RB2 PS3 Shaky Vocal Arrow Info [Archive] - Rock Band Forums // Rock Band®

Icemage

10-20-2008, 06:09 PM

First: Thank you HMXHenry for acknowledging the issue. It is much appreciated.

On to my responses: I'll separate my experiences between RB1 and RB2

Rock Band 1
1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

Duration of play has no bearing. I've gotten the shaky arrow on the very first song I've played a few times. The frequency neither increases nor decreases with extended play (and I sometimes have 6-8 hour singing sessions).

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

As above, number of songs played does not impact this particular glitch in any way. I've encountered the shaky arrow hundreds of times over the past year. Maybe over a thousand times now, I don't know. I've not seen any pattern to when or why it will strike.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes, mostly. I should note, however, that there have been a few times when I've noticed that I had the wrong USB microphone connected (like my headset) and had to switch, and I've still gotten the shaky arrow even after changing.

4. What mode were you in?
I've had the shaky arrow appear in every single mode. Solo career. Solo quickplay. Local quickplay. Local band world tour. Online band quickplay. Tug of War. Score Duel. The problem affects all vocals modes.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
I almost never pause the song, and this has never impacted whether or not the shaky arrow appears. If the question is whether pausing the game during a song causes the arrow to shake, the answer is No. Once a song begins, the arrow will either behave itself or it won't, but it will not change behaviors once the song begins.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

The shaky arrow always appears at the beginning of a song. It never manifests partway through.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Yes. Generally speaking in Rock Band 1, once the shaky arrow appears in a setlist, it will afflict every song thereafter in a world tour setlist.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

If you complete the song and go back to the map, you get another Russian Roulette attempt at avoiding the shaky arrow. This is, in fact, the only known way to rid yourself of it. Restarting a song/setlist in mid-performance will NOT remove the shaky arrow.

It does NOT guarantee a fixed result, however. There are many times where, in Rock Band 1, I have exited a song due to the shaky arrow, re-selected the song (or another song) only to be greeted by yet another shaky arrow.

Rock Band 2

I've only had 1 day with RB2 so far, so my experience is somewhat limited here, but I will update with follow-up posts as I accumulate more data.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
I first encountered it on the 9th song I played in Rock Band - Hungry Like the Wolf.
EDIT: This was less than an hour since starting the game.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

8 songs. Basically all of the first solo career setlist including optional setlists.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes.

4. What mode were you in?

I encountered the glitch three times in solo career World Tour, and four times in online Band World Tour yesterday.
EDIT: Day 2. 4 occurrences total, 2 in solo career WT (first shaky arrow on song #4, Everlong), twice in online BWT (one of the two occurrences was the 2nd song of a 2-song setlist). Total songs, perhaps 25 in solo, about 10 in online.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

I did not pause the game at all at any point yesterday (when I got the game).

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

The circumstances were eerily similar to RB1. The shaky arrow always appears at the beginning of a song and stays with you.

What appears to be different in RB2 is that the shaky arrow can now ALSO randomly make its presence known in the middle of a multi-song setlist. In one 3-song set last night in online BWT, I encountered the shaky arrow on the 2nd song, and it persisted into the 3rd song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Yes. See above. However, there is a report in this thread over on ScoreHero from someone who had the shaky arrow disappear after appearing in the middle of a setlist.

I play with sensitivity at the absolute lowest value, and I don't often get shaky arrow. I certainly don't get it 20% of the time like some people are saying, but I don't get it zero % of the time either.

Interestingly it seems that now the shaky arrow can come and go during setlists, whereas in RB1 it just stayed there. I was doing the 9-song Rolling Stone induction list (9 songs because I got the opportunity that adds Ace of Spades to the end) and on the fourth song or so, I got (minor) shaky arrow. But midway through the song after a very long tambourine section it seemed to calm down somewhat, and in the next song it was all fine once again. I dunno if tapping on the mic helped fix things or what. But it makes me feel a little better about attempting Bladder of Steel on vocals at some point, knowing that it's not going to stay around for 60+ songs if it pops up on the 20th song.

NOTE: This is a change in behavior from RB1 to RB2.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

As with RB1, this also gives you another chance to clear the shaky arrow - but note that it is only a chance. I have not encountered it yet, but if it follows form with the same error from RB1, it should indeed be possible to get the shaky arrow even after exiting back to the song selector and selecting another/same song.

---

Additional notes:

I've got 5 different audio input devices:

Stock RB1 microphone
Logitech Vantage USB microphone
PlayStation 3 Eye mic/camera
Logitech USB Headset
PS3 SingStar microphone (blue)

All five work with Rock Band, with some adjustment of sensititivity settings. I have encountered the shaky arrow with all five devices at various points in time of testing.

The shaky arrow itself has a range of severity.

Sometimes it's barely even noticeable, resulting in just a slight oscillation of the arrow on-screen and minimal impact on scoring (rare, maybe 10% of occurrences).

More commonly, it is plainly visible, with unmistakable visual cues.
- in singing sections where there is no pitchline (like breaks in between words of a singing phrase), any singing will produce a blood red arrow instead of a neutral gray arrow.

- the arrow itself will do one of several things. It will either (a) "shiver" vertically slightly (b) "pull" downward, as if the game thinks you're doing a downward pitchslide at any given moment (even when you're not) or (c) "flicker" madly, turning blood red as if you're wildly off-pitch even when you're pitch perfect.

In extreme cases, the arrow will be so erratic that it becomes impossible to Awesome most phrases, and even obtaining Okays and Strongs is a matter of blind luck even when you're pitch perfect.

bisq

10-20-2008, 06:41 PM

My answers are probably similar to icemage but I'll answer anyway:

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

It varies. Sometimes it will happen within a few minutes of starting up. Other times it will occur only after playing for an hour or more. Sometimes I can play for longer and it won't happen at all.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Again...sometimes it happens right away and other times it happens well into a play session so this variable does not appear to directly affect the manifestation of the bug.

For concrete examples in RB2, I played one day and sang about 10-12 songs without it occurring. I played the next day and it happened about 4 songs in and continued to happen on and off throughout the night (maybe 4 times in about 25-30 songs). In RB1 I can remember having it happen the very first song, and can also remember playing nonstop for 2-3 hours and having it not happen once.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

I tend to always have my mic plugged in before console power on.
The few times I have plugged in my mic later I didn't notice a difference. I can safely state that unplugging and plugging back in the mic during play does NOT get rid of the problem. Nor does fiddling with the connection. To get rid of it I had to exit out of the song completely. In RB1 multiplayer I would exit all the way to the invite screen because simply going back to the song list did not always get rid of it. I actually started doing this after I had it happen THREE songs in a row one time but I'm not sure if it is actually necessary.

4. What mode were you in?

In RB1 it has happened to me in solo mode, in online mulitplayer, and in local multiplayer. In RB2 it has occurred so far in solo BWT, online challenges, online BWT, and online BOTB modes. It probably occurs in score dual/tug of war as well but I don't play those modes very often. It doesn't appear to occur more in one mode then another.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No because it occurs right away. Also pausing and resuming did not get rid of the shaky arrow.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

At the very beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

No. I played a multi song set last night and it appeared for song 1 and was gone for song 2. This happened twice actually.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

This usually fixes the problem but not always. As I stated before, in RB1 online multiplayer I would exit all the way to the invite screen and it would be gone 95% of the time. The other 5% were probably just separate occurrences and not necessarily carried over from before.

I also agree with Icemage that severity varies and he pretty much described the effect pretty well.

Tzepish

10-20-2008, 06:43 PM

Thank you, HMX, for acknowledging the issue and working with the community to find a fix!

Note: I don't have RB2 yet, all my answers pertain to RB1 (I think it's reasonable to assume the bug is the same in both versions).

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Any amount of time between 20 minutes and 6 hours. I'm sure it's possible for it to occur before/after those times as well.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Any amount of songs between, say, 4 and say, 100. In my experience, it doesn't seem to be dependent on how many songs have been played.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes. In my case, I never unplug the mic. The only times I've ever unplugged the mic was when I got the shaky arrow (in an attempt to resolve the issue - but unplugging the mic doesn't solve the problem).

4. What mode were you in?
Band world tour, or band quickplay. I don't play vocal single player, so I can't confirm that the issue is present there.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
The shaky arrow occurs right from the start of the song - pausing doesn't cause it. I have attempted to pause during the song AFTER seeing that I got the shaky arrow, in an attempt to make it go away, but that doesn't work.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
It always appears at the beginning of the song, and lasts throughout the song. Restarting the song does not make the issue go away - one must exit the song completely, and then reload the song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
No. Once you load another song (or reload the same song by exiting and re-selecting it), the issue goes away.

a. In a set?
It happens on a per-song basis, independent of whether you are in a set or not. You may get the issue, for example, on the fourth song of a five song set, only to not have the issue on the fifth song.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
The issue does not persist under this circumstance either - each time you load a song is an independent chance of getting the issue.

www1221

10-20-2008, 07:03 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
it started about 5 songs from when i started Rock Band 2 up. So i would guess some where around 20-25 minutes

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
About 3-4 songs
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes is was.
4. What mode were you in?
at the first time in Rock Band 2 i was in Tour Mode doing a Challenge. BUt its happened in all modes at one time or another
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No i did not
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
The ifrst song it occured it was partway through the song then it carried over to the rest of the songs.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
Yes i carried over.
a. In a set? I was in the second challenge and it started on the second to last song and it carried to the last song and to the rest of the songs i played until i powered down my PS3
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List? It carried over into all of the sogns i played for that session

Muffster

10-20-2008, 07:12 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

This has absolutely no effect on the issue. Sometimes I get it after just a few songs, 5 songs, 13 songs etc, appears to be totally intermittent.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

See above, number of songs played has no effect on the issue whatsoever.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes, I've always have the mic plugged in at power-on.

I've tried moving the mic between each of the 4 built-in PS3 ports (80gb model), moving it to a powered hub, plugging and reseating the mic jack mid-song without pausing, as well as different mics.

4. What mode were you in?

The issue occurs in all game modes.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

Never.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

At the beginning, in every case.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Not yet, at least not in RB2, where I've been playing mostly in tour mode with a single player band.

I spent most of my time in RB1 in solo tour and on-line quickplay, so I can't be sure about sets there. I do recall this occurring during ESL in RB1, which I completed in both hard and expert modes with a full band, and it cleared itself eventually or there's no way I could have possibly finished it.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Again, it depends due to the intermittent nature of the issue. For RB2, I can say with absolute certainty that so far I've not encountered it on two songs in a row, but I've abandoned and restarted the gig to clear the issue each time it's happened.

This makes the issue even more frustrating than RB1, due to the loss of fans which occurs in tour mode when failing and/or abandoning gigs. There's really no choice but to do this when the issue is severe, especially with higher tiered songs.

JohnRKlein

10-20-2008, 07:22 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

Could be the very first song directly after starting.. Could be an hour later..

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Could be the very first song directly after starting.. Could be 20+ songs later..

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes and No.. Didn't matter.

4. What mode were you in?

Solo.. Local Tour.. Online Tour

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

Doesn't matter.. It starts before you have a chance to pause..

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

Always at the begging..

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

No.. But if you fail and/or retry the same song in the set, it stays! This is why I was so pissed when it happened on my 3 to last song in the Ultimate Setlist and kept failing because of it loosing all my fans.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

No.. It doesn't carry over.. But you still have the same chance it could happen again.

Again.. I've seen a couple contradicting statements.. But I can clearly say it always starts at the beginning of the song.. Stoping the song and restarting does not make the problem go away.. Failing the song and restart does not make the problem go away.. The only thing that makes it go away is to quit the song or pass the song... Then next song has the same chance of it happening again.. I see it about 5-10% of the time.. So I will see it on about 2-5 songs when doing the ultimate setlist which I done many times..

And the wiggle varies on how bad it is.. Sometimes the wiggle is only a little causing only a couple % reduction in the score.. Other times it is so bad that it's impossible to finish the song.. In fact, when it's like that, NONE of the talkies will register.. I got hit with this on Sabatage (sp??) on the Ultimate Setlist forcing me to quit..

ZigZag2005

10-20-2008, 07:39 PM

I'm just going to echo Icemage's comments. My experiences with the WAG (Wiggly Arrow Glitch) are identical. It always manifests itself at the beginning of a song and the only way to reset it is to exit and reselect.

EntropyMu

10-20-2008, 07:49 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

I've gotten the glitch as soon as the second song played that session. However, it seems to happen more often later on during sessions of play.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Generally yes. I haven't tested playing only sessions where I plug in the mic after starting the console.

4. What mode were you in?

I've had the glitch in Solo and BWT modes.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

I never really pause during songs.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

If it happens, it happens at the beginning of the song and continues all the way through. [See Below]

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Yes. It often sticks around for a whole set.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Sometimes, but less often. It often seems like once it starts happening in a session, it is more likely to pop up during that session (A session being a continuous play session, without turning off the PS3.)

Some other notes that may or may not be helpful:

I have seen the problem on two different setups.

Setup 1:
40GB PS3, Launch Rock Band ("large" mic box on cord), All instruments plugged into USB splitter with Rock Band label. Launch Rock Band 2. HDMI out to TV, No Dolby Digital

Setup 2:
80GB PS3, Later model Rock Band (Bought a box marked "June 2008, "small" mic box on cord), Instruments plugged some into PS3, some into USB splitter. Optical out to stereo with dolby digital on.

I have discovered one way of getting the glitch to stop sometimes during a song. I pause the game, pull out the mic, and unpause. Once the "we can't hear you" screen comes on, I plug the mic into a different USB port. This will work about 20% of the time - but I rarely try it more than once or twice during the same song. It seems like there is interference between the mic and another instrument/controller, and finding a "port" that is totally clear will fix things.

If anyone wants to know more, just let me know.

Gryffindor

10-20-2008, 07:56 PM

Icemage's comments are spot on. I've had the exact same experiences.

However:
1. When I first started playing RB2 I didn't run into the shaky arrow for about 24 hours.

2. The severity (movement along the pitch lines) of the arrow glitch does seem much worse than on RB1.

3. During a 5 song set it hit me on songs 3, 4 & 5.

onezenchic

10-20-2008, 09:48 PM

Verbatim on everything Icemage posted, but I am wondering how many of us that are having this problem have the first edition PS3 (released Nov2007- 20gb 4 USB ports)in case it is a hardware issue.

There also seems to be another mic problem I have encountered ingame that according to other RB forums seems to be an issue with the PS3 and the USB's.
http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1250595&highlight=lose+microphone#post1250595

In my case, sometimes the game loses my microphone (says "I can't hear you") and all I have to do to fix it is unplug the cord and use a different USB port, without having to reset the game. This also is a random event, happens sporadically, and is not specific to one particular port. It also occasionally happens to the guitars so its not a problem with the microphones.

Rocknu

10-21-2008, 02:29 AM

I agree with pretty much everything that Icemage posted. It seems that if you adjust the mic sensitivity either more or less, the arrow will be more stable.

Sebrun

10-21-2008, 09:10 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
It does not matter how long it is on First song til your done playing it can happen.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
See #1

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Does not matter with this issue happens either way.

4. What mode were you in?
Again does not matter with this issue happens in all modes randomly.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
If it does this it is always thru the whole song so again this question does not matter in relation to this issue.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
See #5

7. Did it carry over to another song:
It is completely random when it will happen but most of the time i have not seen 2 songs in a row do it.

a. In a set?
Yes it can happen anytime on any song.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Again it is 100% random.

Here is what is causing your mic error - The data is getting a little corrupted when it loads the song from the Harddrive or Disc to the Game to be Played - This is why this bug is 100% Random - RB1 did it the whole YEAR we played it and RB2 does it and will most likely Continue to do it. The only way it would be completely fixed is if the game loaded the Data for the song then VERIFIED the data Again against what was on the HD or Disc Which would make the load time WAY LONGER. In Addition to this error ALL the other Instruments have the SAME Problem - at times the track for the drums bass or guitar will miss notes randomly in a song you know you always normally get 100% on - Again just corrupted data while loading.

We have played RB1 more than most people i am sure Since we are #5 on RB1 Career Score. And this is the only explination for why the same song loaded Will have the Mic Jittery 1 time then work Perfect 10 more times in a row then be Jittery again on the 12 Load and we have seen the same song load 3 times with the vocals Messed up in a row - I went to the PS Store and RE-DOWNLOADED the song RE-INSTALLED it and it loaded the next time perfectly fine Cause the Corrupt data was rewritten.

Let me know what you think Harmonix....

PSNID: sebrun
Console: PS3
Band RB1: Happy People Playing ROCK BAND 2 (1st PS3 died had to start over)
BAND RB2: Happy People Playing ROCK BAND

TheHakku

10-21-2008, 09:51 AM

This has happened to me in RB1 before, but I will answer these questions for RB2. I own these on PS3.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
About 45 minutes.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
During the runtime, probably about 20. Since first playing (console on and off, etc.), about 60?
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console's power-on?
Yes.
4. What mode were you in?
In this instance, RB2 Band World Tour solo, vocals only. I've had it happen to me online in RB1, and in every game mode in RB1.
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No.
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Seems to usually occur right when you sing the first phrase of a song. But prior to singing, if you hold a note and the arrow seems to wobble, shaky arrow seems inevitable.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
It always has.
a. In a set?
Yes. Always.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
N/A. I can confirm this happened in RB1, though.

Turning my mic off in accessory settings, then back on, seemed to fix the glitch, but it's not a completely permanent solution.

defjukie

10-21-2008, 10:39 AM

Happens to me, seemingly completely at random.

Starts at the beginning of the song, doesn't seem to carry over. Only way to fix is to restart song (works sometimes) or restart game.

Highlandlassie1

10-21-2008, 12:41 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Over an hour
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
10
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
no
4. What mode were you in?
Challenge mode
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
no
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
beginning
7. Did it carry over to another song:
no

folkeye

10-21-2008, 01:16 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Usually early on, probably about 10 minutes or less when it decides what to do.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Sometimes it takes a few songs to kick in, other times it seems to choose the first expert/hard song that comes up. It does happen on lower levels but its tolerable and a good score is still possible since there is a wider range to sing.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes.

4. What mode were you in?
All: multiplayer, online, and solo. All levels of difficulty.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
From beginning to end.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
Sometimes there will be a second song that gets victimized. More than likely it will pick one for the night and stick with it.

a. In a set?
Not for an entire set. Only once but that was solved by plugging the mic directly into the system.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
When it messes up a particular song, it will remain with that one song and perhaps one more for the entire session. Next time the system turns on it randomly chooses another song to mess up.

woozerkristen

10-21-2008, 01:19 PM

I wanted to echo Icemage's comments -- nail on the head -- but also add that it often seems to be worse on a specific pitch. Like for example, it may shake violently on a pitch that's the center of the range of the song, but be relatively still above and below it.

I got a video of it last night in full band (tour) play if it would be helpful to put it up and link it. It was an especially bad case of it visually, but I think the looser requirements on sticking to pitch in the RB2 engine make it so, as long as you know the song, you've got the wiggle room to get the phrases anyway. However, that still doesn't make it ok. One person on another discussion of this was suggesting that if you'd just sing on pitch like you were supposed to and ignore the shaking you should be fine, but that's like asking someone playing any of the other instruments to just keep playing without being able to read all their notes clearly.

Highlandlassie1

10-21-2008, 03:13 PM

Saw this on another thread.

Maybe the problem?

xSkanerx
Merch-Table Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 34

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I find that shakey mic thing is only because you're making noises into the mic as the song is loading up which does something to calibration. Keep quiet around the mic while the song loads and you shouldn't have a problem...atleast in my experience.

Tzepish

10-21-2008, 03:48 PM

I find that shakey mic thing is only because you're making noises into the mic as the song is loading up which does something to calibration. Keep quiet around the mic while the song loads and you shouldn't have a problem...atleast in my experience.

This has been ruled out a whole bunch of times now.

middguy

10-21-2008, 03:52 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
4. What mode were you in?
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

1. Random; sometimes it happens on the first song, sometimes I could be playing for hours before it happens.
2. See above.
3. Yes.
4. No bearing from what I could tell, but I usually play Band World Tour.
5. No, it appears usually at the beginning of the song; pausing seems to have no bearing.
6. Almost always at the beginning of the song.
7. About 80% of the time, the next song is just fine.
a. Including in a setlist.
b. It usually ends after a song is over, so it seems to be okay afterwards anyway regardless of circumstances.

Also: Unplugging the microphone also rarely solves the problem. But only rarely. It's only worked for me once or twice; most of the time, the problem consists through the song.

I've also been experimenting with not saying anything, or saying things directly into the microphone during loading of the next song in the setlist. However, it doesn't seem to increase or decrease with either.

Luna220

10-21-2008, 05:35 PM

Now I've made TWO calls into the help line and they STILL say they have never heard of this issue!! UGH!! I just failed out of Chop Suey because of this issue and I'm NOT a happy gamer. I have plans to do the endless setlist either tonight or tomorrow and this issue has me very concerned. What if after almost 6 hours playing, one song fails? I don't get my platinum icon, that's what happens. That's NOT acceptable!

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Seriously... what does that matter? Since I purchased RB2 Sunday at midnight, it's hardly been turned off.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
It varies. Yesterday, was one of the first songs. Again today, another of the first songs and then I played a few hours until it just happened again and caused me to fail a song. Which I just never do!
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Duh... I was playing... yes, the mic was plugged in & even into the first USB port.
4. What mode were you in?
Local World Tour in a 3 song set & it failed the last song and taking 76,000+ fans from me due to this software issue.
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No, and again, what difference would that even make?
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
All through the song! Failing me at 89% complete.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
Oh added bonus & lucky me! (yes, quite sarcastic) No, it hasn't.
a. In a set? No
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Completing? When this issue caused me to fail? And backing out to select another song is NOT an option! Unless you want to replace lost fans? I should NOT have to exit out of a song and HOPE the next song doesn't have this issue. In order to complete a song when this is happening, requires LOTS of added effort. I did manage to get thru Carry on My Wayward Son with 94% and 5 stars - a song I Gold Star every time with 100%.

PS3 RB2 Vocals Ranked #4
Xbox RB2 Vocals Ranked #230 Platinum (yeah, wonder why there are more users on Xbox?)
And thinking about returning this faulty product and resuming play on the Xbox system where this has NEVER been an issue!

Heimlich

10-21-2008, 06:29 PM

So far, I've only been hit by the shaky arrow during one Rock Band 2 play session. Here's the info on that:

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

I started the game, went straight into World Tour, and selected a song. My first song had the shaky arrow. (But Icemage's description of how this problem manifested in Rock Band 1 was accurate -- the shaky arrow can appear in your first song or your 30th. It appears to be random, doesn't matter whether you're playing Solo or Band, or how many songs you've played before the arrow appears.)

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

None, in this instance.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes.

4. What mode were you in?

Local Tour.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

I did not pause.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

From the beginning. This is always the case in the shaky arrow glitch -- it's there from the moment the song begins. As Icemage noted, there were varying degrees of "severity" to the shaky arrow in Rock Band 1 (some are barely more than a graphical glitch, others prevent you from scoring better than Okays or the occasional Strongs).

Whatever level of severity you get is "selected" at the start of the song. It neither gets worse nor better as you play the song. In this instance, I got the most severe case of the bug -- I could not score above Okays despite being accurately on pitch.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Upon encountering the bug, I abandoned the song without completing it, and went to try a different song. When the second song began, the shaky arrow was still present, with the same level of severity. I then abandoned that song by pushing the PS button and selecting "Quit Game."

When I then reloaded Rock Band 2 and went back into Tour mode to play a new song, the shaky arrow did not reappear.

Icemage

10-21-2008, 07:23 PM

A little more information. I've spent the last few hours playing solo world tour. I've had the shaky arrow hit me 4 times in about 35 songs.

Of particular note are two shaky arrows on songs 2(Pinball Wizard) and 3(Any Way You Want It) of an 8 song set (Rolling Stone Rock Immortals Challenge), where it proceeded to make me 4 star Pinball Wizard, leaving me at 39/40 stars for the setlist. Aggravation does not even begin to describe my frustration... :/

EDIT:

Did another multi-song set. Random 4 song setlist. Motley Crue/Sticky Sweet, Motley Crue/Rattlesnake Shake, The Who/My Generation, Kansas/Carry On Wayward Son. Shaky arrow showed up for song #3 (My Generation) and went away for last song (Carry On).

xSkanerx

10-22-2008, 11:37 AM

I don't think this is a thing to get angry over. I've seen a few posts that seem to show that. I have encountered this issue as well and I'm sorry I didn't post back as HMX want's us to but this is what I'm thinking.

I've noticed that the only time I get this shaky arrow thing is when I'm making noise into the mic while the song itself is loading. Then the song after that is fine if I keep quiet. Keep this in mind while you're playing and see if it's any diffrent. If the shakyness comes back even when you've kept quiet then I'm wrong...then it could also be per system too.

burnsy87

10-22-2008, 12:11 PM

Here is what is causing your mic error - The data is getting a little corrupted when it loads the song from the Harddrive or Disc to the Game to be Played - This is why this bug is 100% Random - RB1 did it the whole YEAR we played it and RB2 does it and will most likely Continue to do it. The only way it would be completely fixed is if the game loaded the Data for the song then VERIFIED the data Again against what was on the HD or Disc Which would make the load time WAY LONGER. In Addition to this error ALL the other Instruments have the SAME Problem - at times the track for the drums bass or guitar will miss notes randomly in a song you know you always normally get 100% on - Again just corrupted data while loading.

We have played RB1 more than most people i am sure Since we are #5 on RB1 Career Score. And this is the only explination for why the same song loaded Will have the Mic Jittery 1 time then work Perfect 10 more times in a row then be Jittery again on the 12 Load and we have seen the same song load 3 times with the vocals Messed up in a row - I went to the PS Store and RE-DOWNLOADED the song RE-INSTALLED it and it loaded the next time perfectly fine Cause the Corrupt data was rewritten.

Let me know what you think Harmonix....

PSNID: sebrun
Console: PS3
Band RB1: Happy People Playing ROCK BAND 2 (1st PS3 died had to start over)
BAND RB2: Happy People Playing ROCK BAND

Not to be rude, but you have no logical basis behind your theory. Also, I have NEVER had an issue where my game dropped random notes for other instruments. I have times where i say "i totally didnt miss that note", but most likely, i missed it because i was a fraction of a second early or something.

fujouri

10-22-2008, 01:31 PM

Thanks for starting this thread HMXHenry. I'm really glad to see it. That being said, so far I can pretty much just echo icemage's answers, but I get the feeling that you'll need more than that, as we've basically just confirmed the general randomness of the bug.

So, from here on out, I'll consider myself an amateur/volunteer QA guy and play RB2 with a pen and paper nearby. I'll make my friends do the same at our weekly Rock Band nights and hopefully I can start providing some real numbers. Looks like some other posters here are starting to do the same, and I'd just encourage others to do it as well. Write down the question in the OP and make note of them as you play. Maybe we can get this resolved even quicker.

Luna220

10-22-2008, 02:36 PM

FOUR HOURS INTO ENDLESS SETLIST SHAKY ARROW FAILS ME OUT ON ANYWAY YOU WANT IT!!!!!

I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!

Shaky Arrows on the following songs:
#2 My Own Worst Enemy - a song I can 100% gold star I get 4 stars (I was too pissed to write down the %)
#29 De-Luxe - 78% 38,443 with 3 stars - I Gold star this one, too!
#36 Jagged Gorgeous Winter - a difficult song, but I can still gold star it, I get 88% 110,427 and 4 stars.
#57 Anyway You Want It - FAILED!!! A song I can also Gold Star

This is sooooo messed up!!!! FOUR HOURS!!!!
Up until song #58, I Gold starred 36 songs - 18 at 100%, 16 5 stars, 4 stars on two songs and then the 2 shaky 4 stars and 1 shaky 3 star.

Why produce and SELL a product that is defective?

Vocalists, unless you're doing the endless setlist with 3 other players, I wouldn't waste your time on the endless setlist.

WHAT A RIP OFF!!! I did endless setlist all on my ownsies on Xbox. I am so frustrated and angry right now. I want my FOUR hours back! UGH!!

Luna220 signing out... PS3 & Harmonix... fix your crap!
14,630,930 points Ranked #6 at depart And DONE with PS3 RB2 Going back to Xbox.

Icemage

10-22-2008, 03:06 PM

Phyrelizard

10-22-2008, 03:20 PM

most of my replies are like everyone else's with one exception
(#7a)

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

varies, It can be the first song, or the 50th song, usually I'm guessing about 1/15 songs

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Same as above, I usually solo vocals, but it's the same ratio even in a full band.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

usually yes, but I have tried swaping mics too, For the longest time I used a konami mic because my rockband mic wasn't working right, but singstar mics are the same (except you have to use max sensitivity and overdrive goes off when you don't want it)

4. What mode were you in?

Doesn't matter, but always expert

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

rarely, but I have tried to pause it and it won't fix it.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

always at the start, but sometimes it is very slight at the start, it NEVER gets better only worse as you go through the song.

* 7. Did it carry over to another song:

rarely

a. In a set?

This is where my answer is different, it rarely continues on to the next song, BUT this has happened once in RB2, and on thousands of songs only a couple times on RB1

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

rarely, it's like a gamble if it will come up again

I have only found 1 way to fix it, simply quitting and going out and coming back WILL NOT fix it. The next song will be wavy 100% often worse then the last attempt.

The way I fix it is to either finish the song (I do this if I am with other people) OR Fail the song and go back to the map. That is what I do if I am on my own going for points.

I have not tried restarting RB because with all the downloads it just takes too long to exit and come back.

I was also going to dp the endless setlist 2 soon

I'm hoping that the wavy mic won't affect me too much, most of the "impossible" songs I got 99% or 100% on sightread lol. I have learned to just close my eyes and ignore the mic completely. BUT I know right now if Spoonman is wavy, I will fail. (pretty much the only difficult song imo) If the talkies don't register I will also fail.

personally.. I found RB2 vocals to be way too easy compared to RB1. I may have to get a hard icon instead since my son plays drums on hard :(

sethmeisterg

10-22-2008, 04:45 PM

Why does the responsibility of a software glitch on the part of PS3 rely on the consumer/player's ability to fudge and compensate for the games weakness????????

This thread's purpose it to help Harmonix collect as much data as possible so they can get to the root cause of the problem, in order to provide a fix. The first step in root-causing a problem is figuring out a reproducible test case, and that's what they're trying to do. I know it's frustrating, but all software has bugs and given the huge testing burden that Harmonix has, I'm sure they want to make sure they get the fix right without breaking anything else (this is common with large projects). Please be patient and let the developers work this out.

thrillhouse987

10-22-2008, 07:44 PM

I'll answer this to try and help you guys out.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

About 30 mins.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Played a few prior on guitar.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

No.

4. What mode were you in?

Battle of the Bands - Vocal Growlers challenge.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

Did not pause.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

For most of the song it did occur.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

I think the set was Chop Suey/Down with the Sickness. I can't remember which song was first, but it did carry over to the next one.

Luna220

10-22-2008, 09:29 PM

Another thought...
A real aspect as how this glitch could affect you, the drummer, guitarist and bassist? I have one. If you KNOW there's an issue with Vocalists on the game, why would you have one compete in the Expert Endless Setlist with you if there's a VERY VERY VERY high probability that the vocalist will fail out on a song 3 times and null all the hours you put into your gameplay? On that song, I failed the first time about 5 sections in. I attempted it again and failed within 3 sections. So you do the math.

And for those of you lucky enough to get thru expert endless setlist... My hat's off to you!

I am hoping they make a patch for this problem quickly. I'll be keeping my eye on the boards waiting. And playing on Xbox with NO wavy arrow! :)

MusePT

10-23-2008, 06:36 AM

I just got the game yesterday, played about 20 songs and didn't get the SAS, but I got it several times on RB1... I'll report back after I played some more to give feedback...

One different thing I have to mention, when I got the game yesterday, got home, put the disc on the PS3 and started the game, went to my 1st song and the mic (RB1 mic) didn't register any pitch... restarted song after failing and the same result... turn off the PS3 and restarted it the same problem, then unplugged the Playstation Eye Cam and the Controller that I had plugged in to power up the battery and the mic registered fine... Didn't try to plug those things back but it is very strange because in RB1 I didn't had any problem with that!

And to let you guys know that I started a band for my solos carrer and as I play as a singer, the name of the bande is: "Shaky Arrow Syndrome" :p

Sebrun

10-23-2008, 11:00 AM

Well burnsy87
I do have a reason for my "Theory" but there is no point wasting time arguing with people like you about it and trying to explain it to you - you would not be the one in the end who has to actually fix the problem. But i will say this IF i had a million dollars i would bet that i am at least CLOSE to the cause of the problem. I am positive that it has to do with data being corrupted upon loading the song, mainly because nothing else would explain the randomness - Like i said before the same song loading perfectly then the next time it is glitchy (not only the mic wavy but the entire graphics for the song on mic and instruments sometimes lag for a second or have what seem to be complete broken lines in the vocal bar Etc etc.) tells you that it just did not load correctly from the storage device - then you exit the song - reload it and it plays 100% fine... come on my 14 year old can tell you that it is data corruption...

Here is a good example in another real world event that has happened to most people that own computers and burn cd's - You make a data cd and carry it to another computer and the file is corrupt - you make another cd and it works perfectly - The original file on the Computer is fine but somewhere in the process of moving it to the cd the first time it got corrupted - the PS3 is a computer and suffers from the same flaws.

Now i do agree with everyone else - why would they not have found a fix for this before releasing RB2 - it was a problem since RB1 came out...

Any way i hope they find a solution to the problem but i am not buying an XBOX just because of it, and i really hate that they sold out to microsoft and released RB2 earlier on XBOX - I thought they were about gaming not Profit but i guess everyone has their price :-)

Icemage

10-23-2008, 11:52 AM

NOTE: Can we get the console warring out of this thread? If you only own the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band 2, there's really nothing you can contribute to this thread.

On data corruption theory:
I don't think this is what's happening. The Rock Band engine doesn't use the in-game raw vocals for tracking pitchlines - there's a separate notechart included with the game audio that tells it what pitches are expected for scoring (which is then drawn on the screen as the pitchline). If this data were being corrupted in some fashion, there would be a visible change in the pitchline, and that's not what is being observed.

On to more data:
I did some online Band Challenges (4 x Expert players) last night to unlock some trophies. Out of about four hours of play, I encountered the shaky arrow seven times. Once on back-to-back songs in a setlist, the other five occasions on songs in the middle of a setlist, whereby the shaky arrow disappeared afterward.

defjukie

10-23-2008, 02:00 PM

evan742

10-23-2008, 07:33 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
A few hours

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Around 12

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes

4. What mode were you in?
Tour Challenge

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Not during this song.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set? No
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List? No

jacobB12`

10-23-2008, 07:35 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Around 5-6 hours

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
43

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes

4. What mode were you in?
Band World Tour Expert Guitar and Expert Vocals Endless Setlist Rock Band 1

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:

a. In a set?
No

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
No

Luna220

10-24-2008, 01:37 AM

And to let you guys know that I started a band for my solos carrer and as I play as a singer, the name of the bande is: "Shaky Arrow Syndrome" :p

Right on! My band, as solo vocalist, was & I guess still is, Imagination Ruined. I think I was even in top 30 for fans AND a gold star ranking expert tour vocalist ranked #5 for vocals. Something I was very proud of. Until I attempted the endless setlist on the PS3. Did it with no problems on the Xbox. Oh well, life goes on... :)

MusePT

10-24-2008, 05:05 AM

updating the info, 1st day no SAS has I said, 2nd day SAS showed up i think 2 or 3 times, but have to say that it was different than the SAS I had in RB1 because with this, despite the fact that the arrow was shaking it was able to stay on the line and one of the songs I did a 100% with the SAS, but probably because it was the nirvana pack songs that I know pretty well and aren't very demanding on vocals

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
less than an hour

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
2 or 3

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes

4. What mode were you in?
In quickplay

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:

a. In a set?
wasn't on a set

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
No

Icemage

10-24-2008, 11:11 AM

updating the info, 1st day no SAS has I said, 2nd day SAS showed up i think 2 or 3 times, but have to say that it was different than the SAS I had in RB1 because with this, despite the fact that the arrow was shaking it was able to stay on the line and one of the songs I did a 100% with the SAS, but probably because it was the nirvana pack songs that I know pretty well and aren't very demanding on vocals
There's two factors at work here that paper over the cracks.

First, the pie spins faster in RB2. Not a ton faster, but noticeable nonetheless. Not just talkies, but I'm noticing that I'm getting a few slivers of extra pie on parts of phrases I know very well (case in point: I think I'm Paranoid).

Second, RB2 has a lower requirement for holding combo. RB1 needed >99% of the pie to score an Awesome. RB2 needs >98%.

MusePT

10-24-2008, 11:21 AM

yeah... probably... hope this gets a fix soon!

Icemage

10-24-2008, 03:13 PM

Update:

I just got the shaky twice on a random 5 song set on songs #2 and #5. Song #5 was Spoonman, which ended up costing me a star (4 stars on a song I can reliably 5-star normally, if not gold star).

fujouri

10-25-2008, 05:54 PM

Okay, I tried to keep a detailed account of when I experienced the SAS at my weekly RB get together. It worked for a while, until I got the first occurrence, and then I began to lose track. Here's the details for this week though, and will continue to update as I go.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
-about an hour and a half for the first occurrence, about 3 hours more until the second (this was one I forgot to time exactly, will do better next week)
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
- 13
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
- No
4. What mode were you in?
- Band World Tour
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
- Not during the Song with the problem, but had paused twice previously.
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
- Beginning
7. Did it carry over to another song:
- No

www1221

10-25-2008, 10:02 PM

come one HMX we need this fixed. My friends and i were goin for The esl and i cant now cuz the SAS is screwing me up

Icemage

10-26-2008, 07:21 PM

I have a bit of good (if odd) news to report.

I just now finished the Endless Setlist 2 on solo vocals and somehow managed to not get the shaky arrow at all in all 84 songs. Incredible, considering that for the past seven days I've encountered it at least 4+ times each and every day, but hey, I'm certainly NOT comaplaining about not having the glitch wreck my Bladder of Steel/Platinum Artist.

Re: Dethklok13's pitch issue
That's actually normal (by design, even if it is a bit bizarre). Sometimes the pitches "wrap around" and look like they should be one note when they should be another, when a singing section is more than 1 octave or so away from the majority of the song. The "faster than a laser bullet" section of Painkiller is a good example. It's two octaves below the majority of the song, which is why it doesn't look like it shows up in the right spot on the scoring line.

skidog71

10-26-2008, 10:58 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
whenever it feels like it randomly
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
first, second, third..... randomly
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
yes
4. What mode were you in?
any mode there is
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
nope
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
the whole song
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
no
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
happens randomly like icemage reply "russian roulette"

Phyrelizard

10-27-2008, 09:26 PM

Well, I duoed the endless set list 2 with my son (he was playing playing expert guitar)

The wavy arrow appeared several times.

I tried a trick posted earlier in the thread (whoever posted it thanks! lazy to look it up though)

first time it showed up was on the 16th song (I forget what it was) I decided just to pass it as USUALLY that fixes it.

Well, this time it didn't and it carried on to the next song. I changed usb slots with my son's usb dongle, and IMMEDIATELY it was fixed, HURRAY! smooth sailing for awhile, then another wavy arrow on a song that was a bit harder for me, so we decided to change it right away. It didn't fix the problem. We tried a different slot, nope, same thing. at that time we were about 3 and a half hours in. I passed the song, and the next song was fine.

I noticed a pattern. So far for me it can either be passed by swapping usb slots OR passing the song. Maybe this can be some help to you all

Reaper615

10-27-2008, 10:08 PM

I wish they would send out a patch to fix the problem.

defjukie

10-28-2008, 12:30 PM

don't we all...

Hopefully this doesn't end like the OTHER thread about this same issue (still stickied in this forum). That is to say, with no resolution whatsoever.

wuzhennin

10-28-2008, 07:45 PM

what is this shaky arrow bug i should say, i don't know what ya'll are talking about

Chevelle

10-29-2008, 03:54 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
2 hours

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
10

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes

4. What mode were you in?
Local Tour

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
I'm not really sure I'd say Part-way through though.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
No
No
We've experienced it on two separate occasions on the same song, "Shooting Star".

Luna220

10-29-2008, 10:38 AM

Congrats! I still won't play on the PS3 until this is fixed. Watching threads to see. And yes, I can comment on the Xbox system as I have both. :)

I have a bit of good (if odd) news to report.

I just now finished the Endless Setlist 2 on solo vocals and somehow managed to not get the shaky arrow at all in all 84 songs. Incredible, considering that for the past seven days I've encountered it at least 4+ times each and every day, but hey, I'm certainly NOT comaplaining about not having the glitch wreck my Bladder of Steel/Platinum Artist.

Re: Dethklok13's pitch issue
That's actually normal (by design, even if it is a bit bizarre). Sometimes the pitches "wrap around" and look like they should be one note when they should be another, when a singing section is more than 1 octave or so away from the majority of the song. The "faster than a laser bullet" section of Painkiller is a good example. It's two octaves below the majority of the song, which is why it doesn't look like it shows up in the right spot on the scoring line.

akspiderman

10-29-2008, 05:07 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
It doesn't matter.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
It can be the first song out of the gate or after 3 or 4 hours.
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes
4. What mode were you in?
Quick play and Tour mode.
5. Had you paused during the song? No. If so, for how long?
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through? At the beginning.
7. Did it carry over to another song: yes to the end of the setlist.
a. In a set?
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List? no.

fujouri

10-31-2008, 12:28 AM

Been trying to keep more careful track of when it happens, so whenever I play vox I try to keep a tally. Didn't have much time today to play, but luckily (or unluckily) it happened pretty quick.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
-57 minutes

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
-8

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
-no

4. What mode were you in?
-Tour Challenge

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
-no

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
-Beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:
-no help here today. it was the last song for me.

Reaper615

10-31-2008, 02:06 AM

I want this to be fixed so darn bad, so I can start singing my favorite songs.

NotoriousG

11-03-2008, 12:37 AM

I know why the vocals mic glitches for the ps3 version of rock band 2. It is because the software developers ported the game from the 360, an inferior machine and code, to the ps3. This causes the proble, I thought you learned this after rock band 1. I wonder why you dont follow suit to most developers these days and port from the better system. Example skate 2 they saw the problems with porting from the 360 and fixed it.

With that being said I believe a patch is needed to fix that and also the low voice output when talking online. Though, I am glad you decided to add the voice chat feature. Oh, and am I the only who can't get through pearl jam's alive without the arrow jumping all over the place?

wuzhennin

11-03-2008, 04:10 PM

can someone please explain to me what this shaky arrow bug is?
no one replied to what i said before..i tried youtubing it or googling it but all i get is that they acknowledged the problem but they don't show or explain what this is

Tzepish

11-03-2008, 06:08 PM

Sometimes your pitch indicator arrow will flicker in and out of existence, or go haywire and shake up and down, regardless of how well on-pitch you are while singing. Depending on how bad it hits, it can just make the song harder to FC, or it can totally ruin your score. When it strikes, it appears at the beginning of a song, and it does not go away until you reload the song (or load a different one).

wuzhennin

11-03-2008, 06:20 PM

ah i see...well i just bought my ps3 and i didn't encounter this problem
but it sounds like a software issue, but im sure people have already acknowledged this
hope they fix it =]

Icemage

11-03-2008, 10:18 PM

I finally confirmed something earlier today.

I got the shaky arrow on solo career on Aqualung by Jethro Tull. Since I'm not really obsessed with my fan count, I exited the song (losing 51,000+ fans) and re-selected the song... only to be hit with the shaky again. Exiting one more time finally cleared the problem, but all told it cost me over 100,000 fans to temporarily make the problem go away.

If I were more concerned with my solo band fan count, I'd be livid right about now, but for the moment it's merely irritating.

In any case: reselecting the song confirmed to be exactly like RB1 - the shaky arrow does indeed have a small chance of reappearing even when you return to the song selection menu.

sao

11-04-2008, 09:51 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
----Hour, tops.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
----10 or so
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
----Yes.
4. What mode were you in?
----Band Word Tour
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
----No
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
----Part way through it, random parts.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
----Yes, the next two, randomly
a. In a set?
----Yes
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List? ---No

In all honesty, my friends were trying to tell me it was me. But they didn't understand what I was saying. I still got 'Awesomes' even though there was shaking, so it didn't bother me. But it will randomly occur through random songs.

MadMike

11-04-2008, 01:03 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
It has happened on song 1 or song 20, doesnt matter how long its been on.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
1 or 20 doesnt matter, random...
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes, 100% of the time although we have unplugged it and changed ports trying to fix the issue.
4. What mode were you in?
World Tour or Quickplay
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No normally don't pause unless we see the butterflying...
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Always starts from the beginning
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Sometimes
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List? Usually does not but it is random so its possible...

Chris_Gonzalez

11-05-2008, 10:45 PM

I just got the glitch for the first time in RB2. Granted, it's the first time I've sat down and played Hard vocals for more than a set, but still.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
I had only been playing for an hour or so.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
The Challenging Choruses vocals challenge, and I noticed it slightly quivering on the last song, and then I went to the Nightmare Songs challenge, and it was just going erratically during Aqualung (the first song).

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yeah.

4. What mode were you in?
Tour challenges.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Towards the end of Round and Round, and it progressively got worse through Aqualung.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
Yes.

a. In a set?
In a different set.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Yeah.

After rebooting my machine, I got the same thing, but with different circumstances.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
I had just turned it on, continuing after Aqualung (where I had to restart my machine because of this glitch). I was on Any Way You Want it, which was the last song in the set (so the 4th song I played).

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
3.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yeah.

4. What mode were you in?
Tour challenges.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Yeah, through the other songs once or twice to type a text message, and only once during Any Way You Want It.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Started at the beginning of AWYWI, and got progressively worse.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
Dunno, I restarted my cosnole.

Reaper615

11-06-2008, 02:51 AM

When is HMX going ever going to fix this!

rylin

11-06-2008, 09:20 AM

When is HMX going ever going to fix this!

Every time you ask, they push the patch back two months.

xXNinJa

11-06-2008, 04:52 PM

Heres some video I have for the glitch.
It sucks because I got this 3 times in a row, on the first song, of the ESL2. Hope they get a look'see at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MINa4TcC6y4

Sorry if the video is unavailable, just got done finishing processing.

MusePT

11-06-2008, 09:06 PM

I've had the SAS a few times but since I have a MIC Stand it happened a lot lot lot less... I play a bit almost everyday and for the past week and a half haven't had the SAS...

I think like someone said before, when the song is loading don't touch the MIC, so it doesn't pick up any noise, don't know if this makes any difference but at least to me it is helping a lot!

just sharing with you guys so you try to do this and see if it works for you

jrolson

11-07-2008, 07:24 PM

I hope this gets fixed ASAP, It's #1 on the most annoying bugs list.

ElephantRider

11-08-2008, 07:57 PM

I played RB1 on my PS3 many hours and never noticed the bug before. I've been playing RB2 on my PS3 since launch, and I finally encountered the shaky arrow last night.

I noticed that before the music would start on a song, the mic was only picking up occasional staticky blurbs when I would talk into it. The arrow would wiggle like crazy and I was failing songs on easy that I have no problem with on expert.

I fixed it by unplugging my mic and plugging it back in again, so I'm not sure if it's the same bug or just the mic flipping out.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

We had just turned on the PS3 and started the game, so not even 5 minutes.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

It was happening on the first song we picked.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes, I always have it plugged into a targus USB hub with the other instruments which were working ok.

4. What mode were you in?

BWT, then went back to solo quickplay and it was still happening.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

At the beginning.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

I wasn't able to finish the song to find out.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

I exited the song and exited BWT for solo quickplay, got the same result.

slickpitt

11-10-2008, 12:54 PM

I hardly ever sing. Couple days ago I fired up the RB2 and decided to sing. First thing out of the bag, 5 song set, second song in(Capital G) I get SAS. Cleared up on the remaining set. Played probably for another hour and didn't see it.

Fuggity

11-11-2008, 02:23 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

About 45 minutes

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Probably 20 or so.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes, mic is always in USB port 1

4. What mode were you in?

BWT, happened on the fourth song of the 5 song Worldwide Promoter set. It also happend on the second song in a Battle of the Bands.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

At the beginning, but you can't tell it's happening until the singing starts.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

No, fortunately it did not continue for "Carry on My Wayward Son", that could have been disasterous.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

No. Usually only lasts for one song.

This was a terrible problem in RB1 and I cannot believe it was not addressed before the release of RB2. It makes for some really embarrassing moments online, especially when the people playing the other instruments don't know that this problem exists. They just assume I suck at singing and probably wonder why the hell I chose expert if I don't know the song.

Barnaby Fist

11-13-2008, 11:24 AM

There's been no pattern to when or if this problem shows up. It might start after a couple songs or right from the first song, and it's happened in tour, challenges, and quickplay. The only fix I've had work is to pause, plug into another usb port, and restart the song.

Sebrun

11-14-2008, 02:02 PM

Weird Thing Happened last night - We played RB2 for 5 Hours and did NOT get the shaky arrow NOT 1 TIME and i was talking on chat with other people while the songs were loading and purposely tapping the mic with my ring to see if the "noise while loading" has anything to do with it and apparently it does NOT cause i tried to make as much noise into the mic during loading as possible and never got it to go shaky - but last night was the first time since RB1 came out that we played and did not get the shaky mic at least 1 song the whole time we played.

Did they do something to fix it? or were we just lucky?

Icemage

11-17-2008, 02:55 AM

I helped a friend with the Endless Setlist 2 online this morning and encountered the shaky arrow on SIX songs out of 84.

It showed up on:

Song #12: PDA (100% FC, minor but noticeable loss of scoring)
Song #21: Feel the Pain (99%, significant scoring difficulty)
Song #29: De-Luxe (96%, extreme scoring difficulty)
Song #34: Living on a Prayer (100% FC, minor loss of scoring)
Song #40: Lazy Eye (97%, extreme scoring difficulty)
Song #59: Teen Age Riot (100%, minor scoring penalty)

NOTE: I can normally 100% FC all of these songs at will on Expert difficulty, and in all cases I was barely hanging onto my combos even with perfect pitch on many phrases.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky that it didn't show up on Spoonman or Tangled Up In Blue...

Sebrun

11-17-2008, 12:33 PM

I did the endless setlist by myself on expert vocals yesterday and tried the No noise into the mic approach i was covering the mic with my hands up til the shaky arrow showed up on song # 30 Shooting Star (i still got 5 stars on it) then i started putting the mic in a pillow and holding it there as soon as the song was over and not taking out from under the pillow until the next song loaded and started and i did NOT get the shaky arrow again the rest of the endless set list. It is possible that my hand was not covering the mic good on song #30 but i cannot say for sure but it was nice to go through the whole set with only 1 shaky arrow.

I am going to start using the pillow everytime i play and see if i ever get it again i will post back later with results.

master2uall

11-17-2008, 03:26 PM

doing esl today on expert vox only, on song21for 5 songs, shaky arrow, mic was pluged in when machine was powered on, pissed me off royaly.

eVan_Diesel

11-17-2008, 03:33 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

Sometimes it's the first song we play, sometimes it's the 50th.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

See above

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes

4. What mode were you in?

World Tour

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

Nope

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

Beginning and lasted the whole song

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

No

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

No

It just seems so random...... :(

souhei719

11-17-2008, 06:29 PM

Just noticed this, so I guess I'll put in my info.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

For me it commonly occurs only when I start playing vocals. I could have turned on the game and played a few songs on other instruments, then hopped to vocals, but it'll usually occur within or at the first few songs from when I start vocals.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Kinda what I said above, but to add, it will stop happening after a few songs.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes

4. What mode were you in?

Occurs in any mode, with any amount of players, on or offline.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

Didn't pause.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

It occurs right away, and stays like that for the rest of the song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Never tried in a set before.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Yes it has stayed in consecutive songs before.

Just to add, for me my main solution is to just play like I normally do, then if it happens, I return to the main menu and start the song again (NOT restart, restarting the song doesn't fix the problem). Usually this doesn't occur for more than a couple of songs.

Icemage

11-17-2008, 11:50 PM

There have been a number of people who have asked what the shaky arrow glitch actually looks and plays like in practice, since there aren't too many good examples of it online.

I was practicing some of the newer DLC this evening and up popped a fairly noticeable case of the shaky arrow glitch on my run on Use Me by Hinder, so I thought I'd try filming it.

For those who are wondering why it's such an issue, here's an audio/visual aid. I've got my camera positioned and zoomed in on the vocal scoring line.

I'm singing next to the camera, and the original track is turned down so you can hear exactly what pitches I'm singing at. I'm on-key at least 99% of the time, yet the arrow is wandering all over the place - in places you can see all the characteristics I've described earlier on the first page of this thread:

- Vertical shaking
- Blood red, flickering arrow
- "pulling" on the arrow, even when holding a perfectly solid note

This is an exceptionally easy song to sing, and it still took me well over 20 runs to get an FC because I kept blowing phrases from the arrow just simply not giving me credit for what I was singing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdBP9eihOgE

Sebrun

11-18-2008, 10:39 AM

the video does make one good point - if you still sing it perfectly you still get gold stars. the shaky arrow makes it harder to sing the song if you dont know the correct pitch but if you do you still get the points. So for people that do vocals alot it is not as bad if they know the song but the people that are trying to sing and have fun on vocals that normally dont sing it can be a really annoying thing to happen cause they would completely fail due to having no reference point to go by to adjust their pitch. Your video shows something else i have noticed about the shaky arrow on RB2 if you pitch is close to perfect it does not jump around as much as it did in RB1 on RB1 even if you were dead on pitch it would still be flopping like a fish out of water. But on RB2 still if your off pitch it goes crazy floppy - thus making it way harder for someone who does not know the song to get on the correct pitch.

I played again last night and kept the mic under a pillow again while loading and never once got the shaky arrow - i then started leaving the mic out and talking into it etc while the song was loading and got the shaky arrow on 2 of the next 5 songs i played.

Hope you guys at HMX get this one figured out cause it is sure annoying alot of people on PS3 :-) Good luck guys...

Gryffindor

11-18-2008, 02:49 PM

Icemage's example is no where near as bad as it has hit me. The darned arrow dances far worse sometimes. Other times, it's minimal and I can usually work my way through it.

Icemage

11-18-2008, 03:27 PM

Icemage's example is no where near as bad as it has hit me. The darned arrow dances far worse sometimes. Other times, it's minimal and I can usually work my way through it.

Yeah, the severity definitely varies. On a scale of 0 to 10, the above video is probably a 6. Every once in a blue moon, you'll get hit with one that's just absurd and you can't even Awesome most phrases even with perfect pitch.

defjukie

11-18-2008, 03:35 PM

same here, when it strikes me it is much worse than the video shows.

It definitely causes my pitch to register incorrectly, I am 100% sure of this.

ringwraith10

11-22-2008, 01:12 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
this time, about 30 minutes. it has happened on the first song before
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
began on Man in the Box (we are in endless setlist2)

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
yes

4. What mode were you in?
not sure of question. scrolling style (mentioned that we are playing the endless setlist2)

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
no, but paused earlier in the setlist long enough to get some water, about 45 seconds

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
beginning
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
no, still in same enless setlist, after pauseing long enough to type previous answers.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
never happened.

additional information:
using rockband 1 mic
did happen in rockband 1

known to happen most frequently in songs: e-pro, battery, and man in the box

ringwraith10

11-22-2008, 01:25 PM

the video does make one good point - if you still sing it perfectly you still get gold stars. the shaky arrow makes it harder to sing the song if you dont know the correct pitch but if you do you still get the points. So for people that do vocals alot it is not as bad if they know the song but the people that are trying to sing and have fun on vocals that normally dont sing it can be a really annoying thing to happen cause they would completely fail due to having no reference point to go by to adjust their pitch. Your video shows something else i have noticed about the shaky arrow on RB2 if you pitch is close to perfect it does not jump around as much as it did in RB1 on RB1 even if you were dead on pitch it would still be flopping like a fish out of water. But on RB2 still if your off pitch it goes crazy floppy - thus making it way harder for someone who does not know the song to get on the correct pitch.

I'd like to note that in the video the shaking was not as bad as it has been for me. When I sang Man in the Box a few minutes ago, the arrow was not just shaking while staying on the same line -- it was sporadically resetting to the middle of the bar and then jumping back to where my voice really is (on long notes like "jeeeeeeeeeeeeesus christ"). I know I'm on pitch -- when this problem is not happening I always get 100% on this song (expert).

xXNinJa

11-22-2008, 07:51 PM

On Page 8, I too posted a video about the Shaky Arrow. I don't know if I had it as bad as Icemage's, but you can definitely see it shaking in that too.

xXNinJa

11-23-2008, 06:07 AM

I Apologize for posting again, but I'm doing the ESL2 right now on Expert Vocals. I got the SAS in a worser case, heres the video from my Dazzle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulDyrjypcL8

widlan

11-23-2008, 03:11 PM

Hi Henry,

Do you have more information about this problem? Do you think to be able to resolve this soon?

Thank you a lot for your time.

Icemage

11-23-2008, 04:27 PM

xXNinJa

11-23-2008, 06:13 PM

I just tested the theory that making noise into the microphone during song loads causes the shaky arrow. No dice. Tried it five times in Band Quickplay on Interstate Love Song (wanted a nice, easy song with long, steady pitchlines to show it), and it never showed up no matter how much or how loudly I warbled into the microphone.

True. I tested this too last night when I did the ESL2 on Expert Vocals. I spoke silently, then screamed, nothing. It seems to not matter which mic we use, whether it be a headset, RB Stock Mic, or a Logitech Vantage, we still get the Shaky Arrow.

Out of the 84 songs I sang last night, I got the Shaky Arrow on about 12 songs. It forced me to fail out once, its damn near impossible to get Spoonman down with a violent Shaky Arrow. But I notice it seems to just randomly appear on and off, doesn't matter which mode we choose, it happens on ALL of them. I wouldn't doubt if it was in Practice Mode too, lol.

Icemage

11-23-2008, 10:15 PM

True. I tested this too last night when I did the ESL2 on Expert Vocals. I spoke silently, then screamed, nothing. It seems to not matter which mic we use, whether it be a headset, RB Stock Mic, or a Logitech Vantage, we still get the Shaky Arrow.
Yeah it happens with all audio input devices, from the stock RB mic to self-modded professional microphones. This is definitely not a hardware problem.

Out of the 84 songs I sang last night, I got the Shaky Arrow on about 12 songs. It forced me to fail out once, its damn near impossible to get Spoonman down with a violent Shaky Arrow.
Ouch. Spoonman is tough enough without adding difficulty.

But I notice it seems to just randomly appear on and off, doesn't matter which mode we choose, it happens on ALL of them. I wouldn't doubt if it was in Practice Mode too, lol.
Funny you should mention that. I got the shaky arrow in practice mode the other day in RB2 on one of the newer songs I downloaded, so yes, it does show up even in practice mode (though I'm probably the only person on the planet that even ever uses the laughable excuse of a practice mode that Rock Band gives vocalists).

matbero14

11-24-2008, 01:58 AM

Too lazy to read the entire post, so here is the info.
1. First set. About 10 minutes
2. 2
3. no
4. Band world tour, four song make you set
5. no
6. from start to end
7. yes
a. yes
b. Did not try, will do so.

xXNinJa

11-24-2008, 05:57 AM

Thats sad that the Shaky Arrow is in practice mode. I use it for parts that totally kick my behind. I was playing in Online Tour mode tonight, and I got the Shaky Arrow, almost failed a song, and got kicked from the band. Hmx, any progress on this yet?

DanKuuga

11-24-2008, 03:25 PM

RB2
1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

Sometimes an hour or more, sometimes immediately

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

As above, sometimes a dozen or more, sometimes the 1st song. It's completely random.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

No, I always plug my mic in after turning the power on.

4. What mode were you in?

Solo quickplay & World Tour modes.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

It always occurs at the very beginning of the song. It can start in the middle of a setlist, but always at the beginning of the song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

It generally goes back to normal on the next song, though it can happen again in the same set, even on the next song or the song after.
This is the only difference I've discovered with the problem between RB1 & 2 - in RB1 it continues through a set always.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Generally once I exit to the Map/Song list & start a new song (or the same one), it works fine. It has, however, rarely done it again on the very next song I choose.

It has happened both with the RB1 mic, and the Logitech headset (made a 1-man band even harder to do).

xXNinJa

11-24-2008, 03:40 PM

I might as well do this too since everyone else has.
___________________________________

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
A. It doesn't matter. It randomly happens. Sometimes immediately, sometimes after a few songs, and sometimes after over 15 songs.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
A. As above, it doesn't really matter, it occurs randomly.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
A. Yes. I tried it also without it plugged in, still got the Shaky Arrow.

4. What mode were you in?
A. It happens in every single mode. Quickplay, Band Quickplay, Tour, Online Tour, and Practice Mode. Yes, Practice Mode.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
A. Tested this last night. It doesn't matter if you pause or not, or take out the mic and put it back in.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
A. I believe it starts in the beginning for everyone, but there might be some cases. For me its almost always in the beginning.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
A. Sometimes it starts on the first song, carries over to the next, and it will stop Shaking on the next.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
A. Usually its so bad we are forced to quit out completely. But as before, it has the possibility of coming one song, disappearing the next, and so forth.

papaprime

11-24-2008, 09:49 PM

Poorly timed, I'm having a party revolving around RB2 on Sunday. THe patch that RB2 forced me to update seems to have been the catalyst for this problem.

My wife normally gets 100% on 3 different songs, after the update, we've had the shaky problem and she's failing out of these 3 very songs.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

2 Minutes after starting the disc.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

Zero.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes.

4. What mode were you in?

Local band quickplay

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

First song, yes, paused to restart. Every other song, no. The problem persisted.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

Pretty much the entire song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:

Played 3 songs in a row, each one had the issue.

Icemage

11-25-2008, 02:15 AM

I figured I'd keep a lookout for the shaky arrow after the update. It wasn't mentioned in the PS3 patch notes, but hope springs ever eternal, right?

Unfortunately, I just got the shaky arrow, post-1.01, in Local Band Quickplay on Spoonman.

xXNinJa

11-25-2008, 02:40 PM

Rofl, I did the same thing. As soon as the patch came out I sprung into action, first song, Shaky Arrow, on I Was Wrong. Happened 3 times before I could get an FC video done.

Funkydee

11-25-2008, 09:54 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Doesn't matter often. It can be as short as 5 minutes or not occur for several hours.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Played the first song and it has happened, have played fifty songs without it happening, it seems very random unless there is something causing it to occur that I'm not noticing.
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes most of the time the mic is plugged in, we've tested it by not plugging in the mic until the character selection screen in local tour and even then it can occur.
4. What mode were you in?
I mostly play in Local Tour, but it has occured in quickplay, and score duels.
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
I haven't had the shakey arrow start after pausing midsong, it mostly occurs at the beginning of the song, and lasts until it ends. Sometimes unplugging the mic mid song and plugging it back in helps but not often.
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning almost always
7. Did it carry over to another song:
It has but not often in sets and after selecting a new song.

Ode1st

11-28-2008, 03:17 PM

1) I've had play sessions where the shaky arrow happened on the first song, and play sessions where it happened on the last song, in the middle, toward the end, etc. It seems to randomly happen.

2) It seems to randomly occur.

3) Yes, the mic was already plugged in at the console's power-on.

4) The shaky arrow happens in any mode--solo/band quickplay, online solo/band quickplay, online/offline solo/band endless setlists, online/offline solo/band tour mode/challenges, etc.

5) The shaky arrow happens if I pause or not, regardless of how long I might have paused for.

6) The shaky arrow occurs at the beginning of the song and will stay throughout the entire song.

7) The shaky arrow will sometimes carry over to the next song.

7a) Yes, it has frequently carried over in a setlist.

7b) Yes, it has carried over when you complete the first song and select a different one, however, this happens rarely. If you restart the song you have a shaky arrow on, it seems to--most of the time--continue to stay on that song, even if you exit out of the mode/setlist and reenter.

Samuel346

12-01-2008, 03:55 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

Hour or less

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

5 - 8, not same setlest

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

No

4. What mode were you in?

Band world tour solo

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

Beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:

Cannot pass Painkiller with such an issue

Let me say I am really disappointed about this.

I was hoping that this would be fixed, it's really annoying not being able to enjoy this game. :(

defjukie

12-03-2008, 12:52 PM

still no word on this, huh?

ugh

Tename

12-04-2008, 05:55 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Just started up PS3 and played rock band... < 5 minutes.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
First song.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes.

4. What mode were you in?
Online Band Quickplay by myself.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Yes, < 10 seconds

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Occurred after pausing and changing vocal configuration.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
no
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
no

I tested this with Give it All on expert, on the long "whoaaaaa" part, it seems like pausing and changing settings caused the wobbly arrow....

Vally

12-04-2008, 08:50 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
It varies every time. It may be on for a minute, it may be hours.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
This varies also. One song to several songs.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
I've tried it several ways. Plugging in the mic after the console was on and/or vice versa.

4. What mode were you in?
It can happen with any play mode on any difficulty setting.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
I've had it happen after pausing, but it also happens if not pausing.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Again, this doesn't seem to matter. I've had it occur at the beginning and partway through.

7. Did it carry over to another song:

a. In a set?
Yes it has.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song
List?
Yes it has.

vicpac

12-04-2008, 09:47 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Not long, just started endless setlist

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
5

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
yes

4. What mode were you in?
Band (Happens in all modes)

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
no

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
always at beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:
Yes
a. In a set?
yes

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
yes. Unless you exit out to Start Screen. That always clears it.

Also, I have noticed if I sing high and low notes at the end of a song while I am getting the shakey arrow, long enough that I will get a noise at the beginning of the next song. That usually clears it up.

I got it 3 times in the first 10 songs of Endless Setlist and none for the rest of them. Hope this helps.

Otherwise the shakey arrow continues forever until you exit to the main menu. Disconnecting the mic has no effect.

MrMet2087

12-06-2008, 05:40 PM

this has been going on since RB1 and we yelled and screamed about it and you didn't listen. and now you do, but you need us to tell you what the problem is? you guys made the game, you fix it. I am so frustrated one year later I'm having the same problems I did with RB1 one year ago. and you designed it exacly the same apparently if the same problem occurs.

metalfenix

12-08-2008, 12:24 AM

I'm gonna answer this using my Rock Band 2 disc. I'll skip my issues with RB1 disc, so here I go:

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
About Half hour - One hour of playing
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Six or seven, but sometimes the first song comes with shaky arrow. It's annoying.
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yeap
4. What mode were you in?
Solo- Band world tour, sometimes in the online modes too, quickplay too. And sometimes in multiplayer.
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Nope
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Begining to ending.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
Nope, it was on the second of a three song set. Normally it doesn't carry to the next song.
a. In a set?
yeap.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Yeap.

defjukie

12-10-2008, 12:55 PM

hey HMX, an update would be nice.

Or, you know, just to let us know that you're actually working on this.

Tzepish

12-12-2008, 02:42 PM

I figured I'd post this in here. I recently just encountered a new personal record - the first time I got SAS on two songs in a row, AND the most frequent amount of SAS in one setlist. After downloading the No Doubt album, I played through the whole thing in order (in one set), and got SAS on Bathwater, Sunday Morning, Underneath it All, and Running. I was a sad panda (more like an annoyed panda).

folkeye

12-12-2008, 05:12 PM

Same thing... it went for a record number of songs the other night and didn't stop. I solved my problem by unplugging it and picked up the guitar for the rest of the evening... that taught it a lesson... ha and ha.

Next day it kicked in for 2 songs during the Rolling Stone Challenge, then various other random things... is this being worked on at all?

Rubberface

12-13-2008, 09:53 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Sometimes minutes, sometimes hours
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Again, could be the first song, or the 84th
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Always. I never hot swap USB on PS3
4. What mode were you in?
Local world tour, Battle o' Bands
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Always from beginning to end of song.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
Never from one to the next in my experience
a. In a set?
Yes, but on single songs as well.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Fresh reloads usually don't repeat the issue.
However, the worst repeat I ever encountered was on the Vocal Growlers Battle of the bands set, where THRICE consecutively Chop Suey gave me horrible shakes...ruining the 100% and perfect overdrive paths from the two previous songs. Giving up and settling for 73rd place leaves a bad taste...

doctorfaust

12-15-2008, 06:07 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Variable, at times I can play for 6+ hours (cough ESL2) and it never happens, other times it happens the very first song I play in a session.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes.

4. What mode were you in?
Has happened in both World Tour and Quickplay for me.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
When it happens it's always evident from the beginning.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
In RB1 it would always carry through a set, however in RB2 it usually seems to go away in the next song in a set. One time it actually seemed to go away or at least get better after a tambourines section.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Yes, this always fixes it. (But selecting "restart" from the pause menu does not.)

Miscellany: I don't get the glitch that often... I play on lowest possible mic sensitivity, I'm not sure if that's why.

eaxbillymays

12-16-2008, 04:08 AM

hey HMX, an update would be nice.

Or, you know, just to let us know that you're actually working on this.

The first post has your answer - this issue is in the info collection stage. Another six to twelve months worth of posts should be enough information to tackle the problem.

war_lord

12-16-2008, 02:48 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
I was playing online Quickplay yesterday. I'd estimate that I'd played for
about 2-3 hours before it happened.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Not entirely sure exactly. It was the 3rd song chosen by the band I was
playing with at the time.
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
No
4. What mode were you in?
Quickplay (Online)
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
At the beginning
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
N/A - We were choosing individual songs.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
It was fine by the next song.

Interesting side note: A while back (prior to RB2's release), my fiancee and I decided to fire up the old PS2 CMT Country Karaoke Revolution. While it could have been an emulation thing, I found it interesting that it seemed very similar to SAS on RockBand. Our PS3 is the 80 gig one from the MGS4 bundle, which handles most PS2 games pretty well (including that one). I was using the RB and she was using the mic that came with the game... Her vocal arrow started freaking out in the middle of a song, followed shortly after by mine. Just as with RB (in most cases anyway), it was fine during the next song. This seems to suggest to me that it may not be an issue with the software, unless the coding for vocals in RB is the same as for the old Country Karoake game (another HMX game).

Icemage

12-17-2008, 10:34 PM

Interesting side note: A while back (prior to RB2's release), my fiancee and I decided to fire up the old PS2 CMT Country Karaoke Revolution. While it could have been an emulation thing, I found it interesting that it seemed very similar to SAS on RockBand. Our PS3 is the 80 gig one from the MGS4 bundle, which handles most PS2 games pretty well (including that one). I was using the RB and she was using the mic that came with the game... Her vocal arrow started freaking out in the middle of a song, followed shortly after by mine. Just as with RB (in most cases anyway), it was fine during the next song. This seems to suggest to me that it may not be an issue with the software, unless the coding for vocals in RB is the same as for the old Country Karoake game (another HMX game).
Or it could be just flaky PS2 emulation.

If it were a hardware issue, why does this problem not exist in other singing games on PS3? SingStar doesn't have anything resembling this problem (and I've gotten the shaky arrow while testing the blue SingStar mic in Rock Band). Neither does GHWT.

Gryffindor

12-17-2008, 11:27 PM

Interesting side note: A while back (prior to RB2's release), my fiancee and I decided to fire up the old PS2 CMT Country Karaoke Revolution. While it could have been an emulation thing, I found it interesting that it seemed very similar to SAS on RockBand. Our PS3 is the 80 gig one from the MGS4 bundle, which handles most PS2 games pretty well (including that one). I was using the RB and she was using the mic that came with the game... Her vocal arrow started freaking out in the middle of a song, followed shortly after by mine. Just as with RB (in most cases anyway), it was fine during the next song. This seems to suggest to me that it may not be an issue with the software, unless the coding for vocals in RB is the same as for the old Country Karoake game (another HMX game).

Or it could be just flaky PS2 emulation.

If it were a hardware issue, why does this problem not exist in other singing games on PS3? SingStar doesn't have anything resembling this problem (and I've gotten the shaky arrow while testing the blue SingStar mic in Rock Band). Neither does GHWT.

HMX wrote the vocal engine used in the KR games.

I've played a few of them back when I had my PS2 but never encountered SAS.

war_lord

12-18-2008, 12:30 AM

HMX wrote the vocal engine used in the KR games.

This. Like I said, if it was a direct (or nearly direct) copy of that vocal engine, than any problems with it would have been carried over. While it worked great on the PS2, there may be something about using it on the PS3 that brings out the bug. SingStar & GHWT run on a completely different engine and thus they are irrelevant.

Anyway, I'm just providing any info that I think may help HMX solve the SAS issue.

Icemage

12-18-2008, 04:58 AM

This. Like I said, if it was a direct (or nearly direct) copy of that vocal engine, than any problems with it would have been carried over. While it worked great on the PS2, there may be something about using it on the PS3 that brings out the bug. SingStar & GHWT run on a completely different engine and thus they are irrelevant.

Anyway, I'm just providing any info that I think may help HMX solve the SAS issue.
I wasn't taking issue with your anecdote. I was taking issue with this statement:

This seems to suggest to me that it may not be an issue with the software, unless the coding for vocals in RB is the same as for the old Country Karoake game (another HMX game).

The problem is quite obviously in the software. Whether it's some weird holdover from an older vocal detection algorithm may or may not be pertinent, but if it was endemic to the process being used, this same problem would afflict the other platform versions (360, Wii, and ESPECIALLY PS2), and it does not.

MrPlow

12-20-2008, 11:23 PM

Rock Band 2, PS3, RB1 instruments & Mic.
This all happened during the first try of any song immediately after applying the patch.
Is there an way to back out the patch?
It happens on all songs.
It happens on vocals, and guitar.
We tried power cycling the ps3 with no help.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
>>only a few minutes
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
>>happened during 1st song
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
>>not sure, but I think no. But it was in after the power cycle
4. What mode were you in?
>>Local multiplayer, mic, 2 guitars (no drums plugged in)
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
>>yes, just long enough to switch one guitar to lefty. This was guitar (1). Interestingly, after power cycle it registered the other guitar as (1) but was still in lefty mode.
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
>>beginning
7. Did it carry over to another song:
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
>>Yes

BMLocal175

12-23-2008, 12:39 PM

Icemage

12-24-2008, 03:08 PM

Is there a quick fix for this when it happens.. Like a pause or unplug then replug? It happened a few days ago when playing online with the band but couldn't resolve the problem and left the session. Would of been great to resolve it without leaving. Not even sure if quitting the game and coming back would of helped because I wasn't aware of this problem until now.

I realize there is no permanent fix for this yet but how do you get it back to normal when it does happen?
Exit back to the song selector menu, move the selector to any other song. That gives you another roll of the dice.

It doesn't guarantee that you won't see it again, but you've got at least a 90%ish chance to not get it a second time in a row. Of course, if you're in the middle of a setlist, that's not going to do you any good... but that's why this thread is here.

----

Incidentally HMX, if any of you are still reading this thread, I got the glitch again last night while I was recording a video for my YouTube channel on Master Exploder.

I found that exiting to the selector, moving the selection to another song using the D-pad, and immediately moving it back (even before the new audio preview starts playing) still manages to clear the shaky arrow (most of the time).

If you don't move the selector and go right back in, however, the shaky arrow stays with you, at the same severity as when first encountered.

metalfenix

12-26-2008, 08:15 PM

Well, here is more data for ya HMX guys, regarding Shaky arrow:

City: ReikJavik
Venue: Klauragdalsholl
Gig: Metal Marathon
Difficulty: Expert
Only Singer

The metal marathon consisted in 6 songs, beginning with ace of spades and ending with painkiller. Well, after the second song, I got the shaky arrow syndrome during the LAST FOUR SONGS on the setlist (and it's a REAL PAIN to sing Painkiller in expert with shaky arrow). Normally the shaky arrow went away in the next song of a set, but even in Rock Band 1 I haven't seen this, I mean, shaky arrow in 4 songs in a row!?!?!?!? what the hell was going on here?

Right after that, I tried another gig in the same city (Ace of spades) and no shaky arrow. Agh well, more data for you, I guess.

EDIT: This edit is almost 8 hours after the post. I tried the endless setlist 2 singing 3 times, and the 3 times I failed because this horrible glitch, two times in "That's what you get", and now in "Livin on a prayer" (I'm trying the endless setlist on expert). I noticed that in each one of my 3 runs of the ESL the bug appears in random songs, ussually after each 3 or 4 songs, and sometimes it affected 2 songs straight in a row. I suppose that thanks to this bug I should try the ESL singing in hard to achieve the bladder of steel trophy, because in expert this bug is a sure kill, especially in tricky songs like the ones I've said (If I get it in Shackler's revenge it will be the end of the ESL for me tonight). Argh, I'm so frustrated by this f*****g bug :( .

Funkydee

12-29-2008, 05:06 PM

I haven't even bothered with attempting another Endless Setlist 2 on expert as I usually get the Shaky Arrow about once every 5 songs nowadays. I will eventually get my full 5 star run and bladder of steel on expert. My previous ESL2 runs I have only failed to achieve a 5 star or better on songs that get the Shakes in the higher difficulty. Shaky Arrow doesn't kill your chances of getting though a song cleanly. But it does pretty much wreck your ability to correct your pitch if you are odd slightly as its impossible to tell if you are sharp or flat. I read on here somewhere that holding the mic under something like a pillow before loading has helped people and it really helped my last run out. I made it through about 50 songs until I forgot to do it then shaky arrowed and 4 starred a song. I really really hope that something comes early in the new year to fix this problem.

onezenchic

12-30-2008, 11:38 AM

Playing vocal challenges last night when I noticed the arrow jumping..thinking it was the shaky arrow I wasn't too concerned because I knew I had previously fc'd the songs in this setlist...however...it was more than a shaky arrow. The arrow actually appeared and disappeared with most phrases only registering "okay". It lasted throughout the four song set and continued into the next four. I unplugged the mic and switched usb ports with my guitarist, and continued the set. PROBLEM GONE!
..and it didn't affect the guitarist at all...
Have they eliminated the possibility of the usb ports as part of the problem?

biznart

12-30-2008, 06:04 PM

I don't have detailed information as I don't do much singing, but with RB1, the 5 or 6 times I encountered it, SAS was always curable by unplugging and reinserting the USB cable. I've done a minor amount of singing with RB2 without seeing any SAS.

Tename

01-02-2009, 09:17 PM

it happens almost 90% on my 7th/8th song in a row in quick play lol.... seems the longer you play in a row the higher the chance the glitch...

TigerFever

01-04-2009, 08:51 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
This seems to have no effect on when SAS happens. I've had it happen anywhere from the first song to a song played at the end of a 4 hour drumming session.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Like I said, this doesn't make a difference.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
I've had it happen either way. My guitar dongle has decided to stop working so sometimes I have to hot-swap between the drums and microphone in between setlists.

4. What mode were you in?
I've had problems in both Tour and Quickplay, it also didn't matter how many people were playing or if I was alone.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
I've paused through the songs, probably for no more than a minute.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
I believe it mostly occurs at the beginning of a song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Yes, it has.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Yes, it has.

As another user posted, just recently I had the problem with my arrow completely disappearing from the screen. It was a low note (not exactly sure what song), and I had hit it, and then my arrow dropped from the screen. I've had this happen on songs that I'm not familiar with (and play medium on) where there's no "track" and all that's required is for you to speak. Often on my attempts to activate Overdrive or even hit the next required note go completely unnoticed.

I'm really hoping for a patch that'll fix this. Also, I bought my boyfriend Rock Band 2 for the PS3 this Christmas, and had none of the aforementioned problems. Does this happen to everyone eventually?

folkeye

01-08-2009, 03:07 AM

Soooo....any word on this or whats being done? If this doesn't get addressed eventually and if RB3 gets released we don't want a carry over problem for the 3rd time.

Locke506

01-12-2009, 11:27 AM

Not sure if there is any official remark to this as I didn't feel like reading through 11 pages but I'll add mine here. It first happened to me in RB1 during a vocal challenge where I lost horribly and thought I was just that bad haha, till someone told me that no it was in fact a PS3 Problem, since then I have made several phone calls to every number I can find on RB and EA and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about and made posts on here, finally I just gave up and really upset because one of the guys I played with even switched to xbox 360 and downloaded their content again just to avoid the Shaky arrow.

Anyway here we go:

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Last night it happened on the second song of the endlist set list 2. Luckily it was still an easy song and didn't cause me failing. Then it did not occur again the rest of the time. But in the past it has occurred out of no where and seems to have a mind of its own when it will happen.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Doesn't really seem to matter but last night it was the 2nd song.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes, I usually leave the mic plugged in at all times.

4. What mode were you in?
I've had it on every possible scenario. Last night was the Endless Set List, it has been online, offline, world tour, solo tour, challenges. You name it it has happened.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
I played all the way through, i've had it happened and paused and tried again and still there, sometimes reset and still there, sometimes not. This is a really strange problem you guys have here no real pattern that I have seen mainly just a hmmmmm let's shake right now! COOL! lol

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
As much as I remember it just starts at the start and then all the way through the end.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Last night it didn't, but before it would require me to restart the entire game to get rid of it.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Yes, it has.

I used to use my PS3 for Rock Band nights and luckily we have the no fail mode on RB2 but when I was using just RB1 a few times it happened and people got slightly upset especially since they never heard of the Shaky Arrow on the Xbox 360. Slightly upset drunk person is never fun with a microphone! :) HOpe this helps.

MusePT

01-12-2009, 12:25 PM

Me too... I sold my RB 1 Kit and RB2 PS3 disc and bought a 360, now I have no SAS... it's a shame one has to do this!!!

guitalex2007

01-12-2009, 02:26 PM

Happened to me once on the endless setlist 2, during Shackler's Revenge. But most of my answers are the same as the first poster. Unplugging the mic then replugging it HAS worked for me on some occasions.

MacMog

01-13-2009, 02:34 AM

I've seen this many times, both with the original and now with Rock Band 2. I finally decided to write this particular incident up because it interrupted my challenge playthrough.

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
- Less than half an hour. I went to look at the new Battles, then went to the Challenge menu and flipped through there for a few minutes, then started the Shure Vocal Challenge.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
- Two songs, though I restarted One Way or Another a couple times to get the gold star down.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
- Yes. I have the mic from the original Rock Band special edition bundle (model A-0234A) and I always have it plugged in. I get the problem with nothing else attached via USB and with the guitar dongles and drums plugged in, all the same. This time I had the USB to mini-USB cable for charging controllers plugged in next to the mic, but with no controller attached.

4. What mode were you in?
- Challenge mode, playing the Shure Vocal Challenge solo on Expert. I got gold stars on Eye of the Tiger and One Way or Another, then experienced the bug on The Middle.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
- No. I did restart the previous song, One Way or Another, a couple of times. When I saw the shaky arrow, I restarted The Middle several times and it did not go away. I restarted these by pausing and hitting Restart Song, not by exiting the challenge and starting it again.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
- It starts at the beginning. Every time I've had the problem, it has started at the beginning of a song, lasted through the whole thing, and then disappeared when I start a new song. Sometimes when the mic starting playing through my voice at the beginning of a song, it pops or squeaks, but this phenomenon doesn't seem to have any correlation to the shaky arrow. It just makes me think the game reads data from the mic before it should.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
After restarting on The Middle a number of times, I got fed up and saved and quit the challenge, then turned off the game, so I can't say for this time. I've never seen it carry over to another song in the same set, let alone two different sets, even on the original game.

My programmer sense says that Rock Band disconnects the mic after each song, when the game stops playing through the player's vocals, and then initializes the device again at the beginning of the next song, when it starts playing the player's voice again. When the player restarts from the pause menu, the game just keep the device open, which explains why you have to quit out of the song entirely to get the mic working right again. I suspect the bug (not a glitch; that word means something else entirely, though this bug may indeed result from a glitch) has to do with initialization of the mic, either in passing bad values to the init function(s) or in reading data before the mic fully initializes, if you do some sort of calibration. Maybe I'll see if the developer documentation has anything interesting to say about using mics.

Trienco

01-15-2009, 01:43 PM

Icemage

01-19-2009, 02:32 AM

Well, seeing how pretty much all the questions can be answered with "completely at random", the only constant I notice is in the pause menu when tapping or blowing in the mic. Whenever I have the problem, the mic seems to be a lot louder. Since I always turn the mic volume all the way down, I have to wonder if something screws up the sensitivity or volume setting and causes some not so cool real overdrive.

Anybody playing with vocals low and mic high who noticed if his voice is sounding overly distorted when this bug shows up?
I almost always play with mic volume at 90%. I don't notice any unusual pattern of volume with the shaky arrow.

It's not adding noise to the signal either, otherwise I'd be getting random overdrive activations when my sensitivity is set to maximum (which I do occasionally on some songs which require it, or where it's helpful, like Next To You), and I've never had the shaky arrow accidentally trigger an overdrive for me, not in hundreds of incidents.

My latest run-in with it came in online Band World Tour last night. SAS showed up on five out of my first eight songs, including back to back songs in a 3 song setlist. It reappeared one more time a short while later on in that session.

helokity

01-22-2009, 06:05 PM

oh my god, so it is an issue. i thought it was just me. HOWEVER this was only a case in SINGLE PLAYER MODE and very rarely in a small 2 player band mode. I have never experienced the issue in a full band. i host frequent rockband parties with my friends and they sing for several hours on end. not once have i ever seen it and ive been playing the game since release. As for rockband 1 i just remember it crapped out on me so often, but cant recall from back then. RB2 has been a lot nicer to me.
The only other audio device i have connected to the PS3 is the official sony ps3 bluetooth headset

folkeye

01-23-2009, 12:09 PM

This is a huge issue in my opinion... but apparently not big enough to be looked into by Harmonix. An update/aknowledgement would be great.

angelic_jos

01-23-2009, 05:10 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

About 15 mins

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

5-10 songs

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

No

4. What mode were you in?

Tour

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

Right from the beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Yes, I was playing a "Battle of the bands" and both song were like this... But it happens a lot with regular sets also though the wiggle doesn't usually carry over.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Not always

I think I may have rage issued when this glitch happens... I will go apologize to my rock band microphone now... Thanks for acknowledging this issue.

JR6149

01-23-2009, 08:55 PM

I dont sing much, or at all and thats a good thing, but my GF does and we just ran across this problem (she doesn't play much). Anyway, has this been resolved yet? There are 15+ pages worth of responses and wanted to avoid having to read through them all. Thanks

defjukie

01-29-2009, 06:39 PM

hmm.. still no response... shocking!

Mooshywooshy

02-09-2009, 01:26 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
30~minutes

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
10~

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes

4. What mode were you in?
Tour

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Yes

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
No, rarely does this carry through after choosing a new song from the list.

I don't think it would be linked to any songs specifically, however almost every time I play Dani California I get the shaky arrow for some reason.. probably just bad luck.

Insanely frustrating doing a long set list and getting all 5 but then getting one 4 star due to the fact that the game freaked out, causing you to do the entire set over again to get max stars. ._.;

randrac

02-09-2009, 06:14 PM

I'm having this problem, as well as numerous other issues with the mic. I have tried just about everything to resolve. I have found that the mic will only have a chance of working correctly if I:
1. Ensure all instruments are already plugged in before booting up the PS3, and that the mic is plugged into the Rock Band USB hub, and not directly into a USB port on the PS3.
2. Boot up the PS3 by pressing the button on the system, not the PS3 controller.
3. Wait until the PS3 is fully loaded before activating the PS3 controller. If the PS3 controller comes up with on a port other than 4, reboot, and retry the process.

This will typically ensure that the mic is at least registering sound. After that, it will still often end up with the shaky arrow problem mentioned in this forum, and once it happens, I have to turn off the system, unplug and replug in the mic and hope for the best. I tried using Singstar mics to remedy this, but I'm having difficulty getting RB2 to recognize them without setting the sensitivity all the way at maximum, only having one plugged into the Singstar attachment, and strangely it only seems to ever work if I have all instruments plugged in. As vocals are my favorite instrument, I'm getting pretty bummed by the problem and lack of support I'm seeing for correcting it.

Varrus

02-10-2009, 02:09 AM

I never experienced this problem until I downloaded the Roy Orbison pack and now it's happening more and more frequently. So very frustrating. :mad:

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
This doesn't seem to have any bearing on the problem. It can start happening right away or it could be after an hour. Doesn't matter.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
See #1.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes.

4. What mode were you in?
Usually happens while in the Band World Tour though it has happened (much less frequently) during Quickplay.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Nope, no pausing.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Always from the beginning. If the arrow isn't shaky from the start, it's fine for the whole song. I've never seen it become all goofy partway through.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Yes.

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
No, I don't believe it has.

Phisioni

02-21-2009, 09:18 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Sometimes on the first song, sometimes after a few. Pretty erratic.
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
The first time? I'd had the game about a month when it first happened. It was on the first song in the set.
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yup, always is.
4. What mode were you in?
Band Quickplay, all four people in.
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Nope, just went straight in.
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Started with the first vocal part.
7. Did it carry over to another song:
Nope, but it pops up here and there erratically.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Like I said, it's kinda an on/off thing. Sometimes it will happen, but usually only for one song. It's gone for a whole set here and there, but not frequently enough for me to associate the set, place, or songs chosen with the bug.

folkeye

02-23-2009, 05:26 PM

15 pages of fun... COME ON HMX... an update would be nice. Please? :)

tara_d

03-01-2009, 07:17 PM

I just had this happen again in a long set. I finally decided after having this glitch for the 100th time maybe I should give my input as well. Sooo annoying! :(

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
About 45 minutes. I have had this happen before within a shorter time frame.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
It was the 5th song in a set of 9.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes.

4. What mode were you in?
I was playing online tour challenges on RB2 (the setlist was all RB1 songs)

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No, it was an online game.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning, it has always happened at the start of a song for me.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Yes. I had the shaky arrow on the 5th and 6th song, but it had come back again by the 8th and also the final song in the set.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Most of the time it seems clear the shaky arrow glitch but it just comes back in the next few songs. I have started using the controller instead of tapping the mic for the percussion notes, and it seems like I am not getting it as often as I did when I first started playing vocals. It still does happen to me quite a bit, though. It seems to be very flighty as well, sometimes I won't have much problem finishing the song other than getting a 'strong' instead of 'awesome' here or there, or a few percent off from my usual 97-100%. Other times though the shaking is pretty severe and I've had to either quit the song, fail out, or take a worse score than I know I otherwise would have gotten.

hack-mole

03-03-2009, 11:06 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
Couple of months
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
about 200-300
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes
4. What mode were you in?
Hard
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
I have paused before. Don't remember. Will try again tonite.
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Seemed to just start with a song part way through the night
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Yes
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
I was in challenge sets. Didn't jump out to song list at the time.

folkeye

03-03-2009, 05:22 PM

Now it's hooking on for more than one song in a row......wheee. All hail the percentage/close to failing drop since the indicator is flying all over the place.

ksbubbs

03-05-2009, 02:32 AM

I've been getting the shaky arrow too. I've also noticed that there is a slight feeling of moisture in the mic. I'm wondering and thinking that this is what is causing the shaky arrow. When I get the shaky arrow, I am not able to get as good of a score and the line ends up saying "messy"

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred? Uncertain
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred? Uncertain, but I have worked through most of the gigs in the game. Only one left pretty much is the unending gig.
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on? Yes
4. What mode were you in? Hard
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long? No
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through? Beginning of song
7. Did it carry over to another song: No
a. In a set? No
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List? When I get the shaky arrow, I don't pick another song. I usually turn the game off.

Currently, I am trying to reorder a new mic but there has been a backorder for some time. I think everyone else is trying to replace their mics due to the shaky arrow. :(

Icemage

03-24-2009, 07:30 AM

So here we are five months later. Any news, HMX?

folkeye

03-24-2009, 11:39 AM

So here we are five months later. Any news, HMX?

Haha.. that's a good one. Best we can do is just keep the thread alive.

defjukie

03-25-2009, 09:45 AM

such BS that they haven't even bothered to follow up...

buddymoops

03-26-2009, 01:23 PM

So here we are five months later. Any news, HMX?

such BS that they haven't even bothered to follow up...

yeah total bs 100%

Sithus

04-03-2009, 03:23 PM

Haven't had an issue with the bug for awhile but this morning had four songs in a row with the damned thing. Pretty much the set list from hell.

Astylis

04-04-2009, 01:04 AM

Ok, I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this before, but it's worth a shot. Have we considered loud noises or mic movement when the song is loading?

When I did the endless setlist is was determined not to get SAS'd. As soon as one song ended, I did not move the mic or make any sound until the next song loaded. I never did get a shaky arrow. For those who seem to get it often, maybe give it a try. Since I keep quiet and don't move the mic, I'm not sure which one could be the culprit (I also haven't tried to get shaky arrow by moving the mic or having loud noises so it might all be bull.)

Icemage

04-05-2009, 06:14 PM

goonergaz1970

04-26-2009, 12:55 PM

just a thought, do people with problems have the eye toy attached? since unplugging mine it's been fine.

ZigZag2005

04-26-2009, 06:25 PM

just a thought, do people with problems have the eye toy attached? since unplugging mine it's been fine.

I do have an Eye Toy, but I've experienced SAS with, and without it attached.

espbscat

05-03-2009, 11:09 AM

The shaky arrow always appears at the beginning of a song and stays with you for the entire song. The length of time the PS3 is on has no bearing whatsoever. Must quit song and restart from world map screen. VERY annoying.:mad:

JPVanGogh

05-12-2009, 09:52 PM

We need follow up on this! this is so much bs when it happens it makes the game not fun anymore. SOMEBODY PLEASE FOLLOW THIS UP!!!!!!

Radioteddy

05-13-2009, 07:31 AM

This should be made a priority! I am so sick of putting up with this issue!

BADBRAD07

05-21-2009, 02:18 PM

I've noticed a difference on Rockband 2's microphone pitch arrow.It is not a big issue,it's just annoying.Here is my comparasion:Rockband 1's was very steady.Rockband 2's is shaky.Maybe it's because I accidently sat on my game chair when the microphone's metal top was underneath it,it dented the metal tip off.It still works.Not that I sing much,though.

tlcampbell

05-24-2009, 05:49 PM

I thought it was part of the game, but it happened too many times today for that to be true I think.

folkeye

05-27-2009, 06:31 PM

I thought it was part of the game, but it happened too many times today for that to be true I think.

Definately not a part of the game on purpose....

UPDATE!!!! ANY UPDATES???

skidog71

05-28-2009, 05:28 PM

Well here we sit over a year later with an issue that is still to be resolved, just curious as to why Harmonix? Just tell us you can't fix it so we stop asking about and looking forward to a fix that you all can't provide. It's getting old waiting and waiting and waiting..........

calabrel

06-02-2009, 03:51 PM

Shaky arrow seems to happen consistently on certain songs for me:

for example Indestructible by Disturbed, I'll have to ask my girlfriend who isn't here, yet does the vocals for the most part. She may know more. Anyone else have specific songs that seem to be consistant?

Btw, when we play our band, she does vocals and I do guitar. But it's been 3 for 3, me even predicting the third time that she'd get shaky arrow.

Varrus

06-03-2009, 01:14 AM

Yup, I seem to get the SAS quite consistently with songs in the Roy Orbison pack. SAS occurs with other songs occasionally, of course, but not nearly as often as with Oh, Pretty Woman or Ooby Dooby or any other Orbison classic. This annoys me greatly because I bought those songs mainly for the vocals! :mad:

Pyrettablaze

06-04-2009, 10:19 AM

Gryffindor

06-04-2009, 10:25 AM

How does one tell if they have "shaky arrow syndrome"? I have replaced my PS3 RB2 mics with some wireless mics and I do not seem to be having any issue. Do you need to be singing on expert to experience it? Is there some sort of test that I can do to see if I am having an issue? I have watched a few videos on Youtube about this shaky arrow and I don't seem to be seeing what they are talking about.

Yes, you will likely only notice it if you are playing on expert. The reason for this is that the line is the narrowest at this level.

There's no real way to test it as it pops up at random. I was lucky enough to get through the entire ESL2 without having it hit me once. Then, there are times where it will hit every couple of songs.

But, I can guarantee that if you have the PS3 version of either RB or RB2 that you have it.

It's most noticeable on songs that have long notes. If you have a VERY bad incident of it, (the severeness varies), the arrow will bounce up and down off of that long line (note) causing the pie not to fill and thus ruining your multiplier.

Pyrettablaze

06-04-2009, 10:31 AM

ok thanks, I have probably not noticed it since I sing on hard mostly. I will try out my mics on expert tonight and see if I can see this. I never stayed singing on expert cuz I figured I just sucked at singing. Maybe it is this tone translation error!

Pyrettablaze

06-04-2009, 10:34 AM

I have RB1 for the Xbox, maybe I should compare my results with my PS3. The xbox does not have this issue?

Gryffindor

06-04-2009, 10:49 AM

I have RB1 for the Xbox, maybe I should compare my results with my PS3. The xbox does not have this issue?

Neither the 360 nor the Wii versions have this problem. It's solely with the PS3.

Let's all hope that they have figured out what the problem is prior to the Beatles release as the line is now the expert narrow line for all difficulties and harmony parts. Imagine 3 vocalists with SAS at the same time!:mad:

jrolson

06-07-2009, 08:25 PM

Please fix this already, The vocals aren't even worth playing with this problem.

aman_62612

06-08-2009, 12:59 AM

i've read everyones problems and they've got it.... so what do we do?

folkeye

06-08-2009, 05:59 PM

We do what we've BEEN doing... just sit and wait.

firefold003

06-11-2009, 07:38 AM

I came to know about the shaky vocal arrow issue that has affected some PS3 RB2 rockers.
You are giving great information.
Thanks for your informations!!!!!

Fire Fold (http://www.firefold.com/Cat5E-Keystone-Jacks-C213.aspx)

supernatural1969

06-13-2009, 09:59 PM

shaky arrows and now echos wow are we ever gonna get this right ?im on a ps3 and wow on expert the arrows shake to beat the band lol

Zep--

06-16-2009, 12:51 PM

on 10/20/2008

Hey gang,

We're going to try to use this thread as the central location for discussing the shaky vocal arrow issue that has affected some PS3 RB2 rockers. This is definitely an issue that we're aware of, and we've passed along information from the various other threads to our QA Team. -HMXHenry

10/20/08...10/20/08...10/20/08

NOT A F'N PEEP SINCE. LOL, Thx HMX!

Zep--

hmxhenry

06-16-2009, 01:07 PM

10/20/08...10/20/08...10/20/08

NOT A F'N PEEP SINCE. LOL, Thx HMX!

Zep--

Just so you know, we have continued to gather information from this thread and it has been passed along to the appropriate people. We're not trying to ignore you, but unfortunately we haven't be able to pass along much in the way of updates. We will, of course, update people on the forums as soon as we have more information. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

folkeye

06-16-2009, 01:18 PM

Sigh. Thanks for posting... and HOPEFULLY there will be some info...eventually....

Gryffindor

06-16-2009, 01:26 PM

Just so you know, we have continued to gather information from this thread and it has been passed along to the appropriate people. We're not trying to ignore you, but unfortunately we haven't be able to pass along much in the way of updates. We will, of course, update people on the forums as soon as we have more information. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Henry: Can you at least let us know if the problem was fixed for the upcoming Beatles game?

Three part harmonies with SAS are going to be a nightmare!:eek:

ScottyTheBody

06-20-2009, 08:16 PM

I was given a Pelican microphone and went three days without it which is unheard of in my house as I usually get it at least twice and hour.

However, today I did 10 songs and got it on 8 of the 10 songs....I was disappointed.

I understand it's probably a difficult bug to fix but it really takes the fun out of doing vocals.

supernatural1969

06-25-2009, 03:22 PM

i also understand that it take a bit to get bugs out of things but wish we could hurry up . this makes for a long night if your friends and u play and they get 100% and you end up with a 85 or 90% and wanting to f/c the song ,
supernatural 1968

Radioteddy

06-29-2009, 07:30 AM

I don't know if it means anything but since the PS3 2.76 update, I have not noticed the shaky vocal arrow. Could they have fixed it?

phosrik

07-03-2009, 01:25 PM

I don't know if it means anything but since the PS3 2.76 update, I have not noticed the shaky vocal arrow. Could they have fixed it?

Nope, I'm still getting it.

frizzy_bj

07-11-2009, 07:05 PM

Just wanted to let everyone know that while doing the Endless Setlist today, I periodically paused the game and unplugged the mic from the port and I never once got a shaky arrow. Before, I would get it every 5 or so songs. This seems to eliminate the problem, although it is annoying to keep getting up and unplugging it and it certainly would not work if you were going for the "Bladder of Steel" achievement.

Just a FYI.:)

wcarnation

08-22-2009, 02:55 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
30 mins-1 hour

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
1 or 2

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes

4. What mode were you in?
Online Quickplay. Hard Vocals. With a second player on guitar in my house, playing online with another guitarist.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Nope.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
The beginning.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
Yes
a. In a set?
Yes

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
No. It stopped when we made a new set.

jakeellis01

08-25-2009, 11:18 AM

can't beleive this hasnt been fixed yet...

has the shaky arrow been there since rb1?

and i can't beleive my rock band beatles will have x3 shaky arrows :/

folkeye

08-25-2009, 07:57 PM

can't beleive this hasnt been fixed yet...

has the shaky arrow been there since rb1?

and i can't beleive my rock band beatles will have x3 shaky arrows :/

I could imagine what a nightmare that would be...

Chavez669

08-26-2009, 02:03 AM

I could imagine what a nightmare that would be...

It's the one thing holding me back from buying it. I don't know if I could deal with it trying to do harmony's. Its hard enough singing the songs from memory during shaky arrows alone, in harmony would probably be impossible.

folkeye

08-26-2009, 11:52 AM

It's the one thing holding me back from buying it. I don't know if I could deal with it trying to do harmony's. Its hard enough singing the songs from memory during shaky arrows alone, in harmony would probably be impossible.

Well dont' let that stop you, since HMX IS aware of it hopefully they prevented it for The Beatles. :)

Tzepish

08-26-2009, 07:21 PM

That'd be nice, but I suspect it's still in there. People had known and complained about the SAS since Rockband 1, and it still made it into RB2.

jakeellis01

09-07-2009, 04:18 PM

anyone can confirm if this is still in beatles yet?

Icemage

09-09-2009, 07:11 AM

anyone can confirm if this is still in beatles yet?
It's still early yet, but I've yet to encounter a shaky arrow on The Beatles: Rock Band in about 4 hours of singing. I've encountered other problems, but this particular problem doesn't seem to infect the new engine - as far as I've seen.

Jury's still out though - wait a few more days to be sure.

folkeye

09-09-2009, 06:18 PM

It's still early yet, but I've yet to encounter a shaky arrow on The Beatles: Rock Band in about 4 hours of singing. I've encountered other problems, but this particular problem doesn't seem to infect the new engine - as far as I've seen.

Jury's still out though - wait a few more days to be sure.

'Other Problems' should we worry? I have yet to sing any. :confused:

Icemage

09-10-2009, 01:37 AM

'Other Problems' should we worry? I have yet to sing any. :confused:

Wellll, there's the little problem of the game occasionally giving you 99% scores after you get a full combo (and thus should have 100%...).

The pitch arrow seems to behave itself though. I just finished career mode and some quickplay to top it off. No problems with the arrow so far in The Beatles: Rock Band on PS3.

Muffster

09-10-2009, 11:28 AM

The pitch arrow seems to behave itself though. I just finished career mode and some quickplay to top it off. No problems with the arrow so far in The Beatles: Rock Band on PS3.

/agreed

The movement of the arrow seems much smoother in general as well. I hope they use this vocal engine in all future RB releases.

The new vocal practice mode was also a very nice addition to find, especially for quickly learning songs I didn't know. It's great to be able to focus on the section of the song that's giving me trouble.

Out of curiousity, is it just me, or are expert vocals a lot harder in TB:RB than RB1/2? Not complaining, it's probably a good thing which will make me a better singer in the long run.

RedJaguar

09-11-2009, 12:28 AM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
It varies - sometimes only a minute or so, sometimes an hour or two

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Again it varies, sometimes it's on the first song, others it could be 10-15 songs in, and other times it doesn't happen the entire game session

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Always

4. What mode were you in?
Happens in all game modes.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Nope

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Always starts in the beginning of the song

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Usually fixes the problem and it doesn't re occur for awhile but on rare occasions it doesn't.

seamonkey420

09-25-2009, 04:36 PM

i get the shaky arrow on vocals and i have a wireless mic setup for my PS3.

happens on random, but always starts with a new song and not in the middle.

once i make it through the song, the next song is fine.

i have a PS3, 60gb w/latest firmware. 40+ DLC songs and RB1 songs.

happens if i am hooking my rb2 mic into a hub or the ps3 itself.

Muffster

09-25-2009, 08:47 PM

Given that it seems no one has run into this problem with TB:RB using the same hardware as RB1/2 (including myself), to me that nails down once and for all that this is definitely a software problem. Hell, I can even play GH:WT using the same exact hardware, and never have had this issue happen even a single time.

Since this thread started almost a year ago and compliants were going on long before that, I'm not holding my breath for a patch. It's a damned shame and a serious bug that intermittently ruins an otherwise great game for vocalists.

Varrus

09-29-2009, 11:35 AM

Hopefully this is one of the reasons why the PS3 version of the recent patch is being delayed.

MFM-70

10-07-2009, 02:49 PM

TheyAreNext

10-13-2009, 05:54 AM

Wow, I didn't know there were any glitches like this on the PS3. I can't offer much to help on this seeing as I don't actually own a PS3, All I can say is i've never encountered anything of the sort on any games that I've done vocals on, namely GHWT, GHM, GHSH and RB1 for the Wii, and RB1&2 for the 360. So alls I can really say is it appears to be completely PS3 exclusive although that seems to have been deduced anyway. Hopefully they get that patched up eventually, I can imagine that would be a really horrible thing to have to play through.

EDIT: As for microphones, I use a 360 GHWT one that I got 2nd-hand (my old original, which is dying slowly), and a Wii RB1 one, which I use mainly. I never use my 360 headset due to the fact that the aforementioned options work much better.

Icemage

10-17-2009, 10:17 PM

I may get assaulted here but I will try to give some input on this issue.
I belive it to be an issue with staic discharging from any player's hand into the mic making it go "wiggly". I used to play, at my old house, on a slate floor and would "zap" the mic every time it changed hands. about 30% of the time after this it would go "wiggly". My fix is to 1) Pause song. 2) Unplug USB mic. 3) Re install USB mic plug. 4) Unpause game. I still get this at my new house but much less frequently with the carpeting. More frequent during winter months.

Logitec Mic (Karaoke Revolution)
PS3

Just trying to help.
I live in Florida, where my ambient humidity even with air conditioning floats in the 10-20% range. I never, ever get static buildup. Also, I get the shaky arrow when using my USB headset (on those occasions when I play vox + guitar), and I still get the shaky arrow just as often that way.

Interesting theory, but imploded by the facts (plus the quite obvious fact that there is no such problem in The Beatles: Rock Band). The issue is clearly software, not hardware.

Neodragoon3

11-08-2009, 03:51 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?

It doesnt matter. It may occur on the first song or the 20th songs. Random.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?

I've done the Endless Setlist recently. Out of 84 songs, it happens 5 times. On the 20th, 32th, etc. It was during "The Middle", "Livin on a prayer", "Supreme Girl", and two others songs.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes.

4. What mode were you in?

World Tour online with a friend

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No we were aiming for The Bladder of Steel award.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

It happens at the beginning and it wont stop until another song is loaded. Sometimes, you know you're gonna be stuck with the shaky arrow when a "microphone and sound wave" icon appears on the lyrics bar.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?

Happened 5 times out of 84 songs of the endless setlist

b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?

Reload on the map can solve this, retry wont solve this.

This shaky arrow bug really affet the "talky" parts of the song. During a shaky-arrow song, i still can score 100% on some songs like Thats What you get (no talky) but can't score 100% on talky songs like Down With Sickness, Pain Killer or Chop Suey because of the talking parts.

rosen39

12-26-2009, 09:07 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred? We had played The Beatles for about 20 minutes. We had updated the ps3 and purchased two new songs.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred? Maybe 10.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?

Yes.

4. What mode were you in?

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?

No.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?

It happens on all songs and the mic isn't recognized any longer on The Beatles. Curiously, everything is still working on RB2

7. Did it carry over to another song:
Cannot get it to stop.

JuliefooJojo87

01-04-2010, 07:35 PM

With me:
-The mic is always plugged in; even at the start of the system and game

I find that i get more shaky arrows if i am talking during the loading screen, or the screen that shows percentages.
Seems like during a load screen, if there is any sound whatsoever, i'll get a shaky arrow.. ranging from just a little twitchy, to horrible.. the worst i've ever gotten was the "no-arrow" error.. it's such a shaky arrow.. that the arrow dosn't even appear. -- i think i've gotten that twice.

I've been singing for over a year now, and i find that the rock band 2 mics are less durable and have a more likelihood of getting the shaky arrow. The Rock band 1 mics last longer.. the shaky arrow still happens.. but i'm not sure on the frequency.
I've been using a Guitar hero mic. It seems to be more sensitive, and pick up my voice a little better... but that means, if it's more sensitive, it's more sensitive to the sound during the loading screen.. so i need to be extra careful.
might i suggest an on-off switch for the mic for RB3?

Varrus

01-06-2010, 02:39 PM

Very disappointed that this issue was apparently not addressed for the patch that was just released.

folkeye

01-07-2010, 02:16 PM

HMX...are you still working or thinking about this one?

Grannd

01-13-2010, 04:29 AM

Here's some info from HMXHenry from the Software Update topic in the general Rock Band forum:

So here's a little bit of background info regarding the shaky vocal arrow issue.

Since the vocal code for TB:RB is different from the vocal code in RB2, and the shaky vocal arrow does not appear in TB:RB, the vocal code from TB:RB was brought over to test in this update for RB2. Unfortunately, and much to the consternation of all involved here at HMX, this actually made the vocal arrow flutter even more prominent, to the point where the arrow would fluctuate even when the vocalist was not singing.

Coding, Engineering, QA and Audio each took a crack at getting this sorted out throughout patch production and we stressed the importance of this issue among our hardcore Expert level vocalists.

In the end our options were to patch the TB:RB vocal code and make the issue worse, delay the release of the patch for an indefinite period to continue working on the shaky vocal arrow, or leave the vocal code as it is in RB2. This was not a decision that was taken lightly.

The production team will continue to reevaluate this issue armed with the new vocal code developed for TB:RB. We will, of course, continue to collect information from the forums to pass along internally to help shape development of future games.

It's good to read they tried to fix it, although I must say I find the attempts to fix the issue were amateuristic to say the least.
Simply copying code from game to game is more something a script kiddie does, you'd expect real programmers to try to get to the source of the problem, which seems to be with the overall game engine, not linked to the vocals coding. TB:RB doesn't have the issue so it is possible, it's just harder to fix than simply copying some code.

My gut says just a small group of people were still working on this patch, while the real programmers and coders are probably working on RB3, so let's just hope that the issue will be fixed in Rock Band 3.

mottoaster

01-13-2010, 10:04 AM

With me:
-The mic is always plugged in; even at the start of the system and game

I find that i get more shaky arrows if i am talking during the loading screen, or the screen that shows percentages.
Seems like during a load screen, if there is any sound whatsoever, i'll get a shaky arrow.. ranging from just a little twitchy, to horrible..

^^^ this - was going to post something similar awhile ago but never did because I figured it was getting fixed as part of the patch

I agree...it's been my experience that sounds picked up by the mic after song has ended thru to loading screens of new song increase likelihood of the shaky arrow...even something like placing the mic down on a table...

even had a couple of very loud sounds "burst in" at the beginning of songs, almost like it was stored in a cache & then delayed for release

maybe mic input needs to be off between songs?

MWcw709

01-13-2010, 06:58 PM

^^^ this - was going to post something similar awhile ago but never did because I figured it was getting fixed as part of the patch

I agree...it's been my experience that sounds picked up by the mic after song has ended thru to loading screens of new song increase likelihood of the shaky arrow...even something like placing the mic down on a table...

even had a couple of very loud sounds "burst in" at the beginning of songs, almost like it was stored in a cache & then delayed for release

maybe mic input needs to be off between songs?

Has anybody noitce that the arrow is shanking more then ever now since we got that patch...plus for us hardcore guys the leaderboards are broke and the start button in tour mode for when you invite tour members in after one has left that member will not have a start button.Here is the tread link to these issues if you have any other comment about this http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179764

grizzlymaze

01-18-2010, 12:36 AM

Perhaps it is coincidence but I have definately had more shaky line problems since the patch. Today has been so bad, with the shaky line appearing time after time, that I had to stop playing.:(

GeneJacket

02-25-2010, 08:48 PM

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
It varies from session to session, but usually about 5-10 minutes in.

2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
Again, it varies, but usually it occurs from the 2nd/3rd song in a setlist on.

3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes, 90% of the time.

4. What mode were you in?
It has happened in every play mode I've tried.

5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
No, I rarely ever pause during a song.

6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
It always happens right at the beginning of a song.

7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
Yes, always.
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, it's a crapshoot.

I'm not really one to *****, but this is getting out of hand, and killing any fun I'm having with the game.

Zep--

03-07-2010, 08:56 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zep--
10/20/08...10/20/08...10/20/08

NOT A F'N PEEP SINCE. LOL, Thx HMX!

Zep--

Just so you know, we have continued to gather information from this thread and it has been passed along to the appropriate people. We're not trying to ignore you, but unfortunately we haven't be able to pass along much in the way of updates. We will, of course, update people on the forums as soon as we have more information. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

I've been patient and understanding for 17 plus months now, Henry. So now, I'm voting with my wallet. I've media shifted all my RB DLC to FLAC so I can at least enjoy my purchases out of the game and I won't be buying anymore. Yes, I'll still play the game with my friends (online and off), but I won't be supporting you anymore by buying new songs.

I'm a developer myself (enterprise financial software) and to have a bug this severe that impacts so many and to remain unfixed this long is unacceptable.

So my disposable income is going to be disposed to someone else. Yes, I may be a drop in the bucket to your company and your publisher and you won't miss my money, but sometimes you've got to take a stand.

Zep--

ScottyTheBody

04-06-2010, 10:32 PM

I love Rock Band but...

As a programmer, musician and gamer I wish when I was deciding whether to get Rock Band or not for my PS3 someone would have stopped me and said "there will be exclusive content and noticeable differences between the two products".

As a sucker I purchased it on the PS3 with the promise that it was the same game on both systems with no exclusive content. Shortly after purchasing it, and quickly becoming a higher ranked expert vocalist, I noticed Shaky Arrow posted the information here in Jan 2008.

That was the first difference that I noticed. I really should have stopped purchasing DLC and just bought an XBox 360 right then strictly for Rock Band (but at the time, there was all the discussions of RROD).

Other noticeable problems kept coming up too like EXTREMELY slow scrolling through song selection and loading additional content being exceptionally long, friends met, voice chat missing, etc.

All I kept hearing was wait for a patch, wait for a patch, the fix is soon and the patch didn't address ANY issue, fixed minor issues on the 360 and made the PS3 voice sound canny. No patch for fixing game breaking issues.

Suddenly RB 2 was announced and RB was all but forgotten. "Hey you want a fix to 'Shaky Arrow' you gotta buy RB 2" and in 8 months (since the release of RB) it was an unsupported dead game. Then came the time exclusive on XBox 360 announcement. At this moment, I knew despite all the promises of it being the "same game" it would not ever be the same game. We were told that HMX was working on PS3 specific issues and some theorized "shaky arrow" and that was what caused the delay. I knew it was not true (shaky arrow would not be fixed) and simply business. However, at this point, I had already spent more than $800 on Rock Band I could not justify spending another $800+XBox for a better RB experience.

So after the exclusive period on the XBox, PS3 finally comes out with yet again, though touted as the same experience, a game with missing/broken key features (Music store, leaderboards, message of the day) and yet again, shaky arrow syndrome.

The minor differences were starting to compound and besides the exclusive time period, shaky arrow syndrome was really only the BIG difference.

When the hyped star patch was announced, again an XBox timed exclusive (for some unknown reason this time), the delay for the PS3 patch was touted by posters as due to the shaky arrow fix (which of course is false). There was no shaky arrow fix.

Now, with RBN, there is exclusive DLC to the XBox 360 and now with talk of Natal in RB3, there will be/are glaring differences between the two games. However, now sinking even more money (probably $1500 now) it becomes harder to switch.

It's just sometimes a little frustrating reading about this new improvement being added to the XBox 360 version of RB, a game that was already superior than the PS3 version and for all intents and purposes in working order, while at the same time not even hearing a word about fixing a literal game breaking bug for not just the original but the sequel and a Lego spin-off.

No I take that back. We did hear about the Beatles code substitution but that's something a student would do in my class if his code wasn't working.

"Well my buddies code is working so rather than spend the time and try to figure out logically what is wrong with my code and learn from the experience, I'll just copy his. Well that didn't work (obviously due to the different designs from the ground up), I quit."

folkeye

04-07-2010, 06:02 PM

^
Well said :)

I'm not a heavy gamer, never weighed the two systems against eachother (never had a reason to at the time and never expected to and thats what pisses me off) It was like 'cool, I can get that game too'.

HUGE Exclusivity is crap. People can't afford to switch gaming systems for one game, and one game alone (be it for RBN or just the damn arrow issue!).

No more word on shaky arrow is annoying. I do vocals 99% of the time.... so that hampers game play, and is especially embarrasing online when others might assume you just can't play worth crap instead of the real reason which is software issues.

We're not hated... we're just mostly ignored.

At least they make money, and thats what its all about, right?

Ryoandr

04-18-2010, 05:25 PM

We're not hated... we're just mostly ignored.

To be honest, being ignored leaves a nastier feeling than being hated.

We support their games by buying games and DLC. More often than not, we get more people into their games with parties.
Today I did some QP online, and each 2nd song I had SAS...

I've been a game singer since the PS2 karaoke revolution games, they were perfectly working. I had RB and RB2 on PS2 and they also were working. I could not have imagined that making the jump to RB2 PS3 would leave me so disappointed.

A 2-year lasting game breaking bug. No news other than "we're working on it", and brainless copy-pasta coding. Even worse, I cannot seem to find a simple "we are sorry"... At this point, even the horrible GHWT vocals are better, and as an ironic turn of events, the GH5 vocal system is more enjoyeable than yours, despite it being an almost carbon copy of the RB system.

I would love to be proven wrong, and that you show respect and attention to your own customers ; you could do a redeem action such as some free DLC ; you could publish concrete updates and WIP. But in the end, you don't care and just wait for RB3 to leave all this buried and forgotten.

And as I said, being ignored leaves a bitter feeling than being hated.

johnodd4

05-05-2010, 05:09 AM

folkeye

05-06-2010, 01:28 PM

I can tell you exactly what it is and how to fix the issue...

1. your game doesn't display properly in hd.

when hd is engaged from the ps3 menu with screen resolution

16:9 1080i or 1080p the vocals distort.

however the vocals do not distort when you se your tv to these settings.

4:3 480p no hd settings overscan turned off or on.

this is the problem it works fine for me now after i had to turn the hd off on my ps3.

this affects not only RB1 but RB2 and RBB as well.

and it also happens on the notes for the instruments as well

please fix this crap!!!

It's not really a 'distortion', it's the lack of it picking up the correct pitch and getting confused with itself. It does the same thing on a non high def TV, with the system resolution set very low. And it's a known problem... so if it was as simple as 'change your resolution' that'd be amazing and a problem that shouldn't take 2 years to solve.

This problem does not affect any other instrument.

Zaraeleus

05-07-2010, 02:07 PM

Only way I have found to correct the arrowshake is to crank the MIC sensitivity up to the max (until feedback occours) and take it down just until the feedback is gone... then I have to take out the vocal overlay to keep the singer from killing the track with thier voice. Has not corrected the issue as of yet, and sometimes the mic will not pick up anything online (annoying)

Editd- Also to recap what people have previosly stated, Harmx you guys def suck for being so XBOX mushy gooshy, i bought RB1 on its release date... I bought RB2 on its release date... I bought Lego Rockband and will be buying Greenday. I have ripped thru 8 RB1 drums, 2 RB2 drumsets, 4 guitars, and 2 mics and I have downloaded well over 200 songs do date. (you do the math... its alot) I really hope you get out of microsofts pocket and start opening it up some for us dedicated PS3 people who not only HATE XBOX but have spent alot of money on yall. I am happy you are finally bringing RBN over to us, its been slow and all the music I want is still XBOX dedicated(devil wears prada, all that remains)... but this is for another forum.

CrescentSeo

06-17-2010, 11:00 AM

Wow, the shaky arrow has been known of by HMX for 2 years, and we STILL don't have a fix for it? C'mon, HMX...I can't even take vox seriously because of this glitch! It better be fixed in RB3 =/

nukespill

07-10-2010, 10:42 PM

Wow, here I am thinking this whole shakey arrow thing is just an unlucky problem for me and it turns out to be a 2-year-old issue that can't seem to be described without the word 'cluster' in it. I've read the first few and last few pages and there seems to be no solution yet so I'll throw my two cents in. I've been trying for the Platinum Artist Trophy (vocals is the only instrument with which I can beat every song on expert) and noticed a disturbing trend. Contrary to most other accounts, my issue isn't random at all. This shakey arrow thing only happens during Bang Camaro's "Night Lies," but only during the Endless Setlist 2. Never affected any other song and "Night Lies" works fine in every other mode of play. I've tried multiple times and it's always the same issue on the same song. So, as for the questions:

1. How long was Rock Band running before it occurred?
About 5 hours or so
2. How many songs had you played before this occurred?
56
3. Was the mic already plugged in at the console’s power-on?
Yes
4. What mode were you in?
Solo Tour
5. Had you paused during the song? If so, for how long?
Yes, a few times. Each for around 10-20 minutes
6. Did it occur at the beginning of the song, or partway through?
Beginning of "Night Lies" every time
7. Did it carry over to another song:
a. In a set?
No idea, I can't beat it
b. Completing the song and selecting another from the Map/Song List?
Haven't been able to beat it with this issue but I have quit every time it's happened and tried that song in other modes with no problems

Ooh, and so the plot thickens. I'll be back when hell freezes over for the solution.

JimiHomeless

07-14-2010, 09:48 PM

I play on Medium Vocals and I only get SAS while playing online and never when I play offline.

Sethonan

07-24-2010, 06:30 AM

It's very hard not to add to the negativity; but there is very little positive about a bug that has persisted for over 2 years; and now will be swept under the rug.

HMX: I did buy an XBOX and RB 1&2 for it; I had RB1 for PS3 and the PS3 is my gaming platform of choice; I only own an xbox for Rock Band.

I didn't buy Lego, Beatles, Greenday or any track pack for either system since getting knowledge of this; I only bought RB2 for xbox since the issue doesn't present there, and the game runs better on that platform.

HMX people have stated that RB3 has this problem fixed, I'll just say I will get an xbox bundle for this, but will wait until reviews have come in for PS3; I have also actively bought less DLC for both systems; and I know the majority of PS3 players have taken a similar stance (everybody who isn't into competition, at least)

We would like HMX to develop and release a patch for RB1&2 even tough they will most likely abandon both games on that platform; just take this into account: The PS3 sales lag behind the xbox ones, and this has a lot to do with it; RB3 sales won't pick up miraclously since we are already burned and wary of investing top dollars on the platform.

blakestree

07-24-2010, 10:55 AM

Man, this blows. We've just had RB2 for a few days and now I find this. I thought trying to get all our instruments calibrated IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD was gonna be the biggest obstacle with gameplay. I've already experienced SVA and tin can effect. I'm not at home now to try, does turning the Dolby Digital or overscan off on the game do anything to help the shakes? I wonder how much EA might be to blame? Their port of The Orange Box for PS3 is pretty bad and unsupported.

Harmonix, if you aren't gonna bother to fix this, you should AT LEAST provide us PS3ers with a free key to transfer our stuff, IF we purchase RB3.

I was initially impressed with Harmonix' customer interaction and care for the game. But, here is a glaring wart. I tell ya, all this is enough to make me wait until after RB3's release to hear what PS3 owners have to say, even as excited as I am for it.

Ironically, my decision to buy RB2 was partly based on its vocal superiority over the GH series. Maybe I should just return RB2...

Sethonan

07-25-2010, 05:01 PM

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