Anyone Playing Rocksmith?

[nullPointer]

I’ve played bass guitar on and off since high school (I guess as of this year that would make it 20 years - turns out I'm getting old! ), but I never got terribly serious about it. Sure I picked up some licks along the way, learned to keep time, pound out a tune, heck I even learned a somewhat OK slap technique when I really worked at it (OK meaning I can sort of at least do it now). But the point is, I never progressed beyond being a decidedly mediocre player (if that).

So having an interest in music I’d been following the progress of Rocksmith over the course of its development, but I was never terribly interested as it didn’t feature bass tracks, or at least not until the last quarter of 2012. So fast forward to my birthday this year, when I decided to give myself a birthday present and bought Rocksmith on Steam (along with the associated instrument cable). Well the first thing I discovered is that my then current bass seemed to have some latency issues due to the pickups. It’s an acoustic bass guitar with cheap piezo pickups – living in apartments during all of my twenties and early thirties prompted the move to an ABG mostly as a courtesy to neighbors and roommates (because let’s face it, not too many people want to hear my happy ass belting out Blitzkrieg Bop through a 15” amplifier at 1:00 AM - least of all my wife). So the first order of business was picking up a new solid body electric bass (I got a great deal on a Matt Freeman signature P-Bass as if anyone cares), and that was it, with my new axe in hand I embarked on my Rocksmith journey.

Wow! I feel like my playing has improved ten-fold in my short time with this game you guys! Not only have I learned a bunch of new songs, but I’ve also started learning techniques I would never have even discovered without this game/teaching aid. I had heard of palm muting before, but never knew what it actually was until going through the technique challenges in the game. Tremolo picking? Not a problem now! (OK I’m actually still practicing this one quite a bit … but I never would have given it a thought prior to the game). So yeah I’m sort of gushing about this game, but it really is pretty epic for anyone that even has the slightest interest in picking up a guitar or bass.

So this is a multi-part question. Do we have any aspiring or experienced guitarist and/or bassists on the forums? Is anyone else playing Rocksmith? Any favorite tracks? Has anyone imported custom tracks into the game? I’d love to hear of others experiences. I’m currently having a blast. I’m even considering getting a cheap guitar just so I can go back through the game and learn some guitar!

[Draco1962]

I have an acoustic guitar (a Fender Squire - nothing fancy, no pickups, etc.) and would love to learn how to play it. I have considered Rocksmith but haven't looked into what would be required or if it would even be possible with what I have without breaking the bank.

[nullPointer]

So after I graduated from high school I worked at a lodge near my home town for a couple of years (this one actually). I was a year round employee (or as close to it as possible given the seasonal nature of the job with a couple months off between seasons), but during the summer we would get an influx of employees from all over the place. Frat boys from Maine, Southern hippies from Tennesee, Disenfranchised burn outs from everywhere, one year we had a bunch of Newfoundlanders work there, heck one summer we even had a refugee from the then current Bosnian War come to work for us - given the perspective of history I always wonder what happened to that guy. Any hoo I'm digressing (a lot). The point is that it seems like everyone who came to work there inevitably came with an acoustic guitar strapped to their back (and more often than not a milk crate full of Grateful Dead and/or Phish bootlegs).

So often times we'd do employee campfires after hours, and these folks would sit around jamming on their acoustic guitars. It was an awesome time and I've often wished I'd had my acoustic bass at that time (I was still tooling around on my first electric at the time - basically worthless without an amp and electric outlet nearby). Getting to my point - I've always loved the sound of just strumming away on an acoustic guitar. I always wished I could have sat around jamming with those guys; it just seemed so cool at the time. So maybe one day (with a little help from Rocksmith) I too can be a disenfranchised burnout with an acoustic guitar playing Dylan tunes. A guy can dream right?! At this point I'm really thinking that I'd like to get an electric guitar for the purposes of transferring those skills to an acoustic.

And that's where the Rocksmith thing comes in. You do need a guitar with an output jack so you can use the instrument cable, but beyond that I think it's fairly wide open. I had some trouble with my acoustic bass but even that did a somewhat serviceable job, and I think any problems i was having were the fault of the instrument moreso that the game (there are a good handful of YouTube videos of people using acoustic guitars with the game). I'm a firm believer in pawn shop guitars, and if I get a guitar for the purposes of playing the game, that's likely where I'll be checking first (as well as Craigslist).

You've got a birthday coming up Draco! If you've got a burnin' desire to get down on that git-fiddle maybe now is the time to pick up some gear! Even if you don't go the Rocksmith route maybe a couple of lessons of lessons would be just the ticket (in this case you could definitely use your current guitar, not to mention that some would say this is the better route anyway, although in my case using Rocksmith to "gameify" my practice has been huge in helping me stay motivated - not to mention the almost endless availability of new material to work on)

[hansolo77]

I've been a big fan of the Rock Band/Guitar Hero games. When Rocksmith came out I was eager to get it until I learned it requires a REAL guitar. I don't actually own one, so I never bought the game. It looks impressive and I'd really like to give it a go. There's even some "unauthorized" track packs out there you can get that people have created themselves for the game if you know where to look. My brother had an electric guitar and amp he got for Christmas one year but he lost it in a tornado in Florida a few years ago. Ever since then it's just been all about the clicky snaps of the plastic Guitar Hero strum bar and the 5 plastic buttons. I'm pretty good at it though, can play on HARD pretty well too.

[nullPointer]

Man I tell you what Han, if you like Guitar Hero / Rockband and have any sort of interest in picking up a guitar or bass, I bet you'd get a huge kick out of this game. I've been lurking a few different Rockband forums, and that really seems like a fairly common entry point into this game; someone who has mastered the intricacies of clicky guitar games and is looking for a new challenge.

The only issue is the initial cost of gear when you're starting from scratch. If there's some good news here it's that you only need an electric guitar in order to get into the game (i.e. one that you can plugin to something - it can still be an acoustic-electric). You don't need an amp for the game since the game outputs your sound. There's actually even an 'Amp Mode' that lets you just jam within the game (no backing track), and lets you apply all of the amps and effects pedals you've unlocked in game to craft your own tones (as well as save them). Good Times! Sometimes I actually use Amp mode through my real amp:

Bass -OUT-> Rocksmith Instrument Cable -IN-> Laptop Running Rocksmith -OUT-> Thru headphone jack with a Y Splitter -IN-> Auxiliary Input on Amplifier --> Crank it!

Eventually you might want to pick up a real amp, but its not required for the game. There's actually a starter set for the game that comes with everything you need to get started (an Epiphone Les Paul copy, instrument cable, and the game itself). The cost isn't exactly peanuts, but it's certainly no more than the full Rockband set cost when it came out (it might even be less if memory serves correctly). I'm a bit worried that I sound like an advertisement for this game, but I've been having a blast with it. It's actually not just me though, a recent study concluded that Rocksmith is actually one of the fastest ways to learn guitar.

I've just started messing around with custom tracks in game, and I have to say it's pretty neat. The official DLC and content on disc is excellent and covers a bunch of genres, but sometimes you've just got a hankering to learn something specific that's simply not available elsewhere. That's where custom tracks come in exceedingly handy.

[hansolo77]

Yeah I'd really like to get into it a bit more, but money is super tight right now. I'm supposed to be saving up to get a car so I can move out of my parent's house. The best I can do right now is a bicycle, and even that's gonna cost me about $130 to get fixed (picking it up from the repair shop today). If I had the money freely available to me, I'd love to get a guitar and play this. I've already tried learning the harmonica (sucked at it), piano (can play by ear and can play chords with my right hand). I learned violin in 3-4th grades, and then got a cornet (trumpet only smaller) in 5th and played that through high school. A guitar would be awesome to learn. When it comes right down to it though, I haven't played any of the Guitar Hero/Rockband games in probably a year though, so I'm out of practice.

A co-worker of mine plays lead guitar in his garage band. I didn't know he played until just here recently when he was telling me he wouldn't be able to work one night because his band had a gig. Pretty cool.

[nullPointer]

I hear you about the money thing. I was probably stretching our budget a bit when I sprung for my new bass, and even that only got me into the 'good entry level instrument' category. Playing music is by no means a cheap hobby, and when you add the cost of a new game and a specialty instrument cable it starts to add up.

Besides which, UbiSoft has been making noise like they're going to have a big Rocksmith announcement at E3 next week. Speculation is that they might be introducing Rocksmith 2. If that's true then it might be a good plan to wait for the sequel anyway (either that, or wait for the price to drop on the first game and swoop it up).

At any rate real-life always always takes priority. I still think it's pretty cool that you're getting that Raleigh all fixed up. Should be a pretty good source of transportation! And the health benefits certainly can't be scoffed at either.

[Draco1962]

Nice to know that the USB adapter is compatible for both Xbox 360 and PC. I might just have to look into the bundle!

[hansolo77]

At any rate real-life always always takes priority. I still think it's pretty cool that you're getting that Raleigh all fixed up. Should be a pretty good source of transportation! And the health benefits certainly can't be scoffed at either.

Oh yeah, it's awesome now. Ended up being about $136 because he went ahead and replaced my rear brake cable since it was frayed REALLY bad. Then I had him add a waterbottle mount and bottle and the total cost including labor went to $150. But it's like a brand new bike now. He did a lot of "secret" stuff that he didn't charge me for, like lubrication of all joints and cables, repaired a bit of a wobble I had on the tires where the spokes were loose and untrue, and he degreased and re-lubed the bike chain. The other stuff I needed him to do he did too, replaced the old shifters that were about 20 years old with a new set that are soooooo smooth! It's cool too, the old shifters had 2 triggers one on top of the either; this new set has one for your thumb (down) and one for your index finger (up). Gonna take some getting used to but I like it! Also, I just bought a new bike lock today for about $26 at WalMart. A big U-Bar lock with a cable. I also gave my new water bottle a spin today while I was out riding. I'm so out of shape though. I can ride maybe 15 minutes (about 2 miles now that I can see with my birthday present computer) before I get exhausted and need to come home. I think my seat needs adjusted. Everything I've read/seen says that the seat needs to be high enough so that when you sit on it and extend your legs on the pedals all the way down, your leg is straight. I had it way to low before and actually was at about 140 degrees. I adjusted it a bit today but I need a little higher, I'm at about 170 degrees now.

ANYWAY! I didn't want to thread hijack.

Rocksmith is on the back burner right now till I get some more monies together. If I win the PCH I won't have to worry. $1,000,000 plus $5,000 a week for life. I WANT IT!

[DazzleHP]

Blitzkrieg Bop

Never knew you were a guitarist null! Guitarist of over 20 years here, although i don't mention it much these days as due to health reasons i had to quit. But i still got it! (just broke the bad boy out and ripped it ) Never played rockband/guitar hero and the like, well i can play for real duh lol but this rocksmith has got my interest after reading your posts. I doubt i'll get any better coz i pushed myself like a madman when i was young, but if it is a genuine learning tool then i'm all for it! How does a Skype jam sound??? null on bass, i'll do rhythm/lead and or backing vocals, just a drummer and we got ourselves a band! Crazy that you didn't really know what palm muting was till now, but then that's mainly a rhythm guitarist technique, just like slapping is a bass technique, we can both do it but one does it better than the other I like this topic a lot! Dam i wanna play more...

[nullPointer]

Heh ... sounds like you're quite a bit more ... uh ... accomplished than I am as a musician. But yeah, I'd totally be game for some interwebs jamming. It's been quite a while since I actually played with a live person (as opposed to recordings). The only issue that gives me pause is that my internet is very spotty in terms of latency. I live clear out in BFE - the boondocks if you will. As a result my internet is ostensibly a broadband connection, but in reality it's only just barely. It comes in over wireless connection (as in radio signal) rather than a copper cable to the home. This is also the primary reason that online multiplayer games are not really an option for me.

So yeah Rocksmith. I've been having a blast with the game, as someone who is still learning various techniques and whatnot. Having said that, more experienced musicians also seem to have a great time with the game as well. For those guys (and likely yourself) it's probably less of a learning tool and more a matter of, "Hey I'm going to learn a bunch of new songs, and basically PWN the game" The only knock I've heard skilled musicians give the game is that it's not going to teach you Music Theory. I mean it really is monkey see, monkey do, but all the same I mean ... who doesn't like monkeys? As near as I can tell the DLC pretty much caters to all skill levels, and there's certainly some very challenging material available. In terms of guitar the Megadeth (OMG starting about 1:40!) and Pantera stuff seems very challenging (or for that matter the Allman Brothers stuff and the juggernaut that is Freebird - the endless soloing starts at 5:05). In terms of Bass there's a whole Rush DLC pack which would keep me personally occupied for weeks before I could even string together a loose approximation (Geddy Lee as a bass player = rock god. Although Geddy Lee as a singer = ... meh ... not so much - well except for The Trees - I could listen to that jam all day long). At any rate the game is definitely worth a look IMO, and if you've already got a guitar the cost of admission is that much smaller (also remember that the Steam Summer Sale is just around the corner).

So yeah ... Palm Muting. My time in formal lessons is a bit of a funny story really (and not really one fit for public forums believe it or not), but let's just say I only took lessons for a brief time and spent years attempting to play by ear ... to varying degrees of success (with minimal knowledge of various techniques that might have better facilitated the journey - I'm quite sure all the bad habits I've picked up over the years are as multitudinous as they are egregious). So there are a few songs I tried to learn that featured palm muting on bass (or what I would recognize now as palm muting - at the time all I heard was a percussive plunky sound). What I did was to finger pluck but only let the note ring out very briefly. The sound was an approximation of palm muting though probably not very good (and my left hand was continually busy muting all those notes!). What a mess!

[celly]

I heard about Rocksmith but never tried it. In the real world i can play guit, bass and piano. Started off on bass in junior high then guitar and piano later. I did a lot of recording when i was in the military (nothing else better to do) and thats about it. My collection of instruments slowly dwindled down to a Japanese knockoff dreadnaught acoustic.

Back on topic here, i honestly hate the rockband/guitar hero games and im not good at them at all. Which you would think i should have good cordination with 5 stupid color buttons and a strum button. Nope. I hated knowing how to play the song in game and trying to one button a chord pull off. Yeah i know, its a game. Just not my cup.

Id like to take that Rocksmith for a spin. You can pick up a cheap electric strat style 6 string at any local pawn shop for under a hundred. Be neat to actually learn while playing.

[Draco1962]

The kit contains a Les Paul Epiphone Jr. My son who has actually played says it is pretty decent.

[DazzleHP]

Music theory - bleh I've never had a lesson, can't read music for dumplings and i play the D chord "wrong". Yet i can nail a song after hearing it 2-3 times, by ear, it just flows out. I have a feeling if my brain was full of "properisms" it would take a lot longer. I've also been bitched at 100's of times by "educated" guitarists about the way i play the D chord, yet my chord switching is smoother than any of them, go figure. I know i sound big headed there, but it's not my intention at all. The point i'm making is if you have it you have it. And any one who says you are wrong for doing things your own way is an idiot If it sounds rocking you nailed it. That's all that matters.

I'm still tempted to try Rocksmith though, even if it is to just PWN it as null puts it hehehe Does anyone know if you have to have the special usb lead for it to work though? i have a custom cable i had made years ago for plugging my guitar into my PC, would be cool if that worked.

@Draco, yeah Epiphones are not bad guitars at all for what they are! Especially for a beginner. Infact i would say they are one of the best "cheapies" Be warned though parents, it might make them want the genuine article - college fund go bye bye

[Draco1962]

@Draco, yeah Epiphones are not bad guitars at all for what they are! Especially for a beginner. Infact i would say they are one of the best "cheapies" Be warned though parents, it might make them want the genuine article - college fund go bye bye

Better yet, graduate from college, get a real job, and buy one with your OWN money!

[hansolo77]

Its funny how you say people judge you on your playing because you're doing it wrong. As long as the right notes come out of the instrument, who cares how it's done? When I played the Cornet, there are a few notes that have multiple key combinations to hit it. It's all on how you purse your lips. The same can be true about typing. When I was in middle school, I did a lot of MUD gaming (more specifically LPMud gaming). In those early years of online RPG's, I developed my own way of typing without having to look at the keyboard. Years later, with the advent of instant messaging programs like IRQ/AIM I got even better at it. Then in high school I took a course "Intro to Typing" which was to teach people how to properly type. I flew through the course like crazy, but in the end for the final exam, I typed my OWN way. For instance, I use the LEFT SHIFT for all my caps, not the right for the left handed keys. I also only use my RIGHT THUMB for the space bar, instead of both thumbs. My finger reaches are all different than what they're supposed to be. But that doesn't matter. The fact is, when I get down to it, I can type around 150 words per minute without ever looking at the keyboard, and have a 98% accuracy rating. That's pretty good for being self taught, let alone some of the other kids in the class that never had any experience and the teacher herself that were getting around 50-65 wpm. The whole thing here is not that you do it right, as long as it's done.

[nullPointer]

Rise From Your Grave ... Necro Thread!

Dudes. Rocksmith 2014 just came out this week, and I am absolutely stoked! Ubisoft has really gone a long ways towards improving some of the gripes I had about the original game. The menu system has been (vastly) improved, they've included more varied techniques (the first RS did not address tapping at all), plus a host of new features and various other improvements. The set list for 2014 is frickin' epic (IMO). It's been accused of being a bit lopsided in the Metal department, but honestly I'm fine with that (and TBH the classic and indie stuff seems to be every bit as strong as the included Metal tracks). My listening habits have been undergoing a bit of a "Metal revival" anyway so I'm looking forward to playing a lot of these songs. Mastodon here I come! \m/ \m/.

So I was going to hold off on purchasing this game, since ... well I don't know that I've ever actually paid $60.00 for a game. I'm all about the used market (and Steam sales) - translation: I'm too cheap LOL! But just last night I was cleaning our guest bedroom, and found an unused $25.00 gift card for Amazon. "This b**ch is mine!" I exclaimed to no one in particular. Fast forward 30 seconds and I'm purchasing the Steam code from Amazon. The Download finished this morning. Tonight the game room in the nullPointer household will be formally dedicated to the Gods of Rock! So yeah I'm pretty pumped.

Does anyone know if you have to have the special usb lead for it to work though? i have a custom cable i had made years ago for plugging my guitar into my PC, would be cool if that worked.

Wow, sorry I never answered this. I've heard that it's possible to play the game without the official cable, but it may require some fiddling with configuration files and the like. YouTube has several videos on the subject (Google 'Play Rocksmith without a Real Tone Cable' for more info). So it appears that some users have done this very thing.

I'd love to hear if anyone else is playing Rocksmith, and their experiences with the game!

Now ladies and gentlemen, I hope you'll excuse me ... while I kiss the sky.

[rtkiii]

I picked up RS(the original) a month or so ago for about $30 with cable and I have been having a blast playing it. I do have the same gripes as others do about RS but I'm not going to shell out another $70 to get 2014 at this moment. I'll wait for a good price dip of $25-30 and then I'll pick it up. I also have RB3 real guitar and I think Rocksmith is a far better learning tool. RB3 is more party friendly and has a huge library but for teaching RS kicks the crap out of RB3.

What do you think of RS2014 now that you've played it a week or so?

[nullPointer]

I have been really impressed with RS 2014. I enjoyed the first game immensely, but 2014 has improved on some of the gripes I had with the the original RS. Here are some of my observations regarding RS 2014.

Positive Changes

• RS 2014 has fewer latency issues in my experience. With the first RS there were more than a few users who reported latency issues. For the most part I never noticed any latency save for one aspect. Whenever I went into Amp mode I would get noticeable latency if I played to quickly. If I played slower songs it would be fine, but anything uptempo would really start to lag. In one specific instance this turned out to be very frustrating as I had spent a fair amount of time dialing in the tone Justin Chancellor uses on the Tool song 46 & 2. I finally found a tone I was satisfied with, but once I started playing the song it was simply too problematic due to the latency. I have noticed absolutely zero lag in RS 2014 whatsoever. That's a very good thing too, since some aspects of RS 2014 (like Session Mode) rely on having no latency.
  
• Interactive riff repeater in RS 2014 is awesome. I found that as I was progressing through the original RS I relied more and more heavily on Riff Repeater to master difficult parts of songs. It was a great feature, but you were locked in to learning one specific section of a song at a time (Intro, verse 1, verse 2, chorus, outro, etc.), not to mention that it was a bit buried in menus. So I would learn each section well, but then when I played the full song it was the transitions between sections that would screw me up, especially since those changes can involve moving several frets up or down the neck. I always wished I could just define my own sections of a song within riff repeater. RS 2014 allows you to do exactly that. You can bring up the Riff Repeater menu at any point in a song (while you're playing no less) and set the beginning and ending of the section you wish to play. The improvements to Riff Repeater are one of my favorite aspects of RS 2014..
  
• The menu system in RS 2014 is more intuitive that the original game. Among other things you can sort you song library on the fly using one of several different sort orders (alphabetically, by artist, by year, by difficulty, etc.
  
• RS 2014 will allow you to import nearly every song of on-disc content from the original RS (as well as all DLC from the original game). Furthermore every song from the first game has been re tracked for the new game. This means that you may have have to re-learn some of the songs from the original game as they will have incorporated new techniques, arrangements, etc. Some songs are actually arranged very differently on the fret board than they were in the original game. To my mind is great because I found some of the songs in RS to have some very odd decisions in terms of fingering and positions. I put this as a neutral since I suppose re-learning songs may turn some people off. You also need to shell out $10 in order to import the older RS songs into RS 2014. I know some people have felt that $10 is too much ask for this service, but the way I look at it I just got 50+ songs worth of DLC for a few cents apiece; especially so when you consider that they've all been re-tracked meaning they really basically are new songs to learn.
  
• Confession time: I never really enjoyed the Guitarcade games in the first RS. I put this as a neutral comment because I think some people enjoyed them quite a lot. I played them exactly long enough to rack up a few achievements, and never touched them again. At any rate I've been really enjoying the mini-games in RS 2014. Maybe it's the better graphics this time around, maybe it's that they seem to have put more time and effort into the design of the games this time around, but whatever it is they just seem better. The Guitarcade game selection menu in 2014 actually looks a bit like a MAME frontend! Then when you start a game they even have a screen with "ROM OK ... CPU OK" messages like a lot of MAME games! I'm guessing there are some folks that don't like that (or don't understand the reference), but I think it's brilliant. They just need a "Winners Don't Use Drugs" screen to complete the effect!

Neutral Stuff

• This is bass specific, so do with it what you will. I found the slap components of the first game to be problematic. My 'slaps' would register just fine, but my 'pops' were often a 50/50 shot as to whether they would register or not. I was pretty disappointed in that, being that slap is a style that I enjoy playing, and was hoping to improve my skill. I think even the developers must have realized it was problematic since to my knowledge there was only a single song released for RS that actually used "slap note symbols" in game (Higher Ground - RHCP). Subsequent songs were released as DLC that should have included slap techniques, but instead used normal "finger plucking note symbols" where there should have been slap & pop notes (such as Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off Sucker) by Parliament - blasphemy!). I put this as a neutral comment since I haven't actually tried slapping in RS 2014. I'm still in the honeymoon phase with it, and I don't want to be disappointed! I'm really hoping I can move this one into the "positive Changes" column.

Negative Changes

• I really liked the way that RS structured advancement in the game. I thought it was great the way the game had you practice for the gig, then perform the gig. I liked the venues a lot, and even though some of the modeling was wonky I liked being able to clearly see the audience. It was great to see the audience respond to how well (or poorly) you were playing a song; it was something that at times really game you that "rock star" illusion. This "practice-then-gig" structure is gone in RS 2014 and has been replaced by "mission-based" guidance. From a learning perspective it's great, because the mission goals can be very specific, but I do miss the in-game event of a full blown concert. There are audience members in RS 2014, and there are unlockable venues, but it's all sort of hazily defined graphically. It's a bit of an odd effect because it does look better graphically (since the older audience member models could be a bit wonky), but it doesn't look as exciting. Ultimately I think this change reflects the fact that RS 2014 is a bit less "game-y" than the first game, but at the same time is probably the better learning tool.

So based on this I can highly recommend RS 2014 to fans of the first game, and for those interested in learning guitar or bass (I'm not a representative of Ubisoft I swear! ). Having said that, I have trouble convincing myself to spend $60 on any game. I made an unusual exception for RS 2014, but normally I probably would have waited for a sale (hey the Steam Holiday Sale is just around the corner ...) So wow, that was probably more editorializing than anyone would have cared for!

[rtkiii]

Wow that was huge! - Most of the things you pointed out I have stumbled across on the Ubisoft forums after the games release. I did not know they changed up the game mode itself but that does not bother me too much. If I want the feel of being in a concert and rocking out I'll play RB3 with friends. I am glad they went more in the way of training the the riff repeater changes you mentioned sound awesome! I was the same way...get good at a section but never mastered swtiching between sections because you could never play that in riff repeater on RS1. So I rarely used riff repeater and really just practiced and practiced. I play on XBOX 360 since that is my music console but I will definitely keep an eye out for a sale then. Thanks for the input

Ubisoft forum userid is rtkiii over there as well - not that I talk much on there

Also I only play guitar and I suck

[snarls]

Thanks for the heads up nullPointer, looks like I'll pick this up when I have the time. I've been playing guitar for years, but would like to advance more and learn some advanced music theory (is that in this)? This should be fun connected to my htpc.

But what I really want is a proper Singstar like Rockmith game for drums that runs on iPad so I can mount it on my kit and play along to real mp3s but witth Midi notes and singstar style feedback of what I play (also mixing in my drum sounds with the mp3). There is a Roland drum tutor program

but it is crappy -- like 640 px wide and not resizable to fill the screen (I run windows magnify to make it fill the desktop) and feedback is quite crappy - its very very basic and not fun and there are no particle effects or sound fx. Plus it would be better in horizontal mode with your notes remaining on screen. And its just Midi - no real audio-- the ideal solution would be real audio with a drum Midi track for timing in game. Just look how lame it is with the laptop - it needs to be on tablet for this. Rocksmith is fine on htpc tv since a guitar is portable.

I thought about making my own game for sale in Unity but I'd need an IK iRigMidi iPad midi adapter and Unity Pro (to be able to do the Midi), but I'm not convinced theres a market that exists for it - You'd need a midi drum kit, an irig or equivalent, and an iPad. Plus theres music rights to distribute anything (though I could tell ppl how to make their own from real tunes they like). So it's not feasible, but if something like that existed, I'd get MUCH better at drums much faster... oh well

[nullPointer]

Thanks for the heads up nullPointer, looks like I'll pick this up when I have the time. I've been playing guitar for years, but would like to advance more and learn some advanced music theory (is that in this)? This should be fun connected to my htpc.

RS 2014 is definitely more steeped in music theory than the original game was, but I would strongly hesitate to say that it delves deeply into any advanced theory. The theory and techniques presented in game probably cover the learning material you would study during your first year of lessons. There's quite a bit of breadth but not a lot of indepth study. The music theory covered here includes studying various chords and scales, learning the names of those chords and scales, and that sort of thing. It does not cover learning musical notation (or tablature for that matter), and as a result will not cover any sort of sight reading. Having said that, and given the nature of this game, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

The session mode is a particularly bright spot in terms of the music theory covered in-game. In a nutshell it's basically a "live" jam band that will follow your lead in terms of what to play. So you go into session mode, select the instruments/tones you want in your band, which either consists of using a pre-defined band (Classic Rock, Classic Metal, 90's grunge, Alternative Electronica, plus a whole host of others), or you simply select a custom blend of instruments and tones of your choosing. Next you select the tempo, along with the scale and key you want to riff on, and you're off. Honestly I expected this feature of the game to be bit buggy and laggy, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This mode is really a blast! Don't get me wrong - if you start to drift off of the key and or scale you originally selected your "band" isn't going to follow you into experimental territory, but so long as you "stay in the pocket" as it were, the accompaniment is actually quite remarkable. I don't know that it's a replacement for straight-up practicing with a metronome in terms of focused practice (and certainly not a replacement for playing with live musicians), but it's most definitely a fun alternative!

[DazzleHP]

You've convinced me null! I think imma pick this up at Christmas if possible. I've been wanting a reason to pick my guitar up for years and this seems like a good one! Even if i don't get into the game (i'm sure i will though) then i'll still have that handy cable and could maybe start recording again

Truth be told though, i'll probably end up mostly playing session mode all the time sounds like it would accompany a crate of beer really well

[nullPointer]

It really is a fun game, I hope you get the same amount of enjoyment out of it that I have. It's continues to inspire me to practice up and play, so that's been a good thing. It actually also inspired me to spend more money recently ... which may or may not be a good thing. I got a bonus at my job, and subsequently got the green light from the missus to pick up a new six string. I was really torn between a Les Paul style and a Strat style. I like both and I like the sounds of both (Humbuckers vs. Single Coils). In the end I was persuaded by an awesome sale on Musicians Friend. This little beauty (an ESP LTD EC-256FM) arrived in the mail on Friday.

So obviously it's not like a professional level instrument or anything, but it's the nicest guitar I've ever owned (and that includes my basses! ). I don't know if it really shows up in the picture, but it's got a transparent black finish revealing the underlying flame maple top. I'm loving this thing!

My guitar skills are no where near where my bass skills are at, but it's fun learning something new. I can play Blitzkrieg Bop so I've been spamming that like crazy. Give me three chords and a six pack and I can conquer the world sure scare the hell out of the cats! I'm looking forward to improving on this thing!

Truth be told though, i'll probably end up mostly playing session mode all the time sounds like it would accompany a crate of beer really well

Ha, yes the nice thing about this is that your digital band mates will never complain about some sort of perceived "drinking problem", or that you showed up for practice "not wearing pants", or that you "vomited in my kick drum". They're the ones with a problem man. This is Rock & Roll baby! Woo!

[DazzleHP]

Nice guitar man, i've always preferred strat style myself - not because of sound though curiously - but because they feel more balanced in the weight department for me. Maybe there is something to it, maybe it's the way i play but i always feel a bit awkward holding a les paul (i have huge hands though which may have something to do with it). Still, if i could get my hands on a Gibson you know i bleedin would! After looking at your pic then glancing over at my 15 year old Squire Strat (yup, not even a real one) i admit i'm a tad envious

I can play Blitzkrieg Bop so I've been spamming that like crazy. Give me three chords and a six pack and I can conquer the world sure scare the hell out of the cats! I'm looking forward to improving on this thing!

Haha love Blitzkrieg Bop! I remember when i first heard it on THPS2 (Tony Hawk's 2) back in the day and the first thing i did was break it out and learn it. You're right it's a good drunken song coz it sounds good and your fellow drunken audience will likely have no idea how easy it is to play

1st song i learnt was House of the Rising Sun which i played for around 2 weeks solid till i could nail it in all styles and alternate states of consciousness, which gave me some nice strumming skills followed by Phantom of the Opera by Iron Maiden which gave me power chords and alternate picking. All my skills exploded from learning them 2 songs. After 12 months i was outplaying my "educated" friend who had been playing for 5 years longer

Good luck with your new toy man i'm sure you're gonna enjoy it!