Rocksmith available on PC

[gorcorps]

as it's still pretty applicable, this is the console thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2198819

For those that don't know, this is THE music game to get for playing the actual guitar. It's been out for a while on the console side but for some reason the PC side was hung up. Anyway... it's out and I'm a fan. I got impatient and got the 360 version a while back and it worked well enough. My biggest issue is my receiver introduced some audio lag that I could never really work around. While not the fault of the game I could never get the experience I wanted so I didn't put as much time into it.

Without the audio lag the game is worlds better. The cable I got with the 360 version is the same as the PC cable, so all I needed was the software. The UI is a direct rip of the console version which is pretty bad for a PC version. My biggest gripe is that I can't press Esc to exit, I have to scroll over and click the "exit" button. However you aren't in the UI once you're playing the game and you forget about such problems.

The soundtrack is not something I'm impressed with from a music standpoint, but after playing through a good chunk of it I understand why the songs were picked. Even if they wouldn't be on my mp3 player they were still fun to play which is the important part.

Anyway... not sure if anybody was actually waiting for this to come to the PC, but now it's here.

 

[Dankk]

So can I use this to learn how to play the guitar?

 

[TheUnk]

Yeah I've put about 12 hours into this game so far.. Pretty fun. You are right about the UI it is pretty bad.

I still can't figure out how to change guitars..

The auto-skill thing I thought was pretty cool at first but started to find it frustrating when it took away notes because I screwed up a few times. I'd rather it only auto phase up if I'm doing well enough and ask me if I want to phase down or something.. I don't ever want to go backwards, I'd rather struggle for a while and get better from it.

You can improve the latency even more to where it's practically unnoticable by modifying the Rocksmith.ini file

found here: http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.ph...hieving-low-latency-in-Rocksmith-on-PC-Forums

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Yeah UI is terrible. The DLC seems pretty expensive too. The base game without the cable was 25% off if you picked it from Amazon last week. I needed the instant gratification so I picked it up at gamestop for full price. Right now they have a coupon good for 10% off any games in stock $99.99 or over so if you find a $20 filler, you can basically get a game for free. Code is TOBER.

There's videos of people who have rocksmith journals on youtube. So some people are definitely using it to learn guitar. I'm trying to be like them. I have taken a few lessons though previously. Might be a good idea for learning proper hand positioning and some other stuff.

There's a good primer video on youtube by Andy Schiller for the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seyynFf-rrk

People have also figured out how to play the game without the real tone cable. One way is via microphone and the other is a regular usb to guitar cable. You might have to mod the game though. It would be a good way to test out the game since there's a demo available on Steam.

 

[utahraptor]

Do you have a link to the cable mod? I tried to use my expensive Apogee Jam cable with the demo and was pretty upset when it would not let me use it.

 

[rivethead]

Being a guitar playing hobbiest for the last 25 years, this is a cool way to learn. Wish it existed in 1982 when I starting playing. Then again, I wish youtube existed too....amazing amount of guitar instruction on youtube now.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I think there's a thread about it on somethingawful, which I can't see since I didn't donate. They're trying to figure out how to load custom songs into the game.

This guy in this thread has a link to a mod file.
http://www.reddit.com/r/rocksmith/comments/11yfff/so_whats_the_purpose_of_realtone_cable/

This guy used a microphone to play.
http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.ph...l-Tone-cabel?p=8647902&viewfull=1#post8647902

 

[utahraptor]

Thanks. I will give it a shot when I get home.

 

[gorcorps]

Yeah I've put about 12 hours into this game so far.. Pretty fun. You are right about the UI it is pretty bad.

I still can't figure out how to change guitars..

The auto-skill thing I thought was pretty cool at first but started to find it frustrating when it took away notes because I screwed up a few times. I'd rather it only auto phase up if I'm doing well enough and ask me if I want to phase down or something.. I don't ever want to go backwards, I'd rather struggle for a while and get better from it.

You can improve the latency even more to where it's practically unnoticable by modifying the Rocksmith.ini file

found here: http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.ph...hieving-low-latency-in-Rocksmith-on-PC-Forums

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the "downgrading" that happens if you slip up. Especially because it seems to happen quicker than the upgrading. I'll have to check out those tweaks at home too.

I think there's a thread about it on somethingawful, which I can't see since I didn't donate. They're trying to figure out how to load custom songs into the game.

This guy in this thread has a link to a mod file.
http://www.reddit.com/r/rocksmith/comments/11yfff/so_whats_the_purpose_of_realtone_cable/

This guy used a microphone to play.
http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.ph...l-Tone-cabel?p=8647902&viewfull=1#post8647902

I'm not sure what the mod entails, but I was hoping a decent mod community would sprout when this made it to PC. Since it's the real instruments, it should be possible to create a tool that converts Power Tab or Guitar Pro tab files into a Rocksmith play field. Then all you'd need to do is add the music file and make it selectable in the menus. Obviously none of that is "easy", but in my head it seems a lot more attainable than with other music games.

 

[Kalmah]

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the "downgrading" that happens if you slip up. Especially because it seems to happen quicker than the upgrading. I'll have to check out those tweaks at home too.




I'm not sure what the mod entails, but I was hoping a decent mod community would sprout when this made it to PC. Since it's the real instruments, it should be possible to create a tool that converts Power Tab or Guitar Pro tab files into a Rocksmith play field. Then all you'd need to do is add the music file and make it selectable in the menus. Obviously none of that is "easy", but in my head it seems a lot more attainable than with other music games.

Speaking of Guitar Pro, you can get pretty good playback with MIDI if you have a hardware synth. Also the RES can sound pretty good too with enough tweaking. I usually go through and delete parts of songs that I plan on playing myself and tweak the entire tab for sound quality, then I can play along with it. Been doing this for years. From a guitar learning perspective I think this is far superior to anything Rocksmith will do.

Also, every tab in existence can be found on 911 tabs. You aren't limited to a couple dozen songs. But instead, hundreds of thousands.

I have a question about Rocksmith though, can you only sight read the music or can you run through it on your own without the game playing along?

If sight reading is the only option then you are probably about to learn mistakes, and then have to unlearn mistakes while playing. By learning without the music, on your own you can train your motor memory properly the first time, then follow it up with a backing track from Guitar Pro.

Also, the comment about how it 'downgrades' the difficulty after making the same mistake a couple times is dumb. You don't get better if you don't push yourself for harder. Instead of making things easier, you need a different approach to learning it. And steamrolling through a song probably isn't going to be it.

 

[TheUnk]

Rocksmith is a game. Guitar Pro is a tool.

 

[gorcorps]

Speaking of Guitar Pro, you can get pretty good playback with MIDI if you have a hardware synth. Also the RES can sound pretty good too with enough tweaking. I usually go through and delete parts of songs that I plan on playing myself and tweak the entire tab for sound quality, then I can play along with it. Been doing this for years. From a guitar learning perspective I think this is far superior to anything Rocksmith will do.

Also, every tab in existence can be found on 911 tabs. You aren't limited to a couple dozen songs. But instead, hundreds of thousands.

I have a question about Rocksmith though, can you only sight read the music or can you run through it on your own without the game playing along?

If sight reading is the only option then you are probably about to learn mistakes, and then have to unlearn mistakes while playing. By learning without the music, on your own you can train your motor memory properly the first time, then follow it up with a backing track from Guitar Pro.

Also, the comment about how it 'downgrades' the difficulty after making the same mistake a couple times is dumb. You don't get better if you don't push yourself for harder. Instead of making things easier, you need a different approach to learning it. And steamrolling through a song probably isn't going to be it.

I know there are several training modes in Rocksmith which allow you to adjust the speed at which the song plays so you can learn it without playing the actual game. I'm not sure if any of them let you play with the notes going without having the song playing. I do know that if you learn the song well enough, you can choose to play a "master" mode which plays the music with no notes on the screen. It's fun once you learn the songs.

You can also use the free play mode, which lets you set up amp models and stomp boxes and play whatever you want.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Posted this in the Steam daily thread then remembered there was a Rocksmith thread:

Rocksmith PC has apparently dropped it's price in the past few days. I noticed on Steam it is $29.99 (a few days ago it was 49.99). It doesn't show as being on sale (and wasn't on sale for the autumn sale. I've been playing the demo for a few weeks and once you get the lag fixed, it's pretty fun. I've been playing it on my TV rather than my monitor (doing this really requires you to analogue out your audio to your receiver rather than thru HDMI.)

I believe you still need to have the actual cable which is dumb, but you can pick that up for around $20.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Posted this in the Steam daily thread then remembered there was a Rocksmith thread:

Rocksmith PC has apparently dropped it's price in the past few days. I noticed on Steam it is $29.99 (a few days ago it was 49.99). It doesn't show as being on sale (and wasn't on sale for the autumn sale. I've been playing the demo for a few weeks and once you get the lag fixed, it's pretty fun. I've been playing it on my TV rather than my monitor (doing this really requires you to analogue out your audio to your receiver rather than thru HDMI.)

I believe you still need to have the actual cable which is dumb, but you can pick that up for around $20.

Yeah that's the new standard price. I think they're setting up for a winter sale discount plus they plan on making most of their money on the dlc and cable.

If you don't already have the cable you can pick up the bundle from amazon for $60. It's also dropped down to $50 a few times in the past few weeks if you're willing to wait. The cable is basically a form of drm for the game. It's pretty easy to pirate.

There's also a way to create your own custom songs for the game:
http://www.smithyanvil.com/RocksmithCustomGuide.html

There's some videos of it online. I think gangnam style was the first one.

 

[gorcorps]

Yeah that's the new standard price. I think they're setting up for a winter sale discount plus they plan on making most of their money on the dlc and cable.

If you don't already have the cable you can pick up the bundle from amazon for $60. It's also dropped down to $50 a few times in the past few weeks if you're willing to wait. The cable is basically a form of drm for the game. It's pretty easy to pirate.

There's also a way to create your own custom songs for the game:
http://www.smithyanvil.com/RocksmithCustomGuide.html

There's some videos of it online. I think gangnam style was the first one.

Excellent! I knew it was just a matter of time before somebody got custom songs in. Love the modding community.

 

[Chrono]

So how would I go about in play8ing this game then? Meaning what would I need?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

So how would I go about in play8ing this game then? Meaning what would I need?

For the best experience you need:
- electric guitar
- game
- Real tone cable

You can pick up the guitar bundle, which comes with all 3 for I don't know how much. If you already have a guitar you can pick up the game + cable for $60 currently but it's been $50 a few times in the past couple of months.
http://camelcamelcamel.com/Rocksmith-Guitar-And-Bass-Pc/product/B004S5TDUQ

You can play without the cable also. By spoofing the cable.
http://www.reddit.com/r/rocksmith/comments/11yfff/so_whats_the_purpose_of_realtone_cable/c6qqh9n

You can also hook a microphone up and the game will also work.

There's a demo on Steam so you can spoof the cable/use a mic using your guitar to try it before you buy. It won't be the best experience but it will give you an idea of what you're buying.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Yeah that's the new standard price. I think they're setting up for a winter sale discount plus they plan on making most of their money on the dlc and cable.

If you don't already have the cable you can pick up the bundle from amazon for $60. It's also dropped down to $50 a few times in the past few weeks if you're willing to wait. The cable is basically a form of drm for the game. It's pretty easy to pirate.

There's also a way to create your own custom songs for the game:
http://www.smithyanvil.com/RocksmithCustomGuide.html

There's some videos of it online. I think gangnam style was the first one.

I saw they were working on this. Is there a place to get "dlc" setups that other people have made? I know there's the gray area of actually havnig the song, but I'm assuming they can be put together separately w/o each person having to do the same song over and over.

 

[KeithTalent]

For the best experience you need:
- electric guitar
- game
- Real tone cable

You can pick up the guitar bundle, which comes with all 3 for I don't know how much. If you already have a guitar you can pick up the game + cable for $60 currently but it's been $50 a few times in the past couple of months.
http://camelcamelcamel.com/Rocksmith-Guitar-And-Bass-Pc/product/B004S5TDUQ

You can play without the cable also. By spoofing the cable.
http://www.reddit.com/r/rocksmith/comments/11yfff/so_whats_the_purpose_of_realtone_cable/c6qqh9n

You can also hook a microphone up and the game will also work.

There's a demo on Steam so you can spoof the cable/use a mic using your guitar to try it before you buy. It won't be the best experience but it will give you an idea of what you're buying.

Can you play it with a bass?

KT

 

[gorcorps]

Can you play it with a bass?

KT

Yes

The PC version comes with all of the bass DLC that was released later in the console versions (all included songs now have the bass tracks). You can play the bass tracks on either a real bass, or if you only have a guitar it lets you do it with the 4 lowest strings on your guitar.

 

[edro]

Been playing for about 2 weeks now.
It's a fun game.
Before this, most of my guitar knowledge has been strumming chords on an acoustic.
This game is much more geared towards single notes and techniques, like bending, slides, tremolo, etc.
Once you start getting higher in level, they throw in some chords.

The Riff Repeater function is pretty nice. It basically trains you how to play the common riff in any of the songs by starting it out at like 50% speed and increasing the speed 10% each time you go through it correctly.

I also agree that the UI is horrible. I would like to "go back" and do some of the same set lists I previously passed, but can't figure out how. I am stuck at a tough setlist.

I also hate how you practice the songs and finally get them down pat, then during the performance, they throw in a ton of new notes! WTH! I am on stage in front of a bunch of bouncing hot women and you make me look like an idiot!

 

[EDUSAN]

I also hate how you practice the songs and finally get them down pat, then during the performance, they throw in a ton of new notes! WTH! I am on stage in front of a bunch of bouncing hot women and you make me look like an idiot!

bands neverplay the songs exactly alike on stage... so that is actually quite a nice touch.

if the core of the song remains and it throws some notes here and there its cool