Yesterday, Steinberg shipped out the new version 3 of their Groove Agent series of virtual drum plug-ins. Steinberg has packed in many new features to Groove Agent to improve the sound of their virtual drums.

The new Special Agent relies on live drum samples that were specifically recorded for the Groove Agent software rather than simply relying on MIDI sequences or triggers. These live grooves can be easily and flexibly arranged into basic or even the most complex patterns with an even more realistic feel than MIDI sequences can provide.

The new Percussion Agent operates similarly. Instead of live drums, it's packed with a range of percussion instruments (congas, bongos, claves, bells, etc) that allow the user to arrange grooves where up to eight percussion instruments work together.

The new Dual Mode allows users to use two different modules at once. This means you can combine the sounds from the classic groove agent module with the live sounds from Percussion Agent or Special Agent.

A new effects processor gives the user a 9 band EQ and an improved compressor. Furthermore, 42 new styles and features like "alternating hits" differentiate the sounds of each hit so that while you have a broader range of sounds to work with, there are many tools at your disposal to make these virtual drums sound less like virtual drums than in previous releases.