'SimShaker - Wheels' support thread

[=Andre=]

Here you can get help with "SimShaker - Wheels" issues and questions.

SimShaker - Wheels is a mediation software between a supported car simulation game and Gametrix JetSeat or well known Buttckicker hardware to provide immersing event driven vibration FXs (special effects).
Currently supported PC titles: iRacing, Assetto Corsa, Automobilista, rFactor 2, DiRT Rally, Project CARS, Project CARS2, ETS2, ATS, F1 2016/2017 and RRRE.
Currently supported console titles: F1 2016.

 

[=Andre=]

I took WAV 18-19-20 from Base 6 and dropped it into my Mr. Latte set Custom 6 folder.

I don't think it make sense if you do not modify the samples.

Does Bumps have to be enable for Road Surface to work ?

No, it have not be enabled.

With Road Surface only checked I feel no effect.

Road Surface will play only bumps smaller than set in Road Bumps filtering threshold.
I wouldn't recommend to disable Road Bumps effect.

 

[=Andre=]

Same here. Tried the beta last night and even with Road Surface at 100% gain, I felt nothing with it just checked. Hard to say if I felt anything different when I had bumps checked as well. I didn't go back and forth between the beta and current release.

Actually I splitted former Bumps&Buffets effect to meet multiple requests from avid customizers (Mr Latte, for instance).
If you don't use customized samples, just skip it. Try to use Road Bumps with the same settings as it was before, disable Road Surface.

 

[Hiro Abe]

Actually I splitted former Bumps&Buffets effect to meet multiple requests from avid customizers (Mr Latte, for instance).
If you don't use customized samples, just skip it. Try to use Road Bumps with the same settings as it was before, disable Road Surface.

I would like to get this working. I really like that you split the two because I would like to be able to set the gain separately on both. Copying 20.wav into the custom folder should work, yes? I tried it in R3E and PC2 and I get zero feedback.

 

[=Andre=]

Please realize that copying itself will change nothing until you change the copied file(s) in an editor.
Feedback depends on your SSW settings. May I see it?

 

[Hiro Abe]

I can provide a screenshot when I'm back home.

To be clear - the other effects are working. As mentioned previously, when only the road surface is checked - nothing.

 

[signman]

My screen shot Andre

 

[=Andre=]

Thank you signman,
My suggestion stays the same: you should try to increase Filtering Threshold value for new Road Surface effect. But keep it less than Filtering Threshold value for Road Bumps FX (25) if you want Road Surface effect to work.

 

[signman]

Andre , I just copied 18-19-20 WAV

Then I placed them in my customised 6 Mr. Latte folder my my other effect's.
Im not sure Road Surface is operating.

Do I need to do some kind of editing ?

Please realize that copying itself will change nothing until you change the copied file(s) in an editor.
Feedback depends on your SSW settings. May I see it?

 

[Mr Latte]

Actually I splitted former Bumps&Buffets effect to meet multiple requests from avid customizers (Mr Latte, for instance).
If you don't use customized samples, just skip it. Try to use Road Bumps with the same settings as it was before, disable Road Surface.

Its welcomed and appreciated very much too.

I have spent just a short while with the new surface based bump and have achieved a good working effect from it on my 2nd custom .wav attempt. I noticed your own "Surface" effect is the exact same .wav as the now called "Road Bump" which to me restricts the possibilities in now having two effects.

Believe we can do quite a bit with custom .wav and more testing. My current attempt has a medium bass feel but also a gritty sensation with a slight reverb drone. This seems to give good feel from the rumble strips too.

For me now, I can run surface with very low threshold (only 5) and get lots of activity, even still rather strong bumps (of course .wav dependant). I now have "Road Bumps" at 90 threshold, so now with much much less activity but do an excellent job now for the stereo positioning at this setting. I gave this its own .wav with more bass and different character to give each its own unique feel. With the big BK units this can now give a real good punch of energy which compliments the new effect, that brings the main activity but with a comfortable amount of bass response. Not overbearing by any means at all but working well within the 50 threshold limit for their activity.

Update for gearchange also welcomed. What you didn't mention as updated though if I may query is that engine RPM (extra tone) feels stronger or am I imagining things?

 

[=Andre=]

Mr Latte,
my own .wav samples for "Surface" currently a kind of placeholders. I think I will change them on the basis of your guys experiments and feedback, since the idea was yours.
I haven't touched engine RPM (extra tone) in this update.

 

[=Andre=]

Im not sure Road Surface is operating.

I can see from your picture that it's certainly operating.

Do I need to do some kind of editing ?

May be you'd better wait until Mr Latte shares his samples.

 

[Mr Latte]

Ok, Im looking forward to open tests with others, but likely few will bother to get involved.
I will be sharing all my newest effects and seek for open discussion to alter where necessary.

The hope is to get sensations that please those helping and to determine what works or feels best for each effect.

 

[Hiro Abe]

I have spent just a short while with the new surface based bump and have achieved a good working effect from it on my 2nd custom .wav attempt.

This is all playing with 20.wav, correct?

 

[Mr Latte]

This is all playing with 20.wav, correct?

Andre needs to confirm when effect "20" (Mono) works.
My own assumption was it is for single unit installations as then would no.6 also be

Tactile installations using stereo will use the left/right based effects.

Different matter but worth mentioning...
What Andre does not have which is kinda odd, is any usage of CEN/SUB with the default BASE files. This is with 6 Channel Mode. Even the "TEST" button does not have any .wav placed on these channels. So users trying to even test they have working channels, start to think something is connected wrong etc as they get no tactile response. Easy to fix of course in an update,,,

Someone using 6 Channel mode can place effects on the central channels "CEN/SUB" which is suited for central mono units placed on the pedal/seat regions. Say we want to have engine and gear effects separated on these only from the main 4 units and have those for bumps as one example.

Although the CEN/SUB channels could be used so one is for a Shifter etc and another for wheel deck or handbrake etc if desired. They dont have to be for pedals/seat.

I think some confusion comes from channels and "mono" effect like "20" and "6"
Im sure he can help clarify things.

 

[=Andre=]

Guys, regarding usage of samples I had mentioned before:

New in this beta version:

• Former Bumps&Buffets effect splitted onto Road Bumps and Road Surface effects. The latter is intended to reproduce relatively small bumps, which level is lower than Road Bumps effect Filtering Threshold. Road Surface effect calls samples with names 18, 19 and 20 for left, right and both sides correspondently. Road Bumps effect calls samples with names 4, 5 and 6 for left, right and both sides correspondently.

In most cases samples 4, 5, 18,19 will be called. In some cases, when the app couldn't identify the side of bump, samples 6, 20 can be called. You can easily see in the log window which samples are called.

Regarding SUB/CEN channels let me quote SimShaker - Wheels User Guide:

Max. Channels number defines how much audio channels to conduct.
1 (mono) - very simple, is suitable if you operate just 1 bass-shaker.
2 (stereo) - default value, is suitable if you operate 2 bass-shakers. I assume that bass-shakers are placed left and right from the player. Out of the box SimShaker is configured for such placement. But that may customized by the player.
6 (or 5.1) - suitable if you operate from 3 to 6 bass-shakers. I assume that it mostly will be 4, placed on the corners of the player's rig. Out of the box SimShaker is configured for such placement, audio channels 1, 2, 5, 6 are in use. But that may be customized by the player as well.
*****
You can customize channels output position as well as some other sound wave attributes. Channels numbers correspond sound card outputs as listed below:
1 - front left;
2 - front right;
3 - center *;
4 - sub-woofer *;
5 - rear left;
6 - rear right.
* - not used in default sound samples.

You can find more details in the User Guide.

 

[Mr Latte]

Andre thanks for re-affirming the mono bump regards telemetry.
Its easy and we have been creating a mono alternative of the .wav used for left/right. So as you say if it's called then it will be used and generating a response on both left/right channels.

Part of the issue with 5.1 mode is that someone can indeed be using 3, 4, 5 or 6 units. Yet this is not fully covered in detail for each specific scenario.

What I was referring to, is on at least 3 occasions I had people seeking help with more than 4 units not understanding why only their 4 units were active. Please consider at least to have the "TEST" feature use all 6 channels with BASE effects. Some of the guys I chatted with spent hours re-checking cables, connections, various sims etc. Somone may also want a 3rd unit to use CEN/SUB channels. As this lets them keep the rear set free for potentially planned upgrading to having both front and rear stereo.

Most new users, do not grasp or even want to try and grasp how to use Audacity. It is over their head. They just want to connect things up and have good working effects that work from the get go. Yet if myself or others start creating custom. wav then we need to stick to a configuration of how channels in Audacity are used for circumstances like 3 installed units or more. It's not in my view a good idea for a user adding a 3rd unit to use one of the REAR STEREO channels but instead use the CEN/SUB.

Somone adding a 3rd unit may want to use it directly for engine/gear effect separation from the other channels. Using the stereo set(s) more for directional or bump related effects.

Indeed in your guide you mention " * " the CEN/SUB channels are not usedwith your BASE files but people seem to miss this or just don't look.

1 - front left;
2 - front right;
3 - center *;
4 - sub-woofer *;
5 - rear left;
6 - rear right.
* - not used in default sound samples.


For custom .wav creation, I think we need to maintain a structure to one configuration for the channel numbers in Audacity. I decided to use CEN for pedals and the SUB for seat. I know soundcards can swap these but think its better everyone sticks to the same usage of each channel.

Additionally for 2 Channel Front/Back configuration (not left/right stereo) that many are going with.
There is confusion as it is not really covered in the guide.

I opted to get people to using Audacity channel 1 (left) as the Pedals (top) and Audacity channel 2 (right) as Seat (bottom). Letting people understand this was using only the "Green" soundcard (front stereo) output.

Although unlike in traditional 2 Channel stereo installation. Here some users may have very different tactile units used on "Pedals & Seat" and again this is not really covered in the guide as to how or what can be done regards the .wav or amplitude to suit each individual unit installed.

Perhaps myself or others should do more to highlight these things on the forums to help those with 3,4,5,6 unit installations or those with different unit combinations and powered with different more/less capable amplifiers. Also in what configurations they should connect "Green" / "Orange" / "Black" soundcard jacks.

I will do for custom effects, simple diagrams and connection guide for all possible installations.
We can then create a suitable distribution of the effects for each scenario that someone just downloads and inserts into the proper folder. Its a lot of work but it is required to cover all levels of hardware and all possible installations.

 

[=Andre=]

Thank you for the feedback Mr Latte.
I will add all 6 channels audio to the Test sample on the next update.

 

[Mr Latte]

Ive not had a great deal of time recently but have found early results in using "Road Surface" is bringing an improved immersion with plenty of activity in small-medium bump sensations. I found this allows "Road Bumps" to be set to have less activity (higher threshold) yet used for delivering a deeper/firmer bump sensation. Both combined on my own early test/wav are quite excellent.

I do have another request I would like to try but again no rush in this if it can be applied.

Ref ACC Longitude

So maybe incorrect here but to me, the operation of this appears to be related to pedal depression % applied. However, it seems the "Gain" control not only determines the actual gain level of the effect but also determines the speed at which the effect operates up to?

Would it be possible at some point to have manual control to determine the speed limit the effect works to (even if this was % based on the cars max speed). I feel it would be good to have this yet be able to control the gain purely just for gain control. Interface for this could be the same as used for "More Options" in engine beat effect.

The quality of the effect based on different tactile depends on the Hz the .wav may use but giving users the preference, they may want to maintain a "strength for the effect" they like but it not also determine the "speed limit" the effect operates up to.

I find on the bigger Buttkicker units it can be the opposite. We may want to reduce the gain level but still have the effect operating to (for example 200kph or 150kph not 100kph.)

 

[=Andre=]

Ive not had a great deal of time recently but have found early results in using "Road Surface" is bringing an improved immersion with plenty of activity in small-medium bump sensations. I found this allows "Road Bumps" to be set to have less activity (higher threshold) yet used for delivering a deeper/firmer bump sensation. Both combined on my own early test/wav are quite excellent.

Great news Cheers!

I do have another request I would like to try but again no rush in this if it can be applied.

Ref ACC Longitude

So maybe incorrect here but to me, the operation of this appears to be related to pedal depression % applied. However, it seems the "Gain" control not only determines the actual gain level of the effect but also determines the speed at which the effect operates up to?

Would it be possible at some point to have manual control to determine the speed limit the effect works to (even if this was % based on the cars max speed). I feel it would be good to have this yet be able to control the gain purely just for gain control. Interface for this could be the same as used for "More Options" in engine beat effect.

The quality of the effect based on different tactile depends on the Hz the .wav may use but giving users the preference, they may want to maintain a "strength for the effect" they like but it not also determine the "speed limit" the effect operates up to.

I find on the bigger Buttkicker units it can be the opposite. We may want to reduce the gain level but still have the effect operating to (for example 200kph or 150kph not 100kph.)

My current method takes into account longitudinal axes acceleration, gain sliders position and minimal value threshold of 0.1 m/s^2. Nothing more.

 

[Mr Latte]

Great news Cheers!


My current method takes into account longitudinal axes acceleration, gain sliders position and minimal value threshold of 0.1 m/s^2. Nothing more.

Andre thats beyond my level of thinking.....
In layman's terms what is being sought is a way to alter the period of activity separately from the effects gain. I don't know if this is easily possible but even if manual slider control is not can the effects operation be altered slightly?

I can get a good feeling sensation for the effect but it seems to fade out too quickly, with a setting at say 40-50%. Too much gain applied and then its easy to have the sensation too strong with the.wav used.

I can experiment more with different .wav but its a very fine line in getting the feel right to match using 100% value and to have this also work on various tactile units. It takes a lot of time and testing. Not sure if you can alter the formula to help at some point but just curious if we can eek out some more performance or greater control if possible.

As always your feedback and commitment is welcomed.