I’m using my DIY buttkicker (in stereo LOL) on my DIY motion rig and was using it before the motion rig too. I’m driving it with SimShaker for Aviators + Sound Module (must have for event feedback, like gear, flaps, groudn roll, touchdown etc.), and also mixing in some low end from the MSFS original sound.
It adds a lot to the experience. Not sure if it’s as huge as the motion rig in terms of increasing immersion, but it is comparable. When I added transducers to static seat I was blown away by the difference. Motion blew me away even more, so you should definitely have both. They add to each other for a total immersion. When I forget to switch on transducers or they lose connection after MSFS CTD - it really feels like I’m missing something, even with motion.
If you can put in slightly more, you get a used D-BOX system for about the same price. That’s a whole another level of immersion, and it works absolutely incredible with MSFS. Doesn’t have motion compensation (unless you use steamvr and MC app), but you don’t need it for small movements… Feeling the up/down turbulence and runway bumps is really an unmatched experience! Can’t get that with a 2-dof seat mover.
Right. Just got the buttkicker gamer 2 for my NLR v3 Now I´m going to break some of my fingers to fit them thru the small hole that´s left to attach the NLR buttkicker pole. While I´m extremely happy with the rig, the looks and how solid it feels, there are some design decisions that I don´t really understand.
Cheers
Buttkicker is a must for me. It does a lot for the experience. My amp failed after 2 years though, but you can find good replacements. Just in case you need it. I use it with voice meeter.
Decided not to wait until Black Friday huh! I’m still waiting for mine to arrive … might be looking for some set up pointers when you’ve got it figured out
That was my intention, but I have a two weeks holiday starting next monday, and won´t go anywhere cause my wife has to work, so I decided that I needed something extra to play with xD
Great conversation here! I just got my GTTRack set up. The quality of the product is amazing. I’m adding the BK2 as well. Now I also need those powerpoints for persuading the wife for the Motion V3
I was wondering if the relatively small pitch angle of the V3 (only 10degrees) is enough for immersion.
I have to say the YAW VR2 looks kinda fun too and obviously its motion range is much larger.
Any comments on this?
I’ve been thrilled with the v3 and even with 10 degrees of movement it’s very noticeable and immersive and the 10 degrees is at the base so up at your head it feels even more. I use it for auto sim racing too and it’s a blast to get bounced around on the track and feel the corners and hills.
Sweet, thanks for that feedback! This hobby, much like most hobbies, can absorb almost infinite amounts of Cash
First on the list is an Alder Lake build, then most likely the V3…and then of course next year the PIMAX 12K…ugh lol!
…or time… or both I chose the DIY route, so it’s mostly time for me, but I have fun at it. my motion platform works great, 6 dual-encoder button box takes care of avionics, and I just completed a fully custom Boeing-style pendulum yoke build on it. The yoke uses hall sensors and have a very large range of motion, oh boy it feels so good! Yoke also can be swapped for a joystick (looks weird on a pendulum arm, but in VR who cares!), which has a long shaft and large throw. Feels something on another level from normal joysticks. I’m also building a Boeing-stype throttle quadrant with 6 axis + 2 full reverse lever axis, A/T Dusconnect and TO/GA buttons on the throttle, trim wheel, rudder trim and a few buttons. I 3D printed everything, now need to assemble. After that I will also add a left-hand throttle axis that can rotate and become a collective controller for the helis. You can imagin the time it eats to model build and program all these… But so far the results are amazing.
Absolutely. As @tempestornado23 said, it´s very noticeable. Of course is not the same flying with a 152 or with an F18 in DCS, but the immersion is powerful. I tested it with No limits 2, a roller coaster simulator, and in VR it´s probably the game that you should show to your visits (if they are not interested in flight simming of course). When you climb the roller coaster, and your feet are hanging in anticipation of a fast descent (and I´m almost 1,90m) and then the shaking is so intense that you have to grab the seat with your hands trying to not be thrown thru the window.
In racing and flying it can be that intense, but since you´re in control somehow you know what you can expect. In a roller coaster you´r thrown side to side as a puppet xD
And for my wife my “power point” was promising to buy(sometime next year) an electric bike to go with her and some friends to the mountain on Sundays morning…
Btw, I´m going to install my buttkicker this evening (after Barça’s match of course ). Do you guys recommend a good software for it for flight simming or with the NLR motion platform v3 software should be enough?
I would not recommend the NLR software for the buttkicker in MSFS. It’s too generic and doesn’t allow much control. I use 2 pieces of software: SimShaker Aviators and an add-on for it called SimShaker Sound Module. You need both and it’s a small fee of like $15 or so. It works great and you can customize the buttkicker for many types of MSFS effects (bumps on runway, gear opening, landing, engine hum, etc). Google it and also know that when you download both and pay the small fee it goes via PayPal to a guy in Ukraine I think (might have that wrong) and he’s the developer and will then email you a license key. He’s responsive on email and I got mine in less than a day. You can use the NLR software to get things going tonight and then pull up the website and articles for the SimShaker software to see that (I’m glad I did it as I turned certain effects up and other down based upon your preferences). Also it works best with a dedicated sound card but I just bought a usb sound card for $10 and assigned that to the buttkicker. You don’t need a new full internal sound card. If you have problems there just ping me. I think it can also work using your main motherboard sound card but in that case the general MSFS audio also gets sent to the buttkicker and can muddy up the signal as it gets combined with the telemetry data from the sim. I have read the buttkicker effects are much better if they are isolated and only getting the telemetry data via the software and a dedicated sound card makes that possible as you assign the buttkicker to get its input from that usb sound card and not the main MOBO soundcard that is used by MSFS for general audio.
I was wondering about the dedicated sound card versus using the supplied splitter and the MB sound card.
Looks like the dedicated one is the way to go.
As I mentioned, I also use SimShaker + Sound Module. Yes, you need a dedicated audio, but also yet, you can use your motherboard audio - the trick is to use optical/SPDIF out for main audio as a default audio device (I was using it anyway - why use the subpar analog out?), and then you can use “Realtek speakers” or whatever it’s called just fo the transducers. It is a fully dedicated audio device, it’s all that’s needed. Nothing else gets mixed in that audio, uless you want it. I do mix in some MSFS audio, filtered to only have low end data, via Voicemeeter Banana. But you can only use SimShaker feed.
I´m having a hard time setting the buttkicker up. Actually my sound comes from the GPU to the HDMI TV that connects to a soundbar and several speakers via bluetooth. I follow the steps in the quick guide (Amp connected to lineout of my motherboard) and change windows to the realtek audio thing. But no shaking or nothing, had to quit because it was too late at night amid thoughts of a bad buttkicker unit, but I´ve read on forums that´s probably a bad configuration issue.
Round 2 this evening I guess…
I´ll go to the dedicated sound card route, but want to see if I can make this thing work before that.
If you are also using WMR/SteamVR for a VR headset, there is a setting in their to “mirror the headset audio to the desktop” that has to be turned on and it will send the audio signal to both the headset and the desktop (meaning the main line out of the MOBO soundcard). I agree it sounds like a set up issue and not the BK amp. I like the $10 USB soundcard route, easy to set up and no mixing of the general audio of sim with the BK, but I Agree that you can set up the motherboard sound card as well and it’s likely just a set up issue. What software are you using for the BK and in that software is there a “test” option that sends a test signal to the BK ? There should be and that just sends a signal you can use to check the BK and set the overall volume level…once that works then you can leave the software running and turn on MSFS and the software will pick that up and should work for the in-game telemetry/sound.
Setting up buttkicker is a pain in the butt. I don’t think you need a dedicated sound card unless you have more than one buttkicker. I use Simshaker for aviators (free) and Simshaker sound module (payware but worth it) that will really improve your experience. I also have the line out from my motherboard coming into the buttkicker AMP.
Great post and Chass32, if you use this software (totally worth the small fee) in the Simshaker Sound Module app after you pick your source (the MOBO soundcard), I believe there is a Test button that you can use to see if the signal is getting to the BK. Turn up the volume on the BK using the buttons on the control box. Also, step 4 above is key as the Simshaker software defaults to DCS or XPlane I think and you have to pick the MSFS/Simconnect option. If you get this Simskaker software, there is a setup guide on the developer’s website that is step by step, and it’s a pain in the butt for sure, but it’s one time only. One other thing on the Simshaker software if you use that, I had to download an earlier version of SimConnect than the one that is now standard with MSFS…I know that sounds strange but it’s what the Simshaker developer’s website setup guide recommended. It was free and runs in the background no problem with MSFS, it’s just a version behind the current version of SimConnect that is built into MSFS.
Not sure if others had to do that, but I did and it all works no problem. BTW, I also use SimHub for my auto racing game to run the BK for that sim and that one was also a pain to set up…just seems like the software is not all that easy to follow and so post here for sure to get help and I found other posts on reddit and a youtube video as well that helped me with the software settings in windows and the BK software. You will not need to do anything in MSFS with audio, all of the setup is in Windows and your BK software of choice.
Thanks @skystalker68 and @tempestornado23 I´ll get the simshaker Sound Module and Simshaker for aviators as soon as I get home this evening. I can´t buy it beforehand since it seems you have to install the sound module first and paste an activation string (just wanted to speed up the process cause the guy says that can take up to 36 hours to send the key.
Thanks again, guys. At least I have more clues to follow tonight.
Now I´m going to break some of my fingers to fit them thru the small hole that´s left to attach the NLR buttkicker pole. While I´m extremely happy with the rig, the looks and how solid it feels, there are some design decisions that I don´t really understand.
I chose the DIY route, so it’s mostly time for me, but I have fun at it. my motion platform works great, 6 dual-encoder button box takes care of avionics, and I just completed a fully custom Boeing-style pendulum yoke build on it. The yoke uses hall sensors and have a very large range of motion, oh boy it feels so good! Yoke also can be swapped for a joystick (looks weird on a pendulum arm, but in VR who cares!), which has a long shaft and large throw. Feels something on another level from normal joysticks. I’m also building a Boeing-stype throttle quadrant with 6 axis + 2 full reverse lever axis, A/T Dusconnect and TO/GA buttons on the throttle, trim wheel, rudder trim and a few buttons. I 3D printed everything, now need to assemble. After that I will also add a left-hand throttle axis that can rotate and become a collective controller for the helis. You can imagin the time it eats to model build and program all these… But so far the results are amazing.
). Do you guys recommend a good software for it for flight simming or with the NLR motion platform v3 software should be enough?