=============================================================================== Guitar Hero: World Tour GHMix Guide =============================================================================== Xbox 360, version 1.1 Written by: sonicpsycho13 Last Updated: Nov 11, 2008 Version history v1.0 full version submitted v1.1 added/updated: -Click track explanation -Tuning explanation -Drum Charting section -Hammer-On and Pull-Off subsection in Charting -Lead+Rhythm Trick subsection in Charting -Elaborated on silent note glitch =============================================================================== Table of Contents =============================================================================== 1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Controls 4 Interface 4.1 Control Panel 4.1.1 Skip to Last Note 4.1.2 Skip Forward 4.1.3 Play 4.1.4 Live Record 4.1.5 Step Record 4.1.6 Skip Backward 4.1.7 Skip to Beginning 4.1.8 Loop 4.1.9 Delete 4.1.10 Copy 4.1.11 Paste 4.1.12 Note Nudge 4.1.13 Add Marker 4.1.14 Switch Instriment 4.2 Indicators 4.2.1 Snap Indicator 4.2.2 Count Indicator 4.2.3 Machine Indicator 4.2.4 Percussion Indicator 4.3 Start Menu 4.3.1 Effects 4.3.2 Sound Type 4.3.3 Drum Kit 4.3.4 Scale 4.3.5 Machines 4.3.6 Settings 4.3.7 Mixer 4.3.8 Clear Track 4.3.9 Undo 4.3.10 Save 4.3.11 Recording Studio 4.3.12 Quit 5 Instruments 5.1 Drums 5.1.1 Controls 5.1.2 Drum Machine 5.2 Guitars 5.2.1 Palm Mute 5.3 Rhythm 5.3.1 Scales and Chords 5.3.2 Special Chords 5.4 Lead 5.4.1 Lead Machine 5.5 Bass 5.5.1 Bass Machine 5.6 Keyboard 5.6.1 Keyboard Machine 6 Publishing a Song 7 Music Education 7.1 Notes 7.1.1 Sharps (#) and Flats (b) 7.1.2 Note Length 7.2 Tabs 8 Charting 8.1 Drum Charts 8.2 Guitar Charts 8.2.1 Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs 8.2.2 Lead+Rhythm Trick 9 Glitches 10 FAQ 11 Legal Information 12 Contact 13 Credits =============================================================================== 1 Introduction =============================================================================== This guide is intended to educate would be composers in the nuances of using Guitar Hero World Tour�s (GHWT) GHMix feature beyond what you would receive from the in-game tutorials. This guide will be broken down into detailed descriptions of the user interface, structuring a complete song, then further broken down into each available instrument: drums, bass, lead, rhythm, and keyboard. Once a song is completed you�ll be able publish it, where you can give it a proper title, assign the note charts to each instrument, design cover art, and upload your new creation to GHTunes. Information on music in general will be discussed, such as the notes on a scale and how to read tabs. Some charting techniques will be briefly outlined. =============================================================================== 2 Getting Started =============================================================================== I recommend using a guitar for charting every instrument, particularly the GHWT or GH3 Les Paul guitar because its tilt sensor is incremental, not an on-off switch like the Rock Band Stratocaster. I haven�t tested any other guitar controllers. When you first enter GHMix and choose to create a new song, you�ll be prompted to designate the beats per minute (BPM). This will determine how fast the song will be. Don�t fret if you aren�t certain on how fast you want the finished product, you can always change the BPM at any point. =============================================================================== 3 Controls =============================================================================== GHMix is very good at displaying control information. Most of the time your button configuration will change depending on what task you�re performing, but here is a general run down of each the controls. Also indicated are some abbreviations that will be used throughout this document to indicate specific buttons. Green button/pad (G): Selects or confirms desired action. Enters an assigned note. Red button/pad (R): Cancels command, retracts in menu. Enters an assigned note. Yellow button/pad (Y): Enters an assigned note. Retracts a half measure (with 10/28 update). Blue button/pad (B): Enters an assigned note. Advances a half measure (with 10/28 update). Orange button/pad (O): Enters an assigned note. Strum bar: Navigate menus. Enters notes, either alone or in conjunction with fret buttons. Directional pad Up/Down: See Strum bar. Directional pad Left/Right: Changes the snap (note) size. Start button: Opens/closes the "Start" menu. Confirms some options. Back/select button: Mutes notes, toggles percussion mode. Whammy Bar: Hold to change the controls while step recording to navigate and delete notes. =============================================================================== 4 Interface =============================================================================== After choosing a BPM, you will be faced with the primary GHMix interface. On the far left is the control panel. To the right of the controls are snap, count, machine, and percussion indicators. The majority of the screen consists of the five instrument tracks on which you will be laying down notes, chords, beats, and miscellaneous sounds. Each instrument�s track is indicated by the names below. The tracks are universally divided into measures. Each measure is separated by a bold, white line. Each measure is broken up further into four beats, which are indicated by horizontal lines. The white, measure line indicates beat one. The track to the far left is the one that you are current working on. Your location on the track is indicated by a cluster of 5 colored circles that will be referred to as the strike bar. Thanks to the 10/28 update, if you move the strike bar over a note, some white text will appear beneath the strike bar with information about the note, such as chord, octave, etc. While recording, a diagram of the currently selected scale will be displayed in upper right corner. =============================================================================== 4.1 Control Panel =============================================================================== The control panel allows you navigate and manipulate your composition. I will progress through the controls from top to bottom giving a brief description of its function. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.1 Skip to Last Note This will skip to last note of the instrument that you are currently working on, not necessarily the last note of the song. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.2 Skip Forward This skips to the next snap location, i.e. measure, 1/2 measure, 1/4 note, etc. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.3 Play This will begin to playback the song from you current location in the song. To stop playback, press the start button. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.4 Live Record After a 5 second countdown, the song will begin to play. While the song is playing any notes that you play near a snap location will be recorded and placed onto the track. To record in a live fashion set the snap to "Precise". To play a sustained note, simply keep the fret button(s) held until you wish to terminate the note. To stop recording, press the start button. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.5 Step Record Step record allows you to slowly and deliberately place notes at individual snap locations. When you input a note, you will automatically be advanced to the next snap location, and the note that you input will play for its full length. Hold the whammy bar on the guitar to use the strum bar to navigate forward and backward through the track without exiting record more. While on top of a note, hold the whammy bar and press R to delete that note. To stop recording, press the start button. This is my recommended recording method. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While recording, do not simply overwrite notes, delete them first. If you overwrite notes GHMix can begin to glitch, causing notes to spontaneously disappear from the track and/or final product, play wrong notes, etc. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.6 Skip Backward This skips to the previous snap location, i.e. measure, 1/2 measure, 1/4 note, etc. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.7 Skip to Beginning This will skip to the beginning of the song. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.8 Loop This option will allow you to select a portion of your song to run in a continuous loop until you stop it. The beginning of the loop will automatically be set at your current location in the song. You can move the strike bar up and down to highlight a section of the song to loop. Press start to confirm the loop. Once the song begins to play in either GHMix or in the recording studio, it will play as normal until it reaches the end of the loop. Upon reachomg the loop�s end, the song will continue playing from the beginning of the loop. To remove a loop, select the loop option and rather than highlighting a new area, press Y. The loop is useful for sound checking a specific section or granting multiple attempts for live recording. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.9 Delete This will allow you to select an area of notes to remove from the song. The beginning of the delete will automatically be set are your current location in song. You can move the strike bar up and down to highlight a section to delete, indicated by a red background. Press Y to toggle between deleting a section from a single track or all five tracks. Press start to confirm deletion or R to cancel. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.10 Copy This will allow you to select an area of notes to copy from the song to a clipboard. The beginning of the copy will automatically be set are your current location in song. You can move the strike bar up and down to highlight a section to delete, indicated by a red background. Press Y to toggle between copying a section from a single track or all five tracks. Press start to confirm copy or R to cancel. You cannot copy between tracks or songs. If you change tracks, the clipboard will be emptied. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.11 Paste This will paste what you last copied to your current location. Press Y to paste multiple copies; you can paste up to 20 copies at once with this feature. However, be careful when pasting multiple copies because the beginning of next copy will overwrite the very end of the previous one. Also, if your copy wasn�t the exact right length, then you may end up with pastes that are not in the intended locations. Copy & paste are useful for repeating verses and rhythms or to move a section of the song to another location without altering other notes. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.12 Note Nudge Note nudge allows you to reposition notes in a track. The note(s) will be moved to next snap location. Press G to nudge only a note that you have highlighted with the strike bar, or press Y to nudge note every note above the strike bar an equal distance. The 10/28 update added the option to toggle the nudge direction by pressing B. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don�t have the 10/28 update, be careful using nudge, because there is no way to more note backward in the piece other than using the Undo option in the start menu. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.13 Add Marker This allows you to designate specific sections of your song as a verse, chorus, solo, verse, etc. You can also program lighting effects to occur at designated times in the song. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once you place a marker it cannot be removed by anything other than Undo, but it can be overwritten. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.14 Switch Instrument This toggles between the five tracks, allowing you to choose which one you want to work on. =============================================================================== 4.2 Indicators =============================================================================== To the immediate right of the control panel are several indicators. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.2.1 Snap Indicator The "SNAP" tells you the locations that notes can be placed. During live record, notes will only be placed at snap locations. Skip forward, step record, skip backward, loop, delete, copy, and nudge are all affected by the snap size. You can change the snap size by pressing left or right on the directional pad on your controller. "Precise" splits up each measure in 64 pieces. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.2.2 Count Indicator The count tells you what measure you are currently in and the snap location within that measure. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.2.3 Machine Indicator While recording any instrument other than rhythm, an indicator will appear that says "MACHINE". If the light on this indicator is green, then the machine is turned on and you input patterns or notes automatically by simply pressing one or more fret buttons, the strum bar, and/or the back/select button. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.2.4 Percussion Indicator When recording drums, pressing the back/select button will turn on percussion mode. When percussion mode is active a green indicator will illuminate. =============================================================================== 4.3 Start Menu =============================================================================== The start menu can be accessed by pressing the start button. Some of the options in the start menu and its sub-menus are not available for every instrument. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.1 Effects Lead and rhythm can utilize the Line 6 POD to change their sound by adding. The POD combines a variety of individual effects to generate a single overall effect. Only one effect can be used in a song for each instrument. To unlock additional effects enter into the cheat menu: G R Y B R Y B G. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.2 Sound Type The bass and keyboard have a sound type menu that alters their sound. Only one sound can be used in a song for each instrument; therefore, changing the sound will change the entire song. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.3 Drum Kit Like the effects and sound type menus, you can select a universal sound for your drum kit in your song. Once again, only one drum kit can be used in a song. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.4 Scale The scale menu is available to every instrument except for drums. The scale allows the user to assign each button, or chord in the case of guitars, a note. You can change the scale�s root note, which will be the lowest note. The lowest root note is E and the highest is D#. You are offered a variety of predetermined scales major, minor, chromatic, pentatonic, etc. You can also use the custom scale to assign your own note values, which can make writing a piece faster. However, you have to use some of the preprogrammed scales to access and assign several of the highest notes available, like octave 4 on lead and keyboard. The "Range" option is available to the lead and keyboard. It allows you to raise and lower your pitch by one octave. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.5 Machine Each instrument, except for rhythm, has a machine mode that can be toggled on and off. The machine will automatically generate various patterns specific to each instrument. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.6 Settings The settings menu allows you to adjust the volume of the track that you are currently working on. Rhythm, lead, and keyboard have the option to adjust their pan. The pan indicates how much that track will favor the speakers to the left or right. You can change your BPM, toggle lefty flip, and toggle the menu sounds in the settings menu as well. Toggling the click track will turn on and off the clicking sound that preceeds a song when you play it. The tuning makes some fine tuning adjustments to the set scale, this affects every track. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.7 Mixer The mixer is a feature that was added in the 10/28 update. It allows the user to change the volumes and pans (if applicable) of every instrument in a single menu. By pressing Y, the song will play from the beginning. Press Y again to pause/resume the song preview. The mixer is useful for quickly sampling and changing the overall sound of the song or isolating and removing individual parts to check how each part sounds. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.8 Clear Track This will erase everything on the track that you are currently working on. It will not erase the entire song. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.9 Undo Undo will erase the last action that you performed, such as a clear track, record session, or deletion. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.10 Save Saves your current work. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.11 Recording Studio Imports your current song to the recording studio, allowing your entire band to simultaneously add directly to the song in a live recording session. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.12 Quit Exits GHMix. You will be prompted to save your work upon quitting. =============================================================================== 5 Instruments =============================================================================== =============================================================================== 5.1 Drums =============================================================================== _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.1.1 Controls To lay down a drum note, simply press the button corresponding to the appropriate percussive element, e.g. snare, cymbal, tom, bass, etc. Each button is as follows: Green: Low [Floor] Tom Red: Snare Drum Yellow: Hi-Hat Cymbal Blue: Mid Tom Orange: Ride/Crash Cymbal Strum Bar: Bass Drum While recording, press the back/select button to toggle percussion mode, which alters each button�s sound. Most of the percussion sounds are unique to the drum kit used. Below is an example of the percussion elements of the traditional drum kits, like heavy, classic, and modern rock. Green: Mid Hand Drum Red: Clap Yellow: Tambourine Blue: Hi Hand Drum Orange: Large China Cymbal/Gong Strum Bar: Kettle Drum While recording drums, a small switch will appear tacked onto the left of the strike bar. This switch will raise and lower with your guitar. The higher the switch, the more accent that will be placed on that beat. The accent is quantified from 0-127. Some of the accent values create very significant and noticeable changes to the drums' sound, roughly every decade. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.1.2 Drum Machine When the drum machine is active, holding down a fret button or any combination of buttons will generate a predetermined rhythm. =============================================================================== 5.2 Guitars =============================================================================== There are three guitar parts in GHMix: rhythm, lead, and bass. Notes for all guitars are entered by strumming. A note can be strummed while frets are held down or not. Open notes that are programmed into the lead and rhythm guitars will appear as individual green notes in the finished product. Since guitar notes have to be strummed to be placed, there is an indicator tacked onto the right of the strike bar that shows what note or chord will be played if you were to strum. To put in a held note, hold the strum bar. For bass and lead, pressing fret buttons in rapid succession, will lay down notes without strumming; these notes will not necessarily become hammer-ons or pull-offs. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.2.1 Palm Mute The lead and rhythm can generate muted sounds, simulating the guitarist damping the strings with a hand. Holding the back button while strumming creates a palm mute, which will change the sound of the note and give it a soft and abbreviated sound. =============================================================================== 5.3 Rhythm =============================================================================== The rhythm guitarist is designed to provide a background rhythm that will give the song a fuller sound. GHMix is setup for the rhythm to play chords. Even if a singular note is charted, it will still make a chord�s sound. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.3.1 Scales and Chords While charting the rhythm track, you'll probably spend a lot of time searching for the right chord or some varient. The custom and chromatic scales contain only major chords. You cannot readily recognize what type of chord (major, minor, min7, etc) are played with specific combinations of root notes and scales. However, each scale has a arrangement of chord types, which I will outline below. Scale: Major Mjr Pent Mnr Pent Blues Minor GR Maj Maj Min7 dom7 Min G Y Min Min7 Maj Maj Min RY Min Min7 Min7 dom7 Maj R B Maj sus4 Min7 dim Min YB Maj Min7 sus4 dom7 Min Y O Min Maj Min7 Maj Maj BO Min Min7 Maj dom7 Maj _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.3.2 Special Chords The rhythm guitar also has twelve "special" chords that cannot be changed. While recording, two vertical lines (||) in the note indicator indicate that you are holding a special chord. The twelve special chords are displayed below. 2-frets 3-frets 4-frets 5-frets |G B | |GR O| |GRYB | |GRYBO| |G O| |G Y O| |GRY O| | R O| |G BO| |GR BO| |G YBO| | RYBO| =============================================================================== 5.4 Lead =============================================================================== The lead is designed to play a song�s melody, which consists of playing only one note at a time. In GHMix, the only chord chart that the lead is permitted to compose is a BO chord, but this still represents only a single note. The lead can also have open notes (purple line) charted, but they will appear as G while playing the song. It is possible to use 4 different complete octaves when composing on lead guitar. The possible notes range from a low E in octave 1 to a D# in octave 4. That�s 48 different notes that can be used. To reach many of the highest notes, go to the scales menu, set your range to high and use one of preexisting scales. The pentatonic and chromatic scales are very useful for charting octave 4 notes with any button assignment. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.4.1 Lead Machine When the lead machine is active, holding down a combination of fret buttons will generate a variety of patterns, such as trills and arpeggios. =============================================================================== 5.5 Bass =============================================================================== The track is structured similar to the lead. The only chord that can be charted is BO, but it still makes the sound of a single note. Unlike lead and rhythm, open notes that are charted will remain open in the final product. However, an open note cannot be held, like other notes. The has 3 complete octaves available. The possible bass notes range from a low E in octave 1 to a D# in octave 3. That's 36 different notes that can be used. To reach many of highest notes, go to the scales menu and use one of the preexisting scales. The pentatonic and chromatic scales are very useful for charting octave 3 notes with any button assignment. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.5.1 Bass Machine When the bass machine is active, holding down a combination of fret buttons will generate a variety of patterns, such as trills and arpeggios. =============================================================================== 5.6 Keyboard =============================================================================== The keyboard is one of the more versatile instruments in GHMix. The keyboard track can be played by the lead guitar, bass, or vocals. Like the lead, the keyboard can utilize 4 full octaves of notes, E octave 1 through D# octave 4. Notes are laid down by pressing only a button or the strum bar, like the drums. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5.6.1 Keyboard Machine When the keyboard machine is active, holding down a combination of fret buttons will generate a variety of patterns. =============================================================================== 6 Publishing a Song =============================================================================== When you select a song that you�ve made from the studio�s menu, you�ll be given the options to play, edit, or publish the song. In publish mode, you can give your song a title (21 characters max), specify a genre, set the lead and bass tracks, create cover art, listen to a preview, upload it to GHTunes, and manage your GHTunes slots. You can make changes to a song that you�ve published at anytime, so don�t feel that you constantly have to remember which "CustomSong#" is the one you want to work on. Therefore, it�s often useful to publish a song early, if only so you can give it a title. If you make any changes to a song that you've already uploaded to GHTunes, the version on the GHTunes database will not change unless you re-upload it. =============================================================================== 7 Music Education =============================================================================== This section will provide some information on musical notes and tabs. =============================================================================== 7.1 Notes =============================================================================== The notes on a musical scale are labeled with letters A through G. Each subsequent letter represents a higher pitched note; therefore, B is higher than A, and C is higher still. After G, the letters start over again at A. The notes on a treble music scale are illustrated below. |-----------------F-| | E | |-------------D-----| | C | |---------B---------| | A | |-----G-------------| | F | |-E-----------------| A note represented by the same letter but at a different pitch is in a different octave. _______________________________________________________________________________ 7.1.1 Sharps (#) and Flats (b) Between most steps on the scale exist half-steps. If a note is a half-step higher than its root note, then it's a sharp (#). For example, a half-step above A is A# ("A-sharp"). If a note is a half-step lower than its root, then it's a flat (b). For example, a half-step below B is Bb ("B-flat"). Since the sharps and flats are half-steps, the sharp of one note is the exact same the flat of the next higher note. i.e. A# and Bb are the same note. GHMix, as well as most guitars, only refer to sharps. Therefore, if you encounter music containing flats, simply convert it to its equivalent sharp. B and E do not have a sharp in GHMix, but you will rarely, if ever, encounter B# and E#. _______________________________________________________________________________ 7.1.2 Note Length GHMix operates strictly in the 4/4 time signature, which means there are 4 beats per measure and a 1/4 is sustained for an entire beat. Simply put, a 1/4 note is 1/4 of a measure. =============================================================================== 7.2 Tabs =============================================================================== If you create a cover song, then you�ll probably end up using a lot of tabs and/or sheet music to help get a song right. This section will provide some useful tools for interpreting and translating those tabs. A standard 6-string guitar is tuned as EADGBE (aka EADGBe or EADgbe), from low to high. These label the root notes, notes that would play if the string was played open, of each string. Most tabs will state how the guitar is tuned; if the tuning is not stated, assume it�s standard. Tabs will normally look like this: |--0------------------3--- |-----1---------------4--- |---------------------5--- |--------12-----------3--- |------------------------- |------------------------- Each line represents a string on the guitar that is to be played. The strings, from top to bottom, are arranged high to low, so reading the root notes from top to bottom: EBGDAE. The numbers indicate which fret on that string is held to make the specific note, a 0 (zero) indicates an open note. If several strings are fretted at once, that illustrates a chord. However, many people can�t simply translate the frets and strings in a tab into the alphabetical notes that you�ll use in GHMix, so a handy diagram of a guitar�s frets and what note and octave is played by each in standard tuning is provided. E A D G B E 0 E 1 A 1 D 1 G 2 B 2 E 3 0 1 F 1 A#1 D#1 G#2 C 2 F 3 1 2 F#1 B 1 E 2 A 2 C#2 F#3 2 3 G 1 C 1 F 2 A#2 D 2 G 3 3 4 G#1 C#1 F#2 B 2 D#2 G#3 4 5 A 1 D 1 G 2 C 2 E 3 A 3 5 6 A#1 D#1 G#2 C#2 F 3 A#3 6 7 B 1 E 2 A 2 D 2 F#3 B 3 7 8 C 1 F 2 A#2 D#2 G 3 C 3 8 9 C#1 F#2 B 2 E 3 G#3 C#3 9 10 D 1 G 2 C 2 F 3 A 3 D 3 10 11 D#1 G#2 C#2 F#3 A#3 D#3 11 12 E 2 A 2 D 2 G 3 B 3 E 4 12 13 F 2 A#2 D#2 G#3 C 3 F 4 13 14 F#2 B 2 E 3 A 3 C#3 F#4 14 15 G 2 C 2 F 3 A#3 D 3 G 4 15 16 G#2 C#2 F#3 B 3 D#3 G#4 16 17 A 2 D 2 G 3 C 3 E 4 A 4 17 18 A#2 D#2 G#3 C#3 F 4 A#4 18 19 B 2 E 3 A 3 D 3 F#4 B 4 19 20 C 2 F 3 A#3 D#3 G 4 C 4 20 21 C#2 F#3 B 3 E 4 G#4 C#4 21 22 D 2 G 3 C 3 F 4 A 4 D 4 22 23 D#2 G#3 C#3 F#4 A#4 D#4 23 The strings have a great deal of common notes, for example a D (octave 1) can be played by playing the D-string open, the A-string at the 5th fret, or the low E-string (bottom string) on the 10th fret. The standard 4-string bass is structured the same as a lead guitar, but it only has the lower EADG strings. For more information on reading tabs, here is a link to a useful guide: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/tab-notation.txt Written by Howard Wright =============================================================================== 8 Charting Strategies =============================================================================== This section will outline some specific properties of note charts. It'll discuss how notes can be placed, held notes, and hammer-ons and pull-offs. =============================================================================== 8.1 Drum Charts =============================================================================== Drums notes can be placed simultaneously, or stacked one at a time. All of the drum elements on a single snap location will have the same accent value and be either normal or percussion, not both. =============================================================================== 8.2 Guitar Charts =============================================================================== The guitar can be used to create the most varied charts. Whereas on drums, the pedal will always play a bass note and the orange pad will always be a cymbal; conversely, the guitar can chart an entire scale to the green note. This freedom grants the guitar a great deal of potential, but potential is a double-edged sword. While anybody is free to create the most chaotic "wall of skittles", it is recommended to have a sense of rhythm and purpose to each button that the player will strum. Generally, you�ll want lower-pitched notes to be played with buttons farther from the body of the guitar, like G and R, and higher-pitched ones closer to the body, like B and O. Higher and lower are relative to the notes that are charted slightly earlier and later, so the charting of notes from several measures earlier should have little or no bearing on newly charted notes. Sometimes you'll progress through lengthy climbs or falls in a scale that require you to keep charting higher notes, but you'll quickly run out of possible buttons to chart. A strategy that I often employ in this case is to drop to a lower button and continue the scale as normal. For example, say you wanted to chart every full-step note from E octave 1 (E1) through E octave 2 (E2), which is eight notes; I would chart it as follows: E2| O| D1| B | C1| Y | B1| R | A1| B | G1| Y | F1| R | E1|G | However, you are free to decide what you wish to do. Even though a note may not have a tail after it, it will play for as long as you designated it, by either holding the strum bar, setting the snap size, or cutting it off with another note. _______________________________________________________________________________ 8.2.1 Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs Hammer-ons and pull-offs (HO/PO's) cannot be explicitly placed. Any singular notes on different frets, placed within the distance of a 1/8 triplet will automatically become hammer-ons/pull-offs. While recording lead or bass, notes can be placed in rapid succession by hammering-on or pulling-off. These won't necessarily become HO/PO's; however, they will create a slightly deminished sound, as if they were real HO/PO's. _______________________________________________________________________________ 8.2.2 Lead+Rhythm Trick As stated earlier, the lead cannot play chords and the rhythm cannot play single notes. There is, however, a little trick to get are around that problem. The goal is the make the rhythm track the one that will be played by lead during gameplay. The singular, lead notes should be charted to the lead track as normal. Chords should be charted to the rhythm track as normal. Where you wish to play the lead's single notes during gameplay, place a single note on the rhythm track while holding the back/select button to mute the chord that would normally play. It is also beneficial to have the lead volume turned up higher to assist in drowning out the rhythm's sound. When you play your song, it should sound just like you were playing both tracks with the exception that the lead track will play regardless of how well you are playing the notes. =============================================================================== 9 Glitches =============================================================================== This section will outline some known glitches in GHMix and how to potentially avoid them. Disappearing notes: Sometimes when you chart new notes, some previously charted notes can disappear. To prevent this use the delete option from the control panel to remove notes. Never simply overwrite notes. Note is charted, but doesn't play during GHMix playback: If a note doesn't play while in GHMix, use the delete command to remove it then replace the note. Note is charted, but doesn't play during gameplay: If this occurs on the same note(s) everytime, go back into GHMix, use the delete command to remove the offending note(s), and replace them will new ones. This is a fickle glitch that doesn't seem to have any real bearing. It just somethings happens, often on charts that use many instruments and have a lot of notes. All or some of the notes are displayed as a different note: Sometimes the game will display an incorrect note label. The only way I've been able to correct this glitch is to quit out, without saving and return to the song. This glitch is very common, and seems to be unavoidable with the keyboard. Any note higher than B octave 3 will may be displayed as B octave 3/4. Drum percussion track doesn't play: This seems to happen spontaneously, but is easily corrected. Change your drum kit to a different one, then change it back to the one you want. =============================================================================== 10 FAQ =============================================================================== What limits are there for songs? 3 minutes time limit. 1200 notes per instrument track. Chords count as only 1 note. Can I use a regular controller in GHMix? No, you have to either use a guitar or drum controller. I recommend a guitar. How do I play chords on lead? You can't directly play chords on lead, but there is a trick around it. This trick is outlined in: 8.2.2 Lead+Rhythm Trick. How do I make hammer-on and pull-offs? You cannot assign hammer-on and pull-offs explicitly. Any adjacent, singular 1/8 triplets, 1/16 notes, 1/16 triplets, 1/32 notes, and precise notes that are on different frets will automatically become hammer-on and pull-offs. How do I add star power? You can�t put in star power. The 10/28 update automatically puts in star power. Can I use more than 5 or 6 notes? Yes, you can change your scale and note-button assignments at anytime, and it will not affect any notes that you�ve previously laid down. Can I add whammy or bending effects? No. Can I make a song faster than 180 BPM? Yes, you can use a bpm slower than what you intend to use, and use shorter notes. For example, if you wanted to make a song 200 BPM, then set it to 100 BPM and make every note half of their original value. i.e. 1/4 notes become 1/8, 1/8 become 1/16, etc. How do I unlock the additional lead and rhythm effects? From the main menu, go to Options>>Cheats>>Enter New Cheat. Enter the code: G R Y B R Y B G When I try to play my song, it doesn�t give me the option to play lead, rhythm, bass, keyboard. How do I fix this? Select the song you wish to play and choose "Publish Song". In the publish menu you can assign a track to be played by the lead and bass guitarists. Where can I find song tabs? The first site that I use is 911tabs.com. This site lists tabs for guitar, bass, and drums. =============================================================================== 11 Legal Information =============================================================================== copyright(2008), David W. Willoughby This document is the original work of David W. Willoughby. It may be distributed, in part or as a whole, freely as long as the original author's name and contact information are not removed. The contents of this document may not be sold without the author's consent. =============================================================================== 12 Contact =============================================================================== If you have any questions, comments, or corrections concerning the contents of this guide, you can e-mail me at: [email protected] =============================================================================== 13 Credits =============================================================================== I'd like to thank the following individuals and institutions for helping to make this guide/FAQ possible: Activision & Neversoft for creating an enjoyable tool for creating music. 911tabs.com for providing a wide variety of guitar, bass, and drum tabs. Ultimate-guitar.com for providing a wide variety of guitar, bass, and drum tabs. Howard Wright for creating a useful guide to reading and interpreting tabs. GameFAQs board users for asking questions that helped to expand this guide. Crimson Wallace for reviewing this guide.