Steinberg Libraries
Steinberg Content Packs typically are stored in encrypted and DRM Protected vstsound archives. By default they usually go into a hidden directory somewhere on the system drive (On Windows that’s ProgramData/Steinberg/Content/etc).
To make use of anything packed in such archives one needs a Steinberg instrument or host. Quite often you’ll also need to make sure the content is registered and activated in your Steinberg Activation Manager.
Most Steinberg hosts and instruments can share a common database for all of this content, in addition to searching, tagging, and auditioning content on your system that isn’t packed into these special archives. In short, most Steinberg apps on Windows and Mac launch a common database service when needed in the background and can tap into the same database across the board.
BROWSER Tab in Groove Agent 5
MediaBay in Cubase
With a Steinberg host or instrument, it can even be possible to use some content intended for GA in HALion or vice verse (raw samples in unlocked layers, midi and audio loops, some types of effect presets, etc). In many cases there are options to ‘export’ content out of these encrypted archives for use in third party hosts/instruments. I.E. You could drag a MIDI Loop or audio sample from one of these archives onto a Cubase MIDI or Instrument Track, and then export it again anywhere on your system-storage for other apps/instruments to use.
Content packs of raw audio/midi loops that come with Cubase are often packed into these VSTSound archives as well. Examples are packs like Verve, Analogue Wonder, Blockbuster, and so on. Steinberg also offers a range of Sound & Loop Sets that can be purchased separately.
One can see the exact location and names of the archives for a given library in the Steinberg Library Manager app.
Groove Agent Styles
Now given the information of where Steinberg content lives on a system let’s discuss Groove Agent styles in particular.
GA styles are not pure MIDI loops, but instead are real time pattern generators. You can later export anything you make with such a style engine as a MIDI file, or you can simply store them in internal GA pattern pads and trigger them from a MIDI/Instrument track as needed.
Lets look at some examples…
Since I’m not sure if you’re using full GA or GA SE, I’ll stick with the scaled down SE version that comes with most Steinberg hosts these days. I’m also under the impression that if you don’t already use a Steinberg host that comes with GASE, a purchase of Jazz Essentials should be able to unlock GASE for use in ‘other hosts’ or in stand alone (To use the Styles, a GA player is required).
First I’ll start an instance and set a filter for the Jazz Essential kits and styles in the MediaBay side of the plugin.
I’ll load the BandConversation SE Kit.
Each kit that comes with Jazz Essentials will have some example styles already built and associated with the kit. One can choose to load a kit without associated styles by toggling a button so it goes dark,
In one of these two locations
This makes it possible to start with a clean set of pattern pads for any of the factory kits that like the initial sound/setup for. Make your own styles, tweak the kit’s mix/sound, then you can save a completely new kit with all of your patterns ready to go.
If you are using GA SE, then you typically get one bank of 16 pads to store the styles that you ‘dial in’ with the style maker. In GA SE, if you need more than 16 styles at a time, you might use multiple instances of GA. It is possible to ‘drag’ pattern pads among different instances of GA SE.
Additional info for full Groove Agent 5
With Full GA5 you can load up to 4 kits at once. In full GA5 you get 128 pads to store styles, and more flexibility to move them around among different banks of pads. It also comes with a huge bag of more drum kits, styles, loops, and more. It offers more power-user features for building ones own custom MPC style instruments/kits.
So, now with a little more background info and a loaded kit at hand, click the PATTERN button, and you gain access to the ‘style engine’. I’ll also go ahead and click the style filter in the MediaBay pane of GA SE and set it to filter for the styles included with Essential Jazz Elements.
Style Engine Screenshot
Note: You can drag styles from the MediaBay tab onto pattern pads to try them out.
Tap the ‘play’ button in the GA transport and the selected pad will loop indefinitely while you play with the dial, complexity, and intensity to build your groove.
Here one can dial in up to 16 different grooves using the style engine. You can audition styles in the browser tab. You can drag the prebuilt factory styles from the MediaBay to a pattern pad.
Start a pad playing to experiment with the dial, complexity, intensity, etc. You can save pattern groups with the tiny disk icon at the bottom right of the MPC pad panel, or you can save your grooves with the complete kit.
To make use of the patterns, you trigger them with a MIDI track as needed. Note that there are options to set which MIDI channel should trigger patterns as opposed to triggering individual kit instruments. If you toggle the settings cog in the Style Maker you get options on how you’d like to trigger patterns (Hold, Toggle/Exclusive/One Shot/etc). You also get options on when to trigger (instantly, on the next downbeat, on the next bar, etc).
In essence, GA can be used to fire off patterns in live/realtime situations. Think of Arranger Keyboards like the Yamaha Genos or DGX. You could even bind controls in GA to a MIDI Controller and ‘tweak’ these grooves in real time, while they are playing!
Style Trigger Settings
Note, exclusive means other patterns stop playing when this one is triggered. If exclusive is toggled off, then pads can be played together at the same time.
I.E. You could have a groove set in toggle mode as exclusive, and a fill set one-shot, non-excusive, and trigger the ‘fill’ at any time and it would play ‘on top’ of the groove without interrupting it.
So, toggle mode makes a pad keep repeating until it is tapped again, or another ‘exclusive pad’ is tapped to ‘replace it’.
If you want, grooves you store on pattern pads can be exported as actual MIDI files that can be edited, played back into GA, or even used with other instruments/plugins. The simplest method is to drag and drop the little MIDI DIN icon onto a MIDI or Instrument Track in your DAW.
Groove Agent can also go into a different pattern mode that works with actual MIDI file loops. Jazz Essentials doesn’t come with such loops. Instead you get this real time ‘style engine’ from which to generate grooves in real time. Tweak the dials and stuff until you get a groove you like. It’s that simple 
