Steinberg Groove Agent Virtual Drummer (Macintosh and Windows)
No longer available at zZounds
Forget dealing with drummers that cannot take directions. This software gives you a massive library of drum sounds and performances recorded by studio professionals.
Overview
Groove Agent 3 is the third incarnation of Steinberg's phenomenally successful Groove Agent virtual drummer VST instrument, and is a major step up from previous versions. Groove Agent 3 combines a huge library of drum and percussion sounds with a range of player technologies to give you dynamic, ready-to-go drums, beats, rhythms and percussion in only a few mouse clicks. Top-quality drum samples and live recorded drum performances in a massive number of variations cover 123 different styles from over 50 years of music history, automatically synced to the song tempo. And Groove Agent 3 also features more kits and sounds, including 3 new top-rate acoustic drum kits, as well as the ability to import user samples in wav and AIFF format for even more flexibility.
Groove Agent 3 adds two new agents to the Classic Agent seen in previous versions: Special Agent and Percussion Agent. While the top-notch Special Agent adds an astoundingly realistic studio drummer complete with new acoustic drum kits to Groove Agent 3's arsenal, the Percussion Agent is specialized in red-hot percussive grooves and beats. The new Dual Mode puts any two of the three agents together in the recording studio for scorching virtual drum and percussion sessions - all within one single VST instrument. And while Groove Agent 3 breathes new life into any production with its inspiring and inventive drum performances, it's also an ideal sparring partner for practice or jam sessions.
Features
Add inspiring live drum… read more patterns and percussion performances in real-time to your song and quickly record the result.
Covers almost any style: 123 styles total - 108 Groove Agent and 15 Special Agent drum styles plus hundreds of percussion performances played by professional studio drummers - automatically synced up to song tempo.
Variations with 25 complexity levels in each style, including fills, intros, endings and half tempo feel variations.
Huge audio library: 10 richly detailed acoustic kits and 9 drum machines plus a vast array of acoustic and electric percussion sounds in outstanding quality.
Classic Groove Agent module offers fully editable drum styles with corresponding kits and FX.
NEW - Special Agent module features 15 complete live drumming styles, each containing 75 different performances.
NEW - Percussion Agent module with 8 groups of red-hot recorded percussion grooves with hundreds of percussion performances.
NEW - Dual Mode combines the breathtaking creative power of two Agents playing side by side within the same VSTi.
NEW - flexible User Import Sample feature (wav/AIFF) - Create your own kits.
NEW - Realistic rolls and paradiddles thanks to Alternating hits for each drum on every note. This means no more machine gun effect.
NEW - Auto Fill functionality and useful Speed control for jamming and practicing.
RealAmbience technology offers true recorded ambience for drum kits to perfectly blend into any mix.
NEW - 9-band EQ and compressor for each of the 12 stereo outputs, useful Presets included.
Record Groove Agent beats to a MIDI track with Cubase and Nuendo or export Groove combinations to a MIDI file for further editing in any host.
Supports all major formats: VST, DXi, AU + Rewire for easy Pro Tools integration.
Standalone version with multiple-output support included. read less
Groove Agent 3 adds two new agents to the Classic Agent seen in previous versions: Special Agent and Percussion Agent. While the top-notch Special Agent adds an astoundingly realistic studio drummer complete with new acoustic drum kits to Groove Agent 3's arsenal, the Percussion Agent is specialized in red-hot percussive grooves and beats. The new Dual Mode puts any two of the three agents together in the recording studio for scorching virtual drum and percussion sessions - all within one single VST instrument. And while Groove Agent 3 breathes new life into any production with its inspiring and inventive drum performances, it's also an ideal sparring partner for practice or jam sessions.
Features
Add inspiring live drum… read more patterns and percussion performances in real-time to your song and quickly record the result.
Covers almost any style: 123 styles total - 108 Groove Agent and 15 Special Agent drum styles plus hundreds of percussion performances played by professional studio drummers - automatically synced up to song tempo.
Variations with 25 complexity levels in each style, including fills, intros, endings and half tempo feel variations.
Huge audio library: 10 richly detailed acoustic kits and 9 drum machines plus a vast array of acoustic and electric percussion sounds in outstanding quality.
Classic Groove Agent module offers fully editable drum styles with corresponding kits and FX.
NEW - Special Agent module features 15 complete live drumming styles, each containing 75 different performances.
NEW - Percussion Agent module with 8 groups of red-hot recorded percussion grooves with hundreds of percussion performances.
NEW - Dual Mode combines the breathtaking creative power of two Agents playing side by side within the same VSTi.
NEW - flexible User Import Sample feature (wav/AIFF) - Create your own kits.
NEW - Realistic rolls and paradiddles thanks to Alternating hits for each drum on every note. This means no more machine gun effect.
NEW - Auto Fill functionality and useful Speed control for jamming and practicing.
RealAmbience technology offers true recorded ambience for drum kits to perfectly blend into any mix.
NEW - 9-band EQ and compressor for each of the 12 stereo outputs, useful Presets included.
Record Groove Agent beats to a MIDI track with Cubase and Nuendo or export Groove combinations to a MIDI file for further editing in any host.
Supports all major formats: VST, DXi, AU + Rewire for easy Pro Tools integration.
Standalone version with multiple-output support included. read less
Specs
Minimum System Requirements
The minimum system requirements state the minimal specification your computer must have to be able to use the software. A more powerful system may be required for certain tasks or larger projects. You can find more information about computer system specification and setup here.
Mac
* Supported operating system: Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5
* Power Mac G5 2 GHz or Intel Core Solo 1.5 minimum (dual core processor recommended)
* 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
* 4 GB free HD space DVD drive required for installation
* CoreAudio compatible audio hardware is required
* USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key (copy protection device) and USB port required*
* Internet connection required for license activation
* For using as plug-in, a VST (VST 2.3 or higher) or AU compatible host is required (AU hosting is compatible with Logic 7.7.3). For using as ReWire slave device, a ReWire compatible host is required.
PC
* Supported operating systems: Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit) and Windows 7
* Intel/AMD processor 2 GHz minimum (dual core processor recommended)
* 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
* 4 GB free HD space
* DVD drive required for installation
* Windows MME compatible audio hardware is required (ASIO compatible audio hardware required for low-latency operation)
* USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key (copy protection device) and USB port required*
* Internet connection required for license activation
* For using as plug-in, a VST (VST 2.3 or higher) or DXi2 compatible host is required. For using as ReWire slave device, a ReWire compatible host is required.
*The USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key (copy protection device) required to run this product is not included. Customers who do not own a USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key must purchase one separately. The same USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key copy protection device is then used for all Steinberg products that require it.
The minimum system requirements state the minimal specification your computer must have to be able to use the software. A more powerful system may be required for certain tasks or larger projects. You can find more information about computer system specification and setup here.
Mac
* Supported operating system: Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5
* Power Mac G5 2 GHz or Intel Core Solo 1.5 minimum (dual core processor recommended)
* 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
* 4 GB free HD space DVD drive required for installation
* CoreAudio compatible audio hardware is required
* USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key (copy protection device) and USB port required*
* Internet connection required for license activation
* For using as plug-in, a VST (VST 2.3 or higher) or AU compatible host is required (AU hosting is compatible with Logic 7.7.3). For using as ReWire slave device, a ReWire compatible host is required.
PC
* Supported operating systems: Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit) and Windows 7
* Intel/AMD processor 2 GHz minimum (dual core processor recommended)
* 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
* 4 GB free HD space
* DVD drive required for installation
* Windows MME compatible audio hardware is required (ASIO compatible audio hardware required for low-latency operation)
* USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key (copy protection device) and USB port required*
* Internet connection required for license activation
* For using as plug-in, a VST (VST 2.3 or higher) or DXi2 compatible host is required. For using as ReWire slave device, a ReWire compatible host is required.
*The USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key (copy protection device) required to run this product is not included. Customers who do not own a USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key must purchase one separately. The same USB-eLicenser/Steinberg Key copy protection device is then used for all Steinberg products that require it.
Documents and Manuals
For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 844-358-4022
Email: steinbergussupport@yamaha.com
Web: https://helpcenter.steinberg.de
Phone: 844-358-4022
Email: steinbergussupport@yamaha.com
Web: https://helpcenter.steinberg.de
Reviews
Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
(22 ratings)
Submitted November 19, 2007 by a customer from gmail.com
"Great for song writing; get a groove quickly and easily."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I will probably invest in another drum VST in the future, just to give myself a few more options sound wise. Probably will get more of a sampled drum set like BFD that can be driven by the midi out of Groove Agent.
Sound
Can't fault the drum sounds for the price. Also, the ability to add your own drum samples is nice in this version.
Features
The additional 2 modules, Special Agent and Percussion Agent, I haven't found useful as yet, least of all the Special Agent. I would have preferred more drum patterns in the main Groove Agent. It's nice to be able to add your own sounds, and of course, having 12 stereo outputs makes tracking and mixing a lot easier. In earlier versions there were only 4 outputs, and that meant multiple instances (with various drums muted), and duplicate midi tracks, or multiple pass to audio track; a pain. Also, to really get a final drum track, I find it necessary to go in and edit the timing of the fill triggers, add accents, and sometimes add individual instruments, like extra snare hits or crashes. This is really easy to do though, and is worth the effort. Many people ask me who played the drums on my recordings. That's the best reason to use Groove Agent I can think of.
Ease of Use
Couldn't be any simpler. Choose a pattern, hit Run. Although, Groove Agent sometimes gets a bit happy with the fills, adding them where they shouldn't be, or doubling up… read more a fill so it runs into the next measure. It's not all the time though, and it doesn't ever seem to happen when mixing the drums down to an audio file, but that's not real-time, so maybe that makes the difference.
Quality
This doesn't really apply, but comes with a printed manual! :)
Value
For the money, it has a lot of playability.
Manufacturer Support
I've only contacted support about Cubase, and that went well.
The Wow Factor
I'm used to it, it's easy and sounds good.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Recording Engineer, Sound Engineer read less
Sound
Can't fault the drum sounds for the price. Also, the ability to add your own drum samples is nice in this version.
Features
The additional 2 modules, Special Agent and Percussion Agent, I haven't found useful as yet, least of all the Special Agent. I would have preferred more drum patterns in the main Groove Agent. It's nice to be able to add your own sounds, and of course, having 12 stereo outputs makes tracking and mixing a lot easier. In earlier versions there were only 4 outputs, and that meant multiple instances (with various drums muted), and duplicate midi tracks, or multiple pass to audio track; a pain. Also, to really get a final drum track, I find it necessary to go in and edit the timing of the fill triggers, add accents, and sometimes add individual instruments, like extra snare hits or crashes. This is really easy to do though, and is worth the effort. Many people ask me who played the drums on my recordings. That's the best reason to use Groove Agent I can think of.
Ease of Use
Couldn't be any simpler. Choose a pattern, hit Run. Although, Groove Agent sometimes gets a bit happy with the fills, adding them where they shouldn't be, or doubling up… read more a fill so it runs into the next measure. It's not all the time though, and it doesn't ever seem to happen when mixing the drums down to an audio file, but that's not real-time, so maybe that makes the difference.
Quality
This doesn't really apply, but comes with a printed manual! :)
Value
For the money, it has a lot of playability.
Manufacturer Support
I've only contacted support about Cubase, and that went well.
The Wow Factor
I'm used to it, it's easy and sounds good.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Recording Engineer, Sound Engineer read less
8 of 8 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
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