What are some (preferably "lowest" cost) tactile options. So far I have sim hub running those controller vibrator motors on my seat, shifter, pedals, and handbrake (24 motors in total) but I want something more immersive for my seat.
What would you guys recommend and what should I know first?
Id like something thats just plug and play but thats not necessary. Tho, much preferred.
Like I said, I prefer lowest cost but who doesnt. Not a problem to spend a little more than the bare minimum. Im just not one of those "money is no object" people.
Any and all help is appreciated greatly.
I like your creative approach.....
Give us an idea how you have used the 24 motors with the effects you run with.
What effects are you placing to what motors. Perhaps a diagram?
What the motors cannot do is output a wide variety of different frequencies.
I've requested several times to people but nobody wants to bother to use a microphone or pickup to give at least an idea of what frequencies in vibration these motors produce.
What you can do with tactile or achieve in immersion very much depends on what level of hardware you buy into. The vast majority of budget tactile works perhaps best with @40-60Hz, yet they may feel okay with @30-80Hz. It varies on specific models, some feel not bad with a bit lower frequencies, some with a bit higher.
Tactile Exciters & Clark TST
You can only get the best upper frequency detailing from (generated harmonics) with certain specific units.
Buttkicker & Earthquake
You can also only get good energy in sensations for low bass, as low as 2Hz with again specific units.
Budget Transducers
Comparing the best units for these two particular roles (High/Low Bass Reproduction) to the typical or common purchased budget solutions offers vast improvements in the felt sensations.
The recommended exciters are an excellent budget option to start with and plenty of info about them, as well as users now with them on these forums.
Greater Understanding
To build the best effects, we have to take into account what the hardware the user is using can achieve regards its best output frequencies. We also need to take into account how harmonics work with audio and that the Hz values we apply for effects in Simhub are not just what is generated.
Here is an example of a "SPEED" effect layer I was recently testing, to add finer/lively and high frequency detailing for increased engine strain response. You can clearly see the peak @ 80-90Hz but look at the naturally generated harmonics, well beyond this.
If you do not have hardware that can reproduce these finer details, then you simply don't get it.
Just look how much a user would be missing in generated felt sensation if their tactile is not much use beyond 70Hz?
A common issue some are mistaken by is that we do not need to be inserting an effect value using 200Hz to enjoy detailing up to or beyond 200Hz. Above is proof of that.
As in this example, spectrum analysis lets us see any naturally generated harmonics from whatever frequencies as values we use with Simhub. We then can apply effects with settings that work best within the frequency output of different tactile transducers or exciters.
Its About Frequencies Not Just Watts
The quality/performance level of tactile hardware used greatly determines the potential the user can reach. Then again, so does having good effects and applying a better understanding of what certain Simhub controls actually really do with the audio generated.
Pretty Cool? Monitoring Simhub effects via professional DAW to iPad Pro as a wireless monitor.
Personally, I'm still continuing to learn new things all the time in ways to apply multiple layers for low-high output data for different effects.
With the right tools, we can build effects that are more musical or harmonically matched.
Not just relying on making effects by feel in our butts alone.
Doing this, approach with more defined "effect layers" for specific transducer units. Also if using the better hardware then it gives us a much more dynamic range in the generated character effects can have applied to them. It also then lets us create felt sensations for different types of effects that do not feel the same.
A common issue I presume, with the motors and indeed with many budget tactile models is their limited frequency range outputs. So you often find most users with the more budget tactile, their own effects will use very similar frequencies, why well because the best feeling range for them is such a narrow window of @ 20Hz-50Hz to try to create multiple effects with different feeling sensations. It's simply not possible.
