Hi all.

I just published a big article and review abut the new version of the PinSound board (which should be available any day now) just a few minutes ago, with details of support for other hardware (like shaker motors) as well news about playing the original DCS version of the Twilight Zone music which was abandoned shortly before production.

If you're interested it's at: http://pavlovpinball.com/pinsound-review-a-sound-upgrade-that-transforms-your-pin/

Cheers,

Paul - Editor, pavlovpinball.com

So are these the "old" boards or will they support shaker motors?

All PinSound board revisions will support shaker.
We are currently testing and shipping the latest rev.

Just installed two boards, one in a Twilight Zone and the other in a Attack from Mars. These boards are incredible, such an enormous difference. I had a bit of difficulty setting up, which was really my mistake, and got feedback from them really quickly, considering they are out of the country at the moment. I just ordered 3 more.......
The boards arent cheap, but when you get the package you will quickly understand why. Probably the nicest after-market modification in pinball.

I cant wait to be able to put a shaker motor in all my machines. This will be crazy.

Haha, crazy how many boards you guys order. The shaker Feature is awesome. I already have one in my t2 (it's a beta installation and does not reflect how it works when it's done as I'm using a relay instead of pwm right now). It's awesome and getting the shaker to work when YOU want is as easy as it gets.

can you explain for shaker feature ? what is it?

now i need to fix in 2.1 with wiring kit !
http://www.pinsound.org/mono-to-stereo-2-1-re-wiring-wpc-only/

i think you can define when a specific sound will be played
the shaker will shake

You will be able to drive a shaker with every sound in your mix. This will be done in Pinsound Studio via a ms setting. This will make the shakes longer/stronger. Right now it's a "simple" On/Off signal going to a relay that is connected to a 12v DC source to drive the motor. You can also program simple patterns like this (all numbers are in ms)

70 (on)
120 (off)
600 (on)

This way I was able to have a neat pattern for the super jackpot in T2. You can also start with a 0, so it won't start shaking with the sound. For example:

0 (on, no shake)
600 (off, wait)
120 (first shake)

Works like a charm!

I understood that Pinsound will work with PWM - so you can actually adjust the strength of the motor.
Good stuff. Very good stuff.

Just did the 2.1 conversion to my TZ, and upgraded the speakers. Had a subwoofer left over from a WOZ swap - and found my old TZ was completely torn! Who needs a shaker motor now? The cab shakes with the new sound, using the re orchestration soundtrack.

I get a "sound board error credit dot" on my Roadhouse. Anyone else get this?

Loving the boards.

will the shaker still work in this release?

These statements seem to contradict each other. Can someone in the know explain?

I'm very eager to try integrating a shaker and possibly trigger other external mods but the lack of info whether or not this is possible is very frustrating.

So the change log indicated a custom startup jingle is a new feature but based on these replies it appears that its not changeable?

They integrated a simple on/off system to activate a Shaker via sound. They take this out now and integrate a pwm system that works completely different to the old version. So everyone who was using the old system with Shaker files will have to redo it when the new version is out. It will most likely use additional hardware.

I did not know that the new version will let you change the startup jingle. It was hardcoded in the past.

This may explain why they didn't offer me any help or information on how to add a shaker, other than just saying it's a future addon. I suspect they want to make sure they sell off existing stock before going public with it.

Their documentation on the file structure, configuration settings and the PinSoundStudio app could certainly be greatly improved. Hopefully that all comes together when the new shaker bits are complete.

Have you tried moving that sound file to the other folders, to see what type of behavior you get?

Im interested if you are able to correct the thank you mr data bonus in your sttng, not deal breaker but certainly not an expected result. Thinking of ordering two, one for my tz and one for my sttng, for sttng trigger shaker and tz trigger shaker any my motorized slot mod.

Easy question. Don't like them, unless the game was originally designed for 'em. Don't have any of those in any of my games. (Trick statement, since I ONLY own TZ at this point.)

However, I understand what you're trying to point out, and yes, again, that's why I said it is personal preference only. Color DMD and a shaker motor doesn't fix anything broken, or make anything technology or maintenance-free on the game, it's all for the player's preference.

I LIKE the original sounds, it's what 'I grew up with', and to me, the game doesn't need any remixes or new sounds, etc.

When I have a really bad first or second ball, I'll restart my game as I'm plunging the ball. Rod will start to say 'You have just crossed over into..' and then get cut off by the slot machine noise. Apparently, the pinsound board has more voices, and so doesn't cut him off. No thanks. My current audio board works fine so I don't need to replace a bad / missing board.. and if it doesn't perform *exactly* like the original (added features are fine..!) plus the cost, this is out of my interest range.

(As a side note - referencing cost.. think we could have saved about $15 and NOT had 'light up' trimmer resistors? Was the back-lit controls really necessary, or just some bling? )

Can the expansion port on the pinsound board be used to controll lights instead of shaker? Can just run relay from negative trigger on pinsound board? Just enable the shaker in pinstudio on selected sound? Thanks

Any update when shaker support will officially be added? My DESW is sitting here with the shaker mounting and Stern compatible wiring ready to go. I have a feeling something is already in code to control and external drive transistor and the necessary magical software commands, anyone feel like sharing?

Thanks Nate for your review and feedback, we are currently working on a new FAQ and manual.

@Tekman: we've entirely rewritten the code to support external devices (like shaker, smoke machine, whatever you want), we will release it in the next firmware.

Meantime, the next release of the PinSound Studio will be available with Visual Pinball support: you will be able to play your favourite VPinball tables with any PinSound compatible sound package.

Any eta on the next firmware drop? Interested in boot sound volume fix and shaker support.

Here's my Indy after restoring for 18 month.

• PinSound
• Color-DMD
• Speaker Panel rebuilt like Prototype
• Visaton Speaker
• Clearcoated Playfield
• Euro Coin Controller
• Non-Reflecting Glass
• Shaker Drive
• Illuminated Path Of Adventure
• some Modifications

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I see new firmware released but cant find info on shaker support?

Shaker support is included again and you need to download new PinSound-Studio as well.
Older existing Soundtracks need to be rearranged, then Shaker is working again over the extension port.

I just posted a question about this on the Pinsound Community! What great timing.

Are there instructions on how to connect the shaker to the extension port? Do we need some sort of interface board or is it to connect the shaker directly to pinsound? And are there instructions on how to manage shaker.txt?

I've been waiting for the shaker support for a long time. Hopefully they post some instructions on how to use it soon.

You need to connect to the extension port, that supplies 5 volt.
With these 5 volts you have to switch a relay that switch 12 volt to the shaker motor.
And it's recommended to use a rev regulation for the motor, too.
Don't connect the PinSound-Board directly to the 12 Volt motor!
In the PinSound-Studio Version 09 you can adjust the timing for the shaker motor in milliseconds for each sound you want the shaker turned on if played.
So, if you want the motor shaking at a special sound you have to enter the time how long the 5 volts from the PinSound-Board need to switch the relay. Each time the sound is activated, the relay will switch the shaker motor on and off.
For all these modification you MUST have a separate power supply with 12 volt and 10 ampere to reduce the power consumption of Indys power supply because high electric current will occur in odd resets of the pinball machine.

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The small board on the right is the 5 volt relay (two circuit) with the connector from the PinSound-Board on it.
Left you see the adjustable rev limiter.
In front of the shaker box I have mounted the separate power supply for stable 12 volt for the shaker motor and the PinSound-Board.
The shaker motor is switchable, maybe more practical for service or repair.

Oh wow that reminds me I have a 5V relay! Don't have a shaker though.. lol

Do you feel this is needed for all games or is Indy a high power draw game?

I dont see the extension port listed on the pinsound website board description. Where is it on the board? What is the pin out?

Previously Pinsound said the shaker could be dry contact driven or PWPM driven. Does the new firmware support both methods?

You appoach looks like tbe dry contact method, it only controls the length of time the shaker is on. Is their a way to control the strength with your approach? For example one sound produces a light short shake and another sound produces a strong long shake?

Do you have a recommended relay board and rev regulation board supplier?

Thanks for any additional info you can supply.

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For my understanding PWM-Method is canceled and maybe oversized.
The extension port is placed in the middle of the board and you can switch two channels with it.
There are four pins in it, two pins for each channel.
For instance you can switch a shaker an channel A and/or a fog-machine or lightshow an channel B.
Both channel switch 5 volt.
A separate power supply is necessary not only for Indy... all pinball machines can get in trouble if the power supply is being overloaded and then they will reset or burn the connectors/wiring.
I bought my relay and rev limiter at ebay for a good price ~7 Euros each.

USB is 2.0 only.

A rev limiter is a variable resistor for the shaker motor to decrease the voltage.
You can adjust how fast or with what rotational speed the motor should run.
My motor is able to turn 12.000 times a minute and to prevent damage of an disintegrating shaker unit I decide to limit the rotational speed.

Good reading on this thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-tame-cointakers-shaker-motor#post-2996602

It shows how to use an inexpensive PWM controller to fine tune your shaker motor.

I'm confused - is the shaker update allowing you to add any shaker to a game (like IJ)? Can someone explain what this shaker updates enables and the hardware required?

Yes, this allows a shaker to be added to any pin that PinSound supports. It allows shaker effects to be associated with any sound so you can choose exactly when and where to have the shaker integrated. I don't believe it matters what brand/type of shaker it is; all the PinSound is doing is providing a trigger so a relay can activate the shaker.

This is going to be awesome. I don't have any games w/ a shaker - I was looking at buying the Spooky shaker, but I wasn't sure if it had all the pieces. I guess I need to understand all the components better.

get the __ out of here - that's awesome! The other shaker for IJ was so hard to find b/c no longer made. Can someone who's done this already tell me what shaker to get and how to get it going?

I feel like this should be front page news.

My understanding is that any shaker will work- they are all pretty much the same, except for the newer Stern ones seem to be different. I have been planning on getting the Spooky one that PBL carries

You can build your own cheap customized shaker for any Pinball like I did.
Just look some posts before, it's not so difficult.

Now somebody please publish sound files with shaker instructions included to games!

I really want to add a shaker to my DW and MB ... omg pinball budget is escalating...

Pinsound brothers! Guys, post the big news!!!

Hey guys, here are some news regarding the shaker support

The latest firmware does support the shaker (triggered by a relay), but it's not the latest code we will release for this feature as we're definitely looking forward to implementing a PWM driver.

One of our customer has connected its own relay board without good electrical knowledges and he has destroyed its PinSound board.

Thus, we have decided to develop and sell fully plug'n play PinSound shaker kit, with everything needed to connect it on your pinball machine. Meantime, as you can understand, we'll not support connecting any external device on this extension port.

That means that you will be able to add a shaker to any PinSound compatible pinball machine, even if a shaker is not originally supported by the original ROM. The PWM driver will allow you to fine tune any shaker event and also to adapt the global power applied to your shaker (low, medium, high for example).

We'll keep you informed as soon when the first shaker kits are ready.

Thanks for your continuous support!

The latest *does* support a shaker. What they're saying is they want to avoid any catastophes with people installing hardware and frying the board. Plus the next FW update will support PWM, which is a huge step forward. Right now I think you trigger the shaker on and off, full blast, but the board will eventually be able to do low/med/high 'shakes'

Seems like the PinSound guys only gave/give their config/firmware documentation to Endprodukt and... maybe that's it? Ducking has never been documented on their site (shame b/c it works really well), nor any info on the 'custom rules' mentioned in the last two firmware updates, nor shaker info.

I had to grab Endprodukt's IJ remix to take a look at his config.ini for the ducking syntax. I don't use PinSound Studio so I just manually edited those lines in my config.ini. See: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinsound-tz#post-2378381

Hopefully, before another firmware update comes and goes, PinSound will fully document how to config and use their board, because it really is a tremendous product.

They have teased a number of updates Over the past year or so, including shaker support, but nothing for months now

I thought a shaker from them that would work out of the box, plug and play, is on the way, but when?

Not plug and play, and it's a little bit unclear how the code works, but i know some Pinsider(s) like Averell got it working. I would love to hook that up, but I don't have time to figure that out too right now. I believe the plan was that the PInSound guys wanted to have their own Shaker product for sale. If it's as high quality as their speakers are, I'm a day-1 buyer.

No shaker yet, but I did notice they have added a 'power booster" for Data East boards:

https://www.pinsound.org/shop/index.php?id_product=41&controller=product&id_lang=1

You have to consider, that the shaker code is integrated in the actual update.
PinSound just wants to sell their own complete shaker drive - plug and play.
For me it's oversized and I decided to built my own Shaker - it works.
PinSound supports a great possibilty with their newest PinSound-Studio to run custom made shaker and other equipment.

You are absolutely right - I just don't have time to build a shaker (unless there is a guide somewhere?) . You're right, it is not too hard - but hours and hours figuring it out, I still have other projects I need to do How did you figure out how to trigger the shaker?

The user Endprodukt was the first person who talked to PinSound and to integrate a simple code to switch a 5 volt circuit on or off if a special sound is played.
This feature was available on firmware version 0006 only and is no more supported later.
Actually with firmware 0068 another procedure is integrated to use a shaker in a similar way but you need the newest PinSound-Studio where you can toggle a switch on or off and where you can limit the time how long the circuit is switched.
It works.

There is a promised Shaker add-on that seems to be coming somewhat soon - you will be able to program shaker events for ANY event that has sound..which is basically anything. I would love to put this in a Doctor Who or MB

Any news when the shaker support will be ready?

Shaker Support is already implemented, take a closer look into the new PinSound-Studio an the two expansion connectors on the board.
Then think about it and try playing with the adjustments.
I use that function in my Indy and it works very well.
Just keep in mind that PinSound-Board provides 5 Volt only on the expansion connectors, so you have to use a relay between Board and Shaker.

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We know, dude You have an amazing shaker setup - it looks beautiful! There is no documentation on how to trigger the shaker in the config (at least as far as I know). I also don't have time to build one though, and I thought there was going to be a "PinSound Shaker" product - would love to add to Monster Bash or my Doctor Who.

You trigger the Shaker by the PinSound-Studio (V0.9). There's a small menu below where you can turn on the 5 volt of the expansion connector (Channel 1 or Channel 2) in milliseconds.
That's all, and all you have to do is to switch the Shaker of what Sound is currently playing.
For instance you want the Shaker run if you pull the trigger, you have to search for the Sound in the PinSound-Studio and switch on the expansion connector you want and how long you want.

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That is my understanding as well - Averell built a phenomenal looking shaker that interfaces with the board - I just don't have time to learn and build all of that, on top of the time to program the actual shakes. Ibelieve the intention is to allow direct programming of the shakes to any sound event that PinSound can detect, not just those associates with a flasher, as is the usual approach.

Lots of WPC have that issue in combination with DMD and PinSound - I use an external power supply for PinSound and Shaker Drive. DMD is connector to standard supply - no resets, no errors.

Yes, and you should prepare more power for a possible Shaker driven by PinSound-Board. I use stabilized 12 Volt and 10 Ampere.

Oooh when is that extension board coming out to allow a plug-n-play shaker motor???

Anyone hear anything about expected availability of their accessory board to control a shaker or other mods? Been waiting for that for a looooonnng time.

Development is still in progress... but Shaker and other stuff can be driven by Firmware 0090 and PinSound-Studio via Channel A (5V Relay).
Nicolas told me, next update will support Channel B for LED stripes or something else.
I have prepared my Indy and wait for the update, then Channel A will switch om Shaker and Channel B will switch a LED Stripe beneath Backbox.
My new project "Terminator 2" will be equipped exactly the same.

Has the shaker been released yet?

Native 2.1 stereo, shaker port, led strip port, hq sounds?
Need to see some comparison to see what is different. Seems like the old me isn't for sale anymore on their website.

Differences I notice.

1)RCA out. convenient if you want to hook up to another amplifier (like your home theater system) or want to record. I can live without this.

2)Headphone "station" connection. Looks like a cat5 cable connection that I can only assume will run to a proprietary breakout board with headphone jack and volume control that you can mount up front. Cool idea, depending on cost. I bought a $10 cable from amazon to extend my original PinSound headphone jack, I got a 4pole cable so the speaker mute still functions Works great.

3)Shaker port. Supposedly this is on the original card too. Not yet supported in software fully so hard to tell

4)Led strip port. This I really wish I had. I've got some speaker lights that this could probably work well with.

I think when they're mentioning Native 2.1 and HQ sounds, they are comparing a Pinsound to a stock soundcard. I don't think there is anything new here regarding the new card.

I hope they update PinSound Studio. There are still some inconsistencies with it and the Data East sound engine.

All in all, I just got my Pinsound on black Friday, so I'm bummed not to have the newest, I did save a little bit of money.

The website implies that the old board does not support a shaker... I am not certain if this is the case, but see the little comparison photo about the features available jn the old vs new board.

If the shaker is not supported in the original, I will be SUPER pissed. I have bought 6 of these boards and have supported them big time on here - I bought the last 2 because of the shaker support supposedly “coming soon” ( for the last 1 YEAR!)

I think the software support is there for old board. With pinsound studio you can associate sounds to trigger two different output siganls. I believe what's missing is an interface board with relays to control the external shaker. I think some people just made their own interface board but the pinsound guys say they are working on their own hardware add on board.

One year, that's nothing. I've been waiting for the shaker solution since TPF 2015 when I bought my pinsound! I have some mods I want to trigger with sound cues on my Ash Vs Evil Dead retheme game.

I love the work they have done with pinsound which is an incredible product and worth every penny. However they lag a little with speed on implementing promised features and the depth of their documentation. There is a bit of a learning curve to make a custom sound mix.

I remember reading that about the shaker. I hope the hardware when it surfaces works on both boards. I was mad enough frying a $40 LEDwiz on a project, I’m not going to DIY something on a $400 card.

I hope the software comes around as well. It doesn’t play well with Data East so making mixes is especially tough.

Unfortunately there's no more link to the PinSound-Studio Software.
I have to ask Nicolas, what the intension is or if there's another version available soon?
My idea was to support channel B of the older boards to use LED-Stripes or something similar.
Channel A is always working and can be used for shaker drive, etc.
And I hope we will get that last support for the older boards!

It's still not clear to me how to implement the shakers in the existing boards. Averell posted many months ago a relay/shaker solution he had created, but I am not sure how you got the software to know when to actually do the shake?

Nicolas told me, that there's a firmware revision and a new Studio-Software available, soon.
Both types of boards will support channel A and B of the extension connector.
PinSound will also release their own shaker assembly, then it will be much more easier for all the customers to have a shaker in their Pinball Machines.
At all you need the PinSound-Studio Software to swich on the shaker if a sound is played by the PinSound-Board.

Well thanks for clarifying - So does this mean that we must use the new pinsound software to trigger the shake? I thought I would just be able to program it directly. At this point I have almost finished my other projects, i will be able to build the shaker relay.

Averell are you doing a pinsound and shaker on your terminator rebuild? That was my thought to do but thought they would have a kit by now. Does this mean the older boards are obsolete for the shaker?

No, in the other thread Nicolas confirmed the old board will (EVENTUALLY) support the shaker. I guess the delay is because they want to create a complete add-on that will plug into the board, so people aren't DIYing and blowing up their board.

Today he told me, that both Boards will support channel A and B.
We have to wait for Firmware update and PinSound-Studio Revision.
Don't worry, you can use the PinSound-Shaker if available soon, or custom made like I did.

I've been kicking around two upgrades for my IJ... Pinsound or Color DMD, I had to pick one for now... I chose Pinsound... and holy shit! Pinsound on IJ, with Endprodukt re-mix will knock your effin socks off!!!!

I had upgraded my speakers with pinball pros years ago ... at the time I thought that was a decent upgrade but it didn't really impress me. Well... now with Pinsound ... my IJ audio is brilliant, rich and in-your-face awesome... not to mention it shakes the gameroom (not kidding)! Funny thing is I have a shaker in my IJ... the sub, when its cranked... actually shakes the cabinet as much as (probably more than) the shaker motor!

I couldn't stop and laughing ... some of the new call-outs are hysterical... the whole experience it was so intense and so awesome. A truly transformative upgrade.

If you have an IJ... and you love the game... this is a MUST HAVE!

Something something shaker kit something something

Shaker !!!!

There's a whole lot of shakin' going on in pinball this week.

Perhaps prompted by Pinshakers' shaker kit announcement the other day... or perhaps not... PinSound has now opened up preorders on their "Motion Control Shaker Kit."

Shipping expected/estimated in September.

Very excited for this. Firing the shaker through pinsound via callouts should be alot easier that wiring it up to flashers. Glad it will work with the original board as well.

This pinsound thread has been around a while now, as well as talk of shaker support. Interesting, just not the kind of interesting your post comes off as.

Lame you advertise your product here. Definitely will not be purchasing anything from pinshakers.

Later.

I’m sure Rob didn’t mean anything by it, but I do want to clarify that there is also a forthcoming shaker product offered by PinSound that does not require the actual PinSound board.

The new PSSP currently has limited features and not sure if the global settings work yet or not (you would need to test). Nicolas told me his main objective for this first release was shaker programmability, but he will be adding addition features to the software over time.

You don't/can't edit the config.pinsound file (this file contains details about an orchestration such as shaker commands, etc. using the new naming convention), rather the config.ini file which goes into the root of the USB drive as I've detailed before.

For a single shaker, Post Parcel from France to US is about $23 via PinSide.

It was for a shaker, pinsound board, and speakers. Guess I didn’t expect $55

I have used the original Pinsound board, just looking at getting some more boards and getting a shaker.
So downloaded the latest software but my original mixes will not load into the Pinsound Studio Pro as I am getting 'Incorrect sound package no config-pinsound file found'.

Where do I get this file and what does it do, I can not find any help on this.

It is a relatively new requirement to support the new "shakerizations" (actually, may have been implemented even before that, in preparation for things to come). No, it will not mess up our custom orchestrations. PinSound will happily convert them if you ask, assuming they have not already posted updated ones on the PinSound community. It is a proprietary naming convention which can somehow change from orchestration to orchestration for the same pin. I don't understand how or why, but PinSound tells me it is a proprietary methodology. What also doesn't make sense, but what I've been assured of, is that you can follow any of the new folder naming conventions of a working orchestration for a given machine, and your new orchestration will work (assuming you also have updated the firmware on your PinSound).

Currently we are in a transition time where the new PinSound Studio Pro does not have all of the legacy PinSound Studio features built into it yet - they are coming. What does make things a little difficult, is that you can capture a PSREC file of a new orchestration and the old numbers show up in the old PinSound Studio (I still use this until PSSP has replay built into it). Just to be clear, all of the previous orchestrations will still work on PinSound even with the new firmware, but they will never support shaker routines and/or any other features that may be added in the future.

More specifically to the question posted, in order to add shaker actions you must use PSSP, and your orchestration must following the new folder naming convention for your pin along with the corresponding pinsound.config file. If you want to create a new custom orchestration and want to play simulated game files while building your orchestration, then you must use PSS for the time being.

I don't know the shaker folder/naming convention requirements, but this does sound a bit strange. I hope this is not an attempt to hinder other sound-replacement solutions, as this type of confusion will only end up screwing over the community YET AGAIN, and ultimately lead to lesser sales. I'm already a bit frustrated the price hasn't come down. I was going to put in an order for 2 boards and a set of speakers the other day, and the total was almost $1,000! PinSound is such a great solution, but the real lack of support (seriously, the board has been out for 4 years and there are still no instructions really) and the price is a hard pill to swallow. Perhaps it's what I had for breakfast, but for me the shine is starting to come off.

If I don’t get a shaker and use the original Pinsound Studio, does anything change in terms of making orchestrations? Thanks.

So, I’m contemplating getting a Pinsound shaker or a pinshakers shaker for my Indiana Jones. Any thoughts either way? It sounds like the Pinsound shaker may be a little confusing for install. I’m thinking pinshakers shaker may be more “plug and play”. Thoughts out there?

Do you have a pinsound already? Get the pinsound shaker. It is way more flexible. Do you not have a pinsound already, and don't want to spend $500 for a new sound board and shaker? get the pinshakers shaker, it still lets you do a lot of different stuff, and can trigger on a lot of conditions.

I already have a Pinsound board. I just heard that adding a Pinsound shaker may be difficult and you may have issues with current custom mixes you already had on your Pinsound. Is there truth behind this?? If adding a Pinsound shaker is easy, I’m all for it, but from what I’ve read, it doesn’t seem like it is. Any thoughts???

I bought one for a Tommy. I have not received it, but from what I can tell looking at their site it looks like it would not be too difficult to modify an existing custom file. That said, I worry that their pre-done programs might be a preexisting sound package with shaker cues added. they have a video that shows some software that you can download that displays all of your files. It looks like you just highlight a sound and then pick the shaker effect, and it just adds a trigger to that sound. That seems simple enough. They also offered to walk me through the process if I had any problems.
If anyone knows anything different, I’d love to hear.
So, those are my thoughts. Once I get the thing and give it a run, I’ll let folks know how it goes.

I have a lot to say on the topic regarding the PinSound shaker, but I will try to keep things to the point. Just to let everyone know, I am the one who was selected to do the PinSound shaker programming for The Getaway. I've done over a dozen custom orchestrations for The Getaway and helped on a variety of others for various pins.

1) Physical Installation | Very simple, easy instructions, takes 15-30 minutes
2) Custom Orchestrations | The only requirement of any mix is that the folder naming convention be in the new number structure. If you have an older version that follows the simple numbering, then it will not work. All you have to do is re-download the mix from the PinSound community forum which should have the new structure. If you have an orchestration you did yourself, then PM PinSound and they will be happy to convert it for you. In order to support advanced features they had to change the way they were referencing the folders. So, nothing difficult or incompatible at all with a custom mix as long as it is converted to the current folder structure.
3) Programming | PinSound is working with users like me to create default shakerizations (my word). If there is one done for your game, then you are plug and play ready to go (will need to install latest firmware). If you want to do your own from scratch or modify an existing routine, then that is quite simple with PinSound Studio Pro. You have 9 different default shaker actions plus 3 custom ones you can program onto any sound event in a game. If editing an existing routine, you'll spend 5-10 minutes. If starting from scratch, you can have a basic shakerization done in 15-20 minutes. Afterwards you'll spend as much time as you want fine tuning things.
4) Orchestration Compatibility | A shaker routine for a game is automatically compatible with ALL orchestrations for that game (there is a feature that will allow you do disable for a given orchestration if you like). So, if PinSound includes one by default (they are still in process of developing for all games) or if you do your own, it will work with every orchestration you have on the USB drive without having to do anything extra.

I highly recommend the PinSound shaker if you already have a PinSound or buy them together as a kit. It is well designed, easily integrates, and PinSound includes all of the tools to easily program the shaker routine. Since I have firsthand experience with installation and programming from start to finish, I'd be happy to answer any questions I can that people post in this thread.

If you are interested in learning more about my Getaway shaker experience, you can start here and read several posts down regarding the installation and programming for The Getaway | https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/getaway-club-dispatch-run-a-make-on-license-plate-kingpin/page/196#post-5176104

Thank you Tantrum! I have the IJ custom mix on mine. Do you know if these custom mixes are updated with shaker implementation now? If so, just install shaker, download new mix and I’m ready to go?

It's very unlikely - each custom mix will have to be re-organized to support the shaker. The brothers may consider a script that lets you reorganize automatically in PinSound studio. I'm not sure how complex that would be though. I'm sure it's not a huge pain, but for the custom mixes people are charging for (e.g. IJ), they should really consider doing an update.

Yes, once the shaker program is launched (or if you want to create your own), your orchestration is in the correct format. Basically, you will have an updated pinsound.config file to replace or possibly it might even be in a firmware update that will automatically do it for you (I'm still unclear a little on this one).

Ah! My mistake for not clarifying. I’m speaking of the shaker setup. I’ve long owned the Pinsound plus board, which is great.

I think they still await more boards for the shaker bundle. I just wondered if people were currently receiving their shaker orders - signaling the resumption of order fulfillment.

Thanks

Personally, I don't really use PinSound Studio to do my orchestrations except for one thing: game playback/simulation. You do all of your sound editing outside of that tool (see my guide - Audacity is your best friend for capturing and creating custom music/fx/etc.), but the one thing for me that was very useful was the game simulation. This helps me listed to my sound events for timing, loudness, etc. within the context of a game without having to run back and forth to the real pin to test.

The issue at this point is that the brothers can only do so much at once. They are in the middle of releasing their shakers and need programs developed for pins (I did the one for Getaway). In order to program the shaker, they had to come up with a new process and new software (i.e. PinSound Studio Pro). I'm sure that once things settle down then they will have time to add the playback feature into the new version, but only so many hours in the day, so to speak.

While you don't really need the tool to do a custom sound package, you do need it to do a shakerization. The new PSSP is awesome at doing this. It makes things very simple, and you can literally do a shaker routine in less that 5 minutes. Now, you'll spend much longer than that trying it on the real pin and making adjustments, but getting something basic done is quite simple and quick. The good news is that PinSound will actually include default shaker routines for games already done by community members. In this case you don't have to do anything to have the shaker work, or you could tweak the existing routine to your liking.