Rock Band's microphone, prototype drum set unveiled

Hot on the heels of Rock Band's Stratocaster (which we've now learned will act as the guitar and bass) being unveiled, a scan from Game Informer has blessed us with shots of the game's (apparently) wireless microphone and drum set. The mic, which appears to be standard fare, could potential come bundled with the game, and it is even noted that Harmonix may support "other USB microphones as well." The real standout here, however, is the prototype drum set, which reportedly "won't change much" from the picture you see above. Notably, the game will also include a "real pair of wooden sticks," and those who have fallen head over heels for their current Guitar Hero II controller will appreciate the ability to use it with Rock Band. Click on through to see the page scan in its entirety.

[McGinley @ Jun 23rd 2007 4:09PM]

The drums just look like a smaller version of existing electronic drum kits.No hi hat pedal though.

I'd love to see a pic of three guys with this setup in one of their parents garages.

[andi @ Jun 23rd 2007 4:44PM]

i don't get it... why just not get the real tools of the trade and start rocking?... why in a videogame and not IRL?...

[Joshua Duffy @ Jun 23rd 2007 5:19PM]

You idiot, this kind of stuff isn't geared toward you at all. The controllers for the game are much easier to learn than tabs on a guitar or a drum set. Now i kind of get where you're coming from with the singing part of the equation ,but still if you don't like it, don't look at.


-Duffy

[McGinley @ Jun 23rd 2007 5:17PM]

Time and money...time and money...

[andi @ Jun 23rd 2007 5:19PM]

ummm.... console+this game= the whole range of beginner's instruments... and the same time wasted on playing the game could be invested in playing the instruments.. i guess... oh well.

[Drew @ Jun 23rd 2007 5:25PM]

Yeah that makes perfect sense. I mean I play Trauma Center on the DS and Wii, why couldn't I just go to medical school and become a real surgeon?

[Josef F @ Jun 23rd 2007 5:43PM]

I learned how to be a plumber and then went into the sewr to collect coins and kill turtles.

[Ian @ Jun 23rd 2007 5:47PM]

http://cad-comic.com/comics/20070509.jpg

Thats all I have to say.

[TwoBitMatt @ Jun 23rd 2007 4:49PM]

Keep in mind that the Mic pictured there is just concept art and the the drumset is only a recreation of what they saw in a prototype.

[Adam Williamson @ Jun 23rd 2007 7:32PM]

Hmm, glad to see Harmonix overhyping things stupidly in the article. If you're having trouble making it out:

"If you've played the game for several months and you're playing on hard or expert, then you're really playing the drums," co-founder excitedly tells us. "We could sit you down at a drum set and have you start playing. That, as payoff for playing a video game, is f-ing incredible."

Yeah. Um. Not quite sure where to start.

For a start, I seriously doubt the game will be pressure-sensitive. Which knocks off a bunch of the complexity of playing drums right there.

Nor do I expect it will use multi-zone pads. Whoops. There goes another.

There's only four drums. Um. Yeah. That's not even enough for hi-hat, snare, toms and cymbal, as the text makes clear (the yellow pad 'doubles as hi-hat', apparently, which means the layout isn't even _close_ to correct).

There's no hi-hat pedal.

The Drummania kit is rather better than this one (five drums and the hi-hat is in the right place), but no-one who's done both is going to mistake playing Drummania for playing drums any time soon. I'm a level 90 DM player but I don't harbor any illusions that I'm gonna be playing arenas any time soon. Okay, maybe it's a _bit_ closer to the real thing than GF / GH is to playing guitar, but that's really as much as you can say before you're overhyping.

[Jamison Davies @ Jun 23rd 2007 7:47PM]

You mean companies excessively hype their products?!? You shouldn't limit the sharing of this information to just the engadget comment board. I smell a book deal...

[Adam Williamson @ Jun 24th 2007 1:02AM]

Hey, that's a great idea! I also have some information on the excretory habits of bears and the devotional sensibilities of the Pope that you may find shocking. ;)

[human @ Jun 23rd 2007 9:21PM]

i want drums. not bongos.

[Mike @ Jun 23rd 2007 10:01PM]

I wonder how they're going to do singing... Unless the average guy can bust out notes like a professional singer, there must be some way for him/her to do the vocals.

[Taylor @ Jun 23rd 2007 11:05PM]

I'm guessing Singstar-style vocal pitch/rhythm recognition.

[speedyrulz8 @ Jul 1st 2007 8:59PM]

According to the article it actually uses word recognition and doesn't monitor pitch at all apparently.

[Matt @ Jun 23rd 2007 10:38PM]

I need more cow bell!

[Taylor @ Jun 23rd 2007 11:00PM]

As a keyboardist, I'm not buying this game till there's an ingame keyboard. Come on, who doesn't want to play all them awesome synthy songs?

Or how about a TURNTABLE? Scratch, here I come!

[speakafreaka @ Jun 24th 2007 8:13PM]

Sure.. and where's the guy that wants to rock out with a plastic sax

[Dahk @ Jun 24th 2007 12:05AM]

Ah, I'm more disappointed with the strat being used for the electric AND the bass.

That kinda sucks. Bass guitars are completely different =/ Played differently and everything. No slapping no nothing. Kinda boring. But then again its for Rock-ish songs, which... I guess... don't use other techniques? *shrugg*

[Jeff @ Jun 24th 2007 3:05AM]

"Bass guitars are completely different =/ Played differently and everything."

No they're not. Not really, anyway.

I started out on bass and then moved to guitar. There is honestly nothing different about the following two instruments other than the octave they're designed to play in:

http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/1966_fender_jaguar_guitar%20s.jpg
http://www.musicplayers.com/images/Baritone_fender.jpg

People who don't play bass probably wouldn't even see the difference. But one's a bass and the other's not.

You can, of course, play them the exact same way if you want.

Having gone from bass to guitar, I think I can pretty confidently say that if you can play guitar, you can play bass, but not necessarily vice versa. Bass is just a lot easier, in that you're most often playing one string at a time - quick chord changes aren't generally required. But the *methods* of playing and the theory behind the instrument are exactly the same. (The finger picking thing is not really a big deal; all guitarists learn to finger pick, they just don't do it very often. And you don't need to finger pick a bass anyway.)

It's the same with any instrument, really. An alto saxophone player can play a baritone sax just as well... they're the same, one's just bigger than the other, and an octave lower.

So I don't see any problem either in practice or in concept in having the guitar controller double as a bass in Rock Band.

[BKM @ Jun 25th 2007 9:43PM]

@Jeff

"Having gone from bass to guitar, I think I can pretty confidently say that if you can play guitar, you can play bass, but not necessarily vice versa. Bass is just a lot easier, in that you're most often playing one string at a time - quick chord changes aren't generally required. But the *methods* of playing and the theory behind the instrument are exactly the same. (The finger picking thing is not really a big deal; all guitarists learn to finger pick, they just don't do it very often. And you don't need to finger pick a bass anyway.)"

People who play bass very badly are usually guitar players who think that Bass is easier...only four strings played one at a time, right? That's why the Cello, Violin, Viola and Double Bass are so easy too, just four strings, hell, the violin has a really short fingerboard, that must be really easy to play.

Have you ever heard this? Better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. You, sir, have removed all doubt.

[kevin @ Jun 24th 2007 12:13AM]

Drummania's controller(not the home version) looks better than this layout-wise...

[A_M @ Jun 24th 2007 3:47PM]

Dude...you're way off.

Electric Guitar and bass are two completely different monsters. They may look the same, and both can be picked but that is where the similarities end.

Bass playing is much more technical, in the rhythmic sense, and it is definitely not *necessarily* easier than guitar.

[Stuart @ Jun 24th 2007 11:40AM]

Those drums look REALLY terrible! It's only four hit areas and anyone using it is going to look like an idiot if there older than 7, I actually play drums for a REAL band and this game to me sounds like a stupid idea.

If your that keen to play in a rock band then do it IRL.

[Mike @ Jun 24th 2007 7:35PM]

Well there goes all my hope for this game if that's what the drum set looks like.
The whole reason I was going to buy this game was for the drums.
I play drums in school currently (concert band/marching band) and in a band, and I was looking forward to being able to more or less practice with this game and its real drum beats. They should make a special kit to connect up to real drums and guitars and play the game with 'em!

[Apolabear @ Jun 25th 2007 9:06AM]

http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12/pages/mod_1.12.1/pages/mod_1.12.1.1/pages/index.php?sku=1.1.13.3.2-20-4

"Lets make a game that requires a £700 peripheral"

Erm... No.
And before anyone suggests some cack handed way of making the kit work with the game, er, no, if you've got the money for a kit like that then you really would just join a band instead, or if you were thinking of using it for practice these kits have audio in ports so you can drum along to songs anyway, you wouldn't need the game.

[Drummer @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:56PM]

I've been playing the drums for 8 years now and personally this game looks like a lot of fun. I just think if the 4 drums as being a set of quads with a bass drum at the feet. But oddly enough I can't think of it as a drumset. Maybe with a few more drums I'll like it better.

[Seth @ Jul 12th 2007 1:21PM]

for the money i'd pay for a PS3,i'm buying an Ampeg SVT-215 cabinet and an ampeg SVT-CL amp.

Wake the f*ck up.