Demystify Groove Agent Drum Programming

If you've found it difficult to program realistic drum parts in the studio (without a real live drummer), then the tips and guidance in this course are going to change the way you produce music!

I've been recording, editing and mixing audio for over 15 years using Cubase and I know that recording or programming drums is one of the most challenging parts of any studio project. Based on my experience with Groove Agent, I'll show you how to produce life-like drum tracks in minutes! The lessons learned in this course can transform your production routine and solve one of the most common production challenges facing home studios.

In this class you'll learn:

• How to create intros, main beats, fills and endings with a few clicks
• How to create, save and share custom kits
• How to slice drum loops into customized, playable drum kits
• Tips for dealing with common MIDI drum frustration

This course will show you how to create original drum parts quickly and easily. The techniques in this course are based on years of trial and error, MIDI drum programming and software evaluations. After all that work, I've concluded that Groove Agent is one of the very best tools available for generating drum parts and I'll share my tips and workflow in this course.

Rhythm is the most essential part of any music.  Without good rhythm, your music will unfortunately be much less compelling…   Now that we’ve gained perspective on how we can create more dynamic rhythms using Groove Agent, its time to actually get to work - making great drum tracks!  Here are some simple steps to follow:

1. Create a new project in Cubase and load 2 Groove Agents (on 2 different tracks).
2. Load a Beat Agent kit into track 1 (these can be found using the "Content Set" attribute or Search field). Notice that the Beat Agent kit DOES NOT contain a style in the Style Player. If you want to use a style with a Beat Agent kit, you'll need to drag and drop one into the Style Player manually.  Do this now.
3. Load an Acoustic Agent kit into track 1 (these can be found using the "Content Set" attribute or Search field). Notice that the Acoustic Agent kit contains a style in the Style Player.
4. Try searching for, auditioning and loading different styles into both kits to hear some different options. Then build a drum part on each track that includes an Intro, Main, Fill and Ending.

When this project is complete, you will have 2 distinct drum parts that you’ve assembled using Groove Agent.  You’ll probably find this so much fun that you’ll keep doing it :). All of a sudden, making drum parts becomes the easiest part of your next track (rather than the most difficult)!  If you have any questions or need tips beyond the video lessons, please post in the discussion or message me directly.  Please share your drum parts and share your own tips with me and all the course’s students.  Thanks for taking this course and good luck!