tech.nocr.at » guitar

When only wear a shirt with a picture of your favorite instrument when you can actually play it? The Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt from the clothing masters at ThinkGeek isn’t just a picture of a guitar, it’s actually a real instrument that allows you to play your favorite tunes right on the shirt. The shirt works via touch sensitivity and come with a magnetic pick that even allows you to strum. All sounds that the shirt produces were recorded on a real guitar and you even get a tiny amp that clips on to your belt. Check out the video after the break.

Just don’t fall asleep with the shirt on as it can easily wake you up if you start tossing and turning. Either that or you might stumble on some great new musical style.

[Link to Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt]

Electronic Guitar Shirt originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Soccer Hero

Frank — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:44:08 +0000

Nothing like having a bunch of friends come over and play some Guitar Hero, especially when beer is also at play. Is especially better when you come up with some creative ways to play your favorite rhythm game.

These guys have the right idea. By using an Arduino and some piezo sensors they have managed to rig together a game of guitar hero that’s played with soccer balls. Unfortunately there isn’t too much info available on the project, but connecting piezo sensors to an Arduino is pretty easy. Check out the video below for all the action.

Soccer Hero originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/25. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Rock Band For iPhone Now Available

Frank — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:14:27 +0000

You can now head over to the iTunes App Store and pick up Rock Band for your iPhone for $10. One of the most anticipated games for Apple’s mobile gaming device lacks all of the hype that was built around it.

I decided to dish out the $10 today to play it and besides suffering some serious cramping of the hands it really didn’t live up to all of the hype.

Sure it’s got multiplayer support via bluetooth so you can jam out with your friends but what happened to some of the cool features I enjoy on the console version like drum fills for overdrive? Mashing my fingers against the screen just didn’t have the same feeling as holding a guitar or actually hitting the drum pads.

If you don’t like the 20 songs that it comes with, you can download others in a two-song pack for a buck. I personally wouldn’t bother. I’d rather spend my buck on some other mind numbing game or useless app.

If you want to experience all of the fun that you get when playing rock band then take your console and instruments with you everywhere you go because you’ll be pleasantly disappointed if you spend your hard earned cash on this game.

[Rock Band for the iPhone]

Rock Band For iPhone Now Available originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Rock Band For Your iPhone

Frank — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:43:55 +0000

This past week EA Mobile confirmed that Rock Band for the iPhone and the iPod Touch is set to be released this month. So far all we know is that it’s set to be out this month, no idea on pricing yet and that it will come with no less than 20 tracks for you to play along with. Guitar, bass, drums and vocals are all in there based on your difficulty settings. As well as the single person mode you can also do multiplayer via a Bluetooth hook up with other iPhones.

The tracks that have been confirmed to come with the app are as follows:

30 Seconds To Mars – “Attack”
AFI – “Girl’s Not Grey”
All-American Rejects – “Move Along”
Beastie Boys – “Sabotage”
Blink-182 – “All The Small Things”
Blondie – “Hanging on the Telephone”
Foo Fighters – “Learn To Fly”
Foo Fighters – “Everlong”
George Thorogood & the Destroyers – “Bad to The Bone”
Jethro Tull – “Hymn 43″
Joan Jett – “Bad Reputation”
Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Simple Man”
Motörhead – “Ace of Spades ‘08″
Pixies – “Debaser”
Presidents of The United States of America – “Ladybug”
Rise Against – “Give It All”
Silversun Pickups – “Lazy Eye”
Smashing Pumpkins – “Cherub Rock”
Steve Miller Band – “Take The Money and Run”
Go-Go’s – “We Got The Beat”

This will definitely be one of the best (if not the best) games for the iPhone this year. Count on it.

Rock Band For Your iPhone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/11. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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UPDATE – Beatles Make It Into Rock Band

Ryan Yewell — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:35:40 +0000

At the time of this post, further details were yet to be announced, but it appears official, Viacom and MTV Networks (owners of “Rock Band”) have licensed Beatle songs for their Rock Band game.

This is a pretty big deal, since even major players like iTunes don’t even have Beatle songs yet. In fact, no subscription/download service has landed the Beatles yet, so this is a first. I’d say this is just another sign that gaming is becoming a big deal.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero are currently battling it out in your living room and on your entertainment consoles, so this could help cement Rock Band as the winner, we’ll just have to wait and see.

As mentioned, I’ll have more details later today on as many of the specifics as I can (i.e. what songs, if they will be downloadable, or a stand-alone disc, etc.) At that time there should be official press releases from both MTV and the Beatles record label.

UPDATE: As promised, here are some more details on the Beatles Rock Band deal.

First and foremost (and maybe obvious), this project has the full blessing of, and input from, surviving members Ringo Star and Paul McCartney, as well as from Yoko Ono (on behalf of John Lennon) and Olivia Harrison (on behalf of George Harrison). Hopefully that means great vibes/design all around for when you’re playing Beatles music on your plastic instruments in front of your TV.

Also, the Beatles music will be in a stand-alone game (not via downloadable content, at least not for now) and most likely won’t be in your hands until sometime late 2009 (i.e. just in time the holiday season, surprised?)

The official press release states “the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles”.

So, it appears the game will span the entire Beatles legacy, taking select songs from start to finish. As a bit of a side note, it looks like the music created by the members of the Beatles when they went into their solo careers will not be in the game, so no “Imagine” for us… At least not this time around. For those keeping score, the Beatles disbanded in 1970… Wow, nearly 40 years ago.

With all the hype, and legacy, that is the Beatles, I really hope Harmonix makes something at least borderline bleeding edge, because just slapping a coat of paint that is the Beatles onto a game design that is a few years old won’t do this project justice. We’ll all just have to wait to see how it turns out.

UPDATE – Beatles Make It Into Rock Band originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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More Dead Space, More Of Everything

Ryan Yewell — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:31:16 +0000

If you own an Xbox 360, PS3, or decent PC, and can appreciate top notch audio/visual production values in your video games (along with some solid gameplay and storyline), then you owe it to yourself to check out “Dead Space”, Electronic Arts’ new survival horror game.

Dead Space is getting scores in the mid to high 80′s on Metacritic, which doesn’t really tell the whole story, as EA has created one of the most stunning visual and audio experiences you’ll have in a video game this year.

BTW, for those that aren’t familiar with metacritic.com, it’s a site that mashes published scores of games, movies, music, etc. from mostly
well-known and respected sources into one overall “meta” score. When I worked at Electronic Arts, the metacritic score of a game was used as a measuring stick internally within the studio, so you can be rest assured that metacritic is highly regarded within the industry as an objective way of scoring a game, if you believe that’s possible.

Anyway, more to the point of this posting, in an interview with Variety, Dead Space executive producer Glenn Schofield mentioned how
EA is working on a Dead Space sequel (not all that surprising), and that the intellectual property (IP) that is “Dead Space” is getting shopped around for more comics, movies, and probably anything else EA can put its stamp on. This mandate isn’t only reserved for Dead
Space, of course, as Army of Two is another IP that is getting shopped around for other mediums and is likely getting a game sequel as well.

http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/10/army-of-two-seq.html

Why I find this interesting is that, as we move forward day by day, year by year, the gaming industry just keeps getting bigger, and our
entertainment is starting to truly spread into all kinds of mediums, from movies, to comics, to just about anything.

We’ve seen music move into games with Rock Band and Guitar Hero, we’re seeing game IP’s move into comics and movies, though the movies have been mostly disappointing so far (but anyone interested in a Gears Of War movie, no doubt it will arrive someday).

We’re on the cusp of what will soon be, if not already, a melting pot of all mediums, and Electronic Arts is poised to be a major player
(they are already the biggest software entertainment company in the world, if you don’t include those that also manufacture the hardware… Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

As the current generation of consoles create experiences and stories that rival that of TV/movies, we’ll see who becomes king of the hill
when it comes to consumer’s choices and consumer dollars (my bet is on the gaming industry).

More Dead Space, More Of Everything originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/28. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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RockBand For Those Over 40

Frank — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:51:39 +0000

Over 40 and wonder what the whole RockBand or Guitar Hero crazy is all about? Want to jump in but don’t know how to? Maybe you would be better off with Dan’s mish-mash of sound and electronics. This guitar has been stripped of all it’s internals and has a CPU and all sorts of cool audio circuitry stuffed inside. The Fender Bender is more machine than guitar.

You can even play the instrument with a custom made pick guard built from an old motherboard and some resistors.

[Link to Fender Bender]

RockBand For Those Over 40 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Atari 2600 + Guitar Hero = Atari Hero

Frank — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:31:18 +0000

What happens when you smash an old Atari 2600 and a Guitar Hero guitar together? The Atari Hero of course. Conner over at Slippery Brick has done just that. This crazy casemod is a real beauty. The guitar is wrapped in a custom circuit board pattern, and in place of the strum bar is a tiny (i mean real tiny) LCD screen so you can enjoy all of that 8-bit action. If that wasn’t enough for you, he also embedded the fire button in the neck of the guitar and added a custom joystick and paddle controller right into the body.

It took Conner about 2 months to build this slick casemod and by the looks of it it was totally worth it. The unit plays any classic Atari 2600 game you can throw at it. The whole thing is powered by a couple AAs. I wonder how much game time you get with only two AAs powering an LCD and the Atari itself. Probably not that much.

Now if someone could only jam a 360 or PS3 into a Guitar Hero guitar so that you could play Guitar Hero on your Guitar Hero guitar. A boy can dream, can’t he?

[Link to Atari Hero]

Atari 2600 + Guitar Hero = Atari Hero originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Beer Keg Guitar Amp. Beer Not Included

Frank — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:05:35 +0000

This one is set to definitely impress your friends, if your in college that is. For a mere $119 you too can get your very own 20 watt Heineken mini keg amp. How cool is that.

You can use it as a practice app or on the street when playing a jam looking for some cash (although, I think the presence of the keg on the street will probably attract winos looking for something to drink). You don’t have to plug a guitar into it, you can plug basically anything into it, even your MP3 player.

[Link to Beer Keg Amp]

Beer Keg Guitar Amp. Beer Not Included originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/18. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Tesla Coil Guitar Amp

Frank — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:56:03 +0000

I’ve been to many concerts that featured some incredible light shows. I was even at a Metallica concert here in Toronto that has some wicked flames going on stage, so much so that you were smacked in the face with an intense heat wave, but having shooting arcs of electricity onstage by using a tesla coil as a guitar amp just rocks.

It’s a match in Metal Heaven. Now, if he could only make it bigger and louder I’d go see him in concert.

Tesla Coil Guitar Amp originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/05. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Build Your Own Tube Amplifier

Frank — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:16:54 +0000

Most guitarists will tell you that nothing sounds better that a tube based amplifier. The warm tones that a tube amp gives you has yet to be properly emulated with modern day mosfet amps. Gmoon over on Instructables wrote a 22-step how-to on constructing your very own sweet sounding tube based amplifier.

Be warned, this project isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you stick with it you can build an amp that will play those warm sweet tones that you just won’t get with todays modern amps.

Link to Guitar Tube Amp via Instructables

Build Your Own Tube Amplifier originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/06/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

iBand

Frank — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:23:23 +0000

Hereâ€™s a first; a band that uses handheld devices, namely two iPhone and a Nintendo DS to create music. Using various applications on the respected devices the iBand actually sounds pretty damn good.

“Unfortunately we only have two iPhones, so we dug out that dusty Nintendo DS. But we want to take it further. There are some guys with iPod touches in our neighbourhood, so we’ll gather them and add a drumset with the BeatPhone app and a guitar and lose the DS”

iBand originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Activision Files For DJ Hero Patent

Frank — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:12:22 +0000

The maker of the popular Guitar Hero franchise has recently filed for a trademark for the name â€œDJ Heroâ€.

The trademark makes reference to software to be released with a special controller, leading us to believe that we might soon be rocking out to an Oakenfold or Van Dyk techno track on a Xbox 360 enabled turntable.

What will they come up with next? Why not car wash hero? With a real scrub cloth?

Activision Files For DJ Hero Patent originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Guitar Hero In Your Pocket

Frank — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:08:17 +0000

Canâ€™t get enough of the addicting Guitar Hero game? Now you can play it anywhere, anytime.

Basic Funâ€™s tiny Guitar Hero game offers a variety of tune from both GH 1 and GH 2, including Rock this Town, Cherry Pie, Smoke on the Water, Miserlou, Message in a Bottle, Surrender, Jessica, and Heart Shaped Box. An LCD screen displays the notes and you simply tap on the corresponding colour coded button. It even has a tiny whammy bar so you can add some finesse to your solo.

Expect pocket Guitar Hero to hit stores in early March for $14.99

Guitar Hero In Your Pocket originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/16. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Build A USB Guitar

Frank — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:03:10 +0000

Via Make …

Why would you want a USB port in an electric guitar? The answer is simple: convenience. By putting a small USB port and audio codec in a guitar, you’re adding an extra sound board. So when you record, your guitar is digitized locally and the signal is transmitted to your computer over a USB cable. The guitar retains all its standard analog capabilities but outputs to USB as well. Now you can rock steady until your hard drive is full. Here’s how to do it.

Link on adding a USB port to your Guitar

Build A USB Guitar originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/11. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Rock Band Guitar String Mod

Frank — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:31:04 +0000

I canâ€™t even count the number of times people say to me â€œRock Band isnâ€™t like playing a real guitar, itâ€™s doesnâ€™t even have any strings. This drives me insane and forces me to punch them in the throat. Please donâ€™t confuse the fun of a game with the real world of music. Would you actually bust some DDR moves in club?

For all of those nay-sayers you can show them this video of a single string mod to a rock band guitar. I know itâ€™s a far cry from the true 6 string rhythm experience, but it is a step closer to reality I guess.

[Via Joystiq]

Rock Band Guitar String Mod originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

The Best Guitar Hero Hack Ever

Frank — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:35:32 +0000

OMFG, isnâ€™t this the coolest Guitar Hero hack you have ever seen? I want to see these guys live. Maybe they should use the Rock Band drums and microphone as well.

The Best Guitar Hero Hack Ever originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Jam Sessions – Mini Amp For Your DS

Frank — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Think Guitar Hero for the DS. Ubisoft takes a serious leap with Jam Sessions for the Nintendo DS. The game is basically a guitar simulator, and while you can play along with whatever the game is jamming, the serious fun comes from the improvisational aspects of the game: You can pretty much play the DS like a guitar. The game hits stores this month, but if you wait until November, you can pick up the Jam Sessions bundle while comes with a mini amp so you can drive everyone crazy.

Jam Sessions – Mini Amp For Your DS originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/09/04. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.