Ok folks, I just wanted to start this thread officially so we can begin talking/reviewing/discussing this awesome game.

My question for the ones who currently have it and have played it is are you all playing it via 5.1 or 7.1 and how does it sound? I'm going to assume that this game will be best heard in 7.1 all channel stereo, correct?!?! If not, what would be the best audio set-up?

I'd like to hear how Rock Band compares to GHIII. Better/Worse?

I'm currently right now looking for 2 speakers to complete my 7.1 set up. I'm suspecting that this game will support 7.1 speaker set ups. Man, my neighbors are going to HATE me, lol!

I'd like to hear how Rock Band compares to GHIII. Better/Worse?


I like it better then GH III as I think it has better songs, the multiplayer World Tour is a lot more fun and of course the obvious of having the option of playing the drums or making a fool of yourself by trying to sing...lol It's by far the best party game out there

I like it better then GH III as I think it has better songs, the multiplayer World Tour is a lot more fun and of course the obvious of having the option of playing the drums or making a fool of yourself by trying to sing...lol It's by far the best party game out there

I can only imagine how alcohol enhances the game :)

I can only imagine how alcohol enhances the game :)

I've already invited my old drinking buddies over my house for some RB action. They are Pro-GH (they seem to think at least) players as well, lol. I'm new to all this but figured I'd get into it since I dig the game....and the drums!!

How many people are playing with just themselves and no roomates/spouses etc

I was only able to play a few songs medium on the first couple tiers last night. I have only been able to play thru the medium songs on GH2/3. FWIW, at least on those I played, the RB medium songs were easier than the GH medium songs.

I could just get the game and use my guitar from GH3? I don't really think I can get 3 other people to play at the same time... I mean I can just play career by myself right?

I can only imagine how alcohol enhances the game :)

That's exactly what the wife said after I sang my first song....haha Had a bunch of guys over watching UFC last weekend and we played RB after a night of drinking...next time I need to film it :)

check out the developers playing Welcome to the Jungle. they don't miss a beat!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3E8zgqJM4

Drums look fun as hell.

I was only able to play a few songs medium on the first couple tiers last night. I have only been able to play thru the medium songs on GH2/3. FWIW, at least on those I played, the RB medium songs were easier than the GH medium songs.

Yep, the levels in RB are ranked higher, so Med is like easy in GH etc

I could just get the game and use my guitar from GH3? I don't really think I can get 3 other people to play at the same time... I mean I can just play career by myself right?

Yep, the GH guitars work and you can even use the Live headset as a mic. You can play career in single player, but it's not the same as Multiplayer Career as the multiplayer World Tour has more depth (need to start in small clubs, and work up to bigger venues, earn fans, get a manager etc)

Yep, the levels in RB are ranked higher, so Med is like easy in GH etc



Yep, the GH guitars work and you can even use the Live headset as a mic. You can play career in single player, but it's not the same as Multiplayer Career as the multiplayer World Tour has more depth (need to start in small clubs, and work up to bigger venues, earn fans, get a manager etc)


Thanks for the reply! Maybe later I'll get the instruments when they come out separately.

for those that have played, how far away from the xbox can you play? in other words, how long are the usb cables/hub?

thanks,

tum

the cords are supposed to be 12-15 ft long.

Ya the cords are about 12-15ft but I only use the usb for the drums (and sometimes the mic) as I use my GH III guitars and the people that have been over and sung prefer to use the Live headset

The strummer on my guitar sucks. Its loose and misses a good portion of the time. I thought it was me due to the timing difference between GHIII and RB but I switched to my GHIII guitar and everything is fine. And I thought the guitar in BB was "broken" but mine plays the same way. A REAL shame as I like the size and the buttons on the RB guitar...

Can you use the Rock Band guitar with GHIII?

Can you use the Rock Band guitar with GHIII?

Nope

Ok..so according to what everyone is saying is that both guitars from Guitar Hero (wired and wireless) work with Rockband without any problems...is that correct. I may just pick up the game if thats true and maybe the drums later.

The strummer on my guitar sucks. Its loose and misses a good portion of the time. I thought it was me due to the timing difference between GHIII and RB but I switched to my GHIII guitar and everything is fine. And I thought the guitar in BB was "broken" but mine plays the same way. A REAL shame as I like the size and the buttons on the RB guitar...

there's reports of issues with some people strats. HMX hasn't made a statement yet but the ones to contact would be EA.

Ok..so according to what everyone is saying is that both guitars from Guitar Hero (wired and wireless) work with Rockband without any problems...is that correct. I may just pick up the game if thats true and maybe the drums later.

for 360 yes, the PS3 ones are having problems

Has anyone seen the PS3's version vs. the 360's. I'm having second thoughts on which system I should get it. I don't care for achievements either. This is going to be strictly a party game for me and my friends. I believe the PS3 comes with the wireless guitars, correct?!

Has anyone seen the PS3's version vs. the 360's. I'm having second thoughts on which system I should get it. I don't care for achievements either. This is going to be strictly a party game for me and my friends. I believe the PS3 comes with the wireless guitars, correct?!


It comes with a dongle-wireless controller, just like the PS3 GHIII. With PS3 it seems there is no way to ahve a second controller without buying a second bundle. With the 360 you can buy the Xplorer and use it as a second controller which if you plan to use it as a party game is an economical way to go. (Or use your GHIII if you have it).

My guitar is OK now. My wife played for about 30 min and it seems the strum bar is working all (most?) of the time. (Guess it needed some break in time?) Still feels terribly loose compared to the GH ones but its not missing. I REALLY like the buttons on the RB guitar after 5 songs.

It comes with a dongle-wireless controller, just like the PS3 GHIII. With PS3 it seems there is no way to ahve a second controller without buying a second bundle. With the 360 you can buy the Xplorer and use it as a second controller which if you plan to use it as a party game is an economical way to go. (Or use your GHIII if you have it).

My guitar is OK now. My wife played for about 30 min and it seems the strum bar is working all (most?) of the time. (Guess it needed some break in time?) Still feels terribly loose compared to the GH ones but its not missing. I REALLY like the buttons on the RB guitar after 5 songs.

Oh wow, thats good to know Frank thanks!

I've played some guitar career and vocal career and both are fun, hard seems easy to me on guitar but I was going through hard on gh2/3. It took me a little work to really get the sync of the guitar right, it still feels just a little bit off.

I didn't buy the big box (saw it, that box it HUGE) but I'll probably pick up the drums when they are available by themself.

Fun game, song selection so far is top notch.

Its a shame they did not have a $100 Drums/game bundle. We now have three guitars! If GHIII worked with the RB guitar at least we could have sold one off.

The Drums are LOUD, not the music the sound you make when you hit the surface. Quite distracting. Gotta crank that volume later.

The only thing I'm getting annoyed with is people buying the game disc only, playing with a GH guitar, and complaining that it's not as fun. This game is not meant as substitute for GH. When played as a whole with three other people though it can't be beat (100x more fun that GH "battle" or "co-op").

If I couldn't purchase the whole package I don't think I would have even bothered with the game. Though, for those who are playing guitar-only and enjoying it... rock on! :)

I'm in a limbo like state right now. I went and picked up my pre-ordered bundle on my lunch break. But I'm working a double shift, so I won't get home till after 9 o'clock tonight CST.

It's just sitting in the trunk, calling to me with a siren song of rock.

I'm in a limbo like state right now. I went and picked up my pre-ordered bundle on my lunch break. But I'm working a double shift, so I won't get home till after 9 o'clock tonight CST.

It's just sitting in the trunk, calling to me with a siren song of rock.
Oh man, I feel for you bro! Hang in there, lol! I'm pickin mine up right after work and ME with the kmart 20% discount. I want to get outta here already!!!

The only thing I'm getting annoyed with is people buying the game disc only, playing with a GH guitar, and complaining that it's not as fun. This game is not meant as substitute for GH. When played as a whole with three other people though it can't be beat (100x more fun that GH "battle" or "co-op").

If I couldn't purchase the whole package I don't think I would have even bothered with the game. Though, for those who are playing guitar-only and enjoying it... rock on! :)

Can anyone confirm that the live headset works as a microphone in the game (specifically with the Xplorer). It would be worth it to buy the stand-alone game to try and take on guitar and vocals at the same time.

As far as getting the SE package, no problems with casually walking into BB and seeing a ton of it and about no one else interested in it besides me.

Don't care for the strum bar on the new guitar. The strat looks cool, but it's a pain to play. Switched the Les Paula and was hitting 97%+. Only 90% or so with the strat. Not sure if I have a bad guitar, or if it's just not as good.

I'm so glad I caved and got the bundle today. Drums are amazingly fun.

Can anyone confirm that the live headset works as a microphone in the game (specifically with the Xplorer). It would be worth it to buy the stand-alone game to try and take on guitar and vocals at the same time.

it works but needs to be attached to a seperate wireless controller.

Picking mine up after work today. This days gonna draaaaag >:( Only thing I was scared of seems to be coming true. Why did they make the Drum heads loud plastic?!?! WTF. Need to find a cheap alternative like wraping the stick heads w/ cotton or something ha ha.

I'm gonna try using the headset while playing guitar to see if I can do world tour by myself. Keeping up with lyrics is gonna be tough but I think my guitar will make up for it.

Picked this up today, the game only version, using my wireless GH3 guitar is fun. I like the songs so far.

The only thing I'm getting annoyed with is people buying the game disc only, playing with a GH guitar, and complaining that it's not as fun. This game is not meant as substitute for GH. When played as a whole with three other people though it can't be beat (100x more fun that GH "battle" or "co-op").

If I couldn't purchase the whole package I don't think I would have even bothered with the game. Though, for those who are playing guitar-only and enjoying it... rock on! :)

I think Gamestop takes in guitars as trade-ins. Take in your old GH2 guitar and trade it in!

The only thing I'm getting annoyed with is people buying the game disc only, playing with a GH guitar, and complaining that it's not as fun. This game is not meant as substitute for GH. When played as a whole with three other people though it can't be beat (100x more fun that GH "battle" or "co-op").

If I couldn't purchase the whole package I don't think I would have even bothered with the game. Though, for those who are playing guitar-only and enjoying it... rock on! :)

Here here.

This is Rock BAND, not Rock Guitar. You can't even compare really to GH, and you are wasting money on Rock Band if the only thing you will ever do is play guitar/bass.

Guitar + Bass + Drums + Voice = Rock Band

I'm in a limbo like state right now. I went and picked up my pre-ordered bundle on my lunch break. But I'm working a double shift, so I won't get home till after 9 o'clock tonight CST.

It's just sitting in the trunk, calling to me with a siren song of rock.

I feel your pain, but luckily I only have to wait another hour or so. :D

My guitar is OK now. My wife played for about 30 min and it seems the strum bar is working all (most?) of the time. (Guess it needed some break in time?) Still feels terribly loose compared to the GH ones but its not missing. I REALLY like the buttons on the RB guitar after 5 songs.

Has anyone else had problems with the guitar? There is a thread on the RB site with a lot of people saying their strum bars are messed up. I got mine today but it's a Christmas gift for "my kids".

link (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=8461)

I was at wally world a few days ago, browsing the christmas decorations with the wife when we heard an annoyingly loud CLOPPING sound coming from the back of the store. We thought someone had let a horse in through the garden section, or some kids were banging plastic bowls on the concrete floor. As we made our way over to see what it was, we found two people playing Rock Band. The next day my wife gave me her revised x-mas list, RB was missing with GHIII in its place.

I use my GH3 wireless guitar with headset to talk while playing on live with other players. To sing you have to have it on another controler.

Ok my right ankle is KEEELIN me.... so I staretd on Guitar. I am having fun with the guitar alone as well. Not sure where all the complains about the guitar only stuff is coming from. I like it at least as well as GHIII (I prefered GHII though...)

Drums are where its at though if for no other reason they are "new". (To me anyway).

I am not confident in the longevity of this stuff (hardware not game) but man is it fun to play with!

From what I've been told, Rock Band is delayed in Canada. I seem to remember reading something about this a while back, but a forum search for 'Rock Band Canada' yielded nothing.

Can anyone confirm that it is indeed delayed in Canada? Futureshop has conflicting info with a search of 'Rock Band' showing that it released yesterday, but the 'Coming Soon' section not showing it until Dec. 19th. Oh well...

Delayed in Canada. Don't remember what day in Dec.

Here here.

This is Rock BAND, not Rock Guitar. You can't even compare really to GH, and you are wasting money on Rock Band if the only thing you will ever do is play guitar/bass.

Guitar + Bass + Drums + Voice = Rock Band

I only got the game and I'm really enjoying playing guitar only right now. I didn't waste my money. I can play 3 out of 4 parts (guitar, bass, vocals) without buying the big bundle so I'm content with game only for now. I can buy the drum kit when it's available by itself later and it'll be like a new game all over again.

Just $30 more for the whole bundle. Or $10 if a Sam's is near by with it in.

Delayed in Canada. Don't remember what day in Dec.

Yeah, there were people who drove down to Seattle from Vancouver BC to get the game at midnight. Talk about dedication.

My microphone is dead out of the box. :(

EA is supposedly shipping me a new one, but it'll be the weekend before it has a chance of getting here.

My microphone is dead out of the box. :(

EA is supposedly shipping me a new one, but it'll be the weekend before it has a chance of getting here.

If you have a normal xbox live headset you can use it in the meantime.

It may be too soon, but is there a code to unlock all songs? I want to sing Wanted Dead or Alive now but I don't want to play via other instruments tons of songs to get there (I'm the singer for our Rock Band (also our NHL 2k8 team that plays other teams 4 on 4, it's great and geeky))! Thanks.

Quick first impressions from a GH2/3 fan: Bought just the game and will wait until drum kit available in Jan. Initial impressions that it's nowhere near the standardas of GH2/3 for just the guitar alone. It's easily noticeable that the guitar is a lot easier to play than GH. Also the graphics are nowhere near as good as GH2/3 (talking about the fret, star power etc.). It is obvious that what you're playing is one section of a complete package and not a dedicated game centered around the guitar like GH is. Now saying all that it does feel polished and the track list is much better than GH3, with some memorable songs right off the bat in the warm up section.

To sum up if you're buying this thinking it's GH4 it's not and never will be. If you're getting the game now with the plan to form a band sometime in the future then go for it.

Quick first impressions from a GH2/3 fan: Bought just the game and will wait until drum kit available in Jan. Initial impressions that it's nowhere near the standardas of GH2/3 for just the guitar alone. It's easily noticeable that the guitar is a lot easier to play than GH. Also the graphics are nowhere near as good as GH2/3 (talking about the fret, star power etc.). It is obvious that what you're playing is one section of a complete package and not a dedicated game centered around the guitar like GH is. Now saying all that it does feel polished and the track list is much better than GH3, with some memorable songs right off the bat in the warm up section.

To sum up if you're buying this thinking it's GH4 it's not and never will be. If you're getting the game now with the plan to form a band sometime in the future then go for it.

Honestly Rock Band should have only been released in full set version. All the instruments in side plus one other guitar and you are ready for your band of four to play. It is designed to be played with 4 people, not solo.

Something just doesn't sit right with me when solo players are reviewing a multiplayer game. It's like someone buying Halo 3, only playing Single player, and passing it off as a review of multiplayer.

Has anyone played this yet with 3 other friends, ie, has anyone played a song yet with someone on guitar, another on bass, another on drums, and yet another in voice? That's where the real reviews should be coming from. If that is not an enjoyable experience, then the game won't be great.(I am curious if everyone in a room using their instrument creates a lot of annoying clicking sounds and all that, or is it harmonious?) I suspect that experience is killer though.

I'm finding some decent user reviews over in the PSX forum..

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12270463#post12270463

I know the game is "Rock Band"... and I would love to be able to play with people. The wife promised to sing a couple songs with me at some point, but unless I can teach my cats to play the bass or guitar*, I'll be playing solo most of the time -- as I'll bet the majority of people who buy it.

So even though I understand the concept is about being in a band, I'm still hoping I enjoy it as a single player experience. :o

(* One cat said he would play if he got to be on drums, but I told him that ain't happening. :D )

I didn't want to like it.... really, I didn't. The question is how much do I like it?

Some ramblings.

- The box is huge. The drums are height adjustable which is probably the only way to save some space unless you want to take them apart and reassemble every time.
- Lay down some tape in your living room? Power for usb box, plus wires for 4 controllers make a big pile of snakes on the floor. Imagine if everything was wireless.
- Definately cool -right from the opening sequence. Nice to see MTV behind something with a guitar because all I can think of is real world and hip hop.
- Customize out the wazoo - and you don't have to buy everything - you can win stuff too! Right down to the rings on your fingers - think make a wrestler + forza graphics.
- Set list I'm not sure of yet. Most songs are slow and moody and there needs to be more female vocals for this household. Wanted Dead or Alive and Reaper are a blast.
- It does seem easy, but it's not about only YOUR skill level.
- How many can play drums late at night or start wailing while the kids are sleeping?
-Big Rock Ending is fun, but will get old really soon. If its just a button mash for notes vs. something for expression.
- Drums are a lot of work - but fun. Start out slowly and figure out how to play the kick properly or your leg will fall off by the first chorus.
-Fender has great look with low profile buttons. It can be easier to lose your finger position at first. Using the solo buttons seems to throw me off and cause more trouble than they are worth, but they are smaller so maybe some of those trills will be easier.
- Hammer-on and pull-off notes are half-sized rectangles and notes can be tricky to make out in a run.
- Still not sure what is going on with star power (err, overdrive) and how and when it works.
- whammy is very springy and rests a little farther from the face of the guitar. I prefer them closer so you can push it in and out with pinky or second last finger.
- Strum bar is wider with more of a ridge to grab between your fingers and it is SO QUIET. One of the benefits of cranking up the headphones is to drown out the clicking on the GH controllers. Fender comes in two pieces but the second piece is short, not like the 1/2 and 1/2 Gibson which can be packed away a little easier.
-No encores? Gimmicky, yes but fun. - like achievements.
- The RockBand mic can be slapped to play percussive elements like tambourine or ... more cowbell.

So we're looking forward to 'Brass In Pocket" and some more fun songs to play. Can RockBand do this without becoming "singstar XL?" Is that a bad thing? Can this be a party game that is a little easier to play, leaving GH series for the hardcore? Personally, I could live without MOSH 1, but I don't want only be looking for a note on every down beat, either.

No doubt, RockBand is cool - but how much fun is it?

I think its a little shady to have DLC songpacks available on the release day with a shorter song set than maybe some expected. One might ask if some of these should have been included in the game. Some songs are already in GH3... oh no, another Format War!

I used to debate that since you are playing for a band that might not actually be "Metallica" that it was okay not to use master recordings and covers would do just fine. After hearing "Tom Sawyer" I will never say this again - terrible vocals.

- Still not sure what is going on with star power (err, overdrive) and how and when it works.


It's very much a drag, but the tutorial explains the HUD really well.

From what I've been told, Rock Band is delayed in Canada. I seem to remember reading something about this a while back, but a forum search for 'Rock Band Canada' yielded nothing.

Can anyone confirm that it is indeed delayed in Canada? Futureshop has conflicting info with a search of 'Rock Band' showing that it released yesterday, but the 'Coming Soon' section not showing it until Dec. 19th. Oh well...

They are still waiting for Honeymoon Suite, BTO, Tragically Hip and Loverboy to sign on so they can hit Canadian Content regulations.
/sarcasm off.

Athough Platinum Blonde's "Doesn't Really Matter" or "Not In Love" would be cool.

using "overdrive" as the singer sucks, I just flick my live headset right on the mic

I think it's great- I have a PS3 and 360 and I opted for 360 (not only cause it has a larger online community that isnt as buggy right now, but it was all they had in stock at Sams)

My Disc was scratched to hell out of the box... anyone else ? I mean, I can play it but I dont know how long it'll make it before it flakes out.

I think this game is amazingly fun, and I cant wait to play it with some friends this weekend.

Rock on !

360 Gamertag = BillyVegasStyle

Has anyone downloaded any songs yet? I can't figure out how. Is the option in the "community" and I'm just not seeing it?

Downloaded:

Fortunate Son
Roxanne
My Sharona

All are really fun!!!

has anyone had an issue running ROCKBAND for xbox360 in 1080p? I have the Xbox 360 Arcade Edition (has HDMI port) and my settings are set to display in 1080p yet when i run ROCKBAND, the game does not fill the entire screen....it is cut off around the 4 sides. I went to settings and switched from 1080p to 720p and now the screen is full. But the game states on the back that it is compatible in 1080p so why wouldnt it display a full picture??? Has anyone noticed the same? and what could be a reason for this?? Thanks

Has anyone downloaded any songs yet? I can't figure out how. Is the option in the "community" and I'm just not seeing it?

Dashboard -> Marketplace

When you load up the game next, it will import your new songs.

I'm waiting till there are songs I want to download, probably gonna be Dec 17 before I get anything (Weezer Buddy Holly)

Thus far, I'm digging Rock Band. Yes the guitar is quite a bit easier (I've blown through the first 4 teirs, 5 starring every song on an inital sight-read), but the drums are fun as hell and the majority of the songs I've played have a better grove and feel to them compared to the early teirs of GHIII.

It was rather late before I got home to play it, so I didn't try singing, cause if I sing/karaoke, I go all out and belt at the top of my lungs. Didn't want to wake the neices or my bother-in-law and sister.

cueCrew:
Sorry about the SNAFU when attempting to band up earlier. I think the headset port on my guitar is messed up, as neither the headset nor headset + adapter worked. Of course, that might be due to me using a 3rd party headset (Plantronics X30 in-ear headset), instead of Microsoft's. Weird thing is, it works perfectly fine w/o using the Rock Band adapter if I just plug it into the drumit. If need be I could switch over to my Les Paul if you need a guitarist of bassist.

Rockband arrived at my doorstep this afternoon. A friend was over, so we set it up; I grabbed the drums while my friend picked up the guitar. Right off the bat, I was digging playing the drums. Spent most of my time on medium which is just the right amount of challenge for me to keep it interesting but allow me to play a good beat. Kicking it up to hard was a pretty big jump, and it will take some time to get my foot to work independently of my hands (looking forward to it though). Switched to the guitar to give it a try and decided that I preferred the RB guitar over my GH2 one although the frets will take some getting used to.

Spent some time creating a band for the World Tour mode. Myself, the wife, and 2 of our friends. I found the customization to be a blast. I probably spent an hour or more making tattoos: my wife's name down one arm with a vine wrapping around it and a superman logo down the other. Had our 2 friends come over around 8:30 to give it a try. Unfortunately, my wife was at work so it was only a 3-man band. Before we knew it, it was 12:00. This is where RB really shines. Playing with friends was a blast and time flew. My only complaint is that it is already starting to get repetitive as we still need to unlock a number of songs.

I just got home after playing with my friend and his wife for *6* hours. It's a blast! Definitely has the edge over GH for being a "complete" musical package. He tried to get me to leave the game there. I wonder if we would've traded his wife for it? :eek:

Played the game with two other people tonight (lead/bass/drums). One of my friends who played actually plays the drums in real life and was able to jump into hard with no problems. It was fun as hell.

The only issue I have with the guitar. I like that it's easier to shift my fingers around since they dont have to go over the buttons, but i find it impossible to strum a bunch of like notes in rapid succession like I can on the GH controllers. Also, I can't get my "star power" to deploy correctly. When I try it never works, and then sometimes it just goes off while i'm sitting there playing normally. I also have issues with it not registering strums at all - i'll suddenly start missing all the notes on a super easy part. Very frustrating.

I think I'm going to stick to using my X-plorer controller and send this one back to EA.

Another dislike is how often you have to play the same song over while doing the world band tour. I'd rather it be like GH where you just play through all of the songs to unlock them. I mean, thats all we really want - is to have all songs unlocked and playable.

Other than that this game is pure awesome.

Went from 50,000 fans to 15,000 fans cuz one of my "bandmembers" decided to be bold and try a higher difficulty. Ugh! haha

Anyways, game's awesome. I played with 3 other ppl, and surprisingly the microphone wasn't as unattractive as I thought it would be in terms of wanting actually be the singer. People took turns singing and it's definitely a lot more fun than karaoke (singing wise).

The drums are where it's at. After about 8 hours of play, I'm pretty solid at medium on the drums. I did a few songs on hard and did fairly well also. It's just so damn fun.

This game is pure fun.

PS - I just realized that I ended my post with "pure ____" like the previous post. It certainly is pure _______

Played yesterday for a few hours with a 4 person band. It was a blast. My wife was the singer and after hitting 100% twice on hard she moved up to expert and was still hitting the 90%+. I would fail on medium, lol. So I gave that up and she stayed where she was and the rest of us rotated. One of my buddies never played GH so he was very bad, good thing my wife was solid because she always had to save him.

I thought I was going to be playing this by myself most of the time but the wife loved it and decided she would do a tour with me, so we will be starting our band today. Should be great.

I do agree with your ankle becoming tired with the drums but I found a solution that worked for me. Place the drums a little farther than normal, not to far that you have to stretch. Then rest your foot on the pad, the pad should go down about 60-70% of the way. From there its just a little tap of the foot to get the beat going. At first I was hitting the notes to early but once I had it down my foot never bothered me again. No more breaks between songs.

To say the game is HAWESOME is probably an understatement. Unboxed it last night and played with family and friends. I like the new guitar. Playing drums for the first time was not unlike playing the guitar for the first time when I got GH II....HUMBLING. Singing was much more fun than I expected.

Overall, VERY PLEASED. Rock Band is living up to its promise. Need to try online with some of my friends, not just in person. :)

For all those with sore ankles it's probably because your chair is too low. You're thigh should be parallel to the ground when you have the kick pedal depressed. You can pick up a cheap adjustable drum throne at Guitar Center for under $30. I think that's what I'm going to end up doing.

All the hardware worked fine (so far). Very fun!!1

How loud are the drums when playing? Do you all play with headphones, if not would wearing headphones make for a better experience? And more importantly, how the hell did you convince your wives to play?! :p

Fender Stat is much better than previous GH axes: larger (doesn't quite look like a toy), better fret buttons and I prefer the quieter strum bar. Drum kit is mixture of plastic, rubber and metal for the legs. Hitting the pads with the wooden sticks can get loud so turn up the volume on your sound system so you won't hear the tap-tap-tap so much. Mic is pretty plain with no switches at all, but it does the job. Very good quality for the price paid, only thing I will be getting next year is the wireless guitar, all the pieces in the setup are all wired to USB to the 360.

How loud are the drums when playing? Do you all play with headphones, if not would wearing headphones make for a better experience? And more importantly, how the hell did you convince your wives to play?! :p

you hear them, but their way quieter than actual drums. headphones will work just fine as long as you have a way of supporting 4 headphones on your home theater. lol I'm single w itha roomate but he said he didn't mind the game noise and actually fell assleep for a few hours while me and my friend were going through BWT.

SO my final impressions. I've been covering this game like crazy ever since it was annouced. and I'm so pleased with my purchase after last night. Only did 2 player BWT but even then were just jamming like crazy. Drums on medium is a great place to start if you already have some semblence of rhythm. Guitar is overall pretty easy for me and my friend coming for expert on GH3 HOWEVER HMX can and did move teh difficulty up at will. The 3 metallica DLC songs are up there with one and raining blood on GH3 in diffiuclty. We actually were failing the mystery set lists because those 3 songs would get on there every time and we can't pass them yet.

I like the stratocaster but some people just perfer the les paul. I can play on both and want to master the strat so I can do solo buttons like crazy. We only played 5 hours but it was just full tilt fun. We're getting more people together tonightf or some jamming.

some other random notes:
A drum throne is very useful I picked one up for 20 bucks at guitar center(had to price match with their website).
I also use nylon tipped drum sticks(vic firth). They are just a good thing to have. They bounce on the rubber a bit better and just have more balance to them than the ones that come with the bundle.

How loud are the drums when playing? Do you all play with headphones, if not would wearing headphones make for a better experience? And more importantly, how the hell did you convince your wives to play?! :p

Get nylon tips (or mallets) if you're really worried about noise.

For all those with sore ankles it's probably because your chair is too low. You're thigh should be parallel to the ground when you have the kick pedal depressed. You can pick up a cheap adjustable drum throne at Guitar Center for under $30. I think that's what I'm going to end up doing.

+1

obviously a fellow drummer or well informed musician :)

The above tip derives from actually playing a kit. Basic "suggestion" is to have your thigh parallel or perhaps a slight degree ABOVE parallel to the floor. Do not stomp on the pedal. You can actually get away with leaving a bit of weight on it and keeping it slightly depressed. You will have to develop a feel for it to play that way though.

Further, as some have mentioned the drums being "loud", as in the actual striking there of....Yes you can obviously hear the sticks hitting the pads. But I have to say the pads are QUITE sensitive and have a fair range to the outer edge. Play RELAXED without a death grip and no need to pound on the things.
You will save yourself from some painful experiences...seriously. Buying an actual pair of well made "balanced" sticks might be a benefit for this GAME. Some people may find that a lighter/heavier/larger diameter, etc., stick feels better in their particular hand. Last palyng tip" Try playing with using your fingers/wrists. Don't move your entire arm up and down. Check out a music video here and there. No you do not NEED to play like an actual drummer, but I do see many people developing real pain quickly from "improper" technique.

Finally, I would have to say their claim that you be able to "play" a kit after "mastering" the game is fairly accurate. You WILL develop a good sense of rhythm/timing. But it would be an adjustment to play actual hardware. But you WILL have a firm foundation from where to begin.

anyone singing with XBL headset? what do you do with the controller? hang it around your neck? Seriously, until I maybe pick up a mic stand, what's the best alternative???

How is it possible to sing and play guitar/drums anyway? Wouldn't that be extremley difficult?

anyone singing with XBL headset? what do you do with the controller? hang it around your neck? Seriously, until I maybe pick up a mic stand, what's the best alternative???

If you're gonna try using an XBL headset I'd use a wireless headset.

yeah, i'll probaby just have to pick up a cheap stand...

How is it possible to sing and play guitar/drums anyway? Wouldn't that be extremley difficult?


Yes...it would be. I haven't seen the singing portion but I believe it scrolls the lyrics across. Not sure how you "play" that role in the game either. So unless you knew the lyrics verbatim for every song (thus allowing you to focus on the notes for the instruments), not sure how a "novice" would be able to both at the same time.
Heck...some "real pros" can't do it well on stage....:D

anyone singing with XBL headset? what do you do with the controller? hang it around your neck? Seriously, until I maybe pick up a mic stand, what's the best alternative???

hold it in my hand when I do my tamborine/cowbell solos

hold it in my hand when I do my tamborine/cowbell solos

plosive sounds work too like "BAH"

If you want to try singing while playing the drums or guitar you can. RB comes with an adapter that you can plug your headset into and the other end into either the drums or guitar. Haven't tried it myself though.

If you want to try singing while playing the drums or guitar you can. RB comes with an adapter that you can plug your headset into and the other end into either the drums or guitar. Haven't tried it myself though.

or use a standard controller and put your live headset on

I'm doing band world tour solo playing guitar and singing

has anyone had an issue running ROCKBAND for xbox360 in 1080p? I have the Xbox 360 Arcade Edition (has HDMI port) and my settings are set to display in 1080p yet when i run ROCKBAND, the game does not fill the entire screen....it is cut off around the 4 sides. I went to settings and switched from 1080p to 720p and now the screen is full. But the game states on the back that it is compatible in 1080p so why wouldnt it display a full picture??? Has anyone noticed the same? and what could be a reason for this?? Thanks

You need to toggle the game's overscan setting. Go to options, and the manual calibrate option. Skip past the first two audio sync/lag settings and you'll find a checkbox that removes the black borders.

By the way, is anyone having mic lag issues on their system when the Dolby Digital option is enabled?

And more importantly, how the hell did you convince your wives to play?! :p

That was easy, I showed her the singing part on a song she liked. She then wanted to try it and got hooked after the first song. I do agree the singing is fun, even though I suck at it. I cant get the high pitch right.

tried it plugging in directly to guitar/drums, but only works for talking during XBL, can't get it to register for singing b/c it doesn't register as another player (i.e. "the singer"). I'll have to try it in a controller, but that probably won't be easy to manage playing guitar while singing via a headset hanging off a controller :)

tried it plugging in directly to guitar/drums, but only works for talking during XBL, can't get it to register for singing b/c it doesn't register as another player (i.e. "the singer"). I'll have to try it in a controller, but that probably won't be easy to manage playing guitar while singing via a headset hanging off a controller :)

I was having trouble with this last night. Did anyone else notice that in order for the another person to sing, a controller has to be connected?

tried it plugging in directly to guitar/drums, but only works for talking during XBL, can't get it to register for singing b/c it doesn't register as another player (i.e. "the singer"). I'll have to try it in a controller, but that probably won't be easy to manage playing guitar while singing via a headset hanging off a controller :)

it's not too bad, the problem is if you don't know the words to a song while playing guitar/singing

My microphone is dead out of the box. :(

EA is supposedly shipping me a new one, but it'll be the weekend before it has a chance of getting here.

Did you use it with a controller? I thought this at first and found out you have to have a controller on for the mic to work since it doesnt have any buttons on it.

If you want to try singing while playing the drums or guitar you can. RB comes with an adapter that you can plug your headset into and the other end into either the drums or guitar. Haven't tried it myself though.

I think that is just for the purpose of chatting while you play online. If you want to do both, you would prob have to have another controller connected with the mic on that controller.

Does anyone know what happens if the wireless controller automatically shuts off (due to inactivity) in the middle of a song?

Does anyone know what other mics work with RB?

Does anyone know what other mics work with RB?
i'm pretty sure any USB mic would work. i don't see anything special w/ the RB branded mic.

Does anyone know what other mics work with RB?

yeah, I think it shouldn't matter, however I have seen one advertised Logitech Vantage or something like that that does say "works with RB" on ebworld

picked up Rock Band yesterday as an early Xmas present for my daughters and myself. Honestly so far I'm pretty disappointed.

Out of the box the Mic is dead. The 360 doesn't see it as plugged in no matter how I connect it.

The guitar looks great, is the sturdiest yet but absolutely sucks in regards to the strum bar. I'm a down-strummer only and the thing doesn't recognize half my strums. As an example on Seven I only got 73% complete. I switched to the guitar from GHIII and hit 100%.

The drums don't seem to register all hits, especially on multi-note segments. And I really wish they would have dropped or really limited the use of the kick-drum on easy.

As far as game play goes. It's pretty obvious no one on the team is colorblind! When I go into overdrive it is very difficult to see the notes as they approach the target box. The scoring seems wonky, I've gotten only 3 stars on a song with 97% complete and 4 stars on a song with only 71% complete, Weird!

Overall I like the set list much better than GHIII but on guitar anyway they just don't seem fun to play for the most part until you reach the tune by Boston. Before that it just seems to be mostly repetitive notes for the majority of the songs.

I'll have to hold off on how well it plays as a group, since my Mic is dead and the learning curve on the drums is rough.

I think 99% of people that say their mic is dead are unaware of how to use it. Do you have a controller (not the drums or guitars) hooked up to the 360 for the mic? Or are you *just* plugging in the mic?

^you do have an additional controller turned on and connected for use with the mic correct??

is it me or did EA way overhype this? I saw copies upon copies of rockband at every store. best buy had a pile of over 100 of them! i got mine at CC - they actually let me stack coupons.

this was definately a "staged shortage"....

i'm pretty sure any USB mic would work. i don't see anything special w/ the RB branded mic.

But doesnt the fact that you have to tap it mean it has some additional sensor inside?

The guitar looks great, is the sturdiest yet but absolutely sucks in regards to the strum bar. I'm a down-strummer only and the thing doesn't recognize half my strums. As an example on Seven I only got 73% complete. I switched to the guitar from GHIII and hit 100%.


I'm having the same issue with my guitar, I down strum only and it doesn't register all notes, even really easy ones. Then when there are tons of notes in rapid succession it's just impossible. I also find my strumming hand getting tired very quickly, where it would never tire on guitar hero. Also, I think the overdrive sensor in mine is broken. It never activates when I tilt the guitar up, but then it'll activate randomly while playing with the guitar almost flat. It works just as it should when I use my Xplorer guitar though.

I haven't played the drums myself yet, but my friend (who is a real life drummer) was playing them on Hard and seemed to have no issues.

But doesnt the fact that you have to tap it mean it has some additional sensor inside?

nope the tap makes a disticnt Plosive sound that you can actually recreate with your voice if you want to sing and play guitar or drums at the same time. and yep the mic is just a slightly modified logitech mic. any usb mic works. Well HMX said, "Every usb mic we've tried has worked and that counts for about 50 different brands).

I think 99% of people that say their mic is dead are unaware of how to use it. Do you have a controller (not the drums or guitars) hooked up to the 360 for the mic? Or are you *just* plugging in the mic?
I'm aware that a controller needs to be plugged in for the Mic. If you go to the EA website to do an exchange there are trouble-shooting steps you have to click through before you can order a replacement. For anyone not aware that a controller needs to be connected prior to that, they will once they try and get a replacement.

Anyway, as I said. My Mic is dead, the 360 never sees it as connected. Plugged into the Hub or straight to the 360 doesn't make a difference. With the Live! Headset it works just fine tho.

Picked it up yesterday and love it! I dont have many friends and the ones I do have dont play games :( The only reason I really bought this is for the drums since I cant set my real set up anymore due to our new house being so much smaller. I figured this would be the next best thing. Coming from drumming for 17 years to this, the only problem was the limited kit you have to work with and the fact that some of the pads change during a song so its not always consistent. That said, its still a blast and if you really want to play drums, this will teach you! You definetley need a drum throne for the drums as it feels more natural. I was sitting on the couch for about 1hr and got sick of it and drug my drum throne out, soooo much better!

1 Gripe, unless your using headphones or have the volume up loud, the tapping of the sticks on heads gets annoying. I tried my nylon tipped sticks and that did NOT help at all. Best thing I can say is using mallets like you would a Timpani or something or wrapping the sticks in cotton. That being said, I cant wait to play Tom Sawyer :P

Yes...it would be. I haven't seen the singing portion but I believe it scrolls the lyrics across. Not sure how you "play" that role in the game either. So unless you knew the lyrics verbatim for every song (thus allowing you to focus on the notes for the instruments), not sure how a "novice" would be able to both at the same time.
Heck...some "real pros" can't do it well on stage....:D

Singing is handled by a note scroll across the top of the screen. It has a line, just like the other instruments, but flows from right to the left, not from the top to the bottom. Words are shown and their note changes indicated by lines across the music bar.

A singer tries to hit the pitch changes and lyrics for a 'phrase'...for example: "If I stay there will be trou-ble..." is a phrase. You are graded on how well you hit the pitch and timing and scored appropriately. If the phrase is glowing, you get Overdrive (i.e. Star Power). You can trigger it when you get to a certain kind of music bar by doing a yell or appropriately loud noise (I prefer "Yow!" myself) and then, just like a guitar, you get a multiplier bonus for a period of time.

It's possible to do both, but you'd have to know the song fairly well and when the Overdrive trigger points are in that song, so that you could mostly ignore that bar. I expect it would ramp up the difficulty by a BIG notch.

Dumb question on solo-quickplay mode, what are the blue circles next to the song? Also, do you have to complete the song over a certain % as I'm playing all the songs to completion but not unlocking the other tiers?

Dumb question on solo-quickplay mode, what are the blue circles next to the song? Also, do you have to complete the song over a certain % as I'm playing all the songs to completion but not unlocking the other tiers?

I believe the blue circle indicates a bonus track. You have to play through solo tour to unlock songs for quickplay.

My drum kit was dead out of the box and my guitar strum physically sticks...EA is sending me replacements for both by 2-day air but I'm sure they won't get it out today which would make it take until Monday to get them :(

HOLY SHOOT the pedal is UGLY on med! WAY overboard compared to easy. Its not a gradual increase its a friggan WALL!

And since you can only progress so far on easy thats quite a slap in the fact to your fun (IMHO)

From 98% on a song on easy to failing it on med...

I never fooled myself into thinking I had much rhythm..but playing drums on this makes it painfully obvious.

guitar on med seems way too easy (and I was never that great on GH), but I'll never make it further cause I can't hit that damn orange button to save my life :)

guitar on med seems way too easy (and I was never that great on GH), but I'll never make it further cause I can't hit that damn orange button to save my life :)

Just keep trying. It's much easier to switch over to RYBO on the RB guitar than on the old GH guitars since you can just slide your fingers instead of lifting them up and over the buttons.

While we're on the topic I'll ask some advice: When progressing to using the orange fret, do most of you play with your index on green and slide down the neck or play with index on red and slide on chords. For example, I have been playing for months on med (GH2/3) and am only now beginning to use orange, which is a lot easier in RB by the way so I see RB as the middle ground between med - hard on GH, but have been using my index on green all this time. Now I am trying to retrain with index on red and so use index for green/red, middle on yellow, blue ring and pinky orange. So for green then red notes I hit green with index then red with index rather than use index then middle. If green/red combo i use index/middle. I'm just finding it difficult using different combinations and find myself sliding all over the place, although using index on red as a starting point makes it a lot easier to get to orange. Note sure if I just made any sense..

I just stopped at Sam's Club in my area (Se Wisconsin) and they had about 10copies of Rockband for both the 360 and the PS3 stacked up with about 4 people waiting in line to give it a try.

Here is the real kick in the teeth..... the cost $149.46.

I picked mine up yesterday for $169.99. I also saw 3 copies for the 360's at a Target about 1/2 hour ago.

HOLY SHOOT the pedal is UGLY on med! WAY overboard compared to easy. Its not a gradual increase its a friggan WALL!

And since you can only progress so far on easy thats quite a slap in the fact to your fun (IMHO)

From 98% on a song on easy to failing it on med...

It sounds like the "wall" you hit was on the BWT. Try playing through easy on solo play first. It has a gradual increase up to medium, and then play through medium. Much better than jumping right into the world tour...

Guess i was right....

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/just-how-scarce-is-rock-band/#comments

Guess i was right....

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/just-how-scarce-is-rock-band/#comments

Crossgates EB games was out as well as the others in our area, but yeah BB has a massive stack of them even today. I saw a guy leaving with a 360 and RB though... some people are willing to spend quite a bit to play this title.

It sounds like the "wall" you hit was on the BWT. Try playing through easy on solo play first. It has a gradual increase up to medium, and then play through medium. Much better than jumping right into the world tour...


Yup WT. Its hard to play solo as everyone in the house wants to play!

Think I just broke my strummer playing Creep. What a work out that song is!

finished the easy tour on drums. Not much of a challenge, even for my lack of rhythm. a few songs got ugly but never in danger of failing. made the move to medium, and man is it a lot more fun. you feel like you are actually playing more than on easy, which had some pretty barren note charts. I also started using my noise cancelling headphones, and it's great for isolating the music and getting rid of the stick tapping.

>>noise cancelling headphones

great idea

makes a world of difference.

I wish there was a better way than headphones for when your playing with buddies :(

Anybody else have a fubar tilt sensor on their guitar out of the box?

what would really be sweet in some future system is where each band member could wear headphones and would hear their instrument a little louder. my boys have been hogging drums and guitar so i've been playing a lot of bass. sometimes the bass gets drowned out in the mix.

Anybody else have a fubar tilt sensor on their guitar out of the box?


Mine seems f-ed up. It doesent seem to work like the GH2 tilt. I go 90 degrees up from where im holding it and sometimes 3-4 seconds after i lower the guitar the overdrive activates. Either I dont know how to tilt properly or its f-ed up >:(

I freaked out this morning when in the Dashboard UI my strumbar was all screwed up. About 33% double strums when pushing down and occasionally no strum was registered.

In game it seems ok, I guess thats what the launch day update fixed. I feel sorry for those who do not have their 360 connected to the net.

I can't believe GH3 refuses to start if the Strat is even connected (I wasn't going to use it), LAME!!!!!1 Halo theme song is pretty cool...

what would really be sweet in some future system is where each band member could wear headphones and would hear their instrument a little louder. my boys have been hogging drums and guitar so i've been playing a lot of bass. sometimes the bass gets drowned out in the mix.

in the main options menu you can turn on "bass boost" should help ya hear your self better.

Mine seems f-ed up. It doesent seem to work like the GH2 tilt. I go 90 degrees up from where im holding it and sometimes 3-4 seconds after i lower the guitar the overdrive activates. Either I dont know how to tilt properly or its f-ed up >:(

I think it's crap like mine. I tried my GH guitar and everything was fine, a simple tilt activated "overdrive." Does yours rattle? Mine has a rattle to it.

My strum bar sucks too, has tons of play in it...I have to push it all the way down to register the command....

in the main options menu you can turn on "bass boost" should help ya hear your self better.

That absolutely can be attributed to setup. I had to turn my subwoofer WAY down last night. The bass drum & bass guitar ROCK my house. My friends were over to 3AM!!! last night playing.

Everyone rotated. The game is AMAZING> Sure the guitar is easy, but the singing and drums are ridiculous!! THis is a GREAT karayoke game as well.

My wife loves it, all the female party goers LOVED it. My ex-band mates were over. WE killed it ... LOL

This game WAY over exceeded my expectations!!!

and to anyone having microphone problems out of the box.

simply turn on a wireless controller, and navigate with that. the microphone will work once the song starts.

I freaked out this morning when in the Dashboard UI my strumbar was all screwed up. About 33% double strums when pushing down and occasionally no strum was registered.

In game it seems ok, I guess thats what the launch day update fixed. I feel sorry for those who do not have their 360 connected to the net.

I can't believe GH3 refuses to start if the Strat is even connected (I wasn't going to use it), LAME!!!!!1 Halo theme song is pretty cool...

GHIII Starts just fine with the Strat connected for me. Even if it's the only controller connected. Too bad all the fret buttons register as orange heh. The update didn't fix my strumbar tho, still hosed.

Anyone have a Sony SXRD that is playing this game? I played GH so much on this tv that it doesn't feel like lag with the guitar but the drums feel a bit off and I can't tell if maybe I just suck still or maybe I just got used to the lag with the guitar?

I know there are options to change the lag which I haven't done yet - just curious.

I got my ROCK BAND SPECIAL EDITION last night at CC and I had my surround sound cranked!! The drums are where its at!!!

That absolutely can be attributed to setup. I had to turn my subwoofer WAY down last night. The bass drum & bass guitar ROCK my house. My friends were over to 3AM!!! last night playing.

Everyone rotated. The game is AMAZING> Sure the guitar is easy, but the singing and drums are ridiculous!! THis is a GREAT karayoke game as well.

My wife loves it, all the female party goers LOVED it. My ex-band mates were over. WE killed it ... LOL

This game WAY over exceeded my expectations!!!

Funny, my SW doesn't even register, even with DD selected in the menu. Anyone know why?

I love the fender but can't use it!! My strum bar is CRAP!! I think the update made mine worse! Switched to the Les Paul and was money!!! What a shame as I really like the guitar!

Add me to the list of people with messed up strum and tilt sensor. I was doing OK with the strat but still missing really simple notes - i switched over to the Xplorer and was doing 10x better.

Anyone have a Sony SXRD that is playing this game? I played GH so much on this tv that it doesn't feel like lag with the guitar but the drums feel a bit off and I can't tell if maybe I just suck still or maybe I just got used to the lag with the guitar?

I know there are options to change the lag which I haven't done yet - just curious.

YES!

I have a VPL-VW50 "Pearl" projector, and the guitars feel ok, but the drums feel like you have to hit the notes JUST before th line, or you are too late.

I tried one of the calibration options (DLP), but we were all so busy getting used to the game, I couldn't really tell if it helped...

YES!

I have a VPL-VW50 "Pearl" projector, and the guitars feel ok, but the drums feel like you have to hit the notes JUST before th line, or you are too late.

I tried one of the calibration options (DLP), but we were all so busy getting used to the game, I couldn't really tell if it helped...

Doing a manual calibration makes all the difference. The preset things are not worth poop, in my opinon.

Doing a manual calibration makes all the difference. The preset things are not worth poop, in my opinon.

Ahh, cool. I hadn't even noticed that. Thanks.

On edit: I just did the manual calibration... much better. Thanks!

Funny, my SW doesn't even register, even with DD selected in the menu. Anyone know why?

Hmm. I just enabled DD in the Audio menu as well, and SW will fire for special-fx sounds (i.e. the sounds as the "Report Cards" show up at the end of a song), but the bass kick drum is now non-existent.

Odd.

I finished solo guitar career on hard, started a few songs on expert. Finally the game has stackable achievements (I beat it on hard and got medium and easy achievements too).

I'm just glad to have all the songs unlocked now, time to go through the vocal career.

I love the fender but can't use it!! My strum bar is CRAP!! I think the update made mine worse! Switched to the Les Paul and was money!!! What a shame as I really like the guitar!

I have the same feelings. I guess I should try and get a new on from EA. I really like the Strat. It looks great and the extras (sound select and solo buttons) are things I want to mess with but the strum bar just sucks. Les Paul works great.

Is the general consensus that the guitar parts in this are quite easy? For someone that can 5 star songs on expert of GH2/3? Any comparisons between GH3 and RB for the several songs they share?

I'm renting it from Gamefly at some point to give the guitar part a try. I'm not sure I'll ever get to play BWT mode, since I don't have anyone around to play the game with me. I'm wondering if it's worth dropping the money on just to get the drums. Is the singing any fun in solo mode?

Is the general consensus that the guitar parts in this are quite easy? For someone that can 5 star songs on expert of GH2/3? Any comparisons between GH3 and RB for the several songs they share?

I'm renting it from Gamefly at some point to give the guitar part a try. I'm not sure I'll ever get to play BWT mode, since I don't have anyone around to play the game with me. I'm wondering if it's worth dropping the money on just to get the drums. Is the singing any fun in solo mode?

To me the drums are the best part of RB. The singing is fun but for some reason, it seems drowned out in the music. Perhaps I need to raise the volume on the mic and see if that will take care of it.

ferrisg,

the metallica dlc pack would be fun/challenge for you. check youtube for vids.

i'm a huge fan of GH 2 and 3, and i have some ATVI stock, so i'm the biggest GH fanboy out there, but OMG this game is so awesome. they really did take it to the next level.

i bought every dlc for GH2/3 and it always seemed worth it to me, but how are they going to sell dlc now? i think activision/neversoft will really have to get creative and come with some awesome dlc at a cheap price to get the excitement back. the halo theme was a good start, i think the situation is obvious to them too. i hope they come through i want my ATVI shares up a few more buck$....

generally the song charts are easier for guitar yes. However the mettallica DLC are very very very tough even by GH standards. As for the regular songs on the disc Highway star and the outlaws song both have dominating solos. The tighter timing windows can also make the songs a bit harder to five star.

I am LOVING solo guitar play so far. I've beaten all but two songs on hard (Green Grass and High Tides and Flirtin' With Disaster). That's farther than I've gotten on hard on either of the Guitar Hero games! Gonna take a lot of practice to pass those songs, though.

Lovin the new guitar too. :D

I have the same feelings. I guess I should try and get a new on from EA. I really like the Strat. It looks great and the extras (sound select and solo buttons) are things I want to mess with but the strum bar just sucks. Les Paul works great.


Ive noticed this downstrum issue too however, I figured out that if I slap it like a bass guitar with my thumb it works just fine. Another issue for me though is the damn snare drum pad (far left one). WTF is up with it. If I hit 16th notes it registers every 3rd one or so. F-ing ridiculous. I really noticed this on the later songs where you get the double taps goin. :mad:

Is the general consensus that the guitar parts in this are quite easy? For someone that can 5 star songs on expert of GH2/3? Any comparisons between GH3 and RB for the several songs they share?

I'm renting it from Gamefly at some point to give the guitar part a try. I'm not sure I'll ever get to play BWT mode, since I don't have anyone around to play the game with me. I'm wondering if it's worth dropping the money on just to get the drums. Is the singing any fun in solo mode?

I didn't find GH3 all that fun, because of how they jack up the songs just to make them harder, espeically Tier 7. I traded it in for Rock Band. I find Rock Band a lot more fun to play. While Rock Band is easier, it's not real easy, it's just not jacked up like GH3.

Anyone here have a problem with their drums registering notes? If I have to hit Red and Yellow at the same time, about 20-30% of the time it only registers one of them, and it's random which one it drops. I tried this on a practice mode slowed down to 50% to give a huge window to hit the beats. I can hit red then yellow quick enough to register both on the same line, but if I hit them exactly it tends to drop one of them.

I'm going to RMA it after I get my guitar controller returned (overdrive failed to work correctly on it)

Anyone here have a problem with their drums registering notes? If I have to hit Red and Yellow at the same time, about 20-30% of the time it only registers one of them, and it's random which one it drops. I tried this on a practice mode slowed down to 50% to give a huge window to hit the beats. I can hit red then yellow quick enough to register both on the same line, but if I hit them exactly it tends to drop one of them.

I'm going to RMA it after I get my guitar controller returned (overdrive failed to work correctly on it)

My daughter was complaining about the same thing. It's kinda hard for me to test as with the exception of my thumb I'm paralyzed in my right hand and since she's only 4 I was thinking it might be her. I finally had a friend come over today and yes, my Red/Yellow pads have serious issues registering simultaneous hits. In fact the Red pad seems to have issues in general with registering hits at all.

I'm really disappointed hardware wise at this point, the strum bar on my guitar is utter garbage, Mic was dead right outta the box and I guess the drums will need to be RMA'd as well now. Good thing the guitar from GH3 works as well as the Live! headset so at least my oldest daughter and I can get some play time in.

I am LOVING solo guitar play so far. I've beaten all but two songs on hard (Green Grass and High Tides and Flirtin' With Disaster). That's farther than I've gotten on hard on either of the Guitar Hero games! Gonna take a lot of practice to pass those songs, though.

Lovin the new guitar too. :D

Flirtin With Disaster was TOUGH, I was low red at several points and flirted with disaster as well but pulled it off after a few runs

Anyone here have a problem with their drums registering notes? If I have to hit Red and Yellow at the same time, about 20-30% of the time it only registers one of them, and it's random which one it drops. I tried this on a practice mode slowed down to 50% to give a huge window to hit the beats. I can hit red then yellow quick enough to register both on the same line, but if I hit them exactly it tends to drop one of them.

I'm going to RMA it after I get my guitar controller returned (overdrive failed to work correctly on it)

Same issue for me as well. If you hit the Red harder it will register on those notes. I will be sending it back after the holidays.

I know its called Rock Band, but does anyone else think that they should have included some other Genre's? My wife loves the singing aspect but she is slowly getting turned away by not knowing the songs (not good since she is our singer of the band). She was mentioning this and after I thought about it there are some songs out there that I think people would really like to sing that have some great beats. Just a thought.

>>she is slowly getting turned away by not knowing the songs

how about getting the Police dlc pack?

first couple of tries on an unfamiliar song are awkward, but then you do know the song and it should get better. but i know what you mean, everyone does have their favorite genres... rockband should actually be good for this with their aggressive dlc schedule.

shame to see so many people have hardware issues, i seem to be ok so far. the software is absolutely amazing. hopefully some 1.1 version hardware can come soon.

My hardware is working beautifully!! Sorry to hear about some of you having problems. I never played Guitar Hero but damn, this Rock band game is LOADS of fun. My gf and I are learning and having fun with this game! I don't think I'll be getting past easy anytime soon, lol.

>>I never played Guitar Hero but damn, this Rock band game is LOADS of fun.

When you see a good deal on GH2&3 grab them too, they are a blast and then you'll have a bass guitar.

Since unpacking I've suspected my drums were a bit wonky. I blamed it on my skills to start with, but now I'm not so sure. Seems like out of no where my streak will stop for a bad note. This happens on the easy rythm sections and I'm feeling it's the hardware now. As I've gotten better, I just notice it registering a bad note for no reason on some parts. Seems to be the left two when I'm playing during a verse (the basic rhythm thats in most every song).

>>I never played Guitar Hero but damn, this Rock band game is LOADS of fun.

When you see a good deal on GH2&3 grab them too, they are a blast and then you'll have a bass guitar.

I sure will. I know I will be needing a bass guitar when I invite over some friends.

I just whipped out my old Metallica albums after watching some youtube on the DLC for them and man.....brought back many memories of my youth. What better music for teenage angst, lol!! Anyway, they def need to bring these Metallica songs to RB via DLC Metallica pack 2 if possible....

1. Battery (RIDICULOUS!!)
2. Shortest Straw
3. Fight fire with fire
4. Creeping Death
5. The Four Horsemen
6. Seek and Destroy
7. Through the never

Does anybody know if there is ever going to be any Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd songs for download?

What are you guys using for your audio settings? I'm still stunned that Dolby Digital wasn't enabled by default, but maybe it's a mastering issue. Also, what's the consensus on "Bass Boost" (will mostly play drums while my wife sings or plays guitar). I have an Onkyo 7.1 if that changes things...

Thanks!

I've RMA'd my drums, yellow pad was DOA out of the box.

What's the consensus on the strum bar? I have a really hard time hitting streams of fast notes with the strat, something I didn't find that tough while downstrumming only on guitar hero. Am I looking at a learning curve or a hardware issue?

Did anyone get this from a B&M Costco? I've managed to snag one from BB but I'd much rather get it from Costco. Cheaper and better return policy.

If so, can I get the product number?

Does anybody know if there is ever going to be any Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd songs for download?

both are possible neither announced. the Zep has been actively refusing to do either RB or guitar hero. Pick floyds' camp has been known to be just as picky so. HMX has thousands and thousands of request via their website and I'm sure they've looked into everyone.

both are possible neither announced. the Zep has been actively refusing to do either RB or guitar hero. Pick floyds' camp has been known to be just as picky so. HMX has thousands and thousands of request via their website and I'm sure they've looked into everyone.

I think the chance of either band being in any of these games is so close to zero it's not worth talking about. Zeppelin has even less of a chance compared to Floyd.

Supposedly Harmonix has made major inroads with Led Zeppelin. I could really care less, I'm not a fan even though I tried to get into them during my metal phase.

I'm having a blast, my guitar has some fret button issues so I've put in for a replacement but today it has actually worked fine. Strum bar has no problems. I love the solo buttons and don't want to go back to the Xplorer. I did get all the way through Hard on the first night before I went to visit family for Thanksgiving. Green Grass didn't give me any problems but Molly Hatchet sure did. That solo just kills.

I suck so much at the drums I really wouldn't know if they were busted. Whenever I can test them all my hits register so I assume they are ok and I am the problem. I'm a big guy so I worry about snapping the drum pedal down the road so I'd like to get a metal replacement.

What are you guys using for your audio settings? I'm still stunned that Dolby Digital wasn't enabled by default, but maybe it's a mastering issue. Also, what's the consensus on "Bass Boost" (will mostly play drums while my wife sings or plays guitar). I have an Onkyo 7.1 if that changes things...

Thanks!

Dolby introduces processing which can introduce lag. Some have reported getting instrument specific lag using dolby.

Dolby introduces processing which can introduce lag. Some have reported getting instrument specific lag using dolby.

Is this confirmed anywhere? We have a distinct delay on the vocals, but when I try to tune it out it makes playing drums much harder.

And how do you boost the vocals? I have the mic volume all the way up and the vocal track way down, but the vocals through the speakers are very muted. Upping the mic gain just makes it overdrive and get fuzzy. I'm about to turn everything else way down and just crank the volume on my amp.

And is there any way to adjust the reverb on the mic input? It's great for giving my lousy voice the "karaoke lounge" effect, but my wife can actually sing so it would be nice to tone down the reverb for her.

Is this confirmed anywhere? We have a distinct delay on the vocals, but when I try to tune it out it makes playing drums much harder.

And how do you boost the vocals? I have the mic volume all the way up and the vocal track way down, but the vocals through the speakers are very muted. Upping the mic gain just makes it overdrive and get fuzzy. I'm about to turn everything else way down and just crank the volume on my amp.

And is there any way to adjust the reverb on the mic input? It's great for giving my lousy voice the "karaoke lounge" effect, but my wife can actually sing so it would be nice to tone down the reverb for her.

I picked it up from the Rock Band forums on the rock band game website. People specifically mentioned that it was affecting lag on the mic.

I picked it up from the Rock Band forums on the rock band game website. People specifically mentioned that it was affecting lag on the mic.

Thanks. That good to know. I'll try switching it off and see what happens.

Curious how many have used the Manual A/V calibration in Rock Band?

I have my XBOX 360 hooked up using VGA to a 47" Vizio LCD @1920x1080 res. Optical to my H/K 247 Receiver.

At first I used the preset LCD Calibration setting...seems to work ok...but my girlfriend complains that she often misses notes she shouldnt and that it seems things are out of sync.

So I decided to try the manual calibration.

Either I am doing it wrong or there is something else wrong becuase I get very different numbers each time I do the manual...ranges from -20ms to -54ms...

Anyone know what the values are for the preset settings?

Which instrument should be used to calibrate?...the screens says Strum bar or A.

Curious how many have used the Manual A/V calibration in Rock Band?

I have my XBOX 360 hooked up using VGA to a 47" Vizio LCD @1920x1080 res. Optical to my H/K 247 Receiver.

At first I used the preset LCD Calibration setting...seems to work ok...but my girlfriend complains that she often misses notes she shouldnt and that it seems things are out of sync.

So I decided to try the manual calibration.

Either I am doing it wrong or there is something else wrong becuase I get very different numbers each time I do the manual...ranges from -20ms to -54ms...

Anyone know what the values are for the preset settings?

Which instrument should be used to calibrate?...the screens says Strum bar or A.

Hmmm, my wife said the same. Am I correct in assuming the calibratio done is global for all instruments?

Also, I can do the "horizontal" cal with the d-pad (I'm at about 45ms), but when I'm asked to do the strum/A it doesn't register for me...

Hmmm, my wife said the same. Am I correct in assuming the calibratio done is global for all instruments?

Also, I can do the "horizontal" cal with the d-pad (I'm at about 45ms), but when I'm asked to do the strum/A it doesn't register for me...

I am pretty sure its global..the confusing part is that if you have multiple players singed in under different XBOX 360 profiles...i think the calibration setting, audio setting, etc are tied to profile....so I am not sure which setting is used..the last person signed in?..the first?

Also, If I am signed in and start the game...then she signed in using her profile..if she selects the Options/Calibration using her controller/instrumnet a message pops up saying..."You are currently using Player XXX's settings, would you like to use your own?"

In all of the guitar games I have NEVER gotten a NEGATIVE setting for the calibration, yet every time I try manual in RockBand its ALWAYS gives me a negative setting and this is wrong. If there is any lag, you should be getting a positive value for the setting. I have done this with the guitar, the drums and just by hitting the green button on a controller and the drums.

It has me baffled, and is it just me or is the audio sync part hard to tell. I mean I don't think I can set it anywhere from 0-20ms and it seems to be OK. It moves too fast I think.

In all of the guitar games I have NEVER gotten a NEGATIVE setting for the calibration, yet every time I try manual in RockBand its ALWAYS gives me a negative setting and this is wrong. If there is any lag, you should be getting a positive value for the setting. I have done this with the guitar, the drums and just by hitting the green button on a controller and the drums.

It has me baffled, and is it just me or is the audio sync part hard to tell. I mean I don't think I can set it anywhere from 0-20ms and it seems to be OK. It moves too fast I think.


I agree the numbers I get do not make any sense...i did it 5 times in a row..with the same controller and for the second test got values between -60 to +20ms...as far as I can tell its random.

I also notice no difference with the audio-sync one...0, 5, 10, 20ms....seem the same.

I read an article somewhere back when Rockband was being presented at E3...where the designers were raving about their calibration routine and how much more precise and better it was than Guitar Hero...well Guitar Hero for me worked nice...I did 3 calibrations and got 3 numbers all with a few points of each other...game play was improved so I know the numbers were accurate.

I was having trouble hitting fast repetitive notes, even though I was strummin in rhythm, no matter how I calibrated... In GHII, I could hit those sections no problem. however I wasn't changing the AV sync, because it appeared to be okay. But it was off slightly. I changed the setting to 100ms, and left everything else at default, and now it's perfect.

I was having trouble hitting fast repetitive notes, even though I was strummin in rhythm, no matter how I calibrated... In GHII, I could hit those sections no problem. however I wasn't changing the AV sync, because it appeared to be okay. But it was off slightly. I changed the setting to 100ms, and left everything else at default, and now it's perfect.

wow 100ms? that seems really high to me.

wow 100ms? that seems really high to me.
That's what I thought as well, but I haven't tried any other setting since it works so well. Before, I would have to strum slightly off rhythm with fast notes.

I have my reciever set to Pro Logic IIx, btw. Can PLIIx cause a whole tenth/second of AV lag?

Is anyone else's drums not working correctly? I calibrated my system and with my guitar (gh2 or RB guitar) I can hit all the notes. With the drums (on easy) the yellow pad will not register every hit. So I'll be doing some sort of 1(red) - 4(yellow) beat and every couple of yellows it will say I missed which makes no sense. Is anyone else getting this? Also, the star power / overdrive doesn't work on my RB guitar.

Is anyone else's drums not working correctly? I calibrated my system and with my guitar (gh2 or RB guitar) I can hit all the notes. With the drums (on easy) the yellow pad will not register every hit. So I'll be doing some sort of 1(red) - 4(yellow) beat and every couple of yellows it will say I missed which makes no sense. Is anyone else getting this? Also, the star power / overdrive doesn't work on my RB guitar.

I'm not saying this is the case for you, but I was having that problem until I improved and started really playing to the beat. Now I almost never have that problem. Again, you might have a legitimite calibration issue, but some of the faster beats are pretty difficult.

I have my reciever set to Pro Logic IIx, btw. Can PLIIx cause a whole tenth/second of AV lag?


I had the question as well...so i turned off dolby digital (I read on the RB forums that the dolby digital was causing lag issues with the Mic) in the game and turned off all the DSP processing on my receiver...I was down to just 2ch PCM from XBOX to AVR....still having odd calibration results. Next I am gonna try just using direct/pure analog (Red/White) audio with all DSP processing turned off on the receiver.

I am pretty sure its global..the confusing part is that if you have multiple players singed in under different XBOX 360 profiles...i think the calibration setting, audio setting, etc are tied to profile....so I am not sure which setting is used..the last person signed in?..the first?

Also, If I am signed in and start the game...then she signed in using her profile..if she selects the Options/Calibration using her controller/instrumnet a message pops up saying..."You are currently using Player XXX's settings, would you like to use your own?"

This brings up ANOTHER thing that seems confusing. Is it just me, or is the player management thing difficult?

It appears that your "band member" is tied to both yout Live account, AND the instrument position. So, I originally created my member on a guitar controller. If I sign in to my live account on the drums, I have to create a new member?

Often times we want to trade instruments during a session, and it's awkward. Or if I have the wrong guitar when I'm signing in (we are using 2).

In addition, when selecting a default "rocker" for playing (if you aren't using your bend member), it's counter-intuitive to have to toggle back and forth from "default" to "select rocker" to jsut scroll to the next character selection...

It seems overly complicated to me.

This brings up ANOTHER thing that seems confusing. Is it just me, or is the player management thing difficult?


+1

definitely. gave the local multiplayer a try with some guys for the first time last night and it was a bit confusing at first.

I'm also confused on unlocking songs and when and where you can see them again. I've been playing World Tour with my son with me on drums and him on guitar, and we got to play Highway Star. But now I can't find it on quickplay.

I'm also confused on unlocking songs and when and where you can see them again. I've been playing World Tour with my son with me on drums and him on guitar, and we got to play Highway Star. But now I can't find it on quickplay.
I think you only unlock songs above third tier in Solo Tour mode. In BWT mode, you don't progress through the songs in order of difficulty like in Solo mode, so...

Green Grass and High Tides is kicking my ass on medium drums. My right leg and right arm are aching. It's the only song I've failed (by a large margin) so far.

Green Grass and High Tides is kicking my ass on medium drums. My right leg and right arm are aching. It's the only song I've failed (by a large margin) so far.

yeah the extended quick alternating (1 2) (-2) can get old real quick. The key is to nail down the hand beat. You can actually beat the song by just hitting about every 4th bass hit as long as you get the hand beat down enough. I failed it twice before finally nailing it at a friends house in co-op. From what I hear it doesn't change much even in hard and expert so at least we know it won't get much worse for this song as you progress. I mbeat medium drums tonight and moved on to hard where I'm consistently getting 5 stars. It's amazing how quickly the game can get you up to speed.

I'm getting shin pain (feels like shin splints?!?) when using the kick pedal, even on easy on Solo. Am I doing something wrong, or is it just because I don't know how to play the drums and it is something that will get better with time?

I can only play one song at a time, by the time the tune is done, I'm in agony. :(

I'm getting shin pain (feels like shin splints?!?) when using the kick pedal, even on easy on Solo. Am I doing something wrong, or is it just because I don't know how to play the drums and it is something that will get better with time?

I can only play one song at a time, by the time the tune is done, I'm in agony. :(

Make sure that you're sitting high enough. You're thigh should be parallel to the ground or higher when you have the kick pedal depressed.

It's amazing how quickly the game can get you up to speed.

Not fast enough for me: The wife (vocals) and I (drums) continued our World Tour last night ("The Wankin' Poppinjays" :p ) and she said I was getting better on the drums @ medium... but I don't feel it. :rolleyes:

Every time it comes to the freeform drum sections w/ the cymbal crash at the end, I get lost and it sounds like a drum kit falling down the stairs! :o

Our favorite song to play so far: Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.

Not fast enough for me: The wife (vocals) and I (drums) continued our World Tour last night ("The Wankin' Poppinjays" :p ) and she said I was getting better on the drums @ medium... but I don't feel it. :rolleyes:

Every time it comes to the freeform drum sections w/ the cymbal crash at the end, I get lost and it sounds like a drum kit falling down the stairs! :o

Our favorite song to play so far: Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.

Well then just continue the standard beat into the free form sections and just throw teh cymbal crash in to activate overdrive if you want. Being able to do the beats with out teh chart will help in the long run.

BTW people the bowie pack is up. I already downloaded it but as usual have to wait till tonight to attack it. The poor guys on ps3 have to wait till thursday.

BTW people the bowie pack is up. I already downloaded it but as usual have to wait till tonight to attack it. The poor guys on ps3 have to wait till thursday.


I couldn't find where to download tracks from. Is it in the Rockband menu? Or do I need to go through my dashboard? Any help is appreciated.

I couldn't find where to download tracks from. Is it in the Rockband menu? Or do I need to go through my dashboard? Any help is appreciated.

XBL blade > New arrivals> Rock Band

The song pack is the first choice and it's individual songs are available just below the pack.

Loving the game, not loving how guitar is working. One friend has just scheduled a return for his guitar and I may do so tonight. Just seems like the quality-control on the Fender guitar is unusually low...which is a pity, as I really like it. I think it's may favorite of the GH II, GH III and RB guitars.

Just ordered a drum stool and special drum-sticks (quieter ones designed for use on drum-kits), 'cuz the game is that good.

Just ordered a drum stool and special drum-sticks (quieter ones designed for use on drum-kits), 'cuz the game is that good.

What do you recommend? :confused: Link please?

What do you recommend? :confused: Link please?

+1

What do you recommend? :confused: Link please?

I have a Tama drum throne that is very comfortable, but it's pricey. And the sticks I use are nylon tipped Vic Firth 5As - they will bounce back a bit more than the wood tipped sticks and are easier to use on practice pads (which is essentially what the RB drum kit is).

Here's the throne I use:
http://www.alpha-music.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=1140&idproduct=1773

I am waiting for the drum kit to be sold seperately (Jan 31st on Amazon) but the only thing that bothers me is the sound of hitting the drums drowning out the actual music unless the sound can be turned way up. So I was looking around for a 4-way headphone amp and found one for $49 (link here (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-HeadAMP-Four-Output-Stereo-Headphone-Amp-?sku=240368)). Just wondering if anyone has tried using something like this for the entire band with success?

I am waiting for the drum kit to be sold seperately (Jan 31st on Amazon) but the only thing that bothers me is the sound of hitting the drums drowning out the actual music unless the sound can be turned way up. So I was looking around for a 4-way headphone amp and found one for $49 (link here (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-HeadAMP-Four-Output-Stereo-Headphone-Amp-?sku=240368)). Just wondering if anyone has tried using something like this for the entire band with success?

I haven't had anyone complain about the drum noise yet. In fact, I had a friend that said my banging on the drums helped keep him on beat during a solo.

What do you recommend? :confused: Link please?

I'll have to check with my better half, as she picked it out and ordered it (being she's the primary drummer and I'm the secondary). ;) The sticks were Zildjians, iirc, and were $10. You can get them at just about any music store (though they may or may not have them in stock at any given time).

Is there nowhere to plug in a headset to the RB drums or Guitar? I was playing with a friend online yesterday and when I was using the drums I couldn't talk to him.

a week before the game released I got a 20 dollar throne, it's not all that comfortable but it works. I got the same sticks as the jokell and they work great. Some people reccomend zildjan anti-vibe sticks. They have a rubber core that reduces vibration. They are about 10 bucks everywhere. I might pick some up this weekend just to give them a try.
Nylon sticks: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Vic-Firth-American-Classic-Hickory-Drumsticks-460490-i1142594.gc

anti-vibe also come in with nylon tips: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Zildjian-Anti-Vibe-Hickory-Drumsticks-102081304-i1138026.gc

Is there nowhere to plug in a headset to the RB drums or Guitar? I was playing with a friend online yesterday and when I was using the drums I couldn't talk to him.

you can rig some up with your sound system but no no head phones since all teh audio comes from teh 360 not the drums triggers.

you can rig some up with your sound system but no no head phones since all teh audio comes from teh 360 not the drums triggers.

he is talking about a live headset to talk with friends online, not for hearing the music through, I don't have the drumkit so I can't help out on this one

he is talking about a live headset to talk with friends online, not for hearing the music through, I don't have the drumkit so I can't help out on this one

Not sure on this but a 360 controller with the headset should do the trick. I don't think the controller has to be doing anything in the game to be in a chat. However it might timeout doue to inactivity after a bit.

You guys ever wondered what the headset adapter, that was included, is for?

You guys ever wondered what the headset adapter, that was included, is for?

it's for the strat coontroller. The drum set doesn't have a plug for it that I can find.

Is there nowhere to plug in a headset to the RB drums or Guitar? I was playing with a friend online yesterday and when I was using the drums I couldn't talk to him.

The drum connection is on the front of the unit, right below the d-pad and buttons. The guitar has a connection too, but I can't remember where it is.

In either case you have to use one of the headset adapters that came in the box.

The drum connection is on the front of the unit, right below the d-pad and buttons. The guitar has a connection too, but I can't remember where it is.

In either case you have to use one of the headset adapters that came in the box.

good man for finding the hole I couldn't find.

I've tried doing vocals with the Live headset, but so far, my experience really really sucks with it. Even while holding a (relatively) steady note, the pitch arrow can waffle all the way up and down or just cut out altogether. I guess I should look into a good quality USB headset mic and see if that helps...

The drum connection is on the front of the unit, right below the d-pad and buttons. The guitar has a connection too, but I can't remember where it is.

In either case you have to use one of the headset adapters that came in the box.

Thanks, I saw that port yesterday, but my headphones wouldn't plug in. I didn't realize there was an adapter.

a week before the game released I got a 20 dollar throne, it's not all that comfortable but it works. I got the same sticks as the jokell and they work great. Some people reccomend zildjan anti-vibe sticks. They have a rubber core that reduces vibration. They are about 10 bucks everywhere. I might pick some up this weekend just to give them a try.
Nylon sticks: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Vic-Firth-American-Classic-Hickory-Drumsticks-460490-i1142594.gc

anti-vibe also come in with nylon tips: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Zildjian-Anti-Vibe-Hickory-Drumsticks-102081304-i1138026.gc

So I assume the different numbers for the sticks relate to the tip size? What difference does head size make for playing drums and what is ideal for RB?

I'll have to check with my better half, as she picked it out and ordered it (being she's the primary drummer and I'm the secondary). ;)

One check later, and here we are, the drum stool I ordered (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tama-HT30-Double-Braced-Throne-wRound-Seat?sku=442770).

Question - Does the Guitar Hero II guitar work with Rock Band if I only wanted to buy the stand-alone game and do the guitar? I'm not interested in vocals or drums but do love Guitar Hero and like the track list on Rock Band. Thoughts?

On the Rock Band forums they are saying that mouse pads cut to size and placed on the drum pads really helps reduce the noise. They say to use good mouse pads, not über-cheapies. I'm assuming that means a decent sized rubber backing with a hard top like pads for optical mice.

There's a WalMart next to a Guitar Center, and I'm stopping at both on my way home. I'm getting some mouse pads at Wally and a $20 throne plus sticks at GC. :) I'll let you know how it works out.

Question - Does the Guitar Hero II guitar work with Rock Band if I only wanted to buy the stand-alone game and do the guitar? I'm not interested in vocals or drums but do love Guitar Hero and like the track list on Rock Band. Thoughts?

For the 1 Millionth time....Yes :rolleyes:

On the Rock Band forums they are saying that mouse pads cut to size and placed on the drum pads really helps reduce the noise. They say to use good mouse pads, not über-cheapies. I'm assuming that means a decent sized rubber backing with a hard top like pads for optical mice.

There's a WalMart next to a Guitar Center, and I'm stopping at both on my way home. I'm getting some mouse pads at Wally and a $20 throne plus sticks at GC. :) I'll let you know how it works out.

Great tip. Anxious for the results. It's the one thing I hated about playing this in BB.

This looks like a good solution: http://generationgamerz.com/v2/insight/time-for-rock-band-arts-crafts.php

This looks like a good solution: http://generationgamerz.com/v2/insight/time-for-rock-band-arts-crafts.php

Awesome link, thanks! That looks like a great solution! :cool:

Awesome link, thanks! That looks like a great solution! :cool:

+1. Looks like a great solution.

Awesome link, thanks! That looks like a great solution! :cool:

I'm blocked....what is it?

I'm blocked....what is it?

step by step instructions (w/ pics) of using a circle cutter on self adhesive colored felt & self-adhesive foam to deaden the sound of the sticks hitting the pads w/ no loss in sensitivity.

I'm going to have to head to my local arts and craft store and get me some self-adhesive foam and felt :). To be honest with you guys.....I'm probably going to play worse now with the foam and felt pads since I've been getting used to hearing my strikes and grooving to them at the same time, lol.

Please take some video if you can, I'd love to see (hear) the before & after applying it.

Please take some video if you can, I'd love to see (hear) the before & after applying it.

ok, against my better judgement... :o

Here's a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oj2vSU7oF4) showing not only my sucky drumming, but what the drum kit mod sounds like: the last pad on the right ("green") is unmodded, the rest have the mod mentioned a couple posts back.

The difference isn't as noticable in this video because of the attack, but at a distance hitting the softer modded pads don't carry as much as the harder unmodded plastic pads, so the results are decent.

And before someone comments... yes, I know I have a lot of practicing to do! :p

DaverJ,

How is the response with the modded pads? Are they still as accurate with the mod as they are without?

Thanks,
Jason

I am blocked at work from the link for the mod....but I will note that if the rebound of the stick is reduced, then your arms/fingers/wrists are going to start to ache.

Like I said though I can't "see' what materials are being used. But speaking as a drummer, any reduction in "head" rebound will require you to "pull" the sticks back up from the head. Much like de-tuning real drum heads to a low pitch or heaven forbid, placing something on the head.

Now if it is bouncy and still triggers the pad.....by all means.

is it possible to delete characters from your profile?

in all the excitement of release week, and the people coming and going, someone created a drummer under my profile in addition to mine.

i cannot find a way to delete the extra. is it possible?

is it possible to delete characters from your profile?

in all the excitement of release week, and the people coming and going, someone created a drummer under my profile in addition to mine.

i cannot find a way to delete the extra. is it possible?

Yep, it's under options in the main menu. I'm not home so I can't give you the exact section title name...sorry (maybe someone else on here can) but it lets you edit your character's name and gives you the option to delete it.

Thank You!

Jason/Rhyvven...

I was surprised that the material is as thin as it is. The mod is a sandwich of a thin sheet of self-adhesive foam rubber with an even thinner piece of colored self-adhesive felt on top.

I should point out that using the circle cutter the link recommends has a blade that's about half as deep that's needed for the rubber part, so I had to use an exacto to finish the job. But the two sheets are still pretty thin.

There's no sensitivity loss that I can tell. I tried a couple songs on my kit that still has one of the pads unmodded like in the video. I experimented with light hits and hard hits, and to be honest it seemed like I was registering better on the modded pads. (?)

As for bounce... there might be a slight reduction in the bounce, but not much. This mod mostly reduces/deadens the percussive "click" and "clop" of the stick hitting hard plastic pads. The surface still feels like hitting a hard pad though.

At first I didn't think it was really doing much, but the wife noticed a big difference from another room.

So a big thumbs up?

Why is it not possible to change the name of a band? A friend and I created a band and named it something pretty horrible, but only because we wanted to get in and play and I figured I could change it later. But now I can only delete it? WTF?

From blabbermouth (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=85687) (metal news site)

METALLICA To Debut New Single Via 'Rock Band' Video Game? - Nov. 28, 2007
According to 1UP.com, Paul DeGooyer, MTV's senior vice president of home entertainment, has told the Rocky Mountain News that MTV and Harmonix plan to debut new music exclusively on the Rock Band video game — and one of the first could be a doozy. "There are a couple of things we've committed to, one of them with METALLICA for example," DeGooyer said. "They've reserved the right to give us their first single from their new album for the game."

From blabbermouth (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=85687) (metal news site)

METALLICA To Debut New Single Via 'Rock Band' Video Game? - Nov. 28, 2007
According to 1UP.com, Paul DeGooyer, MTV's senior vice president of home entertainment, has told the Rocky Mountain News that MTV and Harmonix plan to debut new music exclusively on the Rock Band video game — and one of the first could be a doozy. "There are a couple of things we've committed to, one of them with METALLICA for example," DeGooyer said. "They've reserved the right to give us their first single from their new album for the game."

Thats awesome!! I miss hearing Metallica. Its been nice playing Metallica again thanks to RB.

Thats awesome!! I miss hearing Metallica. Its been nice playing Metallica again thanks to RB.

I feel the same way. I hadn't really listened to them in awhile but I've really enjoyed singing Blackened and Ride the Lightning. I strongly suspect this new song won't be up to those standards. :(

DaverJ, excellent video on the drum mod! Thanks for posting it!

My only concern would be the felt wearing out over time, and having a hard time replacing it cleanly. What do you think?

I strongly suspect this new song won't be up to those standards. :(

Oh I know! I'm not expecting them to be Metallica of old but I do hope its something that does catch my interest.

Here is someone --> JAMMIN (http://youtube.com/watch?v=uQ9XLiMfBRo) <-- to And justice for all on drums. (Click on "Jammin" for direct link)

Bad link.

the new metallica album is being produced by rick rubin. they are recording in the same key as their old stuff and they are attempting to link and justice for all to the black album. so who knows either it could bmean HMX's dream of a true interactive music platform could becoming a reality.

From blabbermouth (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=85687) (metal news site)

METALLICA To Debut New Single Via 'Rock Band' Video Game? - Nov. 28, 2007
According to 1UP.com, Paul DeGooyer, MTV's senior vice president of home entertainment, has told the Rocky Mountain News that MTV and Harmonix plan to debut new music exclusively on the Rock Band video game — and one of the first could be a doozy. "There are a couple of things we've committed to, one of them with METALLICA for example," DeGooyer said. "They've reserved the right to give us their first single from their new album for the game."

Now if we can only get Harmonix to release Vulgar Display of Power, we'd be all set......