Steinberg Groove Agent 4 Manual
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Effects Reference Modulation Effects151 Frequency Shifter A frequency shifter shifts each frequency of the input signal by a fixed amount. Unlike pitch shifters, where the frequencies are shifted by a factor, and where the h armonic relations are kept, a frequency shifter alters the harmonic relations. Therefore, a larger frequency shift usually results in a disharmonic sound. Furthermore, a frequency shifter alters the frequencies by adding an offset, while a pitch shifter multiplies the frequencies by a factor. The frequency shifter alters lower frequencies more than higher frequencies. For example, if the input signal has the frequencies 100 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 10000 Hz, and you shift the frequency by +100 Hz , the resulting frequencies are 200 Hz, 1100 Hz, and 10100 Hz. Frequency Coarse Here you set the amount of frequency shift. Frequency Fine Here you can fine adjust the amount of frequency shift. L/R Offset Coarse Sets an offset for the left and right ch an nels. Positive values shift the right channel upwards and the left channel downwards, and vice versa. L/R Offset Fine Allows for fine-adjustments of the offset between the left and right channels. P ositive values shift the right channel upwards and the left channel downwards, and vice versa. Modulation Range Coarse Sets the maximum amount of frequency shift via modulation from LFO and Envelope Fol lower. Modulation Range Fine Allows for fine-adjustments to the amount of frequency shift via modulation from LFO and Envelope Follower. Feedback Sets the amount of feedback, that is, the am ount of signal that is sent from the output of the effect back to its input. The sound is similar to that of a phaser. You can control the direction and speed of this effect with the Frequency Fine parameter.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects152 NotchesHere you set the number of notches the phaser effect produces when you use larger amounts of Feedback. LFO Section LFO Waveform and ShapeWaveform selects the bas ic type of waveform. Shape changes the characteristic of the waveform. • Sine produc es smooth modulation. Shape adds additional harmonics to the waveform. • Triangle is similar in character to Sine. The waveform periodically ramps up and down. Shape continuously changes the triangle waveform to a trapezoid. • Saw produces a ramp cycle. Shape continuously changes the waveform from ramp down to triangle to ramp up. • Pulse produces stepped modulation, wh ere the modulation switches abruptly between two values. Shape continuously changes the ratio between the high and low state of the waveform. At 50 %, it produces a square wave. • Ramp is similar to the Saw waveform. Shape increasingly puts silence before the sawtooth ramps up. • Log is a logarithmic curvature. Shape continuously changes the curvature from negative to positive. • S&H 1 produces random stepped modulation, where each step is different. Shape puts ramps between the steps and produces a smooth random signal when fully turned right. • S&H 2 is similar to S & H 1. The steps alternate between random high and low values. Shape puts ramps between the steps and produces a smooth random signal when fully turned right. LFO Rate Specifies the frequency of the LFO in Hertz. Sync Activate this to set the Ra te parameter in fr actions of beats. Depth Determines the direction and amount of frequency shift from the LFO modulation signal. Envelope Follower The Envelope Follower traces the input signal with an adjustable attack and release time and delivers a modulation signal representing the level envelope of the signal.
Effects Reference Modulation Effects153 SensitivityAll input signals are mixed do w n to mono before they are sent to the Envelope Follower. This parameter sets the optimum input level for the Envelope Follower. Attack Adjusts the attack time, that is, the time the Envelope Follower needs to approach increasing input levels. Release Adjusts the release time, that is, the time the Envelope Follower needs to approach decreasi ng input levels. Depth Determines the direction and amount of frequency shift from the envelope follower m odulation signal. NOTE The maximum frequency shift via modulation from LFO or the Envelope Follower is determined by the parameters Modulation Range Coarse and Modulation Range Fine. Mix Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal. Vintage Ensemble This effect emulates the sound of classic ensemble modulation effects. It is based on a delay with LFO-modulated delay times. A secondary LFO with higher frequencies is used to produce the so-called shimmer. Rate Sets the frequency of the LFO. Sync Activate this to set the Rate value in fractions of beats. Depth Sets the intensity of the delay time modulation by the LFO. Shimmer Sets the intensity of a secondar y faster delay time modulation.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects154 Shimmer RateDetermines the relation between the speed of the primary and the secondary delay modulation. For example, with a value of 10, the secondary modulation is 10 times faster. Low Cut Applies a low-cut filter to the signal. Only frequencies above the set frequency are sent to the effect. High Cut Applies a high-cut filter to the si g nal. Only frequencies below the set frequency are sent to the effect. Level Allows you to adapt the effect signal le vel to compensate for level reductions caused by the low-cut and high-cut filters. Mix Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal. Dynamics Effects Compressor The Compressor reduces the dynamic range of a sound. This way, the sound gains headroom. You can use this extra headroom to make the overall sound louder again. The graphical control to the left indicates the compression curve. You can edit the Threshol d and Ratio values with the handles of this control. The input and output VU meters indicate the level before and after the compression. The Gain Reduction meter indicates the current attenuation of the level. Threshold Sets the threshold. Sounds that are louder than the threshold are reduced in gain. Sounds below the threshold stay untreated.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects155 RatioSets the amount of gain reduction for sounds that are louder than the th reshold. The higher the ratio, the more the output is lowered. For example, if the ratio is set to 2:1 and the amplitude of the sound is 4 dB above the threshold, the output is lowered by 2 dB. If the amplitude is 8 dB above the threshold, the output is lowered by 4 dB. Soft Knee If this button is deactivated, sign als above the threshold are compressed instantly according to the set ratio. When Soft Knee is activated, the onset of the compression is more gradual, producing a less drastic result. Make-Up Raises the overall sound. This can become necessary if too much gain r eduction is introduced by the Threshold and Ratio parameters. You can see the amount of gain reduction in the Gain Reduction meter. NOTE This parameter is not available when the Auto button is activated. Auto Sets the Make-Up value automatically, depending on the current Threshold and Ratio settings. Attack Determines how fast the Compressor reacts to sounds that exceed the thre shold. The longer the attack time, the longer the time it takes to reduce the gain. With longer attack times, the onset of sounds exceeding the threshold pass through unprocessed. Hold Sets the time period during which the compression is applied after the sound exceeds the set threshold. Release Determines how fast the Compressor effect reacts to sounds that fall below the set threshold. The longer the release time, the longer it takes to return to the original level. NOTE This parameter is not available when the Auto Release button is activated. Auto Release Activate this to set the release time automat ically. The Compressor analyzes the input sound continuously to find the optimal setting.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects156 Peak – RMSDetermines whether the input signal is analyzed according to peak or RMS values or a mixture of both. At a setting of 0 %, the Compressor uses Peak sensing only and at 100 %, RMS sensing only. P eak means that the Compressor directly senses the peak level of the sound. RMS means that the Compressor senses the average power of the sound. Peak sensing responds faster than RMS sensing. Typically, Pe ak sensing is used for transient and RMS sensing for sustained sounds. VintageCompressor VintageCompressor is modeled af ter vintage type compressors. This compressor features separate controls for Input an d Output gain, Attack , and Release . In addition, there is a Punch mode which preserves the attack phase of the signal and a program-dependent Auto feature for the Release parameter. Input (-24 to 48 dB) In combination with the Output se tting, this parameter determines the compression amount. The higher the in put gain setting and the lower the output gain setting, the mo re compression is applied. Output (-48 to 24 dB) Sets the output gain. Attack (0.1 to 100 ms) Determines how fast the compressor respon ds. If the attack time is long, more of the early part of the signal passes through unprocessed. Punch If this is activated, the early attack phase of the signal is preserved, retaining the original punch in the audio material, even with short Attack settings. Release (10 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gain returns to its original level. If the Auto button is activa ted, Vintage Compressor automa tically finds the best release setting for the audio material. VU Meter Shows the amount of gain reduction.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects157 In/Out MetersShow the highest peaks of all available input and output channels. Tube Compressor This versatile compressor with integrated tube-simulation allows you to achieve smooth and warm compression effects. The VU meter shows the amount of gain reduction. Tube Compressor features an internal side-chain section that lets you filter the trigger signal. Drive (1.0 to 6.0) Controls the amount of tube saturation. Input (-24.0 to 48.0) Determines the compression amount. The higher the input gain, the more compression is appli ed. Limit Increases the ratio of the compressor for a limiting effect. Output (-12.0 to 12.0) Sets the output gain. Attack (0.1 to 100.0) Determines how fast the compressor respon ds. If the attack time is long, more of the initial part of the si gnal passes through unprocessed. Release (10 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gain returns to the original level. If the Auto button is activated, Tube Compressor automatically finds the best release setting for the audio material. Mix (0 to 100) Adjusts the mix between dry and wet signal preserving the transients of the input signal. In/Out Meters Show the highest peaks of all available input and output channels. VU Meter Shows the amount of gain reduction.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects158 Side-chain Activates/Deactivates the internal side-chain filter. The input signal can then be sh aped according to the filter parame ters. Internal side-chaining is useful for tailoring how the compressor operates. Filter section (LP, BP, and HP) If the Si de-Chain button is activated, you can use these buttons to set the filter type to low-pass, band-pass, or high-pass. Side-chain section Center Sets the center frequency of the filter. Q-Factor Sets the resonance or width of the filter. Monitor Allows you to monitor the filtered signal. Limiter The Limiter effects prevents the sound from exceeding the set output level. This can be used to avoid clipping in following effects, for example. The input and output VU meters indicate the level before and after the Limiter. The Gain Reduction meter in the middle indicates the current attenuation of the level. Input Adjusts the input level of the sound. By increasing the input level, you can dr ive the sound more and more into limiting. Output Sets the maximum output level of the sound.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects159 ReleaseSets the time that the gain needs to retu rn to its original level. The longer the release time, the longer it takes to return to the original level. NOTE This parameter is not available if the Auto button is activated. Auto Activate this to set the release time automatically. The Limiter analyzes the inpu t sound continuously to find the optimal setting. Brickwall Limiter Brickwall Limiter ensures that the output level never exceeds a set limit. Due to its fast attack time, Brickwall Limiter can reduce even short audio level peaks wit hout creating audible arti facts. However, this plug-in creates a latency of 1ms. Brickwall Limiter features separate meters for input, output, and the amount of limiting. Position this plug-in at the end of the signal chain, before dithering. Threshold (-20 to 0 dB) Only signal levels above th e set threshold are processed. Release (ms) Sets the time after which the gain returns to the original level when the signal drops below the threshold. If the Auto button is activated, Brickwall Limiter automatically finds the best release setting, depending on the audio material. Link If this button is activated, Brickwall Limiter uses the channel with the highest level to analyze the input signal. If the button is deactivated, each channel is analyzed separately. Detect Intersample Clipping If this option is activated, Brickwall Limiter detects and limits signal levels bet ween two samples to prevent distorti on when converting digital signals into analog signals.
Effects Reference Dynamics Effects160 NOTE Brickwall Limiter is designed for the reduction of occasional peaks in the signal. If the Gain Reduction meter indicates constant limiting, try raising the threshold or lowering the overall level of the input signal. Maximizer This plug-in raises the loudness of audio material without the risk of clipping. Output (-24 to 6 dB) Determines the maximum output level. Set this to 0 dB to avoid clipping. Optimize (0 to 100) Determines the loudness of the signal. Soft Clip If this button is activated, Maximizer starts limiting or clipping the signal softly, at th e same time generating harmonics which add warm, tube-like characteristics to the audio material. Expander Expander reduces the output level in relati on to the input level for signals below the set threshold. This is useful to enhance the dynamic range or reduce the noise in quiet passages. The graphical control to the left shows the expansion curve. You can edit the Threshold and Ratio values with the handles of this control. The input and output VU meters indicate the leve l before and after the expansion. The Gain Reduction meter indicates the current attenuation of the level.