DDR on PC and Mac, How does it work?

In this page I am going to explain how to set up Dance Dance Revolution on your computer. You will need a dance mat of course, maybe a Playstation/USB adaptator, a software (actually, a game) and music tracks.

The dance mat

Obviously the choice of the dance mat is very important for your in game enjoyment. This part of the website is the most questions inspiring, that is why I decided to deal with it on a dedicated page:
Rendez-vous on Dance mat reviews. Long story quick, the offer is now limited in 2023 but there are still some products at the higher end segment and also at the lower end.
Old mats used to require a Playstation to USB adaptator. I have a section about that at the end of this page.

Softwares/games

The reference for Dance Dance Revolution on a computer is Stepmania.
Stepmania is an adaptation of the game DDR on PC and Mac, free, open source, and full of features. There was a long period of mess with several competing versions of Stepmania, but in the end Stepmania 5 superseeded the older ones. Stepmania 5 development is frozen since 2018 and version 5.1, beta 2. Fans have stepped up with a new software named Project Outfox. I am using it now. It's still based on Stepmania, but it gets regular updates.
You can have several versions of Stepmania (or Stepmania and Dance with your Intensity) on your computer and make them share the same song library. A good way to save disk space!
Click the image below to go to my tutorial about Stepmania. You will find complete info on this software and set up tips, especially for network play.

The (vintage) alternative to Stepmania is Dance With Intensity.
I love this game because it is the one I started up with. DWI is almost as features full as Stepmania, the user interface is brilliant, the announcer is awesome. What I really miss in Stepmania is the profile handling, far superior in Dance With Intensity. Very useful if several dancers use the same computer and do not want to mix scores.
Unfortunately DWI project stopped long ago, thus it is the same game than in 2003. Since then Stepmania brought its high res graphics and multiplayer, making it the obvious choice.
If you do not care about high res, go on and give Dance With Intensity a shot. Click the picture to access my complete tutorial!

In addition to the freewares DWI and Stepmania, you can find commercial softs, like the In The Groove franchise. I know very little about it ... because I do not want to pay for it! The game is based on Stepmania, but adds several gameplay tricks like the mines, the rolls (similar to the freezes except you tap the arrow all along), the Hands (there are 3 or 4 arrows at a time thus you must use your hands).
Contrary to Stepmania and Dance with Intensity, In The Groove features a mix of songs you do not need to download on the web (after all, you paid for it). This is much like the games Dance Dance Revolution 1,2,3,... you can buy on Playstation or play in arcade. You can not add others songs by yourself.
In The Groove was released on PC, arcade and PS2.

Musics

Last but not least, the songs. A Dance Dance Revolution title is made of the musical file, which can be mp3 or ogg, and a text file describing the succession of arrows. The latest can be either .dwi or .sm, .dwi being accepted by both Stepmania and Dance With Intensity and .sm only by Stepmania.
In addition you can find pictures or even video clip to be displayed in the background during the play. The important thing is, all these elements must be gathered in one folder. More on that in my pages devoted to the softwares, and in the Create your DWIs section.

Stepmania and Dance With Intensity do not come with any song pre-installed; you've got to look for it on the web. To begin with, check my page Dance school out, I give a few titles direct download. Then you should head to the Links and build your collection. New titles are released every day, you can even do yours as I explain it here!!

TV and Hi-Fi outputs

Maybe you own a big TV screen you would like to use for your DDR session, or even an overhead projector with which you could set up huge DDR parties. Good idea! But watch the image/sound/mats synchro!! Most of the time it is a bad idea to use your TV for sound output: the sound signal would go through additional electronic circuits, being delayed in the process. Instead of hitting a Perfect timing, you would end up with mediocre Good.
That's a DDR golden rule: always choose the shortest route between your computer and your ears, so plug the speakers directly to your computer. Even sound cards processing like equalizing can sometimes induce a delay. Personally I own a Hi-fi receiver with HDMI input to process the sound coming from the PC and HDMI output to bring the video to the TV. Everything works nicely in this configuration. Previously I used the optical input (Toslink) which is fine too.
However, the newest versions of Stepmania lets you calibrate your audio sync so now you can make up for a not-so-perfect audio configuration. But the set up is not so easy. See Stepmania, "calibrate audio sync".

The adaptator (now deprecated)

Why an adaptator? A couple of years ago, most mats available were designed for the Playstation1/2. Purchasing a Playstation/USB adaptator was a must, but this is not the case anymore.
The dance mats deluxe ignition dance pad features in its 3in1 installment connectors you can directly plug into your PS2, Xbox or PC, then many mats followed this path. If you are equipping today for DDR, you should not worry about adaptators.

BEWARE! Lots of adaptators are on the market, but only one is well suited to dance mats: EMS USB 2, and you can plug two mats with it. According to the official website , other adaptators can work but I personally know only about the EMS.

Why this one? The trick is, directional arrows are dealt with as independent boutons, not as axis. Try to press simultaneously up and down with an axis... does not work.

Where can I get it? On the web, as a (french) example on fl-games. Price is 16€50 plus shipping.

How do I have it work? EMS USB2 needs a driver, download here. Just double click the exe to set it up.
Beware: There is a little swich on the adaptator, it MUST be on "PC" and not on "game" or else Windows is lost. Classical trap :D
Once the driver is set up, and the adaptator plugged, check in the setting panel, game controllers that "axis 4 button 16 joypad" appears twice. If not, check the switch,plug/unplug, or reboot.