How does Groove Agent 2 work?
In technical terms, Groove Agent employs thousands of MIDI sequences tracked by top musicians specifically for this application. These sequences access samples recorded especially for the respective instruments. The Timeline slider lets you select a musical style and a drum kit. Some of these drum kits are acoustic, others electronic. The Complexity slider determines the degree of complexity. A matching drum fill, halftime groove and a side-stick version is available at each complexity level. The Edit panel lets you process sounds and even swap instruments.
The sounds of Groove Agents 2
The sound library of Groove Agent 2 was created to cover as many musical bases as possible. Authenticity was also a key issue: The idea was to tailor drum kits and percussion instruments to a perfect fit for each musical style, as well as to capture natural room ambience for every sound. Rather than falling back on a sample library to prep the contents of Groove Agent, every drum sound was recorded in a pro studio in Sweden using high-quality analog equipment.
What’s more, special stylistic devices were employed during the recording of drum sounds to invoke the spirit of the given era and lend these sounds authenticity. Case in point: ‘50s-style kits were played with brushes and mallets, while ‘80s-style kits featuring additional piccolo snare drums were thumped with rods. All sounds were recorded with multiple microphones to capture the room’s natural sound, which can be added to the VST instrument using the Ambience control. Contemporary electronic sounds feature standard studio effects such as reverb and echo.
Groove Agent Classic Kits
- ‘50s jazz kit - slightly dampened, sounding relatively open and loose
- ‘60s pop kit - heavily dampened, recalling a time when towels were draped over toms!
- ‘70s rock kit - loud, deep and resonant. This kit sounds enormous!
- ‘80s studio kit - fresh, hip sound as featured on most contemporary CDs
New Kits in Groove Agent 2
- Studio kit - A high-quality set for all styles requiring a good, clear contemporary sound
- Heavy kit - This drum set was crafted to prime the pump of every modern metal style
- Noisy kit – This unprecedented set offers novel drum sounds powered by a classic kit
- Vintage drum computers – With some sources dating back over 30 years, these excellent sounds are a valuable complement to the acoustic kits
A wealth of percussion instruments was added to the sound library’s treasure-trove. Alongside standard GM sounds, Groove Agent 2 now offers a battery of intriguing instruments, including African drums, rain stick, tambourine, cascabeles, and many more.
The Styles
Handling Groove Agent 2 couldn’t be any easier. The most important control feature is the Timeline slider. Indicated on its scale are the various eras and their typical styles. Simply moving the slider to the desired musical style selects a drum kit tailored specifically to this genre. Offering new combinations of styles and drum kits, Groove Agent 2 grants you plenty of creative freedom, so you can do things like have a techno drum kit render a bossa nova groove.
The second crucial control feature is the Complexity knob. It serves to select different variations of the given style. In addition to variations on the basic rhythmic pattern, it offers fills and halftime grooves suitable for each style. Random and Autofill functions liven up the proceedings, while the Shuffle and Humanize knobs add a dash of swing and natural feel to the rhythm recipe.