you to navigate to, and load, multi-programs.
Save Multi-Program Opens a window that allows you to sa ve your 
 settings as multi-program.
Master Section
The master section can be used to set volume and tuning of the plug-in.
Master Volume
Adjusts the overall volume of the plug-in.
Master Tune You can set the  Master Tune s
 lider from 415.3 Hz to 466.2 Hz, which equals 
-100 cents to +100 cents. 
						

							Global Functions and Settings
The Plug-in Name and Steinberg Logo170
Performance Displays
The meters and text displays indicate the system load of the plug-in.
CPUThis meter shows the processor load during playback. The more voices you 
play, th
 e higher the processor load. If the red overload indicator lights up, 
reduce the  Max Voices  setting on the  Options page.
Disk This meter shows the hard disk transfer  load during the streaming of samples 
o
 r when loading presets. If the red overload indicator lights up, the hard disk 
is not supplying data fast enough. In such a case, adjust the  Disk vs. RAM 
slider on the  Options page towards  RAM or decrease the  Max Voices setting 
on the  Options  page.
Polyphony This display indicates the number of sa mple
 s that are currently played back, 
to help you trace performance problems. For example, if you have to reduce 
the  Max Voices  setting on the  Options page, you can verify your settings by 
monitoring the number of samples that are currently playing.
MEM (Memory) This display indicates the overall amo unt of RAM c
 urrently used. The number 
refers to the streaming buffer  and the preloaded samples. The MEM  display 
helps you trace performance problems. For example, if you need to free up 
memory for other appl ications, you can do so by adjusting the Disk vs. RAM 
slider on the  Options page towards  Disk. You can verify your settings by 
monitoring the  MEM display.
The Plug-in Name and Steinberg Logo
To get information regarding the version an d build number of the plug-in, click the 
plug-in logo. This opens the About box. To close the About box, click it or press 
[Esc] on your computer keyboard.
If you click the Steinberg logo in the top  right corner of the plug-in interface, a 
pop-up menu opens.
• Select one of the options to navigate to Steinberg web pages containing  in
 formation on software updates, troubleshooting, etc.