Question about Latency of edrumin on PC

[Nael]

Hi,

I don’t own a edrumin (yet) and I’m almost a full noob of everything audio/music.
I recently decided to try and learn « virtual drums », meaning : I don’t have enough space nor sound proof place
for any king of physical kit, but since I own a VR headset i can kind of learn drums with the Paradiddle app. (Please don’t hate me for how heretic this might sound for you, real drummers )

I manage to plug an alesis stealthkick pedal to my computer via the mic minijack and pass the signal thought dsp trigger, and other stuff (nanohost/dsp trigger->loop midi -> paradiddle app his the full setup) in order to get a midi signal to the paradiddle vr app.

My concern is, there is quite a latency, has a full beginner I can manage for now but I wonder if the edrumin module (and app) would really reduce the latency or not ?
(I have no idea how to mesure the latency, just that I can clearly hear the stealthkick hit before the bass sound of the vr app)

Thanks

[dsteinschneider]

You really need both a USB audio interface and the eDRUMin to solve the latency you're describing. I'm pretty sure the paradiddle app can see incoming midi notes which is what it will get instantly from the eDRUMin. Trying to use the onboard computer sound components isn't the best route.

[Nael]

Yes I now it’s not the best, it’s what I can do for now (edrumins are impossible to find at this time) just wanted to check that I wouldn’t get the same kind of lattency if (when) I will use a edrumin.

And yes paradiddle can see midi notes , it’s exactly what it does at the moment but in order to get a modi note i have to use dps trigger and loop midi.

[Rob]

Using an eDRUMin, you won't have the audio input latency, but you will still need to contend with audio output latency. Perhaps ASIO4ALL might get you lower latency, but I have no idea if that's suitable or compatible with VR headsets.

[LooseSends]

You have to look at every link in the signal chain.

You are gaining most of your latency thorough the A/D conversion of your pedal.

The audio output you use makes a huge difference in my experience, and chances are you'll get a better result from something like ASIO4ALL, although Windows Audio (exclusive mode) or one of the others might yield better results.

But it's only one step in the chain. If you are using a "casting" interface for your VR headset, that will add more latency than having it plugged in direct, although Oculus has done very well with latency for their wireless controller inputs, YMMV.

I totally get where you're coming from, not wanting to invest too much, too early on your drumming journey. I started that way as well, with bare-minimum gear just to get up and running and in retrospect didn't end up saving much because of latency and other issues.

But that doesn't mean you can't do it on the cheap, relatively speaking, but it depends on how committed you are. Chances are you have a decently fast computer to run your VR so that won't be the bottleneck. Edrummin might not look cheap but paired with Superior Drums/Addictive/etc. it's way cheaper than a limited and expensive drumming module.

That's about all you need. If you can't afford or get hold of one, for now invest in a A/D interface. You can buy a barely functional one that will keep decently low latency on one input for well under $100, but much better if you get something like a Steinberg UR22C 48bit for a couple hundred and serve well into the future when you inevitably grow out of your current setup.

I'll probably have an ED4 for sale once the ED10's are back in stock, unless I find a use for it but my frankenstein kit can only grow so big.