HDMI is likely the culprit for your scenario, Greg. HDMI’s handshake and automatically syncing audio to video likely means it’s delaying the audio. I think the key to lag free audio is direct audio output (from a sound card).
Last mini patch fixed my stuttering issue - man this is way cleaner then the original. Wish they would implement a way to use the menues with the guitar. E/e to go up down some easy cord to select.
Well, that blows. I tested a couple different sound cards against the HDMI option when I recently upgraded my PC, and the sound cards simply didn’t match up to the clarity and quality of the digital audio connection, so I’m loathe to go backwards for a single game. In a pinch, I suppose I could enable my motherboard’s analog sound processor and manually set it as my default playback device just when I play Rocksmith, but can I have two “sound cards” active in Windows 8 at the same time without running into too much trouble, with one “card” trying to take back priority from the other?
You could also use a digital out from your soundcard directly instead of relying on HDMI. Optical or coax SPDIF output. This won’t be subject to the synchronization to the HDMI video signal.
Note that you don’t want to use an expansion soundcard, they’re notorious for adding lag and other possible audio problems with Rocksmith. You want to connect directly to your motherboard’s on-board audio.
Assuming W8 behaves even remotely like W7, it should be pretty good at remembering default audio settings with no conflicts. Also check out Audioswitcher for a handy tray app that makes switching audio inputs/outputs simpler than digging into control panel settings. Not sure it does application profiles, but it does support global hotkeys.
Session mode is the shit. An interactive jam band on the computer? UNPOSSIBLE.
Never has playing Em for 12 bars straight followed by some pentatonics noodling been so satisfying. A real band would kill you :)
Haha, yeah I definitely rocked the 12 bar blues for a good half hour straight last night. One thing that I think would improve Session Mode mode a bit is some kind of indication of what chord progression your band is working with. I loaded a prog metal band and there were some seriously wacky chord changes going on that I could not figure out any pattern to. But I guess that’s prog for ya.
That minor complaint aside, session mode is fantastic.
I’m seriously considering getting Rocksmith 2014 for Christmas this year. I have a question, though. What guitars are you all using? Did you have guitars from before or are you using the one that comes in the bundle? Would something like this work OK? I’ve never owned or played a guitar before and I don’t want to spend more than I have to since I’m just trying it out.
I have an old ibenez electric that works with it as well as the les Paul jr that came with the official bundle I bought. It should work with any “normal” guitar.
My only concern with the guitar you linked is the whammy bar. Many of the songs have alternate turnings - it’s a pain with the bar on my ibenez because as you adjust each string each other string goes out of tune.
At least according to one of the reviews, tuning doesn’t seem to be a problem. That’s interesting, though.
Could just be my crappy old guitar
Any guitar with standard pickups and output jack will work fine.
I think you might wanna consider spending closer to $300 on a slightly nicer guitar, however. The $100 starter pack models are sometimes difficult enough to play / badly built enough that it keeps people from playing. A slightly nicer model won’t get in the way and won’t need to be replaced almost immediately if you do decide to keep going.
Diego
I would try to find a used guitar that normally sells for $500-$800 new. You should be able to spend about $250-$300 and get one of those. I was able to get a Schecter Hellraiser that sells for $900 normally for only $325 this way. Like dgallina mentioned, the cheap/new guitars are badly built enough that you may get frustrated. You can apply the same principle and spend a little less too- spend $100 on a used guitar that would normally sell for $300ish.
If you have a nearby Guitar Center or similar store, they should be able to help you pick something.
A used bad guitar is cheaper than new, a used good guitar is more expensive than new. True Story.
Yeah, I would recommend going to a place that sells guitars and just playing a bunch. There are a lot of differences between guitars and what one person likes you might not. For example, a Gibson style guitar has a slightly shorter neck then a Fender style(scale lengths). Also neck thickness varies not only between brands, but between different models within brands too. A lot of things can make a difference to what you find comfortable playing, and that is the most important thing about getting an instrument. That it’s comfortable for you to play, and FUN.
If you know anyone who knows about guitars it might be a good idea to take them with you when you go shop around. There are certain things to look for when getting a new guitar that having someone experienced with you can help you spot (most importantly are overhanging frets. On cheap guitars, a lot of times the frets will be slightly longer then the width of the neck, leaving just enough metal hanging off the side of the neck to be painful to play.)
I know you said you don’t want to spend a lot more money then what you linked, but I’ve seen cheap guitars turn a lot of players off from playing. If you bump up the budget to around 2-300$, the quality improves steeply. There is usually a massive difference between a MSRP 100$ guitar and a MSRP 300$ guitar, but not so much between a 300$ guitar and a 1200$ guitar.
I will consider my options I guess. I went to a music shop and held a guitar that was supposed to be similar to the one I linked, but since I’ve never played before, it was hard to know what to look for. Also, the salesman got super-sneery when I let him know I wasn’t looking to spend all that much, so I don’t really feel like returning to that particular store. If I can find a shop with better customer service I can see how trying out a bunch of guitars might give me a better idea, though.
Although I keep seeing reviews saying the Squier Bullet Strat works fine I am currently leaning against the slightly more expensive Squier Affinity Strat. Apparently it has a a humbucking bridge pickup. Can anyone explain the significance of different pickups?
The pickup on a guitar is the component that turns the string vibration into an electrical signal. It does this through the use of wire wrapped around permanent magnets. The magnets magnetise the strings of the guitar, which when in turn vibrate, induce current in the wire coils wrapped around the magnets. That signal is what is then amplified.
Early pickups were ‘single coil’, ie one magnet/coil per string. Sometime in the early 1900’s some clever fellow decided to wire two single coil pickups together as a single unit, but in opposite phase, in order to help reduce unwanted noise. This resulted in the birth of the ‘dual coil’ or humbucking pickup. So called as they reduced, or ‘bucked’ the hum present in ‘single coil’ designs.
On the left are two single coil pickups, on the right a dual coil or humbucker.
More info here - Pickup (music technology) - Wikipedia
Humbuckers also had the side effect of altering the tone of the signal, usually resulting in a more full bodied or fatter sound, which is why they tended to be favoured for heavier rock and metal music through the mid and late 1900’s.
Modern single coil pickups don’t have the noise problem early designs did, but there are still tonal differences between single and dual coil pickups. It’s all about what kind of sound you prefer, but this in turn is the result of a combination of many things - guitar body, material, strings, type of pickup, pickup location, angle of the pickup (as in typical stratocaster config), etc, etc.
Keep in mind also that guitars with multiple pickups also usually have selector switches that allow you to choose between individual pickups and/or a combined signal from two (or more). Stratocasters are a good example of this - typically three single coil pickups, with a selector switch with five options - front coil, front/middle combined, middle coil, middle/rear combined, rear coil - each providing a different kind of sound.
I actually think the configuration of the guitar pictured above is not a bad choice to begin with as it gives you some options to experience both types of pickups.
And also check this out for some sound comparisons - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyQAYQ1-IJ8
Thank you very much. That’s super-informative. I think I prefer the humbucker sound, but they all sound just fine to me. Being able to switch them around does sound like a bonus.