Henk
Please do and I insist to feel it necessary to correct me where I am wrong in the below. You have been involved with Simvibe and even a beta member pre-launch. So of course you have a good deal of user experience of it and I am only a noob with little user experience. Your query deserves a detailed answer as engine is rather technical in Simvibe with what is possible. Also I assume rpm/speed based modifiers bring more in their operation as well as engine being a constant effect?
Double Espresso Answer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Simvibe Does
The user can generate the control of what effects to use, how effects operate, when they operate, their intensity. For TONE based effects we choose the Hz ranges they operate in, the direction of their volume scale and the overall volume output for all effects used within the output mixer. Several effects like textures or other settings/sliders for control within Simvibe are less understood. It is questionable what frequencies they may be generating and this could also vary. I would add that some users may avoid certain features due to no proper explanation what they do or if they are of any potential benefit or decremental to the overall users experience or their tactile's performance.
What Inuke DSP Does
This gives the user control to adapt the Simvibe Output to better suit the following:
- The tactile units individual performance characteristics
- Increased detailing of their operation
- The users own unique cockpit installation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before covering the above let me state that. The DSP control is not just a single feature neither their are several features with potential to be a benefit. Firstly you have overload protection to digitally limit the wattage is within that of your tactile. You can set the (High Pass & Low Pass Filters). Basically the working Tone Hz range the tactile will operate in for all effects on the channel. This has benefits during testing (examples below). Also their are GEQ / DELAY and more features. The one often mentioned here in this thread is PEQ. (Parametric EQ)
Latte With Cream & Chocolate Answer
Your Cockpit & Example
I know you put plenty of thought into your own configuration. You mention "Engine RPM & Gear-shift" are the only effects these two units are producing.
So with engine, you have a constant use effect working within a "user set" TONE range eg 10Hz-135Hz. I expect you will be using various layers controlling how the engine effects from Simvibe are generated and managed for greater control. Gear-shifts of course are only a short event based effect so should require little additional demands on the tactile unit already generating the engine effects.
Your "less is more" preference and these being I assume Mini LFE units via an EM channel should cope well already. By having this set role you are excluding them from
additional TONE based effects that also would require a "user set" working frequency Hz range and place more demands on the tactile. This thread has already discussed doing this is a good idea. Recommending if possible to avoid having multiple constant effects so as not to overwhelm a single tactile unit. With the end result potentially causing a loss in general performance or individual effects realised detail.
Not Got a Clue About PEQ?
Lets look at your example again...
What you cant do to my knowledge with Simvibe is determine how your tactile will respond to "effects created"
Yes you can set the TONE (begin/end) working range, you can determine by layers how it is used for set ranges and you can set the intensity for the power of this effect to a fixed intensity or in various ways to increase or decrease with rpm/speed. This to my understanding does not give db intensity control to individual Hz that the tactile will be generating. I question but it might be possible to set multiple very small Hz ranges to operate at different intensities but I do not believe Simvibe gives the same level of control in this area.
For example lets assume you have a working range of 10Hz-100Hz for engine and you also use additional layers for increased presence and control. Depending if you use increase/decrease volume to boost the higher or lower rpm/speed. This will alter the db intensity for either low/high values with @45Hz representing 50% volume intensity in either case within the working Tone range. Notice that with a default 10Hz-135Hz setting the 50% volume intensity would be for the approx 60Hz range (more on this later).
What you can not do by altering only the intensity and direction of its scale is determine how different frequencies within the set range are controlled. Your global set volume will also likely represent a level that is below when the piston would pang / yes? When you do increase/decrease this the general volume for all the frequencies db output are going to be altered but still work to the method of the scale used.
Amps & Specs
Different people use different tactile units and even different amplification. These determine how the Simvibe Hz for all the effects are generated. Not all amps nor tactile operate in the same way or perform in the same way. Some have different characteristics in their operation. Many amps are limited in their low end performance (sub 40Hz) and likewise are many tactile. They may flaunt nice specifications from a test lab in controlled/limited circumstances but real world operation often differs.
The Baby Buttkickers
I highlighted this about 3-4 years ago and the tendency to have issues below the 35Hz range. It is not always the case but more noticeable with increased wattage. The piston on the BK will pang as it bottoms. It does not matter if it is a BK Gamer/ Mini LFE or SE to my knowledge they all are inherent of this issue. What people generally do with some amps or even BKs own is they reduce the working range by the "Hi Pass Filter" control. This reduces the load of frequencies being sent to the BK but it does not eradicate the issue with the low end. Buttkicker themselves recommend users "reduce volume". The point being the issue is a performance based limitation.
Aura Pro / Clarke Synthesis / ADX / Reckhorn etc
These types of units operate differently to BK and some may have peak output commonly around 40Hz. They also may be irritating in feeling and make most noise with mid bass frequencies commonly I find around 60Hz. So their characteristics are different.
(Do you think it is coincidence the @60Hz range is a controlled 50% volume for rpm/speed based engine. Or purposely related to the issues these frequency can present in various tactile)
PEQ to the RESCUE?
So it is possible to alter the intensity or db level of individual Hz. In your case example a Mini LFE. A user can address the (35Hz) issue by reducing the db strength to any Hz in the working range. Lets say you want to reduce the 10-35Hz range. No problem how about -5db, do you want to reduce more/less = okay. What if you want to just feel what the tactile is doing between 25Hz and 35Hz with your engine effect. You can if you want investigate to determine what Hz are most responsible for the problem by this approach.
As mentioned earlier, by setting the working range of the inuke to only operate at what Hz you want avoiding making changes to Simvibe settings or any pre-sets. It allows you to monitor exactly a Hz range that a specific effect or all effects are coming from any Simvibe channel. You can then determine how your tactile is generating and handling these effects if you wish. Controlling the
individual Hz db totally separate from a general volume or intensity control.
So as example only...
You may end up selecting 10Hz @ -5db / 20Hz-3db / 35Hz -8 db
You now in layman's terms are reducing the volume output of this
sub 35Hz range to try and avoid the "over-driving" of the piston. If/when successful now you have found your idle engine and first gear revs might be better controlled but optimised to produce the best low end
before causing the piston to pang. This could now potentially allow the use of more intensity for the engine which may help the feel of other revs too. Possibly you kept a set volume to avoid the "over-driving" now you could have increased volume and no issue. Alternatively you may of avoided using certain low Hz Tones altogether due to the piston problem persisting.
Quick Summary
Without going deeper into controlling individual Hz. Be it for low range, mid range or high engine revs. Either to boost or reduce their felt sensation and how you like such via the Mini LFE.
The point being compared to using Simvibes rpm/speed based volume scale generation. The volume or tone smoothing or using a standard fixed engine tone intensity. All these determine how the working range eg (10-135Hz) is utilised but do not determine the ability for the user to match how the individual tones will be produced on their own tactile.
So like I have said in the past use Simvibe for controlling the effect but use the PEQ for controlling how your tactile's characteristics will operate with such frequencies.
. VR + tactile will be awesome.
