Sunday, April 8, 2012

SOLUTION: Groove Agent ONE Failed to Locate Samples

After installing Steinberg Cubase 5 on my DAW PC and patching it up to version 5.5.0, I discovered a problem with any projects that used the Groove Agent ONE drum VST. Whenever the projects loaded, I'd get an error that said, "Groove Agent ONE failed to locate x samples."

The Cause

For some reason, sometimes the Cubase installer places Groove Agent ONE's vstsound files into the wrong folder. It's possible the folder location was correct for Cubase 5.0, but it isn't for 5.5. (I think it might have to do with whether you decide to install Cubase "for all users" or "only me" at setup, but I can't confirm this for sure, because I don't always pick the same thing when asked that question- and I haven't kept track of which option I chose for various programs.)

Note
It is actually VSTSOUND files that are missing, by the way. Even if you see error messages about specific WAV files that are missing, those WAVs are actually embedded in the various VSTSOUND files that shipped on the Cubase 5 discs.

The Solution
  1. Locate the VST Sound files. You'll find them in your computer's ProgramData folder, which is hidden by default in Windows 7. (You can make it visible by going to Control Panel > Folder Options > View and selecting Show hidden files, folders, and drives.) The actual path depends on your computer, but in my case, the path was:

    C:\ProgramData\Steinberg\Content\VST Sound
  2. Copy any VSTSOUND files you find there into the correct location. This location will vary depending on your computer and your Windows user name. The files are stored in the hidden AppData folder. Again, your exact location will vary, but in my case, it was:

    C:\Users\(my username)\AppData\Roaming\Steinberg\Content\VST Sound

    Note
    Like ProgramData, AppData is another hidden folder. You can display it by enabling Show hidden files, folders, and drives in the Folder Options control panel, but there's a nice shortcut: In Windows 7 or below, click the Start button, type %appdata% in the search box and press Enter. This will open up an Explorer window inside your AppData\Roaming folder. On Windows 8, just open up an Explorer window and type %appdata% in the address bar. When you press Enter, you'll browse into AppData\Roaming.
Bonus Content

When I first discovered the solution, I noticed there were only two VSTSOUND files (Drum Loop Expansion 01.vstsound and Groove Agent ONE 03.vstsound) when I was expecting more. Where were 01 and 02? Turns out you have to run a separate installer to get those files. Here's how:
  1. On the Cubase install DVD, browse into the following folder:

    Cubase 5 for Windows\Additional Content\VST Sound
  2. Inside the folder you'll find the Groove_Agent_ONE_Content installer. Run that, and if given the choice, select the correct folder to install the files (the one under AppData). If you install to the default directory, you'll have to copy those files to the AppData folder after the installation's done.
Please see my DAW System Specifications if you're curious about differences in our setups.

3 comments:

Wizard of Oz said...

Just found this after searching all over the web. You nailed my problems perfectly and this was a huge help. Thanks!!

Pastor Jonathan said...

I am experiencing exactly the same problem. I was able to follow the first set of instructions, but when it came to installing the Bonus Content from the Cubase Install disc, things went awry. After browsing to the Groove_Agent_ONE_Content.msi folder and running it, I was not given a choice to "install", but only the following: Modify, Repair, Remove. I tried the first two to no avail. Any suggestions? I feel like I'm on the right track, but not savvy enough to close the deal!

Ultimate Outsider said...

Pastor Jon, the "Modify/Repair/Remove" screen means you have installed the content before- perhaps you did a "Custom" install of Cubase initially, which gives you the choice of installing the Groove Agent content.

You can safely choose "Repair," which simply copies the files to their original locations. If you are still experiencing issues finding the Groove Agent samples after following the steps in the post, something else may be going on- or you might need to re-check the folder paths where you placed the library files.