The Wiimote drum machine

We're not going to cover every Wiimote hack that comes down the pipe (especially given the rate they now seem to be flooding in), but this one's just too good to pass up. Building on earlier Wiimote developments, Bob Somers took up the less practical but equally daunting task of turning the humble Wiimote into a one-handed air drumming machine. As the video after break clearly shows, Bob was not only successful, but able to bust out a decent tune as well, complete with 80's-style electronic drum sounds. What's not so clear, however, is whether you can use two Wiimotes for some full-on drumming action, though it would seem to be within the realm of possibility (assuming you can get your hands on second one). While Bob has made the necessary software freely available for download, it seems that (as of this writing) his site has been temporarily shut down by his hosting provider in the face of the barrage of Phil Collins wannabes. In the meantime, it looks like you're only options are to keep checking in or hope that a mirror pops up.

[Via Joystiq]

[Drew @ Dec 7th 2006 7:40PM]

"In the meantime, it looks like you're only options are to keep checking in or hope that a mirror pops up."

YOUR

[therpham @ Dec 7th 2006 7:54PM]

Grammar Nazi go!

Anyway, he said in the comments on his YouTube video that the drivers and stuff now support mutliple Wiimotes, so there will be a mutli-Wiimote version soon.

[noise @ Dec 7th 2006 8:19PM]

coming down the PIKE not the PIPE.

[Jr @ Dec 7th 2006 8:51PM]

Actually, "pipe" is more current and loads more relational to the subject at hand than the old-time "pike". So shut your trap, dork.

[Eric @ Dec 7th 2006 9:05PM]

It is coming down the PIPE. Don't post if you don't know.

[Ophy.Rothstein @ Dec 7th 2006 10:20PM]

"Pike" is historically correct though "pipe" could be making headway since everyone knows the Internet is a series of tubes. ;)

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/34/messages/104.html

It's like the expression "you've got another think coming" falling by the wayside.

Anyway, back on-topic: maybe one day we can use the Wiimote to conduct a full orchestra.

[noise @ Dec 8th 2006 12:56AM]

The expression Coming down The Pike owes its origin to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Among the most memorable features of the 1904 World�s Fair was a walkway known as The Pike (Eads bridge). It was the most extravagant entertainment area ever constructed at that time. Visitors were so stunned they would say �there was always something new coming down The Pike.�

[Chris @ Dec 7th 2006 8:23PM]

...or you could just wait for Nintendo to release the game--drumming was in the original Wiimote E3 (or TGS?) video.

[Andrew ? @ Dec 7th 2006 8:26PM]

either the video's sound is off or the sound comes on the up-movement of the wii-mote. that would get very confusing when trying to get the sound when you're "hitting" the drum.

[DS @ Dec 7th 2006 9:10PM]

Your sound may be de-synced with the video. It looks fine over here. YouTube compression tends to do that to some videos.

[Mat @ Dec 7th 2006 8:46PM]

Ross Geller from friends called, and he wants his voice back.

[Dean @ Dec 7th 2006 8:54PM]

There are some syncing problems. I would have to see this for myself.

[pvilleSE @ Dec 7th 2006 9:06PM]

A couple cool things added but I don't know if anyone has figure out how to use the numbchuck and the position sensor in the Wii remote or not but a position to play the different drums would be cool and if you could use the numbchuck for the other drum stick that would be easier to get than another Wii remote.

It is sweet to see how easy it is to use Nintendo's products for homebrew projects. I think I may have to try something with my Wii parts over the winter break. Nice job.

[Axiom @ Dec 7th 2006 9:07PM]

Dude!
While you are drumming happily, don't forget your wrist strap!!
I can see that your LCD screen is at risk...

[lclarke @ Dec 7th 2006 9:08PM]

Yes, he obviously missed the memo:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/06/nintendo-addresses-wiimote-damage-issues-sends-email/

[csoto @ Dec 7th 2006 9:43PM]

Rick Allen could have used this in the '80s!

[Maurice Avery @ Dec 8th 2006 4:34AM]

Regarding conducting an orchestra... great minds think alike. And so do ours!!!! That was the first thing that popped into my mind the first time I saw an ad for the Wii. What would be great is the ability to load any CD you have and have an entire animated orchestra plus the player('s) displayed. Gamplay would be based on correct form. There could be tutorials that teach basic music theory and conducting. And an arcade mode for those that don't realy want or need to learn anything. Add some special effects via DSP that overlay the music by causing spacific sections of the orchestra to follow your lead insted of whats on the CD... out of time intro's FFF insted pianisamo, squeaking claranets, bizzare sound effects etc. It could turn out to be hillarius.

[Michal G @ Dec 7th 2006 10:22PM]

Saw this earlier while surfing YouTube seems cool that the wiimote can do so many different things ;)

[Hope he doesn't drum too hard or the strap might break and we can have another accident article] lol

[firegoron @ Mar 23rd 2007 9:41AM]

There is rwo glovepie scripts for Fable - The Lost Chapters for PC

you can find them on Youtube or Wiili.org

[Michael @ Dec 7th 2006 10:25PM]

That's so cool. I really hoppe more uses for the wiimote and also hopefully the nunchuks pop up for the computer. I'd love to be able to play Fable with a wiimote and nunchuk.

[Maurice Avery @ Dec 8th 2006 5:53AM]

Insted of using the Wiimote it may be possible to rig two drum sticks with infrared LED's and have the software poll the wiimote repetedly and thus reverse the process by which it detects movement. You'd have to disconnect the 'sensor' bar. The Wii would then be able to process via some 3D math (triangulation for starts) where the two drum sticks are and most users that are percusionist would prefer to use real drum sticks. You could then either use them just in the air or drum on the carpet or a coffee table or whatever. The only way I can think of syncing it so it can tell when your on a down beat is to have two steps. 1) have the beat always be on a change of direction and 2) have a calibration step at the beigining where it requests you two swing first one then the other drum stick up,down,left, and right... I'm just speculating here. Someone tell me if my logic is wrong here regarding being able to reverse which component of the detection process can be stationary or moving. It does seem to me that either way should work because all the data is just a product of those two parts in relation each other. Except for motion detection which can be faked I belive by compairing sequential samples of triangulation. Anybody????

[Bob Somers @ Dec 8th 2006 1:26PM]

My site is back up, my hosting provider shut me down for being dugg.

I have a prototype of two Wiimotes working. It's a little buggy, but I should have that fixed soon. I'm also working on placing the drums in space instead of using button combos and making the drums more acceleration sensitive so you can drum harder to play accents, etc.

[dextro @ Dec 8th 2006 6:27PM]

Bing on Drum Hero for the Wii! LOL :P

[fred @ Dec 9th 2006 5:32AM]

did anyone notice he wasn't wearing the strap.
he'll probably break his pc in the middle of a drum solo.

[Matthew Rasmussen @ Dec 13th 2006 6:21PM]

@Maurice Avery -- an interesting idea (using the WiiMote as a camera to track IR Drumsticks), however it might not work particularly well. A thing about IRED's (and LEDs in general) is they don't have even light diffusion (many IRED's have 45 degree viewing angle before the power is halved, there's a rating on the packaging usually). So a drumstick with IR LED's would be nearly invisible on an upstroke, or any time the IRED wasn't pointed in the general direction of the WiiMote (it could be detected weakly, depending on how sensitive the IR CCD in the WiiMote is). Going off your idea, however (if the Wiimote is sensitive enough), it would be possibly with two wiimotes to almost entirely map out where the IRED's were in 3-d space (with depth perception, basically) so you could have it so that seperate drums were spaced accordingly. There's all sorts of possibilities really, but I suspect that interfacing to the Video circuitry would have a noticeably larger lag to it (lots more data to handle). I like this, and look forward to the two-mote version.