Groove Ranges

The groove level of a segment, as set by the Groove Track, restricts which patterns can be selected from a style during playback. In the Pattern Properties window, you specify a range of groove levels at which the pattern can play.

One way to take advantage of groove ranges is to design patterns in a style with higher or lower levels of intensity. For example, a highly active pattern might contain lots of rhythmic activity, complex melodic patterns, and several instruments playing at once. This pattern would be suitable for a high groove level. An inactive pattern with a low groove range might contain several simple repetitions with little rhythmic variety and use only a few instruments.

Groove levels can be organized using 1 as the lowest intensity level and 100 as the highest. However, groove levels do not necessarily have anything to do with intensity; they can be used to group patterns according to any criteria you choose. You can even dedicate a pattern to a particular use by assigning it a unique groove range, consisting of a single number. When the groove level is set to that number, only that pattern can be selected.

The following example shows how groove ranges might be used to arrange patterns by intensity level, and how these ranges work in tandem with groove levels.

You might establish four basic levels of intensity, with the ranges shown in the following table.

In the groove track, set groove levels that fall within the desired range. Use the plus/minus range setting in the Groove Level Properties to create randomness. For example, set a groove level of 50 with a plus/minus range of 10. Approximately half the time a pattern will be selected from the medium range, and half the time one will be selected from the medium-high range.

Of course, you can always give a pattern a groove range that does not exactly match the ranges in the general scheme. For instance, a pattern in the example could be given a range of 40 to 60, putting it in the medium and medium-high ranges and giving it a high probability of being selected at the groove level described in the previous paragraph.

When you create a new, empty pattern in a style, it has a default groove range of 1 to 100. Because this is the full range of possible groove levels, the pattern responds to all groove levels set by a groove track.

If you do not include a groove track in a segment, or do not insert groove levels in the groove track, the segment uses a default groove level setting of 62. Any pattern with a groove level that includes 62 can potentially play in the segment. Thus a new segment with no groove changes is always able to use a new pattern that has the default groove range. Applications can set appropriate groove levels at any time.