Rock Band 3: guitar

so, someone has coded an application that converts the typical MIDI signals from a guitar to Rock Band 3. (it’s available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/midi2rbp/) I invested a few hundred dollars to equip an Epiphone Les Paul-style electric guitar to Rock Band 3.

But, what I really wanted to do was create MIDI files of the songs from Rock Band 3. I mentioned a few advantages in my previous posts:

1. print and play from sheet music
2. study the tablature
3. practice outside the Rock Band 3 game
4. be accompanied by the full band as I practice

It was no problem entering the notes into the sequencer program (Anvil Studio 2011), but I was never sure I had the timing, tempo, or fingering correct. I desperately needed to feed the MIDI sequence back to Rock Band 3 to verify the file. For full satisfaction, I needed to receive a 100% rating.

There are a couple reasons that guitar parts of the MIDI file could not be played directly to Rock Band 3. (obviously, the Midi-pro adaptor converts Midi messages to signals the game understands)

First, both the sequencer and the converter cannot simultaneously access the one and only usb-midi interface on my laptop. Both are software applications and only one application can lock the usb port at one particular time. I could have bought another usb-midi interface and hard-wired inputs-outputs together. But — (see the second reason) —>

Second, the guitar peripherals don’t transmit notes in the standard MIDI way. When I sent the stand MIDI notes (for example 64 means middle-C), nothing happened in the Rock Band 3 game.

Because, the guitar sends data that represents the fret being pressed, not the note frequency being played. For example, 0 for open, 1 for first fret, 2 for first fret, etc. Then, another Midi message is sent that indicates the string being plucked. And, the channel number represents the string number.

After some research, all solutions pointed to a product called MidiYoke (http://www.midiox.com/index.htm?http://www.midiox.com/myoke.htm). It allows two software applications to exchange MIDI messages. So, I configured Anvil Studio to output through Midi Yoke and midi2rbp to convert the messages and send them, through usb-midi, to the Rock Band 3 game. Success!

I’m using Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer as a test case to iron out and improve the process of charting guitar parts and playing them back for confirmation. So far, I’ve charted 4 of the 8 parts in both six-string and bass in all (easy, medium, hard, and expert) difficulty levels. Putting the entire song together should just be a matter of copy-and-paste the individual parts.

The other advantage is I can practice outside of the Rock Band 3 game. As I mentioned in previous posts, practice through Piano Booster gives me options to 1) stop the piece while I find the correct note, 2) slow the tempo to under 60% – Rock Band 3′s limit, and 3) not be tied to an Xbox/TV, e.g. practice wherever I take my guitar and laptop.

I can also practice without any technological ties by printing the sheet music and/or tablature. Which is another benefit of Rock Band 3 charts entered into MIDI files – the notes can easily be converted between various notations.

I also plan to notate all of the guitar lessons. Again, I’m given numerous options to practice, notate, analyze, etc. For those who were/are concerned that a MIDI sequencer could cheat the Rock Band 3 game, you are justified to be worried. I don’t intend to cheat the game just for the sake of being #1 on a leaderboard. But, I would love to see a laptop/MIDI program play all the instrumental parts of a song through the Rock Band 3 controllers.