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peripherals
Are Rock Band 2 Instruments Really Quieter?
Posted by Owen Good at 2:00 AM on September 15, 2008
Joystiq takes on the claim with a rather deep scientific analysis of the new game's guitar and drum pads. Using a microphone and a laptop to measure the decibel increase across three different modes of play (light, medium, and hard key presses and drum strikes), they came to the conclusion that yes, in fact, the instruments are quieter.
Of the drums:
"The largest difference between the two drums was observed at the medium drum strike intensity, which was designed to emulate normal play conditions. While the difference in loudness is definitely noticeable, the Rock Band 2 drums did still have a noticeable "thwacking" sound at this level."
Of the guitar:
At all intensity levels tested, the Rock Band 2 guitar frets were noticeably quieter than the original Rock Band guitar. The original guitar frets had a distinct "springy" sound when popping back up, a sound that was almost entirely absent in the Rock Band 2 guitar. It should also be noted that the spring for the strummer seems significantly quieter on the Rock Band 2 guitar, though the extent of the difference was not tested.
And in summary:
Rock Band 2 instruments are indeed quieter than their Rock Band counterparts under normal play conditions. Additionally, the added springiness of the Rock Band 2 drums and the quieter springs in the Rock Band 2 guitar make the new instruments much easier to play lightly and, thus, more quietly.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
kathartik
Posted 2:40 AM 15/9/08
I just hope that with the guitar, that it doesn't feel all spongy... that took forever for me to get used to with the strum bar... but I won't be getting the guitars anyways, I already have 2
kathartik
cravy
Posted 2:40 AM 15/9/08
I have the RB2 drums and they are much quieter... We compared them and I think the RB2 ones are probably 50% as loud. There is a big difference in the way they sound. Old ones sound like you are hitting a piece of plywood while then news ones sound like you are hitting foam.
cravy
wolfeditor
Posted 2:36 AM 15/9/08
My mom just complains that they do not sound like drums.
Only time I really notice is when a drum part comes up that's just full of tiny hi-hat noises but it's all "CLACKITY CLACK CRACKITYjones CLACK want fries with that."
wolfeditor
scotty
Posted 2:35 AM 15/9/08
I really need a better guitar comparison....Don't have much cash to shell out for a GHWT guitar when it comes out, I know it'll be superior, since I hate the hell out of RB's guitar. I need to know if the improvemnt is good enough to be just as good as redoctane's...
scotty
Archaenon
Posted 2:34 AM 15/9/08
Either way your going to hear it. I usually just play the game loudly, that normally does the trick.
Archaenon
Numanoid
Posted 2:33 AM 15/9/08
@iguelmay:
Loud n' proud.
...and deaf.
Numanoid
iguelmay
Posted 2:30 AM 15/9/08
6 dB in normal play is a pretty big difference.
I still think the best solution is to turn up the volume on your TV though.
iguelmay
Grumpz®
Posted 2:26 AM 15/9/08
@LaserJudas: $20 for the nice rock band ones.
Grumpz®
ammar91994
Posted 2:26 AM 15/9/08
@rbee90: The noise of the drums does get relly annoying after awhile, especially if you are wathing someone else play.
ammar91994
rbee90
Posted 2:23 AM 15/9/08
does it really make any difference? your still gonan smack em, and beat em
rbee90
DayTrade
Posted 2:23 AM 15/9/08
Or wait to buy GH WT drums.
DayTrade
LaserJudas
Posted 2:19 AM 15/9/08
Or, you could invest $10 in the drum pad silencers from any box store and get an even quieter set of still perfectly usable RB1 drums.
LaserJudas
.glib
Posted 3:23 AM 15/9/08
That's a pretty misleading chart, considering decibels are a logarithmic scale.
.glib
Sorshha
Posted 3:18 AM 15/9/08
Who cares about quieter? If i wana rock... i wana rock.
Roomates get annoyed? screw em. Live in an apartment and the people below or beside you are getting frustrated? screw em. Your mother is complaining that you are making to much noise? Move out from your parents house... or.... screw em
Sorshha
Shteve
Posted 3:05 AM 15/9/08
My parents never complained when I played real drums, but the day I got Rock Band my mother couldn't handle the horrible sound the drum set was making. I hope the GH:World tour drum will be even quieter than the RB2 one. It would be cool to hear the TV while playing without turning the volume at an excessive level.
Shteve
Wolfers
Posted 3:03 AM 15/9/08
Making apartments even more annoying since 2007. Thanks, Rock Band.
Wolfers
demonknightinuyasha
Posted 3:42 AM 15/9/08
personally im waiting for the GH stuff, i simply have more faith in red octane. though i have a ps3 so i get eternally shat on and have to wait another month either way, so maybe i'll end up with the rb ones if the gh ones come out and are terrible.
on the bright side my buddy preorded the ion drum kit so when i go home for the xmas break i'll get try that out =D
demonknightinuyasha
akashhhhh
Posted 3:33 AM 15/9/08
"Hardness of strike." Sigh.
akashhhhh
HT Tenrai
Posted 3:28 AM 15/9/08
@iguelmay: Yes, so I can hear the song echo garbly over my Xbox Live headset when playing with people online...
HT Tenrai
Pegleg Joe
Posted 3:28 AM 15/9/08
@Sorshha: Lol have fun with eviction. And being a jerk.
Pegleg Joe
mikebrown999
Posted 4:05 AM 15/9/08
A 6dB decrease is essentially half as loud.
mikebrown999
mikebrown999
Posted 4:04 AM 15/9/08
Decibels are logorithmic.
mikebrown999
GodKiller0
Posted 4:02 AM 15/9/08
I got a Roland V-Drums at home and I'm looking for a new apartment now and let me tel you, I can't like on a higher floor. The pads are fine, it's the bass drum pedal that's loud.
GodKiller0
Sorshha
Posted 4:27 AM 15/9/08
@Pegleg Joe:
Eviction? i think not... lol. And being a jerk? its what im good at. Sorry if i hit a soft spot /kiss
Sorshha
Calhoun
Posted 4:25 AM 15/9/08
I was able to pick up a copy of RB2 this morning, but no RB2 guitars or drumkits had arrived yet. Siiiiigh... I really want to try out the new guitars, as the squishy strum bar of the original pissed me right off.
Calhoun
I h8 ph15h with a passion
Posted 4:17 AM 15/9/08
Now Versus World Tour's. I wanna know :D
I h8 ph15h with a passion
arossthaboss
Posted 4:48 AM 15/9/08
@akashhhhh: impact intensity?
arossthaboss
OmegaVader
Posted 5:21 AM 15/9/08
great. but i enver bougth the RB guitar! how do they hold up to the GH3 guitar?!
OmegaVader
DespisedMC
Posted 5:11 AM 15/9/08
@DespisedMC:
yea I misspell some stuff when I was making a point...forgive me I'm tired cuz I stay up all nite waiting for rb2 and I am kinda Pissed since I didn't get my shirt for the pre-order at game crazy which just barely open up and said we didn't get no shirt...stupid false advertising...I'm going to call there main hq and complain cuz I'm really disappointed..for sure I would of got a free t-shirt at gamespot...o the regrets...games fun though can't really play cuz I'm too tired
DespisedMC
DespisedMC
Posted 5:07 AM 15/9/08
why does everybody cry about how loud the drums are...hello drums are supposed to be loud anyways but I guess if your playing late and nite I could see that a pain is the a$$ because I hate that but when it day time it not a problem and I bought one of the silencer it really don't make a difference but I guess you have to buy the right one but I like mine cuz it look freakin sweet...but overall just get over it people or go pay 10 bucks more for a silencer I guarantee guitar hero world tour drums will just be as loud..sssheeess
DespisedMC
RichMeisterMan
Posted 5:51 AM 15/9/08
well, until they put a strummer in their guitars that DOES make a sound. I'm not going to buy one.
The clicking sound when you strum the X-plorer is a big help, but I think it's also in combination with the over all feel of the strum bar.
RichMeisterMan
KaneRobot
Posted 5:50 AM 15/9/08
I've had nothing but problems with my GH3 Les Paul - first the buttons were finicky about registering, and after going through the DIY-fix, within a week or two my tilt sensor is screwed up. I love the design of the Rock Band Fender (and if the auto-calibration tool on the new guitar works as advertised, all the better), but the mushy strum bar kills what is otherwise a superior "instrument."
KaneRobot
CraiZE
Posted 5:42 AM 15/9/08
Pretty bad. GH3 is the best Guitar on the market imho
CraiZE
Thirok
Posted 6:17 AM 15/9/08
@CraiZE:
Nah GH2 Xplorer is definately the best guitar controller on the market
Thirok
Dreamwriter
Posted 6:11 AM 15/9/08
@DespisedMC: Maybe because people want the *DRUM* sound coming from the game to be loud, not a clack sound that comes from hitting a fake drum?
Dreamwriter
friscom99
Posted 8:00 AM 15/9/08
I'm glad I'm not getting any Rock Band instruments, I waited for good reason, and that is GH: World Tour with TOOL!
friscom99
Calhoun
Posted 7:50 AM 15/9/08
@DespisedMC: The problem with the drums being loud is that it doesn't sound like you're hitting four different drum heads, it sounds like you're hitting one piece of plastic four times in rapid succession. So rather than "ba-dum boom ba-boom tish" it's just "tak tak tak tak". Which is frigging distracting and tiresome.
@KaneRobot: There's an RB strum bar "fix" available on the market at: [bytearts.com]
I dunno exactly how well it works, I've just put my order in, but it's gotten a lot of positive feedback from people who don't like the "mushy" bar of RB1.
Calhoun
FishStik
Posted 12:11 PM 15/9/08
@everyone: Just turn up the volume on the TV!
FishStik
hikkifan1986
Posted 3:27 PM 15/9/08
Are they really quieter???? Yes, yes they are.
hikkifan1986
knickers
Posted 11:40 PM 15/9/08
But what I want to know is whether or not the ION kit is quieter, since I want the Cadillac of drum peripherals.
knickers
mikeko10
Posted 2:50 AM 16/9/08
@Thirok: I have a strat and an xplorer and I'll take the strat anyday. It doesn't feel like a little kids guitar (which, IMO, is what the xplorer feels like). I used the GH3 guitar for the first time yesterday and liked it, but I hate the clicking strum bar. If the strum didn't click, the GH3 guitar would be the best plastic guitar on the market.
mikeko10
mikeko10
Posted 2:47 AM 16/9/08
The only people who want clicking in thier guitars are the same who can't keep a beat without it.
mikeko10