Creating Rhythmic Feel with Grooves

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In this set of lessons you'll learn about the concept of groove files, which are used in many DAWs to create rhythmic "feel." Often times, when quantizing MIDI or audio to the timeline grid, a 100% quantize setting can make your rhythms feel stiff and unnatural. When performing on instruments, musicians naturally tend to "rush" or "drag" their timing depending on the music and the emotion being conveyed (aggressive, laid back, etc.). Thus, in order to bring this sonically pleasing and more natural feel to the digital world, DAWs often have a feature for incorporating groove templates. Here, you'll learn how to use Ableton's built in groove files to bring rhythmic feel to your tracks. You'll also learn how to create your own groove templates or scan audio from other sources such as your favorite songs, and capture the rhythmic feel of those songs to incorporate into your own creations.

Lesson topics include:

  • What is Swing?
  • Adding Grooves
  • Groove Pool Settings
  • Making and Extracting Grooves


Your Instructor


Thavius Beck
Thavius Beck

Thavius Beck is an electronic musician, producer and performer that's worked with countless musicians including Nine Inch Nails, Skylar Grey, Saul Williams, The Mars Volta and many more. Thavius is an Ableton Live Certified Trainer and has instructed hundreds of Live students through teaching courses at several music institutes, giving one-on-one lessons and holding dozens of Ableton Live workshops throughout the country.


Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
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