Hoester Groove Box

Version v1.1 beta
8 June 2001
by Hoester ( kaplan-hoester@gmx.com )

General

Store "Hoester GrooveBox.dll" in Buzz\Gear\Effects

GrooveBox adds groove to a flat rhythm of the input signal. The first tick is played thru, any further ticks are delayed. The groove amount can be randomised to provide a kind of live feeling. Supports mono and stereo.

How to Use

The primary use of GrooveBox is to add groove to flat drumloops. Of course you can use GrooveBox also for any other signals (bass, pads ...).
Recommended steps:
1. Design the flat drumloop or play it from a sampler.
2. Add GrooveBox in the machine view and connect the signal(s) of your loop to it.
3. Add a GrooveBox pattern with a trigger on the first tick and add it to your sequence.
4. Choose the 'Scale', generally 2 ticks for swing-like groove, 4 ticks for 6/8 scale.
5. Play around with the 'Groove' parameter until you have a suitable groove amount. 33.33% to get perfect swing groove and trioles.
6. Find out the best fitting 'Groove Mode'
7. If you hear clicks, increase the 'Smooth' parameter until the clicks are gone.
8. Add more life by adjusting the 'Shuffle' amount, if you want. 25% seem to be a good choice in most cases.
 

Description of Parameters

Parameter Range Description
Scale 2..4 ticks Number of ticks applied to the groove: 2 ticks mean that every second tick is delayed. With 4 ticks, the second beat is delayed, beat 3 and 4 are shortened.
Groove Mode no/yes Controls the groove pattern: In standard mode all ticks are played and grooved according to 'Groove' parameter. In mode 123- the 4th tick is not played at all, so the 3rd tick can played some longer. Modes (12)34 and (12)3- melt the first ticks to one fixed unit. Useful for longer samples on the 1st tick when tick 2 is empty.
Shuffle 0..100% 
(hex 00..80)
Amount of random shuffle: With 0% the beat is played exact as given in the 'Groove' parameter. Any other value randomely shortens the delay of the second tick.
Smooth 0..100% 
(hex 00..C0)
Amount of fade in / fade out: Depending on the source signal, GrooveBox may cause clicks when low frequencies are processed. To reduce that noise the signals of each tick of the input can be faded in and out controlled by the 'Smooth' parameter.
Groove 0..100% 
(hex 00..C0)
Groove Amount: Finally, here you control the groove. 0% means no additional groove at all (dryout), 33.33% are causing perfect triplets, with 100% the first tick at scale 2 or 3 or the first two ticks at scale 4 are extended to the end.
Trigger ./1 Triggers the groove (only available in pattern): Sets the starting point for the groove in a pattern. In general the groove should start at the first tick automatically. However, when you are playing around with the song tempo or you turn on/off your machines, the groove could get out of control. It is highly recommended to trigger the GrooveBox at least the beginning of the song. 

Tips and Comments

Special Thanks to ...

... Mikko Apo for his help and compiling this machine
... thOke for his help and the demo song
... Cyanphase for his great tuturial
... Wizkid for his tip how to get a cheap & legal VC++ copy
 
 

*** Free electronic music by Hoester made with Buzz  ***  Hoester Sound System - Free Dub Reggae by Hoester made with Buzz  ***