The Groove editor

The groove player is a powerful feature of LiveSet, allowing you to play an entire song with a basic arrangement, either selected from predefined styles or created yourself using the groove editor.

To access the groove editor, from the score view, open the music palette (button ), then in the style selector choose “Custom groove…”.

The groove editor then opens, using the currently selected groove as a starting point:

In this window:

• On the left (or at the top on smaller screens): global settings, navigation, and settings for the currently selected track
• On the right: the sequencer

On the bottom left, the Play button plays the currently edited groove in a loop (with a chord corresponding to the current song key). On the right, the Import button allows to load any existing groove in the editor, in order to modify it.

Note: Importing and updating an existing groove will only apply to the current score. The original groove preset won't be affected.

Basic principle

The basic principle of a groove is to loop one or more bars, and LiveSet automatically adapts each played note to the chords of the score.

To introduce variations, LiveSet allows you to assign different loops to each named section of a song. This makes it possible to have different grooves for verses, choruses, bridges, etc.

However, at least one default groove is required (identified by the icon ).

A groove is composed of several tracks (one per instrument), each with its own volume/equalization settings.

Global settings

The left part of the editor (or top, on small screens) contains the following settings:

• Part selector
  LiveSet allows you to play a different groove for each named section of the song. The section marked with a star () is the default groove.
  To modify a section, tap its icon. If no customization exists yet, LiveSet will prompt you to create a specific arrangement for it. It starts by copying the currently edited groove, which you can then modify.
  If the selected section is not the default one, you can also use the button to remove its customization
   
• Quantization selector
  Allows you to choose the resolution of the sequencer grid.
   
• Swing level (only shown for binary time signatures)
  Allows you to give a binary grid a more triplet feel, which is the basis of swing.
   
• Velocity selector
  Allows you to adjust the intensity of the notes you add to the sequencer.

At the bottom of this area, you will find the reverb settings:

• Reverb time defines how long the reverb lasts (decay) 
• Wet/Dry mix defines how much the reverb signal blends with the original sound

The sequencer

The right part of the editor contains the different tracks of the groove (i.e. the instruments).

First, there are two special tracks:

• The drum track (each drum sound can be selected individually)
• The bass track

You can then add as many instrument tracks as you want using the button .

To select an instrument, click on its name.

The buttons allow you to switch the track between two modes:

• In Chord mode , LiveSet simply plays the chord (or the root note for the bass track), based on the chord progression. This is the simplest mode.

• In Sequencer mode , you can compose the groove note by note. For instruments, LiveSet can play individual notes such as the root, the third, the fifth, or an alternate note belonging to the chord.

  These notes adapt automatically to the current chord. For example:

  • the third will be major or minor depending on the chord
  • the fifth may be diminished or augmented if needed
  • the alternate note corresponds to the other most relevant note in the chord, (e.g. sixth in a sixth chord)

  The last row (Full) allows LiveSet to play the entire chord.

Note: if you choose full chord playback with a guitar sound, LiveSet will play it in a more realistic guitar style rather than like a keyboard playing all notes simultaneously.

To add a note, simply tap the desired cell in the sequencer grid.

For bass or instrument tracks, dragging to the right lets you extend the duration of the note. LiveSet uses the currently selected velocity (set on the left) to introduce dynamics.

At the bottom of the sequencer, the active bar of the loop is displayed. You can use the button to move to the next bar or create a new one.

When creating a new bar, LiveSet lets you choose whether to copy the previous bar or start from an empty one.

By clicking on the left bar of a track, you can select it and access additional settings on the left (or as an overlay on smaller screens):

The following settings are available for the selected track:

• Volume, to balance instruments properly
• Three-band EQ, to adjust the instrument tone (low, mid, high)
• Allow reversals of chords, which centers the instrument’s playing around a specific note to maintain a consistent overall timbre regardless of the song key. This helps avoid the unpleasant “transposition” effect that can occur when always playing chords in root position
• Octave offset, to shift the instrument higher or lower.

Saving grooves

Grooves are linked to the current song.

If a predefined groove is selected, LiveSet simply stores a reference to it.

However, if a custom groove is created, it is saved with the song and becomes an integral part of it, especially for:

• Exporting the song in LiveSet format, so it can be shared with another user
• Publishing the song in the public library