Groove Control® is a proprietary system of sound development created by Spectrasonics & ILIO that enables powerful, independent control over tempo, pitch, feel, and pattern—achieving the best possible sound quality for every loop. The sliced audio approach of Groove Control allows you to change tempo over a wide range without affecting pitch, and most importantly, without introducing artifacts or undesirable sonic results. Groove Control even allows you to change the time signature and adjust feel of a groove by using the innovative features in Time Designer.
Please watch the Time Designer tutorial for examples.
The results of Groove Control are heard in real-time, but achieved without using DSP playback algorithms. Real-time DSP time-stretching algorithms are convenient, but often affect the sound quality of a groove in a negative way—transients can be lost, the stereo field can be compromised, the feel can become sloppy, and unwanted noise artifacts can be introduced into the sound. This is especially true when a groove is significantly slowed down from its original tempo. Groove Control avoids these problems and delivers consistently great sound quality.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The most basic concept of Groove Control involves cutting a loop into smaller “slices” of audio based on the rhythmic content and then triggering those slices in real-time on playback with a corresponding sequence. The sequence contains the rhythm of the groove and triggers the slices exactly as they were originally performed. In MIDI, each audio slice corresponds with a note:
Each Groove Control groove is accompanied by a special sequence that triggers the slices in the proper rhythm. After working with Groove Control MIDI files for a while, the sequence will become a familiar sight—a rising chromatic line of MIDI notes.
NOTE: Groove Control MIDI Files are intended to be played with their matching Groove Elements. They will not work with other groove elements and the note mapping is not GM compatible for playing MIDI drum kits or visa-versa.
HOW IS GROOVE CONTROL SLICING UNIQUE?
What makes the Groove Control sound development process superior to other generic/automatic audio slicing applications is in the special methods, tools and techniques that Spectrasonics uses to create the Groove Control slices for each groove. This proprietary process used by the members of our Groove Control sound development team is something like a gourmet recipe: It takes a great deal of training, skill, and time—but the superior end results are well worth the effort.
All Groove Control products have to be approved by a review panel that judges the quality and versatility of the slicing methods for each and every groove on the product before the product can receive the official Groove Control® logo. So when you see that logo, it’s a always guarantee of a certain level of quality and flexibility you can expect.
The ultimate goal of the Groove Control slice audio method is to allow the end user the most flexibility to manipulate a groove while maintaining the highest audio quality possible.
