Steinberg Groove Agent 4 Manual

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Sound Editing81
Level Velocity CurveYou can select the curve type to specify how the incoming velocity translates 
to th
e level of the envelope. The charact eristic of each curve is displayed by 
a small icon.
Output The output to which the samples are routed.
• By default, samples are routed to the  Kit mixer, where they are also sent 
through the insert effects.
• You can route samples to one of the 16 agent busses that are available  on the  Agent submenu. If samples are sent to an agent bus, they are 
also sent through the insert effects of this bus.
• You can route samples to one of the 16 available stereo outputs. The  first stereo out is always the Master  output. This output is always active 
and can also contain insert effects.
• You can also route a pad directly to one of the 4 AUX channels, to  create sub groups, for example.
NOTE
Samples that are routed to an output that is deactivated in your host 
application are automatically sent to  the Master output of the plug-in.
Norm (Use Normalized Velocity)
• If you are working with normalized samples, keep this button de
 activated.
• If you are using velocity-layered samples that are not normalized,  activate this button. Otherwise, you might create unrealistic level 
transitions between different velocity layers when setting the  Vel
						

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Sound Editing82
Auto ScrollIf this button is activated, the wavefo rm display is 
 scrolled during playback, 
keeping the playback cursor visible.
Follow Sample Playback Activate this button to see a play locator when triggering a sample via MIDI.
Range Selection Tool Click and drag with this t ool to 
 create a selection.
Zoom Tool If this tool is selected, you can click in the waveform to zoom in on the position 
wh
ere you click.
Play Tool If this tool is selected, click in the wa veform 
 display to play back the sample. 
It is played back from this position until you release the mouse button.
Scrub Tool If this tool is selected, you can click in  th
 e waveform and drag sideways to play 
back the audio. The playback direction and speed depend on how far you 
move the mouse left or right from the position you clicked.
Snap If the Snap button is activated, the selection start and end points and markers 
snap to other 
 markers.
Snap to Zero Crossing If this button is activated, markers an d selection start and end points are only 
place
 d at zero crossings (positions in the audio where the amplitude is zero). 
This helps you avoid pops and clicks  that are caused by sudden amplitude 
changes.
Edit Loop If this icon is activated, the editor sh ows the 
 looped region repeatedly instead 
of the original sample data. This provides  a better overview over the transition 
between loop end and loop start and allows you to set the loop markers to the 
best positions.
If loop mode is deactiva t
 ed when you activate the  Edit Loop icon, loop mode 
is automatically set to  Continuous and the loop markers are placed at the 
start and end of the sample.
Show Resulting Loop Crossfade Activate this button to see the effect of your crossfade settings in the 
waveform display. If this  butt

on is activated, the resulting waveform is 
displayed in red.
NOTE
This button only has an effect if Edit Loop  is activated. 
						

							Beat Agent
Sound Editing83
Trim SampleTrims the sample, either to the selection, or to the range that is set with the 
sample start/end markers.
Normalize Sample Normalizes the sample by detecting the highest peak level of the sample and 
adjusting the gain 
 to reach a predefined level.
Normalize Level Sets the level for the  No
 rmalize function.
Revert to Full Sample Undoes the trimming, so that the entire sample is restored.
NOTE
After undoing the trim functions, make  sure to set the start/end markers to 
their original positions, otherwise these parts are not included in the playback.
Show Fades in Waveform
Activate this button to show your fa de settings directly in 
 the waveform.
Show Channel Sum Activate this button to show the sum  of the
  left and right channels in the 
waveform display.
Show Left Channel Activate this button to show the le f
 t channel in the waveform display.
Show Right Channel Activate this button to show the ri gh
 t channel in the waveform display.
Preview Volume Click this icon to display a level slider . Use the 
 slider to specify the level for 
previewing your samples.
Output On this pop-up menu, you can specify to which plug-in output the Sample 
e
ditor sends its signals.
This is especially useful if the  Mas
 ter output uses insert effects that you do 
not want to hear while editing the samples.
Ruler
The ruler shows the timeline in the specified display format.
• To select the format, click the arrow button to the right of the ruler and select  an option fr
 om the pop-up menu.
You can choose to display bars and beats, seconds, or samples.
If the  Slice 
tab is selected, the ruler shows the timeline in bars and beats. 
						

							Beat Agent
Sound Editing84
Waveform Display and Level Scale
The waveform display shows the waveform image of the sample. To the left of the 
waveform display, a level scale is shown, indicating the amplitude of the audio.
• To select whether the level is shown as a percentage or in dB, click the level scale label (dB or 
 %), and select an option from the pop-up menu.
• To display the half level axes, right-clic k in 
 the waveform display and select the 
corresponding option on the context menu.
Parameter Section
Velocity Start Range
Determines the influence of the velocity on the sample start. Move the start 
ra
nge marker to the right to start th e sample later for lower velocities. 
Maximum velocity starts the sample at the original sample start.
Key On Delay With this parameter, you can delay the  p
 layback of the zone by a specified 
time or a note value.
• To synchronize the delay time to the host tempo, activate the  Sync 
bu
 tton and select a note value from the pop-up menu.
• To change the selected note value to a triplet, activate the  T button.
If  Sy
nc  is deactivated, the delay is  specified in milliseconds. If Sync is 
activated, the delay is spec ified in fractions of beats.
Loop Mode •One Shot  – 
 the sample is played from start to end.
• No Loop  – the sample is played for as  long as the note is held.
• Continuous  – the loop is played even if you release the note.
• Until Release  – the loop is played for as long as the note is held and 
then continues to the end of the sample.
Reverse Reverses the sample, so that you hear it backwards.
Sample Start The start marker of the sample.
Sample End The end marker of the sample.
Link Sample Start and End If this button is activated, moving the sample start also moves the sample end, 
and vice 
 versa. 
						

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Sound Editing85
Loop StartSpecifies where the loop begins. You can enter a value numerically or move 
the st
art marker in  the waveform display.
Loop End Specifies where the loop ends. You can enter a value numerically or move the 
e
nd marker in the waveform display.
Link Loop Start and End If this button is activate d, moving the loop
  start also moves the loop end, and 
vice versa.
Loop Crossfade Specifies the time of the crossfade.
The Curve  
parameter defines the curve of the crossfade, from linear to equal 
power.
Loop Tuning Here you can adjust the frequency of the loop in cents.
Detune Allows you to tune the sample by +/-  1200  cents.
Gain Determines the level of the sample.
NOTE
When using the  Normalize function, this parameter is set automatically.
Pan
Determines the panorama  position 
 of the sample.
AudioWarp Parameters
In the AudioWarp  section, you can apply time stretching and formant shifting to your 
samples.
NOTE
The AudioWarp functionality is not available if the playback quality is set to  Vintage 
or Turntable  on the Main tab.
Mode
On this pop-up menu, you select the  mode that 
 is used for the AudioWarp 
functions.
• Solo m
 ode offers parameters for time stretching and formant shifting. 
This mode is suitable for loops an d samples with solo instruments or 
vocals. 
						

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Sound Editing86
•Music  mode offers parameters for time  stretching. This mode is suitable 
for complex material like drum loop s and samples with mixed music. It 
uses considerably more CPU time than Solo mode. Note that the more 
the sample is stretched, the higher the CPU load.
•Select  Off to deactivate the AudioWarp functions.
Sync Mode
The Sync  
modes are used to match the playback speed of the sample to the 
tempo of the host application.
• If this is set to  Off, you can specify the playback speed manually, in 
percent.
• If this is set to  Tempo, the playback speed is calculated using the ratio 
between the original tempo of the sample and the tempo of the host.
• If this is set to  Beats, the playback speed is calculated using the note 
length of the beats, the number of beats, and the tempo of the host.
NOTE
For the  Sync mo des to wor k pr oper ly, the  loo p o f the  sample  has to be se t u p 
correctly. In Tempo mode, the original tempo must be set as exactly as 
possible.
Speed
This control adjusts the playback spee d o
 f the sample in percent. You can 
speed up the tempo by up to 800  % of the original. In Music mode, the lower 
limit of the playback

 speed adjustment is 12.5  %. Values below this limit have 
n

o effect.
Original BPM If Sync Mode  is set to Tempo, you can enter the origina
 l tempo of the sample 
in beats per minute. Groove Agent adjust s the playback speed of the sample 
to match the tempo of  the host application.
NOTE
If you load a sample that contains temp o information in the file header, this 
information is used to set the  Original Tempo parameter. If a sample does 
not contain any tempo information, the va lue is estimated. You can modify the 
parameter values manually. 
						

							Beat Agent
Sound Editing87
Note Length and Number of BeatsWhen  Sync Mode  is se
 t to Beats , Groove Agent calculates the tempo of the 
sample, based on the note length and the number of beats you enter. For 
example, if the sample is a drum loop with four quarter notes, set  Note to 1/4 
and  Beats  to 4. Groove Agent adjusts the playback speed of the sample to 
match the tempo of t he host application.
NOTE
If you load a sample that contains temp o information in the file header, this 
information is used to set the  Note Length and Number of Beats  
parameters. If a sample does not cont ain any tempo information, the values 
are estimated. You can modify the parameter values manually.
Formant (Solo Mode Only)
Specifies the amount of formant shifting.
Markers
You can use a set of different markers to  specify important positions in a sample.
Sample Start Defines where the sample starts to play. Audio before this marker is ignored.
Sample End Defines where the sample stops playing. Audio after this marker is ignored.
Loop Start Defines where the loop starts.
Loop End Defines where the loop ends.
Velocity Start Range Defines the attack phase of a sample,  w
 hich can be used for the modulation 
of the sample start via velocity.
Creating Fades 
						

							Beat Agent
Sound Editing88
• To create fades, drag the fade handles in the waveform display on the  Sample 
tab or specify the length for  fade in and fade out on the Slice tab (if you 
created slices from the audio).
• To adjust the curvature, drag the fade line in the display up or down. To reset  th
 e fade curve back to linear, hold do wn [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on the 
fade line.
NOTE
The fades directly influence sample playback. They are not part of the amp 
envelope.
Zooming
• To zoom in/out on the time and level axis, use the horizontal and vertical zoom  sliders.
Ve r t i c a l  z o o m  s l i d e r
• The three buttons to the right of the horizontal zoom slider allow you to zoom to the start, the end, and to the full range.
Depending on your work situation, these options refer to the sample, the 
selection, or a loop. Clicking several times increases the zoom level.
• To toggle between full zoom and the  pr
 evious zoom setting, click the A button 
to the right of the horizontal zoom slider.
• To zoom in/out on the locato r position,
  press [G] and [H].
• You can click and drag the ruler to zoom in/out on the position you have  clic
 ked.
• Use the options on the  Zoom su
 bmenu of the context menu.
View Range
When changing from one sample to another, you can specify which range to show 
in the waveform display for the new sample.
These options can be found on the View Range su
 bmenu of the waveform display 
context menu.
Auto Follows the visible view range of the previous sample. 
						

							Beat Agent
Sound Editing89
LastEach sample stores the visible range individually. When you select a sample 
again
, its view range is restored.
Full Shows the entire sample.
Sample Shows the range between sample start and sample end markers.
Sample Start Shows the sample start marker with the current zoom factor.
Sample Start Range Shows the sample start range marker with the current zoom factor.
Sample End Shows the sample end marker with the current zoom factor.
Loop Shows the entire loop.
Loop Start Shows the loop start marker with the current zoom factor.
Loop End Shows the loop end marker with the current zoom factor.
Auditioning Samples
You can play back the sample using the  Play Sample icon on the toolbar.
The following applies:
• If you have not made a selection, the whole sample is played back.
• If you have made a selection, this selection is played back.
•If the E
 dit Loop icon is activated, playback continues repeatedly until you 
deactivate the audition function.
Making Selections
PROCEDURE
1. To make a selection, click and drag with the  Range Selection tool.
•If S n a p  t o  Z e r o  C r o s s i n g  is activated, start and end of the selection are always 
placed at zero crossings. 
						

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Sound Editing90
2. To resize the selection, drag its left or right border, or [Shift]-click at the 
position where you want the selection to start/end.
3. To move a selection, posi tion the mouse pointer inside the selection and drag.
Defining Sample Start and End from a Selection
• Make a selection, right-click in  the Sample editor, open the Selection 
submenu, and select Set Sample Start/End to Selection .
Defining Loop Start and End from a Selection
• Make a selection, right-click in the  Sample editor, open the  Selection 
submenu, and select Set Loop to Selection .
Assigning a Portion of a Sample to another Pad
• Make a selection, position the mouse pointer inside it, click and drag the 
selection to a new pad.
This assigns only the selected part of the sample to the pad.
NOTE
The sample portion that is assigned to the new pad still references the original 
sample, that is, no new sample is created on disk.
Normalizing Samples
The  Normalize  function detects the highest peak level of the sample, and adjusts 
the gain to reach a predefined level.
PROCEDURE
1. On the toolbar, in the  Normalize Level field, specify the level that you want 
to normalize the sample to.
2. Click the  Normalize Sample  button  on the toolbar, or right-click the 
sample and select  Normalize Sample  from the Sa
 mple submenu of the 
context menu.
RESULT 
The  Gain  parameter of the sample is adjusted to conform with the predefined 
Normalize  level. The amplitude of the waveform in the  Sample editor changes 
accordingly.