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View Full Version : Ediface device = Real Guitars in Rock Band



arniejolt
01-08-2008, 06:10 PM
This was just revealed at the CES show...and is the perfect Yang of that Air Guitar Hero-abomination (http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21364) Yin.

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3466559

From 1up (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3165298):

It's somewhat ironic that real-world drumming skillz easily transfer to a game like Rock Band while real world guitar talent does not. While this is fine for those millions who can't actually play the guitar, there are those axe pros among us who want to demonstrate their ability to shred by pulling out a real Gibson and hammering away during a frenetic Rock Band session. For those hardcore few, five colored fret buttons might just seem a bit... limiting.

That's where a little device called Ediface -- newly unveiled by audio peripheral maker SoundTech at CES -- comes in. Basically speaking it's a little peripheral that attaches to a real-world guitar and converts the sound produced by the instrument into digital MIDI format. This MIDI can then be run through any alternate software you choose (synthesized keytar anyone?) or sampled into any one of numerous MIDI programs. While MIDI pickups from guitars are not exactly new technology, the Ediface is unique in that it appears to use the actual sound produced by the guitar (as opposed to the electrical input of traditional pickups) to work its magic -- meaning presumably that it would even work on something like a traditional acoustic.

More interestingly to gamers however, SoundTech has claimed that the Ediface will actually allow you to play Rock Band or Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with a real guitar. Apparently the company is developing special adapters for the little device for all major hardware platforms which, once configured, will allow a player to synch their digital output from the box to their rhythm game of choice. Rock on.

Gizmodo has some shots of the Ediface available over at their CES coverage. Though some might scratch their heads and say something like "Hey, I play Madden NFL '08 specifically so that I don't HAVE to suffer being crunched repeatedly by real 400 pound linebackers" the few crazies out there who want to punish their fingers will surely eat the Ediface up.

After all, combined with something like Guitar Wizard, the Ediface has the potential to be the holy grail of simulated guitar gaming -- a fun experience that uses the rock songs you already know and love to teach you how to play a real guitar.

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Quinarvy
01-08-2008, 06:21 PM
Pure greatness

gsu_paintballer
01-09-2008, 01:56 AM
Linebackers dont weigh 400 pounds. Ever.

CrackerAxe
01-17-2008, 03:59 AM
In the articles I have read they are specifically saying that they are building a model for gaming. This sounds like an amazing opportunity for people wanting to take it up a notch and try to cross that game to reality boundery. But I don't know how close the fretting in the game matches those on a real fret board. I know there are only 5 notes on the RB guitar, but do they 'map' to a set of standard notes on a guitar or bass? I would be very interested to know.

McDreads
01-17-2008, 06:29 AM
I only read the first two paragraphs, sounds interesting.