Steinberg has announced Groove Agent 3, the third incarnation of the virtual drummer VST instrument, at Summer NAMM 2006. Groove Agent 3 combines an expanded drum library with new virtual drumming technologies to offer a complete virtual drumming solution in one virtual instrument.

Among the new features in Groove Agent 3 are two new agent player modules, namely Special Agent and Percussion Agent. The new Special Agent offers realistic modelling of a real studio drummer based on customized audio recordings, while Percussion Agent plays a range of new percussive instruments in a large range of styles. With the new Dual Mode, any two of the three modules can be combined in a virtual jam session, offering more dynamics and variability.

With the new Drum Sample Import feature, users can now also import their own samples, allowing Groove Agent 3 to utilize almost any drum sound for its grooves, beats and fills. Separate samples for dry and ambience samples can be imported, providing a quick, easy way of creating a virtual drum kit miked up in its own room.

Groove Agent 3 also offers new functionality including a new FX section featuring a new EQ and compressor, with new presets ready for each drum component as well as each kit. With its Alternating Hits feature, Groove Agent 3 automatically alternates samples to avoid repetition of sounds, ensuring lively, realistic drum rolls and paradiddles. The Auto Fill feature intelligently generates fills to help produce dynamic drum backing tracks for improvisation on other instruments, making Groove Agent 3 ideal for use as a rehearsal and jamming tool.

Features:

• Add live drum patterns and percussion performances in real-time to your song and quickly record the result.
• Covers almost any style: 123 styles total - 108 Groove Agent and 15 Special Agent drum styles plus hundreds of percussion performances played by professional studio drummers - automatically synced up to song tempo.
• Variations with 25 complexity levels in each style, including fills, intros, endings and half tempo feel variations.
• Huge audio library: 10 detailed acoustic kits and 9 drum machines plus a vast array of acoustic and electric percussion sounds.
• Classic Groove Agent module offers fully editable drum styles with corresponding kits and FX.
• NEW - Special Agent module features 15 complete live drumming styles, each containing 75 different performances.
• NEW - Percussion Agent module with 8 groups of red-hot recorded percussion grooves with hundreds of percussion performances.
• NEW – Dual Mode combines the creative power of two Agents playing side by side within the same VSTi.
• NEW – flexible User Import Sample feature (wav/AIFF) - Create your own kits.
• NEW - Realistic rolls and paradiddles thanks to Alternating hits for each drum on every note. This means no more machine gun effect.
• NEW - Auto Fill functionality and useful Speed control for jamming and practicing.
• RealAmbience technology offers true recorded ambience for drum kits to perfectly blend into any mix.
• NEW - 9-band EQ and compressor for each of the 12 stereo outputs, useful Presets included.
• Record Groove Agent beats to a MIDI track with Cubase and Nuendo or export Groove combinations to a MIDI file for further editing in any host.
• Supports all major formats: VST, DXi, AU and Rewire.
• Standalone version with multiple-output support included.

Groove Agent 3 will ship in September 2006, and will retail for €239*. Groove Agent 1 and 2 customers can upgrade to the new version for €129* and €89* respectively.

*SRP includes 16% VAT. Prices subject to regional variations.