Steinberg launches Groove Agent 6 and Absolute 7 - Feb 19, 2026

Steinberg has announced the immediate availability of Groove Agent 6, which adds the ability to layer and replace kicks, snares and toms, the brand-new Punch Kit, many new acoustic kits, a new pattern editor, and much more to quickly and easily create the best grooves.

Also available as of today is the major update to Absolute 7, which includes the latest release Groove Agent plus the Etude grand piano, the new Axe Machina guitar, The Orchestra: Colors, Colors Lofi Tapes, and more.

New kits, new sounds
Groove Agent 6 adds powerful layering and replacement features for kicks, snares, and toms in Acoustic Agent. With 47 new acoustic kit pieces — 24 snares,15 kicks and eight toms in various sizes and materials — the ability to give a kick drum more punch, cut through the mix by adding a second snare layer or swapping out toms makes creating a unique, signature sound easier than ever.


The new Punch Kit delivers the natural, high-impact sound of a deeply sampled Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit. It includes 24 new presets, recorded by a professional session drummer with intros, outros, and multiple groove variations, each with its own mix and MIDI styles.

Even more new drum sounds and patterns come with Color Punch, a selection of kicks, snares, hi-hats and percussion designed for modern pop production. Especially chosen to blend seamlessly with synths, basslines, and vocal hooks, Color Punch delivers a dynamic, rhythmic backbone.

New tools, new interface
Beat makers benefit from the new pattern editor, which has been designed for the straightforward but flexible programming of intricate beats. With each pad assigned to its own dedicated lane, inbuilt random and Euclidean step generators are included to inspire new ideas.

The Mixer panel has been redesigned to integrate into the lower section of the interface. Alternatively, it can be undocked or opened in its own window. Kits and mixer settings can be edited side by side, while a unified mixer and effects editor is provided across all Agent types for straightforward fine-tuning.

Searching for sounds is easier with the updated, context-sensitive MediaBay: automatically filtering results based on the individual workflow, finding sounds and samples is now faster and more relevant.

All Groove Agent 6 operations are enhanced by the redesigned user interface, which is scalable from -50% to +100% and optimized for single-slot usage. It makes Groove Agent much more adaptable to personal workflows, with larger Acoustic Agent interfaces, an improved edit section, customizable toolbars, and more.

Groove Agent 6 includes more new and enhanced features:

• Shaper Mode with brush, pen, and eraser tools to intuitively draw and refine envelope curves.
• Five new effects: Auto Gain Compressor, Fuzz Distortion, Bit Crusher, Clipper, and Studio EQ 24.
• The pitch of drum samples can be checked with a single click, then tuned to match the key of the song.
• A new spectral algorithm in Warp Mode allows drum or melodic samples to be played in sync with the project tempo or beats.
• Every kit preset now includes a preview, automatically adjusted to the track’s tempo.
• Hardware mapping for e-drum kits, with presets for a range of manufacturers.

“With Groove Agent 6, we focused on simplicity, amazing sounds and flexibility. Users can now customize their acoustic kicks, snares or toms, which gives them so much more options for sound design,” says Senior Marketing Manager Florian Haack. “And for those looking for more, we’ve updated our Absolute instrument collection, which not only includes Groove Agent 6 but many more exciting instruments and libraries.”

Groove Agent 6 is also included in the Absolute 7 instrument collection alongside the additional world-class Etude grand piano, the new Axe Machina guitar, The Orchestra: Colors, and Colors Lofi Tapes, making Absolute 7 the most comprehensive version yet.

Groove Agent offers a diverse collection of expansion sets that complement the included libraries, including titles like Rock Essentials, Funk Essentials, Jazz Essentials, Songwriter Essentials, and the premium Simon Phillips Studio Drums, allowing producers to tailor the instrument to virtually any musical style.

Availability and pricing
Groove Agent 6 and Absolute 7 are available at the Steinberg store and from distributors such as Best Service for the suggested retail price of 159 EUR / $159.99 USD and 499 EUR / $499.99 USD, respectively. Updates are exclusively available through the Steinberg Online Shop.

Customers who have activated Groove Agent 5 or Absolute 6 from January 22nd, 2026, are eligible for a free, downloadable grace period update to the latest version, respectively.

Source: https://rekkerd.org/steinberg-launches-groove-agent-6-and-absolute-7/