Hardware preview with GameSpot

[Keebler]

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/puzzle/rockband/news.html?sid=6178927&tag=topslot;title;2&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot

Forgive me if this is old.

[Apples]

It's new to me, thanks for the heads up.

From the interview... the tamborine tapping on the mic can be emulated by saying "pop" "pow" etc... good news for the crowd that wants to sing and play an instrument.

[Keebler]

Summary of new information:

-Harmonix did not encounter many technological challenges - they worked closely with Microsoft and their wireless protocol in making the guitar controllers.

-Online bands will NOT be able to hear the singer.

-The Xbox 360 headsets will be capable of plugging into the guitar/drums.

-For players using the headsets as mics, you can use vocal cues during the tambourine/cowbell parts ("POW" or "BAM").

[Desensitized]

Considering the date, it's not really old.

Thanks!

[masterx1918]

no it's new. good find some nice info there.

[Electric_Zen]

-Online bands will NOT be able to hear the singer.

I'm glad they finally admitted this. It was pretty obvious, but it was going to get more painful the longer they tried to keep this on the down low.

[Magnet]

"When it comes to creating the tambourine or cowbell effect, the software will also recognize vocal sounds like a "pow" or a "pop" in addition to a physical tap."

Guess that answers that question for people who wanted to play an instrument and sing at the same time. You can do the tapping parts with your voice! I think people will be happy about that.

[ThePaska]

Thanks for posting this I had not seen it. A few things I was interested to here about were:

When it comes to creating the tambourine or cowbell effect, the software will also recognize vocal sounds like a "pow" or a "pop" in addition to a physical tap.

So you don't have to physically hit it, this is good for those people concerned about still playing percussion while playing an instrument and singing.

When playing online with others, your bandmates cannot hear you sing; they can only watch your pitch and score on the screen to ensure you're keeping up to par. I can't speak to future plans in this area at this time.

Online you cant hear your singer, that really annoys me, it must have something to do with latency issues. I really wasn't expecting this, but I guess it's not the worst thing in the world.

Rock Band is compatible with the current collection of headsets, and the Xbox 360 hardware will ship with a plug adapter that will let you plug the three-prong Xbox 360 headsets into the drum or guitar if needed.

I like that the headset will plug into these controllers so then you can have an easier time singing and playing your instrument. I still don't think it beats having a mic stand though.


Good interview overall got to read some things I hadn't before.

[AdamBomb629]

I'm a little disappointed that you won't be able to hear the singing online, but I suppose the number of singers online just went WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYy up.

[Supergeek]

Thanks for the heads-up!

[sushi111]

*POP* *POP*

Thats going to be fun to sing while playing solos! :D

[AVC808]

thanks for the heads up on this. the tapping emulation is definitely a plus...after all those pictures in my mind seeing people banging their head on a mic stand while playing :p

the loss of vocals playing over online is a small blow to singers with talent. sure all that really matters is the points, and i definitely would not want to trade off slowdown or poor gameplay to accomodate it, but for singers with talent, it doesnt give them the gratification or chance to showcase their abilities.

[IErrantVentureI]

The singing is a bit dissapointing, as I wanted to annoy my friends by making up my own lyrics! :p

[wwaballafoshosho]

very informative read
good find

[travmeatwad]

Saw this posted on ScoreHero.. but thanks for posting. Good read.

[IErrantVentureI]

You saw it and didn't tell us?!

[ThePaska]

The singing is a bit dissapointing, as I wanted to annoy my friends by making up my own lyrics! :p

Yea I just realized this means that in the improv sections (The big green bars) you wont get to hear what your friends/band mates are saying. Which kind of takes away from the performance a lot.

Also as a side-note I really can't wait to sing Black Hole Sun!

[IErrantVentureI]

Especially because I'll be playing online more than I would be with friends in my living room. :/

[travmeatwad]

You saw it and didn't tell us?!

It was right before it was posted here.

[masterx1918]

so now you can play guitar and sing all under one player since the headphone works now?

[Magnet]

I'm not really surprised about the voices not going through online. That would be tremendously difficult to pull off without severely compromising the gameplay. It must be hard enough trying to keep the thing lag-free as it is, let alone trying to somehow get the vocals through in decent quality also lag-free.

[IErrantVentureI]

Yes, you can play guitar and sing at the same time, but I doubt it'll be on single player. You'll most likely have to pick two player, and you'll just play as both players.

And trav, I was messin' with you, in case that didn't come across ya. ;)

[masterx1918]

so you'd have to plug the headset into the controller like usual instead of the guitar?

[Keebler]

The headset plugs into the guitar, the drums, regular controller... whatever you want it to.

[Brock_Landers]

When it comes to creating the tambourine or cowbell effect, the software will also recognize vocal sounds like a "pow" or a "pop" in addition to a physical tap.

But will it recognise a "bow chikka bow" is the question

[Chris_Gonzalez]

But will it recognise a "bow chikka bow" is the question

"I've got a feva, and the only cure is singing stereotypical adult film music."

[ductyl]

Rock Band is compatible with the current collection of headsets, and the Xbox 360 hardware will ship with a plug adapter that will let you plug the three-prong Xbox 360 headsets into the drum or guitar if needed.

I like that the headset will plug into these controllers so then you can have an easier time singing and playing your instrument. I still don't think it beats having a mic stand though.


so now you can play guitar and sing all under one player since the headphone works now?

The headset plugs into the guitar, the drums, regular controller... whatever you want it to.

Since he answered the question about headset compatibility with a mention of the new adapter, we can hopefully assume that this is the case... I was expecting the instruments to have a headset port, but only for Xbox Live communication. If they work for the vocals as well, that's just awesome.


But will it recognise a "bow chikka bow" is the question

Let's hope so... then you can play drums, sing lead vocals, and replace the bass at the same time!

- ductyl

[lithiumkc]

lol.. as nick just pointed out to me... we looked at harmonix patents like a month or two ago, and explained that it sounded like you wouldn't be able to hear the singer online.

But nobody listened :p

It also sounded like there would be band vs band too. or at least 8 players at the same time from what it looked like.

[Brock_Landers]

lol.. as nick just pointed out to me... we looked at harmonix patents like a month or two ago, and explained that it sounded like you wouldn't be able to hear the singer online.

But nobody listened :p

It also sounded like there would be band vs band too. or at least 8 players at the same time from what it looked like.

Well, 1 out of 2 ain't too bad for computer detectives. Good job!

[Young_Nastyman]

"When it comes to creating the tambourine or cowbell effect, the software will also recognize vocal sounds like a "pow" or a "pop" in addition to a physical tap."

Guess that answers that question for people who wanted to play an instrument and sing at the same time. You can do the tapping parts with your voice! I think people will be happy about that.

aww...i wanted to bash my face into the mic during the enter sandman solo :p


The singing is a bit dissapointing, as I wanted to annoy my friends by making up my own lyrics! :p

You can still annoy them if you get together at your house or one of their houses. You can also lock them in the house so they HAVE to listen to you, whereas online they could easily turn off their system. Atleast in person if they turn it off, you can keep singing :D

[Eman311]

From the interview... the tamborine tapping on the mic can be emulated by saying "pop" "pow" etc... good news for the crowd that wants to sing and play an instrument.
told you so.

that solves one problem

[Eman311]

GS: As we understand it, bandmates won't be able to hear the vocalist sing when playing online. Are there plans to add that functionality in the future?

DS: When playing online with others, your bandmates cannot hear you sing; they can only watch your pitch and score on the screen to ensure you're keeping up to par. I can't speak to future plans in this area at this time.






I did not know that. That kinda bothers me.

[TheTogfather]

I had hoped for singing voice to be heard online, but I guess it's not really surprising. As important as it will be to remove ALL lag when playing online, it just won't be possible to transmit voice data during the performance. I'm fine with it.

Also, I don't think he specifically says that the 360 headsets will work for singing vocals, just that they will plug into the guitar/drums if necessary, I assume in order to chat in the lobby or whatever prior to loading a song. They've repeatedly said that the 360 headsets don't have the capability to register the voice pitch and such enough to use it for vocals. If it was possible to use the headset, why would they even bother making a mic stand? I think you'll still have to combine the Rock Band mic with whatever other instrument if you want to dual wield.

I guess it's nice that there's another option over actually hitting the mic for tambourine effects, but I was kinda hoping those would just be optional and you wouldn't be penalized for not hitting them. I guess that might still be the case...I'd just rather not bother with the cowbell if I'm gonna try playing bass and singing...

All in all, a good article...cleared some stuff up. Thanks for posting.

[JimNasium]

Wow, I'm actually pretty surprised we can't hear the singing online. I don't play a lot of online gaming, but is that a big problem? Voice lag? This kind of takes away the idea of having online concerts.

[PurpleHaze]

-Online bands will NOT be able to hear the singer.
I can't say this surprises me, and I think some of the expectations were unrealistic. The problem is that online vocals would introduce lag, it takes a certain amount of time to transmit the data, and there's simply no way round that. And with a game like Rock Band, where every element has to be synchronized, that wouldn't work - just look at the problems that local lag causes, and online would be far worse. I don't want to be too negative, but for the same reasons, I would be surprised if the other instruments were truly "live" for online - the instrumentation is less data to transmit than the vocals, but it still takes time.

[FatWilma]

i'm glad to hear about the wireless guitar for 360. idk if i'm falling out of the loop or what, but i hadn't read anything at all in regards to them working with MS on the wireless tech. the guitar is sounding better and better with each review i read about it. the click-less strum bar alone is a MASSIVE improvement.

i know they've said that RB is compatible with other controllers from the beginning, but its still comforting to hear there is nothing missing by using the Xplorer or Les Paul (except effects and the awesomosity of finger tapping on solos). *i find myself saying that alot now, damn u hmxsean!

other bits from this article; i'm not bothered by the lack of vocals in online play and the description of the HOPO's in solos and the solo buttons sounds SWEET!

[TheRocker]

Great read i learned a few new things about the drums and the strat :D

[Sons_of_Kyuss]

The time is drawing near...good read!

[xenopherus]

I'm surprised at how many people aren't that dissapointed that the singers voice won't be heard during online play. I'm horribly depressed about it! That was the main point of the game I was excited about (even though it was never promised, but sort of implied through not denying it right off).
And about the part about saying "pop" and "pow" to activate the tambourine and cow bell... I hope they've perfected it so a tambourine or cow bell sound won't accidentally chime in when you're singing a "puh" or "tuh" sound during a song. That'd suck and be stupid.

[masterx1918]

I'm happy. I don't want to hear some 8 year old kid trying to sing like Ian Gillian

[Chris_Gonzalez]

I'm happy. I don't want to hear some 8 year old kid trying to sing like Ian Gillian

Or Geddy Lee. Or Ozzy. Or the lead singer of OK Go. The list goes on.

[espher]

As someone who has used all of the major voicecom software for online gaming over the last few years, I can definitely say that there would be no real way to get 'real time' singing without a significant amount of compression and having the vocalist playing ahead of everyone else to offset the latency (which is fairly steep even with a good codec). :p

[masterx1918]

the only thing I want to know is if if the microphone plugs into the controller or not