When do you use groove control?

[baseinstinct]

At first, the idea of imposing groove on audio and midi material seems brilliant.

But having demoed it for a while I realize that better results I can achieve by just playing things the right way, or nudging by ear. Besides, in practice, uniformization of rhythms of parts in the end seems counterrhythmical.

However, I realize that such mindset might be justa matter of old habit. When do you copy and paste grooves?

[Bleep Blop Ima Robot]

never...i make my groove

[mholloway]

I posted a thread asking this same thing a while back, too lazy to find and link it though.....anyway the majority of people who responded said that, like me, they don't use it. at all. some folks here though dig it. i'm mostly into it for experimental effect of mixing / shuffling rhythms.

-M

[anybody human]

I play beats in with a Trigger Finger, quantize to a percentage, and also nudge parts by hand. I use the groove pool to avoid phase with 2 kick drums on different tracks, say acoustic drums and drum machine. I always extract a groove from one of my own clips. Did that today with an audio track I'd done with Superior Drummer and a midi drum rack drum machine, in order to avoid phase cancellation of the 2 kicks, works a treat. As is often the case, I find a combination works better than one set way. You can edit your extracted groove by dragging it to a new midi track.

[ze2be]

I always use grooves now. Create my own grooves, and use multiple of them in the same project. Didn't use swing in pre-groove times, because that sounded like crap. I created my own, like I do now. But the difference is that I don't have to make them again and again. They can be reused, and dropped on multiple clips at the same time. Great!

edit: and also +1 to anybody human! Its great in those circumstances.

[anybody human]

Phase can be an issue between the kick and synth also, although adjusting the synth envelope or side chain compression are probably better tools for that.

[Scaper7]

Didn't use swing in pre-groove times, because that sounded like crap..

a bit of a sweeping statement! (several million shakin' booties over the last 100 years of music would disagree) ... I can imagine it not being helpful if you don't understand the concept of swing ...

it don't mean a thing (unless you know how to use your swing).

[baseinstinct]

Hey scaper

TBH I also did not think much of swing function. Use of swing - could you somehow put it into words, how to bite it?

[ajargy]

the mpc swing grooves are awesome!

[baseinstinct]

Thought it had long been proven calque BS?

[ze2be]

a bit of a sweeping statement! (several million shakin' booties over the last 100 years of music would disagree) ... I can imagine it not being helpful if you don't understand the concept of swing ...

it don't mean a thing (unless you know how to use your swing).

OK, let me rephrase it. The "problem" I had with previous Swing, before Grooves was an option, was that it changed everything equally. All or nothing! At present time, it does not sound good to me. But I too danced to it in the 90ties.

With Grooves now, we can:
A. Set % of swing for each clip separately.
B. Even set % of random swing to each clip!

[baseinstinct]

Has anyone experimented with swing mode using a drum sequencer at a party?

I mean, if you noticed a higher euphoriaor at least some response on the dance floor when you just increased the swing..

[ze2be]

Has anyone experimented with swing mode using a drum sequencer at a party?

I mean, if you noticed a higher euphoriaor at least some response on the dance floor when you just increased the swing..

Depends on the crowd. Housers "love it", psy trancers "hate" it! (not true at all, but it could easily have been so!)

As usual, if rules are broken "in original style", it might hit positively!
As a DJ though, Ive found it harder to make housers "ironically" catch a trance break, than "trancers" gets a "groovy" house break. Either way, mixing those two can easily go wrong!

I have performed with old drum machines and groove boxes in the 90ties, and have experimented with swing. It can sometimes work very well, depending on the track. But I don't feel it is the reason for a floor filler, or floor killer. Its all about the catchynes of the arrangement. Hooks and teasers. Swing can be really great if it comes as a surprise: After a break, etc. But 2 equal tracks, one with swing and one without, I don't think most of the crowd would catch the difference.

As a composer though, to me its important. Because personally, my goal is to make something that lasts. But if I was producing chart music, DJ tracks, or media music; with a short life-span, I wouldn't care.