Slashdot Mirror
How To Use a Real Guitar With Rock Band 3
wirelessdreamer writes "Using a real guitar, with a hex-aphonic pickup, and guitar synth rock band 3 pro guitar mode can be played NOW with a real guitar. Thanks to the game2midi project for makeing g2ghpro a multiplatform release. Selfless promotion as the submitter is the game2midi project lead :)"
Real guitars are for old people.
-- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
I think this is a pretty good idea and would be nice if it could be made more main stream. It gets kinda annoying when you have a bunch of kids bragging about how could they are at guitar hero, even though they can't play a real one at all. It could also help kids learn an instrument that they would otherwise look past since that it would be a video game and therefor automagically cool.
"To prevent this day from getting any worse, I'll just read ERROR as GOOD THING" 1GJU8xLuDKDxEs4KLf8fAGyptoDsqvEsBT
I was the project lead for a similar project for Call of Duty. Didn't go so well for my TV.
The Axon Ax 100 that he's using lists for ~$650. The pickup he's using (Roland Gk-3a) is another $200. Pretty neat trick if you've already got the equipment, but for the same price you could buy the Rock Band 3 guitar controller and a semi-decent regular guitar.
This is real cute, but what I really want, and I'm not alone in this, is SOFTWARE that incorporates guitar lessons into a game. Have it process the audio input and evaluate my performance in real-time, like a guitar prof would do. I don't want the instrument to be dumbed down to a 5 input game controller, I want the game to get smarter so I can learn with that abstract carrot dangling on my screen, in the form of a high score.
-Billco, Fnarg.com
That's funny. I was able to actually play a guitar when Guitar Hero came out, and I enjoyed Guitar Hero immensely. They are two entirely different experiences, and the itch scratched by one is not necessarily scratched by the other.
I don't mind that you don't like the games. To each his own. I do think it's ridiculous to claim that it is because you can play the real guitar. Just say you don't like the games, dragging "I play real guitar" into this just makes you sound like a snob.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
To use a real guitar... Simple have someone else play rockband, plug your guitar into your half stack and shred all over their pathetic video game playing ass.
Or maybe they're just proud that they're good at the game? Maybe it has nothing to do with playing real music. Maybe you're reading too much into it. I've seen people who are really good at call of duty, and was fairly impressed with it. But I don't immediately disregard it with the claim that "they think they're actually shooting people." I'm pretty sure most of them realize that what they're good at is the GAME ITSELF, and not the subject the game emulates. The same is true with Rockband.
Besides, if you really look at all the posts in this thread, you won't see anyone making the claim that playing Rockband is equivalent to playing a real instrument. The only people who bring up real instruments when discussing rockband are people like you, who are for some reason are incredibly defensive of the game. Relax. Someone being good at a game isn't going to distract from you impressing people with a real guitar. There's no threat.
Have you actually played Rockband 3 in pro mode? Rockband singlehandedly coached me into learning the Keyboard. Like, an actual one. That is, I can now play music on my grandmothers reed organ. My buddy is now a heck of a drummer thanks to Rockband 2 & 3 (again, he now owns a real (albeit electric) drum set & plays in a real band). And if they ever put out a bass version of their new Mustang, I'll pick that up too! Just because there's an "Easy Mode" doesn't mean there isn't more. Heck, even Madden has that new Rookie mode doesn't it?
"Gratuitous complexity is akin to chaos" - True Vox
Mod parent up +5 understands-orthogonality. I am a lifelong guitarist and play several other instruments and sing. I scoffed at Guitar Hero a bit as being silly, and eventually played it and got hooked for several months. It is indeed silly but it has way better music than any other video game, involves the same types of eye-hand coordination as most good games even if it lacks the strategic thinking that I normally enjoy in a game, and is in no way an affront to real guitarists anywhere.
Guitar Hero actually made me a better guitarist, too, since playing on Expert mode forces you to use your pinky, something that you can cheat around when playing most styles of lead guitar. That was me, but Guitar Hero actually forced me to develop more dexterity, strength, and speed in my pinky, which led me to use it much more in my melodic lines on the real instrument.
From the project page:
g2ghpro (guitar synth to guitar hero pro) - has full multiplatform support (windows,linux,osx) so Guitar Synthesizers can be used for pro guitar mode in rock band 3. I think some bugs still need to be worked out, so feedback is welcome.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Ummm, I think you are a bit behind the times.
RB3 will teach you to play a real guitar. And if you can 'play' a song in pro-mode with the Fender RB3 controller; you'll be able to play that song on any guitar you want. Because it's a real guitar.
Yes, it will still take time and effort to learn guitar - but RB3 is going to make it significantly more welcoming to new comers. It will be a game, with easy to visualize progress, rewards, and immediate feedback on how well you are playing. And if you play enough, you'll learn real songs and be able to play them on any guitar you want.