Product Reviews

The world is now full of realistic, multisampled virtual drum software plug-ins. So what can Steinberg's Groove Agent 3 offer to lift it above the pack?

Groove Agent 3 is about greater flexibility, more playing styles and better drum sounds. For a start, it has three new kits: a classic pop kit, an authentically evocative 1960s kit and a cleaner, punchier 'radio-friendly' kit.

All drums were recorded using analogue equipment and multiple microphones to capture the finest fidelity and natural room sound. There are now 10 kits in total plus a further nine drum machines. Groove Agent 3 also introduces the ability to import third-party drum samples (Wav and AIFF).

Groove Agent 3 now offers 123 playing styles (42 of which are new), each consisting of 25 patterns and 25 fills. Of these styles, 108 are given over to Classic Groove Agent, which triggers samples via Midi, and 15 are Special Agent drum styles.

Special Agent is Groove Agent's new drum module, which debuts here alongside the Percussion Agent. Both Agents trigger audio loops, recorded live in the studio, rather than Midi files, and so better capture that intangible human groove magic.

With

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three different 'players' available in Groove Agent, the new Dual Mode is a great addition. This enables two modules to run simultaneously - so you could have eight virtual percussionists in one Percussion Agent playing along with a Special Agent live drum loop. You can also balance and crossfade between players and kits.

Other new features include the Auto Fill option, which makes jamming along with it more rewarding; the 'alternate hits' feature, which curbs the 'machine-gun snare roll' effect; and the new Effects section, hosting a nine-band EQ and a compressor/limiter.

Given all these variations, it's easy to pull together a convincingly fluid drum track in minutes. The flipside is that you have to work harder to get unique, personal results.

There are other concerns. Version 3's engine has been rewritten, so projects made with versions 1 and 2 are incompatible. There are also licence issues for owners of version 2, who are advised to tread carefully when upgrading. Groove Agent 3 requires a Steinberg Key, but it's not included.

More annoyingly, there is no easy way to change the tempo when using Groove Agent in standalone mode. Fiddling with the Preferences every time is a chore. Groove Agent doesn't operate at higher sampling rates than the standard 44.1KHz. A lengthy bug list has been posted on the Steinberg forums, highlighting out-of-time playback, Ram overload issues and other problems. To be fair, Steinberg is on the case and has promised an update for November.

Groove Agent 3 promises much and delivers most of it, but then it spoils the experience by behaving badly. If Steinberg can fix the usability issues quickly, Groove Agent 3 will be a real winner. For now, though, it's one to watch.