Hi, I have been considering buying GA5,I am reluctant to get it without getting some feedback on it, so if you have it, I would appreciate your comments on its content, specifically, Intro’s, Fills, Bridges and Ends. Also, another good thing is if anybody has got these smaller subsidiary drum file packs that are being offered, and which ones have the best content for my needs. I write mostly light rock, if that can be described as a specific style/sound.
Also, I have not got as yet, one of these finger drum pad things, so if anybody can make suggestions or recommendations, it would be welcome.
For Cubase users, Groove Agent 5 has a ten times better workflow than anything else out there, including NI Maschine (which I also own). Once I worked my way into Beat Agent 5, I soon became aware, that it’s by far (!) the best DAW Groove Tool available.
Many of the addons deliver good quality with enough variation, but the amount of addons is limited, if you want more for modern styles.
The good news is: it is extremely easy to build your own kits from ANY common groove sample library. Without much effort, I have been able to import samples from my NI Battery and Maschine, Goldbaby, Samples From Mars and other groove libraries.
Concerning controller: it is not too smart from Steinberg/Yamaha not to provide well adapted hardware controllers for Cubase and Groove Agent. In general Beat Agent could be THE groove making tool on PC, if Steinberg would do more to support it and let it shine, including providing more Addon packs for actual music styles.
That said: at first, I used my Maschine Micro Mk2 controller (and it’s software editor) for recording into Groove Agent. Meanwhile I use IK iRigPads: these have an editor allowing you to to program enough templates (with midi definitions), and switch between them. So I can use the controller for both Groove Agent on PC and the DigiStix drum app on my iPad (where Digistix is the by far best equivalent to Groove Agent on PC). iRigPads are the smallest well working, and flexible programmable, controller field I know for recording grooves, and the pads respond well to velocity. I nearly had overlooked this possibility, because they are on the market since 2014, more or less unnoticed by me.