Not
being familiar with versions 1 and 2 of Groove
Agent, we had no particular preconceptions or
expectations as we loaded the 4GB of content and
downloaded the licence onto our copy protection key
(not supplied, we added it on with our existing
Cubase licence which was our program of choice for
using Groove Agent)
Basically Groove Agent 3 is a virtual drummer - it works as a plug in or as a standalone application, and can be used with ReWire. The operation manual supplied is most informative - all the obvious stuff about installation and licensing of course, but also the history surrounding previous versions since the original recordings in 2002. This gives some idea of how much time and effort has gone into what we now have as Groove Agent 3 in terms of different recording scenarios and techniques with top musicians. There are over 1000 unique drum grooves and hundreds of percussion patterns with this version, which will automatically match the song tempo of the host, including some irregular beats (although as individual drum sounds have been recorded, making beats from scratch is always an option).
The quality of the recordings is excellent, with ten different acoustic kits, bongos, congas, timbales...even some digital drum machines from twenty years ago...loads of variations to experiment with, so how is it to use?
The instrument starts up in what is known as Classic Mode, which is very easy to understand. Essentially, there are two sliders (which can easily be "un-linked" to allow greater variation) which determine which style is played, and the degree of complexity of that particular style. This is really simple to use and to get great results with - live drummers are changing things as a song moves along; fills, dynamics, rim shots and the like, and the way Groove Agent 3 works is to allow for these changes by automation of this slider and the associated controls. What we really like is the ability, as we found with Cubase, that Groove Agent 3 has to send Midi out to the host - meaning a Midi file can be created and then edited in the usual way; adding or deleting beats and adjusting various parameters within the editor (although it cannot be assumed that this feature would work with any host, as the manual makes clear) Dual Mode is new with version 3 - this allows two different kits to be loaded and used at once, started and stopped at will, with the variations found in Classic Mode, which makes for many more possibilities. Here in Dual Mode we also find the new Special Agent - 15 live drumming styles with plenty of complexity levels and fills, and Percussion Agent, which also can be used on it's own or alongside another beat. There is plenty of scope to vary the sounds: add compression or eq, tune or pan the individual sounds, and now samples can be imported to allow your own sounds to be used.
To sum up, if you are slightly less than confident to program drum tracks (or don't want to devote the time to it and want good results quickly) then Groove Agent 3 is worthy of serious consideration. The sounds are excellent; the sound library and style base are comprehensive, and it's fun to jam with. It could be what you're looking for to add realism and variation to your compositions.
Basically Groove Agent 3 is a virtual drummer - it works as a plug in or as a standalone application, and can be used with ReWire. The operation manual supplied is most informative - all the obvious stuff about installation and licensing of course, but also the history surrounding previous versions since the original recordings in 2002. This gives some idea of how much time and effort has gone into what we now have as Groove Agent 3 in terms of different recording scenarios and techniques with top musicians. There are over 1000 unique drum grooves and hundreds of percussion patterns with this version, which will automatically match the song tempo of the host, including some irregular beats (although as individual drum sounds have been recorded, making beats from scratch is always an option).
The quality of the recordings is excellent, with ten different acoustic kits, bongos, congas, timbales...even some digital drum machines from twenty years ago...loads of variations to experiment with, so how is it to use?
The instrument starts up in what is known as Classic Mode, which is very easy to understand. Essentially, there are two sliders (which can easily be "un-linked" to allow greater variation) which determine which style is played, and the degree of complexity of that particular style. This is really simple to use and to get great results with - live drummers are changing things as a song moves along; fills, dynamics, rim shots and the like, and the way Groove Agent 3 works is to allow for these changes by automation of this slider and the associated controls. What we really like is the ability, as we found with Cubase, that Groove Agent 3 has to send Midi out to the host - meaning a Midi file can be created and then edited in the usual way; adding or deleting beats and adjusting various parameters within the editor (although it cannot be assumed that this feature would work with any host, as the manual makes clear) Dual Mode is new with version 3 - this allows two different kits to be loaded and used at once, started and stopped at will, with the variations found in Classic Mode, which makes for many more possibilities. Here in Dual Mode we also find the new Special Agent - 15 live drumming styles with plenty of complexity levels and fills, and Percussion Agent, which also can be used on it's own or alongside another beat. There is plenty of scope to vary the sounds: add compression or eq, tune or pan the individual sounds, and now samples can be imported to allow your own sounds to be used.
To sum up, if you are slightly less than confident to program drum tracks (or don't want to devote the time to it and want good results quickly) then Groove Agent 3 is worthy of serious consideration. The sounds are excellent; the sound library and style base are comprehensive, and it's fun to jam with. It could be what you're looking for to add realism and variation to your compositions.
Steinberg Groove Agent 3 Review