What Exactly is the Secret?

[Master Hakuoh9872]

One of the things I can't help but notice is the variety of simfiles sometimes
found in the Database. What I'm referring to, of course, are the step colors
everyone uses.

Some users make simfiles using the whole damned assortment;
every step color, from red to to purple that light blue color. Now,
there's nothing wrong with making sims that way, its just that the
probability of each and every step being on sync is like, 30% to 54%
percent most of the time, depending on the sim author's personal
preference in step placement. I've made a couple of sims this way in
the past, and after reviewing my last sims, I've found huge flaws in
sync and step positioning I could only spot now cause I've gotten better
at playing DDR since then.

But there's some users, the rare few, who make simfiles using only two
to three step colors: red, blue, and yellow (along with some of the others,
but less frequently). I've downloaded a lotta simfiles like that, and
almost every one of them have perfect sync. I'm serious. Its like when I
play them, I know exactly where and when the step will appear. Its
poetry in motion, and just by using red and blue and yellow steps!
With only 3 colors to choose from, syncage would no longer be a problem!

The thing is, I don't know how they do it. I've checked the sims over and
over, but I don't get it.

What is the secret to making the perfect simfile?

[NFD]

It depends on the beat of the song. Every color note represents a different time frame.

[Patashu]

if you're using colours willynilly it means your bpm/beat 0 offset is wrong and you're desperately trying to sync to the song using random colours. (there are legitimate uses for random colours though, i.e. during a guitar solo or if the song is live and random notes aren't quite on the beat they should be and need a 64th or 48th or something, but you'll only see these done well by experienced steppers)

if you're using predictable nice patterns (for most songs reds, blues and yellows in between) that means you've set the bpm and beat 0 offset correctly. for the former you can use a program like Mixmeister BPM Analyzer, for the latter just show the song down to rate 0.3x w/ assist tick, place a set of 4th notes after setting the BPM and use F11/F12 to adjust (look up in the top right at the 'seconds' indicator of the current note selected to help you along) until the claps and the song's beat line up perfectly.

Alternatively you can use DDReam Studio to sync your songs, which provides a different way of doing things: you can see the song's waveforms and play it back as much as you like, and you visually place the first few beats down and grow it out using the correct BPM.

[badman7772]

Because using every color is the best way to making a simfile. Ever noticed on FFR they use white notes just because it looks prettier.

[ChrisReams]

Having red/blue/yellow vs having the whole variety of colors in use doesn't necessarily mean that one will be synced better. There are people that can step a very difficult song and do it perfect to the beat even when "all those colors" are in the song. The issue is "does this person know how to sync their simfile?" moreso than the difficulty of note marks.

But I agree with you on the whole "poetry in motion" thing. I like being able to play a song and having never heard the song before, know exactly how this next note is going to come at me.

[Master Hakuoh9872]

Originally Posted by Patashu

if you're using predictable nice patterns (for most songs reds, blues and yellows in between) that means you've set the bpm and beat 0 offset correctly. for the former you can use a program like Mixmeister BPM Analyzer, for the latter just show the song down to rate 0.3x w/ assist tick, place a set of 4th notes after setting the BPM and use F11/F12 to adjust (look up in the top right at the 'seconds' indicator of the current note selected to help you along) until the claps and the song's beat line up perfectly.

Alternatively you can use DDReam Studio to sync your songs, which provides a different way of doing things: you can see the song's waveforms and play it back as much as you like, and you visually place the first few beats down and grow it out using the correct BPM.

Well, I downloaded both programs and after using them for a few minutes,
I realized that DDReam is unreliable because the steps only sync if my
instinct is sharp when I put in notes manually for a song. MixMeister is
just a BPM Analyzer, which occassionally gives out incorrect BPM
readings for a song, but it may give me the right BPM to set my steps
to if I try again.

Overall, I'm not too satisfied. Setting the BPM and Offset at choice levels is
the only other way I see to sync steps correctly. Are you sure there's
no other way to use, Patashu?

[virus003]

ddream studio