The fourth iteration of Steinberg’s ultimate drum studio is rolling out today. Groove Agent 4 offers a wide range of variation with its compelling library that spans over 22,000 samples and more than 3,800 grooves and patterns.
With its matchless multi-Agent concept and the three included drum modules Groove Agent covers acoustic drums, electronic beats and percussion that can be combined in any imaginable way. There’s an integrated mixer with 29 effects, the Pattern Editor, Sample and Slicing Editors, the Drum Classifier, the Jam Mode and the Style Player that lets you seamlessly control the complexity and intensity of the included grooves.
The update from versions 2 and 3 is now available as download through the Steinberg Online Shop. The full retail version of Groove Agent 4 will be available from Steinberg resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop from August 20.
Bought the update for Groove Agent 2…But the elicener will not accept the Activation Code for ‘Groove Agent 2’… Says, “currently there are no license available which can be upgraded by your upgrade license…, Please connect an USB eLincener which holds an appropriate upgradable license to your computer”…
I want to believe that I jumped the gun as it is not the ‘8th’ as of yet… But the shop did say “update for Groove Agent 2 & 3”…
Please sync your eLicenser Control Center with “Perform Maintenance Tasks”. We have already updated the license server with the extended upgrade path from GA2.
Sounds definitely to be a very good tool. However, for me a little bit to expansive to go from version 4 SE included in Cubase to the full version (I think you need to order the full version, no way to get an upgrade…).
After hours and hours watching videos and reading lame documentation. I brought up GA3 to compare it. I’m a jazz/blues guitar player that wants to turn on the drummer, maybe record a guitar track and start recording. GA3 did that very well, a could randomize the groove the fills, record direct to Cubase and start having fun immediately. I thought GA4 would give me at least all of that and then maybe go back and create a more structured song like EZ drummer.
GA4 seems to have missed the mark entirely. It shouldn’t even be called Groove Agent. No jazz/blues, no recording to host, no artificial intelligence that just lays down a groove that I can jam or record to. They call jamming, pressing pads to change pads, like a DJ or drummer might do. the complexity and intensity, auto fills, half time, etc. are so confusing and don’t seem to work consistently on all patterns. Then trying to use automation to make this poop happen in some kind of improvised way is ridiculous.
I realized the day I bought this thing I didn’t want it, but Steinberg refused to refund my money. You guys need to hire Sven Bornemark again to show you how to do it.
GA3 was so easy to use to set your self up. They have as far as I can see, complicated GA4 and pointed it towards a different user base from GA3 that it might as well be a totally different piece of software.
GA3 had a range of styles right across the board that you could get at without any hassle or complication. Slide a slider and you’re there. Not all styles of drums are necessarily use in the style that they are set to. I use a lot of style of drums in heavy styles of music myself.
In GA4s defence, you can do all you can do in GA4 that you can do in GA3.
The problems are:
It’s a new interface.
They have stripped out the simple interface of GA3. They have replaced it with a just as simple interface but it’s buried and not the main focus of the interface. All the options that were useful in GA3 should have been on the front page of GA4
Styles are not as easily accessible as they were in GA3
Steinberg obviously have a different customer set for GA4 that they had for GA3. You get the message as soon as you open up and you have four Beat agents staring you in the face. Not one of everything just like in a democracy.
It’s a whole new complicated programme that you have to learn. I’ve not got time myself. Two weeks since I played with it opened it up to check while I was writing this and thought ‘what a cock up’ at least for GA3 users.
I’m sure I’ll get used to it but I didn’t want anything this complicated. I personally wanted GA3 but vastly improved but what we got is something else with the Groove agent name glued on. They should have named this something else.
I’d like to have seen, and I’m sure they can do it, an Agent panel with pretty much the GA3 functionality but have all the new stuff there so you can get into it when you feel you can move on. Or something on those lines.
I’m going to learn to stop complaining about GA4 one of these days but if you are going to make a GA3 replacement then make one.
better sounds with more dynamic control - GA4 provided this
More Jazz / Blues / Funk patterns - not in GA4
An easier way to record beats that use all the random fills, random hits, style changes, complexity changes, directly into Cubase - even GA3 made it a puzzle of turning of midi out, switching the Cubase Inspector outputs,etc. Why not have the " record to host switch make those changes automatically. ( By the way do it to loop mash also)
once a track is in Cubase for play along, go back and put in an intro and outro if appropriate, and create bridge and chorus sections that could be edited in - GA4 does provide this
5.Each patters has a couple bass lines that are designed to work with that drum pattern
As a jazz / blues player this would be ideal. I could put together a basic song as a starting point. Edit it if needed. The goal for me is to do less tweaking and detailed sound manipulation. More select a style and complexity hit record and start improvising or laying down a melody.
I guess I am a little late to the party but after using GA SE 4 in CB 8 and viewing various videos on GA 4 (ClubCubase) , I decided to give the full version a try. Am I glad I did! I had mostly used NI Abbey Road or Studio drums and did not use previous versions of GA since the acoustic drums are my particular needs. Here is the reason I switched.
Vintage kit/drums are really good - except maybe the low tom
The workflow within Cubase is the deal breaker. Dragging patterns between GA and CB and having them saved with the project is the highlight of this.
Automatic drum mapping is a real time saver. I had to find or manually create the NI drum maps.
Having mixer control over the individual mics/drums is better than the NI approach
Although I have not yet used them, having the percussion and beat options is a plus
The Price - less than the cost of NI 70’s + 80’s drummers which was my other option.
What I would like to have in the next version:
Alternate Toms for the Vintage Kit - maybe “Tea Towel” versions similar to NI Abbey Road 60’s drummer
Alternate Cymbals similar to the snare and kick alternates.
Three snares for each kit. For example in the Vintage Kit, a 50’s, 60’s and 70’s snare
Additional velocity layers for each kit/drum. NI has GA beat in this department.
Sync to Host - it would be nice to just hit the space bar to preview the current patterns in the song
Remove the dongle requirement because it would be great to load this on my laptop to work on custom patterns without having to reach in the back of my desktop to get the dongle and have it stick out of my laptop. Come guys - NI has found another way to do this without the ridiculous dongle. To make things worse, I have iMac with a Cubase 7 license on another USB Dongle and using GA 4 will mean 2 dongles - since my GA 4 is on the CB 8 dongle.
More stock patterns
More styles - although I have only previewed this feature, it seems rather limited and not as nice as the Logic X drummer feature.
Thanks for all your effort in creating such a detailed and useful program - John
