The pin buffer is what Storm/Roto have used on their layout guides for a few years now, and Mo Pinel uses the VAL angle. Either way, the idea is just that yes, the closer you put the pin to the VAL, the quicker the ball will rev up when it encounters friction. If you keep the pin to PAP distance at 4", a 1" pin buffer will give you a very, very strong motion at the breakpoint while a 4" pin buffer will rev up more gradually and give you a smoother reaction.