Groove Blox Live Virtual Instrument - 30 day demo now available for download

[glokraw]

The green is hideous, followed by the pink/sienna accents. The PlasticCZ
example, has decent color complements. Choosing neutral tones instead of
bright green, and the smaller elements without clashing colors, would
enhance the overall concept. Girls and GUIs that slap, don't get a
second date.

I quite like the green. The GUI designer who created Plasticz would have either created the GUI files from scratch or had access to prototypes - they wouldn't be trying to Photoshop an image downloaded from a thread. Trying to offer some help without proper access to the files together with the reluctance of the developer doesn't seem very encouraging or inspiring. Perhaps that's why no one else is bothering.

Hi, in all fairness, supermodels aren't exactly chasing after me, not even
old retired ones, nor even the local librarian who keeps her distance
Hope you have a go with the Groovebox files at the link.
I'll try to check the mirror, before any further curmudgeonry

[rez311]

AUTO-ADMIN: Non-MP3, WAV, OGG, SoundCloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter and Facebook links in this post have been protected automatically. Once the member reaches 5 posts the links will function as normal.

My only complaint with groove blox so far was that I purchased it yesterday for $30 and I still can't use it over 24 hrs later because I haven't been provided a download link. I'm still pretty excited to check it out, it looks and sounds great but it's disappointing that it takes longer than 24 hrs from payment to use it, especially when Mike's purchase confirmation email states "Your download links are sent manually and will come in a separate email. Please allow up to 24 hours, although most of the time you will receive it within an hour" in reference to the download link. I've emailed Mike to see if there's something holding up my download link like an update to the GUI but I haven't received a response. I'd be happy with an email stating that it's going to be delayed until "pick any date" due to updates, but I've received nothing. Unless Groove Blox is unreal this is the last purchase from supersynths I'll be making.

That is because I have been working day and night to finish the website, upload GrooveBlox Live and get everything ready.

You may notice the new website is now in place. I need to upload the GrooveBlox Live demo and get the download center in place.

I sincerely thank you for your order. You will receive your download links sometime tonight.

Where did you send the email, because I did not receive any emails on any of my normal accounts I check all day long.

Mike

I sent the email here "mike@supersynths.com (mailto:mike@supersynths.com)".

[Spitfire31]

The new site is up - great show of persistence!

However, on the Groove Blox page, all the demo buttons work - except the "GET THE DEMO" one! It turns red on mouseover but does nothing.

Maybe it would be better to replace it with a 'Demo coming RSN' notice until such a time that the demo is actually downloadable?

Then, I think the page main message is really confusing.

First, the heading rubric is just "GROOVE BLOX". Groove Blox Live is only mentioned in the bulk text!

Of course the banner should proclaim GROOVE BLOX LIVE to clearly differentiate from the earlier product Groove Blox (which, as I've understood it is a set of Wave files, as opposed to the new app designed to manipulate the said wave files).

So why don't you blow your horn loud and clear to show that this is something NEW?

Also, it's a bad, bad, bad idea to call the price of a new product a 'SALE'. Wasn't the 'old' Groove Blox on sale for 30 bucks? Another confusing message.

If you want to sell the NEW GROOVE BLOX LIVE at a price of 30 dollars, it should of course be called A LIMITED TIME INTRODUCTORY OFFER or something similar!

Think about it…;-)

Best,

Joachim

[Karmacomposer]

Fair enough. Old habits die hard.

The reason the button didn't work as I had not fully created the installer yet and had to eat dinner with the family.

Now that I am back, I created the installer and uploaded it. The GrooveBloxLive Demo is now live.

I am uploading the full package as well for those that purchase.

I will take some or all of your comments in stride.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

I just updated the top of the thread with new image and the download location of the demo.

I will create a video tutorial and demo next.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

My only complaint with groove blox so far was that I purchased it yesterday for $30 and I still can't use it over 24 hrs later because I haven't been provided a download link. I'm still pretty excited to check it out, it looks and sounds great but it's disappointing that it takes longer than 24 hrs from payment to use it, especially when Mike's purchase confirmation email states "Your download links are sent manually and will come in a separate email. Please allow up to 24 hours, although most of the time you will receive it within an hour" in reference to the download link. I've emailed Mike to see if there's something holding up my download link like an update to the GUI but I haven't received a response. I'd be happy with an email stating that it's going to be delayed until "pick any date" due to updates, but I've received nothing. Unless Groove Blox is unreal this is the last purchase from supersynths I'll be making.

Check your email. I just sent you your welcome email and License key.

Thanks again and ask any questions you may have - this is a new product and you are bound to not know how to use it fully.

I will create some tutorial videos this weekend and post them to www.supersynths.com - stay tuned.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

If you try the website and things don't work, I had to delete everything and re-upload due to persistent graphic glitches.

Oh, yeah - and a guestbook that became riddled with SPAM within 1 hour of being uploaded.

How the hell does THAT happen?

I deleted it.

Everything should be (hopefully) done within 15 minutes.

Mike

[Spitfire31]

Impressive work, Mike!

Downloading the demo now, full of anticipation…

Best,

Joachim

[Karmacomposer]

Impressive work, Mike!

Downloading the demo now, full of anticipation…

Best,

Joachim

Thank you.

I am quite exhausted and tomorrow I am taking my son to Sea World, so I will create the tutorial videos either tomorrow night or Sunday Morning.

Mike

[Spitfire31]

Enjoy Sea World with your son! Spending time with one's kids is the best use of time imaginable.

I've briefly tested the Demo VST in Live 8.2.7 and probably because I haven't found any manual, I haven't yet been able to:

1) Get GrooveBlox Live (hereafter GBL) to tempo sync to Live. I had just assumed that a new tempo/beat based VST would follow host tempo...

2) Get Live to Start GBL playing (GBL acts on the Stop command from Live, though).

3) Find a way to beat sync the various slots in GBL (I thought that I might be able to, for instance, hold a modifier key like Shift and hit one Reload/Panic button to have all loops play back in sync with each other) - rather fundamental in a tempo/groove based instrument, I'd have thought.

4) Find a way to simultaneously adjust speed on the loaded slots. So far, it's been a bit of a hit or miss affair to adjust, say, a shaker loop when I'd adjusted tempo a bit on the main beat loop.

5) Apparently, there's no slice based tempo shift? What is labelled 'RPA' (I don't know what the acronym stands for), 'Pitch Shift Up or Down' according to the tool tip, is in fact variable playback speed, as in a sampler or a tape machine. In other words, if I want to shift Pitch, I simultaneously shift playback Speed (= tempo) and vice versa.

An observation about the otherwise nice looking GUI: dark blue characters on a black background (as in the MIDI channel readouts, the Reverb Mode window, etc.), is not a good idea. They're all but unreadable. Maybe bright green for the characters?

As I mentioned, I haven't found any enclosed instructions but just fiddled around, so I may very well have missed and/or misunderstood some features.

However, if not, I can't help but feel that perhaps GBL needs some further feature polishing before being fully useful as a groove tool in, say, Ableton Live.

Best of luck and take good care of your son!

Kind regards,

Joachim

[Crackbaby]

What spitfire said
I started moving the RPA and couldnt get back to original speed. The knob to the left did nothing from what i could tell (SH)
The EQ LOW adds a LOT of bass.
The "Tempo" sync delay is sort of an enigma to me.. Time changes in ms but it's called tempo sync?

But the big question for me is... The video that was up on your website with the earthquaking text - That looked nothing like this? It had drag n drop from the right side for instance! Please enlighten me!

[Crackbaby]

Trying it now again and i cant get any sound out of it .... o.O
It receives midi as i can see a the waveforms go "orange" when i hit the key.

Btw, doubleclick the waveforms to add segments. There's more options in that menu (don't forget to hit finish when done).

[Karmacomposer]

As I said, I will create a video demo when I get back.

To 'play' GBL, you need to use the small MIDI keyboard (Latch Keyboard) that is lower center on the GUI - on the left of the keyboard is a small 'T' (it's very small and to the direct left of the keyboard, but not separate from it), left click it and it will turn on (light up green). At that point, press a key on the keyboard to 'latch' the notes (the notes will turn bright red - and hold - as in, stay lit - the groove should just play in a loop at this point). I like to start GBL by playing the most pronounced groove (like 'standard8beat_drm.wav', for example - then time every other groove to that one as I latch them on the keyboard. Once timed, you use the MUTE buttons to turn off one or all layers - at which point you are ready to 'perform' with them. If you have a control surface or keyboard, make sure you 'learn' the mute buttons (right click on the buttons, knobs and sliders and choose 'MIDI Learn')

To assign notes (and section for slicing) to each individual groove, you need to left-click (not right-click) on the waveform - that will bring up a small menu. First use ASSIGN NOTE to assign a MIDI note to the groove. For example, I have the preset to use C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, A4, B4, C5 in that order. Most Groove Blox start at the exact same position, but some, due to the looping, start a bit late. You can either time them to work together or use the RPA (which is a way to adjust the % of the groove to start a bit earlier or later, but that is kind of hit or miss) or better yet, LEFT-CLICK on the groove and assign a section - which brings up a marker. You can move the marker around (make sure to click FINISH in the left-click menu) and adjust it so that it is at the very beginning of the beat of whatever groove you are working on - it will then play right on that beat (make sure to assign a note to that section and then use it on the graphical keyboard.

I do already have a video created, it's a bit noisy, but i'll upload it to the Supersynths Youtube channel before I leave - it give an overview of GrooveBlox Live and shows you how to use it effectively.

As far as the Blue on Blue text (it was originally BLACK background, so the blue looked really good), I can change that to white or something else (suggestions?).

All layers are tied to a master-clock which should tempo sync with the host, but I cannot guarantee the timing with DAWs since I did not test that feature (I do not own Ableton Live). The Live in GBL is intended to be used within itself - live.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

Trying it now again and i cant get any sound out of it .... o.O
It receives midi as i can see a the waveforms go "orange" when i hit the key.

Btw, doubleclick the waveforms to add segments. There's more options in that menu (don't forget to hit finish when done).

Can't get sound out of it? Make sure your levels are up (both on the layer and the mixer) and your compressor gain is up (everything is tied to the compressor).

The level on the layer is just a general level signal. The Mixer level is an overall volume adjustment, but the signal can be made louder or softer based on how you assign the gain in the compressor and the dry signals of the delay, lfo and reverb.

The effects, except for compressor, run in parallel, not serial.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

What spitfire said
I started moving the RPA and couldnt get back to original speed. The knob to the left did nothing from what i could tell (SH)
The EQ LOW adds a LOT of bass.
The "Tempo" sync delay is sort of an enigma to me.. Time changes in ms but it's called tempo sync?

But the big question for me is... The video that was up on your website with the earthquaking text - That looked nothing like this? It had drag n drop from the right side for instance! Please enlighten me!

Yes, all of the Groove Blox are normalised, so they are as loud as they are going to get. Adding too much Low is going to distort some of them easily (especially grooves with serious bass or bass drums), however, for many grooves, they could use some more low, mid or high adjustments to taste - just play with them, bu the EQ is quite sensitive.

The video on the site was the raw GrooveBlox being used in Presonus Studio One Pro, not any interface for GBL - before I finished GBL - it was just showing off GrooveBlox themselves. To load Grooves into GBL, no drag and drop - use the Wave file browse buttons on each layer.

Mike