The Online Virtual Drums widget include a nine-piece kit of drums that can be played on the computer within a web browser. The Online Virtual Drums widget can be played using either the computer mouse or the computer keyboard. Each pad has a keyboard shortcut located on the pad itself; the shortcuts is A for the Kick, S for the Snare, D for the Closed Hat, F for the Open Hat, G for the Low Tom, H for the Mid Tom, J for the High Tom, K for the Clap, and L for the Crash.
These keys are located on the middle row of the keyboard, allowing player to hit several keys at once with one hand. To play an accented hit with the Online Virtual Drums widget, you must hold the Shift key while you press one of the keys. Such accented hit are louder then the standard hits of the kit; they are useful for players looking to emphasize the Snare or Crash.
How to Use the Online Virtual Drums
However, clicking with the mouse or tapping on the screen with a touchscreen device dont allow for accented hits; all such clicks and taps are performed at the standard velocity of the kit. The Groove selector allow users to select one of several different groove pattern. The different patterns are Rock, House, and Funk patterns, with a “None” option for playing without a backing track.
After selecting a groove pattern, you must click the Start button to begin playing the selected groove pattern. The Online Virtual Drums widget will begin to loop the 16-step groove pattern at the selected BPM. A row of lights are located above the pads above the kit to indicate which step within the loop the widget is playing.
The brighter lights indicates the beats in the track. Clicking the Stop button will silence the widgets sound. The BPM slider control the tempo of the auto-groove.
The auto-groove tempo can be set to between 60 and 180 BPM. Changing the tempo will take effect immediately. Using a slower tempo will allow more time for each individual hit of the kit’s drums, but may make it more difficultly to play at faster tempos.
To facilitate playing at faster tempos, it is recommended to practice the Online Virtual Drums widget at its lowest BPM prior to attempt to play it at higher BPMs. The Volume slider control the overall output of the Online Virtual Drums widget. The volume will affect the auto-groove and the manual hits.
The volume control dont impact the system volume. The Fullscreen button will expand the Online Virtual Drums widget to fill the screen. This provides each pad more room to play with.
To exit fullscreen mode, click the Fullscreen button or press the Escape key. Clicking the “How to play” button will open a panel with information within the Online Virtual Drums widget. The panel include the keyboard map, the groove controls and additional tips.
Additionally, the browser will unlock the audio engine of the Online Virtual Drums widget the first time you click upon the kit or a key are pressed. This is a security feature of the web browsers. This isnt a malfunction of the Online Virtual Drums widget.
For users of mobile device, lowering the BPM may help with the timing of the widget. Finally, keep the Online Virtual Drums widget active within your browser tabs; some browsers will slow the Online Virtual Drums widget if it is not in use.