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Mad Catz ships Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro adapter, gives your keyboard and drum set new life
Talk about just in time. With merely weeks to go before Mr. Claus makes his wintry journey 'round the globe, Mad Catz has decided to finally ship a peripheral that was introduced way back in June. Without a doubt, the MIDI Pro adapter is one of the more intriguing music game accessories to hit the open market, enabling Rock Band 3 owners to use most MIDI keyboards and drum sets with the title. The box is shipping as we speak for Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii, and the Xbox 360 variant should be headed to Best Buy in the coming hours. If you'll recall, this guy's also designed to work with the forthcoming Rock Band 3 Squier guitar / controller, and it even features a velocity sensitive adjustment for MIDI drums designed to reduce cross-talk during play. At $39.99, it's a no-brainer for those who already own a MIDI instrument or two, but we just might be more excited about the hacking possibilities than anything else. DIYers, get at it! %Gallery-108753%
Mad Catz: Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro Adapter shipping
Ready to turn your totally sweet keytar into a totally sweet game controller? Mad Catz announced that the PS3 and Wii versions of the Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro Adapter, which allow use of MIDI keyboards, drum kits, and, eventually, the Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster, are headed to retail now. The Xbox 360 version, according to the announcement, is expected to ship "imminently" in limited quantities, to Best Buy stores. However, Amazon still shows the release date for all three versions as December 26, and Best Buy shows only the PS3 version in stock. We've asked Mad Catz to help clear it all up for us, but it's likely most of you won't need one of these until the March release of the Stratocaster controller anyway. Update: Mad Catz tells us that the release date confusion is just part of the nature of accessories: retailers obtain stock at different times, unlike the hard release dates software has. And Best Buy will stock the 360 adapter first simply because it'll be the first retailer to receive its shipments.
Have a look at the Rock Band 3 keyboard & MIDI PRO-Adapter
As the official peripheral manufacturer for Rock Band 3 instruments, Mad Catz was at E3 showing off its new Rock Band products (sans game). On the outside, the MIDI PRO-Adapter (pictured above in all three flavors) looks like a chunky, 16-bit era controller -- in fact, in can be used as a gamepad, confirms Mad Catz global PR manager Alex Verrey. Inside, the device contains the technology to convert a real MIDI instrument into a Rock Band 3 controller. (The adapter is not compatible with other music games.) The PRO-Adapter connects to an Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii via USB, and the MIDI instrument plugs into the port on the side of the device. A three-way switch in the center (above the system button) toggles between drum, keyboard and guitar inputs. Just above the switch, is the velocity adjustment wheel used to "tune" MIDI drums and reduce cross-talk during gameplay. The triangular wedge button on the bottom right of the PRO-Adapter activates "Overdrive" mode in Rock Band 3, and a belt clip on the back of the peripheral keeps the adapter secured to your person (just mind the length of the USB cable as you leap about). There's also a headset jack on the adapter. "We can't possibly guarantee compatibility with all MIDI instruments," warns Verrey, but the MIDI PRO-Adapter "should work with the vast, vast majority." Verrey guarantees compatibility with the real Fender Squier Stratocaster guitar that works with Rock Band 3, and a full MIDI instrument compatibility list will be published prior to the MIDI PRO-Adapter retail release ($40) this holiday. Take a closer look at Mad Catz's Wireless Keyboard Controller in the gallery below and head past the break for full details. %Gallery-95589%
Rock Band 3's gear priced: keytar and Pro guitar sport MIDI out, adapter lets you use any keyboard / electronic drum set
Has your head cooled from all that rock news this morning? Nope? Well, we'd hate to rile you up again, but Mad Catz -- now the official provider of all Rock Band 3 equipment -- has priced its latest arsenal for the upcoming rhythm revival title. There's also a few new details on each instrument, so without further ado: Wireless Keyboard: That MIDI port many of you spotted is for output, letting you plug the two-octave (C3 to C5) velocity-sensitive keytar directly into MIDI sequencers for non-gaming use. It'll set you back $80, with an optional stand to be sold separately (no price given) alongside the game's launch. Buying the keyboard / game bundle will be $130, or about $10 off individual purchases. Oh, and if you want to feel a bit more techno, this puppy can be used as the guitar / bass input. MIDI PRO-Adapter: Want to use your own keyboard or electronic drum set? Here's the mediator you need, from MIDI to USB to console, and it sports the D-pad and other necessary gamepad buttons as well as velocity sensitivity adjustment controls. Asking price is $40. Pro Cymbals Expansion kit: three cymbals, apparently rejiggered from RB2's offerings for quieter play and a pre-defined 10 degree angle. It's $40 for this hi-hat, crash, and ride pack. Wireless Fender Mustang Pro Guitar Controller: Not the Squier hybrid we saw, this one actually sports a multitude of buttons for each string, spanning 17 frets (102 buttons in all). Actual strings are used for the plucking and strumming, and here's something interesting -- the axe has a MIDI output for software sequencers. This behemoth is $150, or approximately 1.5 Benjamins in your local currency. Pictures of each instrument -- and the yet-to-be-priced Squier -- in the gallery below, as well as a few screen caps of Pro mode so you can get an idea how exactly it'll "correct you" on proper Bohemian Rhapsody finger picking. %Gallery-94999%
