We're back with a major update! If you run into any issues, you can always roll back to the previous version of the app by switching to the "prev_version" branch on Steam by right clicking Paradiddle in your Steam Library, and going to Properties->Betas.
Here's what's new:
New Instruments
The Percussive Update introduces a total of 13 new percussion instruments to Paradiddle, more than doubling the number of instruments in the app from 12 to 25. Our goal is to keep expanding our percussion library and eventually move into non-percussion instruments as well, and this is a major step in this direction. To support this massive change, we've created a whole new instrument asset creation workflow in order to add more instruments even easier in the future.
The new instruments and features introduced are:
Auxiliary Percussion:
- 2 Bongos (High and Low)
- 2 Tambourines
- Cowbell (finally!)
- 3 Timpanis
- Gong
- Triangle
Mallet Percussion:
- Xylophone
- Marimba
- Glockenspiel
In addition, the mallet percussion instruments come with some fun settings as well. Go to the drum settings menu for any mallet percussion instrument to tweak:
- Key Size: You can change the key size of the whole instrument live in front of you!
- # of Octaves: Is your marimba too big? No problem! Simply change the number of octaves to change the size of your instrument in real-time.
- First Octave: You can shift the first (left-most) octave that gets played on your instrument as well.
Any recording that includes a mallet instrument will also come with its own visual feedback system similar to apps like Synthesia, where you'll be able to see each note flying towards your keys as you try to hit them.
Let us know what you think or if you spot any issues! A lot of the app had to be reworked to support all these new types of instruments, so you might notice some bugs. Any and all feedback is always welcome.
Audio Improvements
- Started compressing audio assets used to support the number of new instruments and audio samples being added. As a result, reduced the disk space and memory (RAM) usage of all audio samples by 90%.
- We now load audio samples as they're needed, meaning only when an instrument is added to the scene. Up until now, all audio samples were loaded immediately on application launch. This smart loading/unloading leads to major performance benefits in CPU and RAM usage, especially in scenes with few types of instruments.
- Added 3D audio spatialization. Before this update, every type of drum sound came from its own direction no matter where it was positioned around you. You can finally enjoy a higher degree of realism in Paradiddle with positional audio!
- Improved audio playback latency on some setups, with the cost of some additional CPU usage. Let me know if your system seems to be struggling at all with the new update so I can take a look at any potential issues.
Other Improvements and Fixes
- Added an Invert button for the Rock Band pedal controls. If you were running into issues were your pedal was triggering on release rather than press, the Invert button should help. Let me know if you're still having issues despite using the new button.
- Fixed a bug where Vive trackers were not being properly detected in the app.
- Improved stick collision robustness, preventing some extra accidental hits when dragging a stick out of a drum after it went inside.
- To support the increasing number of instruments, the Drums menu now has some shiny new tabs! You'll see 3 tabs for : Kit Drums, Aux Percussion and Mallet Percussion. The menu has some new icons as well.
- Major performance improvements in most UI interactions.
- Fixed issues that intermittently caused the colored drum rings to disappear beneath the drum surface.
- Raised the volume level of the metronome by 10dB.
- Fixed a bug where some controls menu options stayed open even after closing the menu.
- If a recording is actively ongoing and the app is exited, the recording will now be saved properly first instead of disappearing.
What's Next
- "Note highway" system (think Guitar Hero or Rock Band, except with any instrument you can use in Paradiddle) alpha release within the next month, with tools to import any song from other rhythm game formats such as Clone Hero, Phase Shift etc.
- An update to the Quest beta with all changes from this Steam update, as well as a release of the beta on SideQuest.
A Personal Note
I'm aware that there was a long period of time without any updates up until this update. I wanted to thank you all on your patience, and let you know that I'm fully committed to adding onto Paradiddle and making it the #1 music creation app in the VR & AR space. Up until last month, I was working on Paradiddle in my free time while working at a big AR company full-time, due to issues with my visa preventing me from focusing on the app full-time. I'm happy to say that I was finally able to get my green card and recently quit my job, making Paradiddle my top and only priority. I'm incredibly thankful for the community's continued support of the app so far, and just as excited to finally have time to execute my future plans for Paradiddle. What this means for you is that there will be a lot more regular updates, as well as bigger features and content being added to the app soon.
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]
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Paradiddle drum covers Youtube playlist (your cover could be on here too!)
Official Paradiddle website: http://paradiddleapp.com
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Reddit: http://reddit.com/r/paradiddle