thunk

THUNK! Virtual Instruments FAQs

My drums aren't making sounds.
Make sure you have rezzed a Thunk! Beatmaster nearby. The Beatmaster tells the drums when to start looping, so they will play in sync. Without it, they will never start looping and just be silent. Always confirm that your computer speakers are on and that Second Life's volume is a a normal level. Also confirm that you're using a Thunk! Product that is designed for sound. Most of our products come with a silent version for musicians, or concert venues.

The sync sounds weird sometimes.
The magic that allows our drums to play in sync with each other is really quite simple. The beatmaster is essentially a clock, telling the drums they should start looping. The loops are all in lengths which can be divided by 1 beat. Some loops are almost 10 seconds long and are unique compositions. The compromise we use is letting the beatmaster allow loops to start every 4 seconds or so. If an 4 second loop triggers halfway through an 8 second loop, the result can be.. well.. odd. It can also be a moment of spontaneous polyrhythmic joy! Like any two percussion compositions played at the same tempo, some things will sound great together and some will not, experimenting is the fun part! The guarantee is that all the loops are of the same tempo and compatible length, the rest is up to style and taste.

No but really, some thing is very wacky with the sync!
The only possibility for the drums to not play in sync is if you have more than one beatmaster rezzed in a place. If there are two beatmasters somewhere and you rez various drums, they will respond to whichever beatmaster is closest. Drums using 2 different beatmasters would be bad. Don't do it! Pay particular attention if you have a beatmaster bracelet!

Will these work with my old Thunk! Drums?
Yes! As a matter of fact, if you have the original Tontobie! drums, these will even work with that. Just be careful that (and I can't stress this enough!) you don't have more than one beatmaster rezzed!!!

Can I adjust the volume?
Yes!!! We have added volume control to all Thunk! instruments Series 2 and newer, and in many cases have issued re-releases of old drums with volume control implemented.

I didn't receive my item!
We know that odd things happen, if you have had a transaction difficulty, let us know in world and we will do our very best to remedy the situation.

Can you build a custom drum for me?
Yes! With your sounds, or we will make our own, or use one of our existing sets. Custom drums with sounds and animations can be a tad pricey, but hey, it is a one of a kind item!

Where can I find people who want to play?
Try joining our group in world, you can always post in there and see what is happening! Jams take place all over SL all the time, just find one and jump in!

How often do you release new instruments?
It really depends on many factors, but we try to release new instruments often, and we also try to have plenty of both wearable and static drums so if you can't rez at the circle you can always bring something to wear!

How can I find out about upcoming products?
Our website at thunksl.com is always up to date with the latest and greatest. Many of our products can be purchased on marketplace, and most can be tried in our in world store. Products for special events are generally a 1 time product that will never be for sale again, however the versions for such events are transfer.

Can I record these drums for use in my projects?
Yes! If you want to make music with these, please feel free to do so at your leisure. What you can't do is use the recordings, together, or apart in any items in Second Life. So it is perfectly ok to record a beat and sing over it and then sell the song on your website, but it is not ok to record the beat, upload it to SL and use it in a drum. Capeesh?

Why can I see through the drum sometimes?
Depending on your GPU and graphics settings, some of the very earliest model Thunk! drums may show a transparent flicker from some angles. The flicker will usually resolve itself as you move closer, but it can be eliminated entirely by going into the drum's texture panel and changing the pulldown "Alpha Blending" to "Alpha Masking." If you do want to mess with it, please let us know which product is producing this effect and we will get you a replacement!