Paradiddle News

After a long period of no official updates, the December update is finally out! It has now been moved to be the default version on Steam. Here's what's new:

• Reworked Controls Window: The controls window has been reworked into a multi-tabbed window, to separate out some of the different input methods like controllers, keyboard buttons and Rock Band pedal settings into their own views.
  
• Keyboard Key Binding: You can now rebind the Space and Ctrl keys used by default by the app to use any key you want! On the Keyboard tab of the Controls menu, click the "Rebind" button under the key you'd like to rebind, and then press on the key you'd like to rebind to. The settings will be saved and loaded back automatically, and you can always reset them to their defaults if you'd like to. For anyone purchasing a new USB pedal, this effectively means that you don't necessarily have to remap your pedal to the Space or Ctrl key - you can instead have Paradiddle accept whatever key the pedal is mapped to by default.
  
• Touch Controller Menu Button: The Oculus Touch controller menu button on the left controller now also works as the menu/stick toggle button for Oculus users, in addition to the thumbstick press.
  

• Master Volume Slider Past 100: The master volume level slider in the audio settings can now be moved past 100 to get your audio to be even louder. You might still want to be careful with this, as it's more likely to run into issues like audio distortion as you bump this value closer to 200.
  
• Louder Drum Samples: Audio samples have been made louder across the board for all drums. The levels of the hi-hat were bumped even higher on top of these changes.
  
• Audio Distortion Fixes: Got rid of distortion and hissing type sounds affecting the kick, snare and toms, that were especially audible in higher volumes. If you're still hearing weird trailing distortions after hitting a single drum, post on the Steam Forums or the Discord, and let me know what headset you're on!
  

A huge thanks to our very own ElNeax from the Paradiddle community for all his hard work and dedication on improving the audio quality of the app!



2 new guides were added to the Paradiddle website: the MIDI Guide and Latency Guide.

• MIDI Guide (paradiddleapp.com/midi-guide): The MIDI guide serves as the central resource that goes over how to use the MIDI input/output features of Paradiddle to connect audio peripherals to the app, or connect the app to other audio software. As the app moves into platforms other than Steam, there was a larger need to keep this information in a central place, and this guide now replaces and expands upon the MIDI integration notes that were on Steam. The Default MIDI Info section in particular was a new addition for those who'd like to better understand the internals of the MIDI support, such as what MIDI notes or MIDI events are used for which drums by default.
  
• Latency Guide (paradiddleapp.com/latency-guide): The latency guide is meant to ensure that every Paradiddle user can troubleshoot latency issues and get the desired low latency they want when using the app. It includes instructions on how to use ASIO and ASIO4ALL to gain maximum control over the app's audio latency.
  
• Updated Pedal Guide (paradiddleapp.com/pedal-guide): The Pedal Guide was updated with a DIY (do-it-yourself) Pedal section for those seeking to build their own pedals that can be used in Paradiddle. The Rock Band Pedal section was also updated to include a section on troubleshooting RB Pedals plugged in via the microphone jack, offering some tips on how to fix certain common issues.
  

• Delete Button in Drum Options: A delete button was added to the drum options menu, currently denoted by the trash can icon. Keep in mind that in addition to the button, you can also grab the drum with both hands, and scale it all the way down to delete it. As you scale it down, it'll turn red past the delete threshold, at which point you can let go to delete the drum.
  
• Updated the version of Unreal Engine used for the app from 4.21 to 4.23, bringing some major performance improvements in scenes with lots of drums.
  
• Updated the version of LIV being used in the app, leading to performance improvements during mixed reality recording sessions.
  
• Fixed a bug where the camera view positions in the Camera tool weren't where they were supposed to be.
  

As some of you might already know, I'm working on a Quest version of Paradiddle alongside the PC version, and there's currently a public beta out that you can try out for yourself. If you or someone you know has a Quest, let them know! There are still some major improvements to be made, but I'm incredibly excited about being able to use a standalone headset to make Paradiddle and VR drumming a truly portable experience. The latest update to the Quest version brings the Quest port closer to the PC version, and adds USB pedal support! You can find the latest release notes and grab the .apk file to install on your Quest here.



Part of the reason why it's been so long since the last update is that much of the work that went into this particular update ended up being behind the scenes, where a lot of the UI components and application internals were refactored to allow faster iteration in the future. This was especially important for maintaining both the PC and Quest versions side by side.

In addition, I recently also got to showcase Paradiddle at the 2019 Kaleidoscope Quest Showcase, where 12 of the most promising upcoming Oculus Quest projects were selected by a panel of judges, and given the opportunity to present their pitches and Quest plans. Soon after the showcase, Paradiddle was also selected to the First Look XR Market, which will be done in VR in the Museum of Other Realities as some of the leading XR artists in the world present their projects. I'm excited to use both of these opportunities to get the word out about the app a bit more, and potentially secure some more resources that I can use for future development.

In terms of what's coming up next moving into 2020, the 3 major features that are going to be implemented the soonest will be better drum kit management, new percussion instruments, and an alpha release of the note highway system. We're hard at work on these - stay tuned for updates!

If you're enjoying your VR jam sessions in Paradiddle and excited about upcoming features and improvements, I would really appreciate it if you wrote a review on Steam. It doesn't have to be long - any review helps in showing that Paradiddle is trying to be the most flexible, responsive and user-friendly VR drumming app out there. The more we can get the word out, the more support I'll be able to get in realizing that goal.

- Emre
[email protected]
Join us on Discord!: https://discord.gg/paradiddle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParadidleVR
Paradiddle drum covers Youtube playlist (your cover could be on here too!)
Official Paradiddle website: http://paradiddleapp.com
FAQ: http://paradiddleapp.com/faq
Reddit: http://reddit.com/r/paradiddle

Hey everyone!

It's my pleasure to announce the winners of the second Paradiddle Drum Cover Contest! We got double the number of submissions this year compared to last year, and I hope we can double that once again on the next contest. Here's the top 3:

1) ElNeax: Muse - Assassin
https://youtu.be/NboYRODjXGo
2) bub92: Hoobastank - The Reason
https://vimeo.com/355850179

3) SHartwell: My Chemical Romance - Mama
https://youtu.be/1Yj3AuF5pC4

Once again, a huge thank you to ElNeax, bub92, SHartwell, Sierra, MedvediVodki, ol' fancy fingers mcgranahan, Dee, DoctorRum, HowDoesOneEven, DeathlikeSilence and n00b drummer for their submissions, and to everyone who voted. The full list of submissions can be seen on this YouTube playlist, or on the Paradiddle Discord. I'll be getting in touch with all of the performers soon to figure out logistics for prizes. Another piece of good news is that everyone who participated will be getting a prize - I decided to expand the "Top 10" limit this time around since we got submissions from 11 different drummers!

I hope you all record more songs/covers in Paradiddle in the future as well - thanks to you all we're able to really showcase how powerful this app can be for music creation and creativity.

Thanks!

- Emre
[email protected]
Join us on Discord!: https://discord.gg/paradiddle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParadidleVR
Paradiddle drum covers Youtube playlist (your cover could be on here too!)
Official Paradiddle website: http://paradiddleapp.com
FAQ: http://paradiddleapp.com/faq
Reddit: http://reddit.com/r/paradiddle

Hey everyone,

A small patch went up today to fix the LIV mixed reality integration in the app, which wasn't working properly following the July update. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

Also, if you haven't taken a look yet, make sure you take a read the Paradiddle Drum Cover Contest details over here and send in a cover to compete for some prizes! We're two weeks away from the submission deadline and only have a few submissions so far, so if you do decide on submitting a cover, chances are you'll end up winning a prize just by participating.

Happy drumming!
- Emre

Hey everyone!

Some of you might remember that we had our first VR Drum Cover Contest last year to celebrate how far Paradiddle had come since the early access launch, and as a way for the community to show off and celebrate their drumming skills. I'm super excited to announce to turn this into a tradition, and kick off



The Paradiddle community has been nothing but amazing and supportive up until now, and just like last year, I wanted to organize this as a way to thank you all and share your skills with the rest of the world. All skill levels are more than welcome - even if you’re just getting started with VR drumming, you’re still encouraged to share your creation with the rest of the community. You’ll get to be part of something that’s never been done before, by taking part in the only VR drum cover contest in the world!

1. Record yourself playing a drum cover of a song in Paradiddle.
   
2. Upload it to YouTube as a public video, mentioning the Paradiddle drum cover contest in the description.
   
3. Post your video on the vr-drum-covers channel on the Paradiddle Discord. Feel free to add any other info you'd like for us to know in your Discord post, or in the video description itself.
   

You’ll have until September 2nd midnight (11:59 PM / 23:59) PST to send in your submission.

Also note that by sending in a submission, you’re allowing your video being shared online on the Paradiddle website or on any of the social media pages of the app. These cover videos help a lot in showing how powerful Paradiddle can be, and I just want to make sure I can show off the capabilities of the app with the rest of the VR community. If you’re a streamer or YouTuber, you might want to take a look at some of the previous Paradiddle drum covers- because VR drum covers are a new concept and so much fun to watch, it’s quite possible that you could end up getting lots of views on your covers!



The exact way voting and judging will be done depends on the number of submissions we get. If there are a lot of submissions, we'll do a first round of judging by a panel of people who have helped with the development of Paradiddle, to limit the submissions to the top 10. Once we have our top 10, we'll open up voting to the Paradiddle Discord. While there is no exact criteria on the voting or judging process, the panel will be looking at the overall appeal of the video, which includes technical skill, as well as creativity and originality.

Feel free to get creative and have fun with it if you'd like to! You can use the MIDI out functionality from Paradiddle to play and process your own samples if you prefer. Peripherals such as USB or electronic drum pedals are also allowed. You're also free to use LIV to record a mixed reality video, or use their new avatar integration feature to bring your avatar into the app.


Here are the prizes that will be given out to the top submissions!

First Place:

Choose 1 between:

• Oculus Quest or Oculus Rift S
• 2 Vive Trackers (Can be used as pedal replacements)
  
• Addictive Drums 2 + 2 USB Pedals
  
• EZDrummer 2 + 2 USB Pedals
  
• DDrum DDTi Trigger Interface + Yamaha KU100 Electronic Kick Drum Pedal + Electronic Hi-Hat Pedal (velocity sensitive electronic drum pedals that can be used in Paradiddle through MIDI input)
  
  

2nd and 3rd Place:

Choose 1 between:

• 2 www.vive.com (Can be used as pedal replacements)
  
• Addictive Drums 2 + 2 USB Pedals
  
• EZDrummer 2 + 2 USB Pedals
  
• DDrum DDTi Trigger Interface + Yamaha KU100 Electronic Kick Drum Pedal (velocity sensitive electronic drum pedal that can be used in Paradiddle through MIDI input)
  

Rest of the Top 10 (Place 4th through 10th):

Choose 1 between:

• 2 USB Pedals
• 1 Rock Band pedal
  
• GetGood Drums
• Drum practice pad with drum sticks (always good to pair your VR drumming with some real life stick practice!)
  

Can I submit more than one cover?
Multiple submissions are permitted as long as they’re different songs, and each submission will be judged separately. But you’ll only be able to vote once, even if you submit multiple covers.

Are there any examples of covers played with Paradiddle?
Feel free to take a look at this YouTube playlist for inspiration on some of the songs that have been played in Paradiddle. And for reference, here were last year's submissions for the cover contest.

What software would you recommend to record my cover?
On PC, I've always used OBS Studio to record my covers and it has always worked great. If you're a Quest user, you might want to take a look at tools like scrcpy to capture your Quest screen while you're connected to a PC. The quest channel on the Paradiddle Discord has a few more details on capturing content from the Quest if you'd like more info.

I’m more than happy to answer any other questions, and I’ll make sure to update the FAQ as more questions come in. As a quick note, the Discord has been getting quite active lately, so make sure you join the conversation on there too if you already haven't done so!

- Emre
[email protected]
Join us on Discord!: https://discord.gg/paradiddle
Paradiddle drum covers Youtube playlist (your cover could be on here too!)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParadidleVR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paradiddlevr/
Official Paradiddle website: http://paradiddleapp.com
FAQ: http://paradiddleapp.com/faq
Reddit: http://reddit.com/r/paradiddle

Hey everyone! It's been a little while since the last major update, and I'm super excited to finally release this one.

Here's what's new:


All of the drum samples in the app have been processed to sound less raw, and more mix-ready. The goal with this was to make sure the built-in sounds are ready to be recorded and shared without requiring additional processing or effects to make them sound better.

For those who'd like to know more about the actual processing done, all of the drums now have EQ's applied to them, with compression and reverb effects applied to certain drums. As a result the drums should sound fuller and louder overall. The panning of each sample was adjusted a bit to make sure all the samples sounded clearer when played at the same time. In addition, the snare and tom sounds were improved to have better dynamic range across velocities. The hi-hat open sounds were also made louder overall to differentiate it more than the closed sounds.

A lot of this work was done by none other than ElNeax, who was also behind the American Idiot and Bring Me to Life VR covers that were released recently! We're still trying to get more out of the audio samples and make sure all the drums sound great together within the app, so if you have any suggestions or comments on this, please make sure to let us know. Here's a quick comparison below between the old samples vs. the new: https://youtu.be/171n3vMBbV0

This update introduces two new cymbals: the 13" Crash Cymbal and 15" China Cymbal! These are the first instruments to be added to Paradiddle since early access launch. Here's a quick video showcasing the sounds you can get out of them: https://youtu.be/jARgtRIp0uc
I've recently licensed a lot more instrument samples so you can expect to see more instruments get added to the app over the next several months. Some of these new instruments will include: the bongos, triangle, cowbell, gong, tambourine, xylophone, marimba and glockenspiel. I can't wait to make these all available to the community!



Another addition I'm really excited about - you can now calibrate how your sticks are placed relative to your controllers! Simply click on Stick Calibration in the Options tab, and the calibration window will pop up. You can move and place the window anywhere you want, and hit and play on any of the drums in the environment while you're calibrating. When you're happy with the new calibration, simply hit "Apply" to make sure the new offsets take effect. These settings are automatically saved and loaded, so you won't have to change them every time you launch the app.

I've limited the positional and rotational offset ranges to specific amounts to make sure the sliders are easy to adjust while still offering a reasonable range, but feel free to let me know if you think any of these ranges are too limiting for your use case. Here's a quick demonstration: https://youtu.be/cN76OsVKcGM
Also, if you have any other ideas on how to improve this feature, I'd love to hear them! I'm going to expand the calibration settings further in the future by allowing users to scale the collision box of the sticks, but if there are any other stick settings you'd like to be able to tweak, let me know.



As existing Windows Mixed Reality users and any testers using the Index/Knuckles controllers probably noticed, up until now the app was still showing the Vive controller models on your hands even if you weren't using them. This is now fixed, so WMR and Index users should see their own controllers in Paradiddle. The default placement of the drum sticks were also adjusted to better suit these controller types, so you should have a more comfortable time playing now.

A couple of quick notes on what's still missing:

• The controller materials currently don't match the Vive or Oculus Touch materials, which are mostly dark gray with purple trim lines along the controller edges. This also means that the correct buttons currently don't light up during the tutorial if you're using WMR or Index controllers, but both of these will be fixed in a future update.
  
• Index users: The A buttons currently don't work properly. This was a somewhat frustrating realization, but Unreal Engine doesn't properly receive some of the Index controller button presses and thinks they're different buttons. Looks like it's possible to fix this using the SteamVR Input Unreal plugin that Valve has recently released, but that also doesn't seem to play nice with the Oculus plugins if they're active, so I'm currently investigating and trying to figure out the best way to resolve this.
  

• Grip to Grab: The grip button can now be used to grab drums (including dragging new drums out from the menu) or moveable windows. The trigger button still works the same way it used to in previous versions, where you can use the trigger to click UI elements as well as grab moveable objects.
  
• Introduced a color change to the hi-hat when moving between open and closed states.
  
• Fixed a minor issue with the Controls menu dropdowns where the action names weren't fitting properly into the button.
  

As always, more changes are coming! Here's a list of what's coming over the next few months:

• 2nd annual Paradiddle VR Drum Cover Contest
  
• Drum velocity curve controls
  
• UI quality of life improvements (including the ability to move drum sets as a whole)
  
• Additional percussion instruments
  
• Note highway system
  

As some of you probably already know, I was spending some of my development time over the past couple of months to get Paradiddle running on the Oculus Quest. If you have a Quest or know someone with one, feel free to forward them to the Discord or the release notes for the first testable version of Paradiddle on Quest! As the release notes will make clear, not all of the features from the PC version work on the Quest yet, and I'm mostly using this initial release as a way to get some early feedback as I prioritize tasks.


If you're enjoying your VR jam sessions in Paradiddle and excited about upcoming features and improvements, I would really appreciate it if you wrote a review on Steam. It doesn't have to be long - any review helps in showing that Paradiddle is trying to be the most flexible, responsive and user-friendly VR drumming app out there. The more we can get the word out, the more support I'll be able to get in realizing that goal.

- Emre
[email protected]
Join us on Discord!: https://discord.gg/paradiddle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParadidleVR
Paradiddle drum covers Youtube playlist (your cover could be on here too!)
Official Paradiddle website: http://paradiddleapp.com
FAQ: http://paradiddleapp.com/faq
Reddit: http://reddit.com/r/paradiddle