Ongoing Webseries Details RBN Process from Start to Finish
When the Rock Band Network was originally unveiled, it opened up an unlimited potential for anyone to put music in to the game. And while the RBN wasn’t the first tool available for adding music to a rhythm game (GHTunes debuted in Guitar Hero: World Tour), it was a total comprehensive approach to getting real songs into the game via tools that music makers already know and love. RBN was the perfect option for those looking for increased exposure for their music, but the amount of effort required to prepare a song for Rock Band is nothing short of intimidating.
The folks at Harmonix knew there was a barrier to entry for most people, so they created a repository of resources to help people get started. As Harmonix helped and trained the early adopters to become familiar with the process, the Creators community started to become much more self-sufficient. Ultimately, John (AKA DJGryph) from RockBandRelief decided to pull together a webseries for YouTube called “Finding the Rhythm,” where he virtually holds viewers hands through the process of creating and submitting a track into the Rock Band Network.
If you are an RBN author, an aspiring one, this series is a MUST watch. Even for those who have no intention of creating music for the RBN, this is an excellent video series, as it will give you a much deeper and intimate understanding of the effort it takes to create music playable in Rock Band. The video series is ongoing, updated as John adds more videos, so sure to subscribe to him so you don’t miss the latest episode.
The first episode is included below, and each currently available episode is linked below. Updates will be added to this page as more episodes are completed. I have also included a link to this page in the menu at the top of the site titled “Finding the Rhythm,” for easy reference for all current and future RBN authors.
Episode 1: RBN 2.0 Overview, Resources and Tool Requirements, Reaper Introduction
Episode 2: Reaper File Setup
Episode 3: Magma File Setup
Episode 4: Drum Charting
Episode 5: Drum Reduction
Episode 6: Drum Animation
Episode 7: Bass Charting
Episode 8: Bass Reduction
Episode 9: Bass Animation
Episode 10: Guitar Charting
Episode 11: Guitar Reduction
Episode 12: Guitar Animation
Episode 13: Keys Charting
Episode 14: Keys Reduction
Episode 15: Keys Animation
Episode 16: Pro Keys Charting
Episode 17: Pro Keys Reduction
Episode 18: Pro Keys Animation
Episode 19: Vocal Charting
Episode 20: Harmony Charting
Episode 21: Vocal Animation
Episode 22: Venue: Camera
Episode 23: Venue: Lighting & Filters
Episode 24: RBN Submission
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Looking forward to watching this.
This tutorial is excellent. It really filled in the gaps of all the things I wasn’t quite understanding about the Docs.
Sure, Harmonix provides a completed sample song, but all the work is already done. I was afraid to really jump in and start experimenting. REAPER is such a literally daunting limitless tool, and I have no audio mixing experience. I didn’t know where to start. I guess I’m more a visual learner.
Enter DJGryph’s tutorial. It really gave me the shove I’ve been so patiently waiting for. He even provides the template that he uses, so following along with him is a breeze. And with the template, you can get an audio-only build of your song up and running in Rock Band in a very short amount of time with quite. (Believe me, that’s not as easy as it sounds.)
I’m glad that you decided to feature this, as everyone who’s even slightly curious definitely should check it out.
pmpboarder Reply:
August 1st, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Whoops. I meant “And with the template, you can get an audio-only build of your song up and running in Rock Band in a very short amount of time with quite minimal work. (Believe me, that’s not as easy as it sounds.)”
Larraque Reply:
August 1st, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Oooo. This is fantastic!
I tried my hand at some charting for a friend’s band, but hit a small wall when I started trying to do drums, and a huge wall when I tried doing vocals. Neither are particularly easy to do, and I found it increasingly frustrating – so I sadly had to full-stop, and leave the task unfinished.
So far this video seems good. Looking forward to someday going back and finishing off the charting job I started.
I certainly don’t plan on charting any tunes, but this sounds like it could be pretty interesting to watch just as an outsider, simply to see what all goes into the process. May be too pedantic for an entertainment prospect, but I’m still intrigued to see how how a lot of the charting works (particularly vocals charting).
Great watch.
Now can somebody re-post the tutorial on how to get the TB:RB tracks into RB3?
BID0 Reply:
August 2nd, 2011 at 9:20 am
This information would be most useful
THAT’S WHY I WRITE CHARTS IN SIMPLE FRETS ON FIRE
THANK YOU JIGSAW_3 THAT HELPS ALSO YOU ARE ELOQUENT ERUDITE LIKE THE GREAT SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL
cool tutorial but i think it would be 23 parts, because what the difference between Keys animation and Pro Keys animation?
inealy Reply:
August 2nd, 2011 at 12:30 am
i see the different tabs for these two
The animation part is neat. Now I want to see the lighting/filters parts.
This is actually really awesome. Its great to have a peek into the RB/RBN charting process, and I really liked the animation segment.
Makes me want to chart songs myself…too bad you’re not allowed too in Canada.