Do both rockband 1 & 2 bundles come with the same equipment, or were they improved for the new one thx.

It sounds like the guitars are the same. The drum kit in RB2 is wireless, has silicon padding to reduce noise, and is pressure sensitive (the harder you hit it, the louder the drums).

There's also an option to get up to 3 cymbal add-ons to use as alternates.

They also claim to have auto calibration to take into account screen lag and whatnot.

This is all covered in the giant Rock Band thread that's stickied and usually the top thread in the forum.....but anyway.

Guitars are different
Drums are different
Drum pedal is different
Mic is the same

There you go.

And I'm guessing the song set is different?

And I'm guessing the song set is different?

nope, same songs... they've just been digitally remastered and THX certified... ;)

They also claim to have auto calibration to take into account screen lag and whatnot.
Really?

I mean, my drums are working perfectly fine, but my brother-in-law's xbox360 version is terribly inaccurate. My timing was off when I first played it, and after calibrating it, it was off by 11 ms. When I played it again 2 months later (this past week), it was off again. I recalibrated again, and this time it was 43 ms off.

We both have the same TV manufacturer (mine's a 42" Panasonic 720p, while his is a 58" Panasonic 720p), but our receivers are completely different.

That's the only thing I can think of as to the cause of it, other than the fact that he has the Xbox360 version of the game and I have the PS3 version.

yeah I'm not sure myself, as I've been messing with mine as well. I can tell you that having the dongle on a USB extension cable is TERRIBLE, as it causes way too much lag. I even tried connecting all three dongles separately to the PS3. It seemed to be the most accurate that way.

And I'm guessing the song set is different?

Song set is completely different. RB2 comes w/84 songs + 20 more you can download for free. RB1 comes w/about 54 songs.

yeah I'm not sure myself, as I've been messing with mine as well. I can tell you that having the dongle on a USB extension cable is TERRIBLE, as it causes way too much lag. I even tried connecting all three dongles separately to the PS3. It seemed to be the most accurate that way.
Interesting.

I have my RB peripherals connected to the RB USB hub. Mine's fine, no calibrating needed.

My brother in-law used to have the RB USB hub for his Xbox360 version, but his new RB2 kit is RF, so he connects that way.

RB USB hub? You mean the guitar dongle that has the two USB ports on it?

Is that what the new guitar dongle looks like?

No, the one I got was the official RB USB hub...the same one that came bundled with the Xbox360 and I think PS2.

It's basically a USB hub with 4 ports on it.

Here's what it is:
http://www.rockbandstore.com/detail.php?p=59555

ahh ok yeah the new RB2 instruments have a dongle that's the guitar, and it also has two USB ports for the drums and second guitar. Quite nifty for ps3'ers with only 2 usb ports.

Song set is completely different. RB2 comes w/84 songs + 20 more you can download for free. RB1 comes w/about 54 songs.

How/where can you download free songs on RB2???

www.rockband.com/games

Register your game on the right

How/where can you download free songs on RB2???

Enter the code on the back of the manual at http://register.rockband.com/

Enter the code on the back of the manual at http://register.rockband.com/


Sweet, I will do that tonight...thanks

Are they swamped from the holidays? I still haven't gotten my code.

Are they swamped from the holidays? I still haven't gotten my code.

check your junk mail folder... you should have gotten the code in less than 60 seconds.

Are they swamped from the holidays? I still haven't gotten my code.

no, I got mine right away.

I downloaded the songs but I can't find them? I have a file that shows the size but won't open. Don't they just add to the playlist in the game?

no, you download it, then install it just like any other downloadable content from the PSN.

There was nothing in my download manager or where it shows the titles when I download a demo.

Enter code on RB website
Receive new code in email
Enter new code in PSN (or was it in RB2? I don't remember)
If it was in PSN (I think that is what I did) then it will put it in the Games section of the XMB
install

You must have missed a step somewhere? Or maybe the songs are there and you don't see them? Can you try re-downloading the package?

Enter code on RB website
Receive new code in email
Enter new code in PSN (or was it in RB2? I don't remember)
If it was in PSN (I think that is what I did) then it will put it in the Games section of the XMB
install

You must have missed a step somewhere? Or maybe the songs are there and you don't see them? Can you try re-downloading the package?


Wow those free songs are free for a reason, was hoping it would be bands people have heard, of, maybe two or three songs are ok, but the other 15 or so, worthless, but they were free so it's all good. That death Metal Visions song is impossable for the drums, and I can play a good amount of the songs on expert, guess I need more practice.

I'd take these 20 free songs over any of those pop rock songs that the teeny-boppers are listening to these days.

It sounds like the guitars are the same. The RB2 guitar contains the auto-calibration circuitry (audio and video). The RB2 drumset does not (but has the previously mentioned improvements + a much better drum pedal). In terms of play, I have not felt a major difference between the RB2 and RB1 v.4 guitars (both strummers drop occasional notes which is only an issue if you are going for 100% & gold stars).

Do any of you guys manually calibrate the drums? I keep finding that the hit registers late, and that the drums seem to double-count many of my hits...

Do any of you guys manually calibrate the drums? I keep finding that the hit registers late, and that the drums seem to double-count many of my hits...Double hitting is not a calibration issue, it's most likely crosstalk. Crosstalk is if you hit one drum and another registers. Go into freestyle mode and play each pad individually and see if you can get one pad to register when you play another.

If you verify you do not have crosstalk, then you likely have a technique issue if you are really getting double hits. If you do have crosstalk there are some mods to remedy the situation but you might just want to RMA assuming you are in the RMA window.

I would suggest eliminating crosstalk and double hitting from the equation first and then tackling calibration. Trying to deal with both at once is making things more complicated than necessary.

HTH

Double hitting is not a calibration issue, it's most likely crosstalk. Crosstalk is if you hit one drum and another registers. Go into freestyle mode and play each pad individually and see if you can get one pad to register when you play another.

If you verify you do not have crosstalk, then you likely have a technique issue if you are really getting double hits. If you do have crosstalk there are some mods to remedy the situation but you might just want to RMA assuming you are in the RMA window.

I would suggest eliminating crosstalk and double hitting from the equation first and then tackling calibration. Trying to deal with both at once is making things more complicated than necessary.

HTH

yeah I've tried JUST hitting a specific drum - it seems to mainly happen when I hit the red drum - it double-hits sometimes. The other colors seem to be just fine...

FYI - you can import 55 of the 58 Rock Band songs into RB2. Buy the $4.99 (+ tax) Export Key at the PS store online and insert the RB disc, update it to incorporate the "Export" menu option, and then go to Export and it will copy the 55 songs into your RB2 game and they'll be there from then on. Also, any RB games you downloaded under RB will still be playable in RB2.

You can read all this by Googling for sites that have this information. Google for cheats, too.

Lord_Zath, I would call EA and get your drum kit replaced.

I did have to calibrate the drums for my sister/bro-in-law's game (xbox360 version), but not on my copy (PS3). I think it has more to do with the receiver than the TV (we both have Panasonic 720p plasma tvs, the difference being mine is a 42" and his is a 58").

FYI - you can import 55 of the 58 Rock Band songs into RB2. Buy the $4.99 (+ tax) Export Key at the PS store online and insert the RB disc, update it to incorporate the "Export" menu option, and then go to Export and it will copy the 55 songs into your RB2 game and they'll be there from then on. Also, any RB games you downloaded under RB will still be playable in RB2.

You can read all this by Googling for sites that have this information. Google for cheats, too.


Wait a minute, so maybe I could rent RB, then pay another 5 bucks and have the game on RB2???? OK, if anyone can confirm this, I am doing it.

Wait a minute, so maybe I could rent RB, then pay another 5 bucks and have the game on RB2???? OK, if anyone can confirm this, I am doing it.

I beleive so yes

Lord_Zath, I would call EA and get your drum kit replaced.

I did have to calibrate the drums for my sister/bro-in-law's game (xbox360 version), but not on my copy (PS3). I think it has more to do with the receiver than the TV (we both have Panasonic 720p plasma tvs, the difference being mine is a 42" and his is a 58").

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of doing. Such a hassle!

Wait a minute, so maybe I could rent RB, then pay another 5 bucks and have the game on RB2???? OK, if anyone can confirm this, I am doing it.
I may have let someone borrow my RB1 and they may have been able to successfully export the songs to their PS3. Since, I'm sure, Harmonix would not condone such actions, I didn't.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of doing. Such a hassle!
HAH! You want hassle? The guitar that came with my RB1 set is still broken...5 guitars later! That's right...FIVE.

On the initial guitar, the tilt for overdrive didn't work right, the high fret keys were mashy, and the strum bar didn't work right and sounded bad.

Second guitar, the tilt worked, high fret keys still mashy, strum bar was even worse than the previous one.

Third guitar, tilt didn't work again (rather than tilt upward, I have to push the guitar away from me, pivoting it on my hip to activate overdrive), high fret keys weren't as mashy, and the strum bar worked.

Forth guitar, tilt worked, high fret keys were really mashy, strum bar didn't work. Sent this one back and kept the 3rd guitar.

Fifth guitar, I didn't even bother testing it in the game. Why? Because the whammy bar was broken. I would press down, it would make this loud springing noise, and then the whammy bar would slowly return to it's original position. Buttons were also mashy, but the strum bar was fine. Sent that one back and kept the third guitar again.

Oh, and I bought a separate RB1 guitar so that we could play with 4 people. That one works perfectly (though, the orange high fret key is slightly mashy, not nearly as bad as the other replacements).

I've asked EA support to stop sending me refurbed guitars, and they told me that they don't send out referubs. It's funny, because the 3rd guitar, which I kept, has these little green sticker dots with an initial on it...as if someone had inspected it before packing it. I've stuck a note in the last guitar in it asking for a manager to contact me regarding the issue, and I have yet to hear back from them.

I have since given up on trying to get a replacement guitar.

Wait a minute, so maybe I could rent RB, then pay another 5 bucks and have the game on RB2???? OK, if anyone can confirm this, I am doing it.

RENT? Buy it used at Gamestop, pay the $5 fee for the export, then return the game within 7 days for a full refund.

Wait a minute, so maybe I could rent RB, then pay another 5 bucks and have the game on RB2???? OK, if anyone can confirm this, I am doing it.


Yes. This is what you do:

1. Go to Gamestop and buy it used for $29.99. (Gamestop has a 7 day return policy on used games).
2. Go to PSN and buy and download the Rock Band Export Key for $4.99.
3. Insert Rock Band into playstation, go into options, and do an Export Songs. (This step takes about 20 minutes to copy the songs to your PS3 hard drive).
4. Insert Rock Band 2 into playstation and verify that you have all the Rock Band songs. (They will have a "1" in front of them, the same way Rock Band 2 songs have a "2" in front of them). Then play a couple songs to make sure you have a sucessful transfer.
5. Return Rock Band back to Gamestop for a full refund.

Another option is to use gamefly (14-day free trail membership) or blockbuster as the source for Rock Band. It is unlimited the amount of times you can export on the same Rock Band disc. Blockbuster charges nearly 10 bucks after tax to rent a game, so that would be my last resort.

Yes. This is what you do:

1. Go to Gamestop and buy it used for $29.99. (Gamestop has a 7 day return policy on used games).
2. Go to PSN and buy and download the Rock Band Export Key for $4.99.
3. Insert Rock Band into playstation, go into options, and do an Export Songs. (This step takes about 20 minutes to copy the songs to your PS3 hard drive).
4. Insert Rock Band 2 into playstation and verify that you have all the Rock Band songs. (They will have a "1" in front of them, the same way Rock Band 2 songs have a "2" in front of them). Then play a couple songs to make sure you have a sucessful transfer.
5. Return Rock Band back to Gamestop for a full refund.

Another option is to use gamefly (14-day free trail membership) or blockbuster as the source for Rock Band. It is unlimited the amount of times you can export on the same Rock Band disc. Blockbuster charges nearly 10 bucks after tax to rent a game, so that would be my last resort.

not if you steal it.....;););););)

Yes. This is what you do:

1. Go to Gamestop and buy it used for $29.99. (Gamestop has a 7 day return policy on used games).
2. Go to PSN and buy and download the Rock Band Export Key for $4.99.
3. Insert Rock Band into playstation, go into options, and do an Export Songs. (This step takes about 20 minutes to copy the songs to your PS3 hard drive).
4. Insert Rock Band 2 into playstation and verify that you have all the Rock Band songs. (They will have a "1" in front of them, the same way Rock Band 2 songs have a "2" in front of them). Then play a couple songs to make sure you have a sucessful transfer.
5. Return Rock Band back to Gamestop for a full refund.

Another option is to use gamefly (14-day free trail membership) or blockbuster as the source for Rock Band. It is unlimited the amount of times you can export on the same Rock Band disc. Blockbuster charges nearly 10 bucks after tax to rent a game, so that would be my last resort.

I love messing with the system, thank you.