Rock Band 3 allows for 1–7 players, either locally or through online game services, to use various instrument controllers to accurately simulate the playing of music. In addition to supporting the four Basic instrument controllers from previous
Rock Band games (
lead guitar,
bass guitar,
drums and
vocals),
Rock Band 3 adds support for two additional microphones for singers to provide backup vocal
harmonies (previously found in
The Beatles: Rock Band and
Green Day: Rock Band), an
electric keyboard as a new instrument (or any MIDI-compatible keyboard), plus support for a specially made 102-button MIDI bass, and an actual Squier guitar by Fender. Support for MIDI compatible electronic drum kits as well. Prior to a song, each band member selects from one of four difficulty levels, Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert, which influence the number and rate that notes appear on the note track; they also can select the Pro mode for real guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. As the band performs, they score points. Each player can build up a multiplier by hitting consecutive notes correctly, which increases how many points each note is worth, but the multiplier is set back to 1× if a note is missed. After successfully completing a song, the performance of each player and the band as a whole is rated on a 5-star scale. The best performance by a player for each song in the player's library is tracked separately based on instrument, Basic or Pro mode, and difficulty, then is used to provide and compare leaderboard statistics at the end of the song.
Song library and game modes Players have better tools to sort through songs to help manage a song library that was expected to be larger than 2,000 songs after the game's release by the end of 2010. Players are able to rate songs from 1 to 5 "lighters" and use this as a sorting metric. Players are also able to create, save, name, and design art for custom set lists which they can share through the game's online services or through the
Rock Band website. The official
Rock Band website was updated to reflect these new features, as well as allowing players to track their own bands or friends' bands. The game features a more in-depth career mode; players are able to design more detailed characters, which appear nearly at all points alongside the narrative, making the game "one story of your band", according to Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale. The career mode includes over 700 career goals, similar to Xbox 360 Achievements or PlayStation 3 Trophies, which helps to drive players to progress in the game. The playing modes are wrapped in an "overshell", which allow players to sign in or out of game console profiles, manage players in the band, and jump in or out of the game with any available instrument at any point, including while playing a song. One aspect to connecting the player to their band was to constantly show the characters throughout all parts of the game screens, such as on the main menus, during song selection and loading screens, and during practice mode.
Pro mode 's "
In the Meantime".
Rock Band 3 is the first game in the
Rock Band series (or any previous rhythm game) to include "Pro" mode, which can be used simultaneously in conjunction with "Basic" mode (which has been standard in every game in the series). Pro mode is based on the individual player's instrument – so those playing real instruments can play alongside or with those playing Basic controllers – locally, or online. Pro mode requires the player to learn the actual instrument in some capacity and play the songs note-for-note. The trainer mode uses music specially created by Harmonix artists with the intent to help players become comfortable with their instruments over a series of lessons. Or, the player can skip the trainers and go straight to figuring out a song from the Music Library. (According to Harmonix's Dan Sussman, there were about 60 to 80 songs specifically made for the trainer section, and they were only available for that mode; but Harmonix placed some of the full songs onto the
Rock Band Network at a later date.) Players are able to slow down a song in Practice Mode as well. Practice Mode also allows choosing a song from the player's Music Library for the purpose of selecting specific sections of a song to focus on, such as a guitar solo, or bridge section. The selected sections can then be made to loop in order to help refine the player's handling of a particular part of a song which they might be having trouble handling note-for-note. There is also a free-form play for pro drums where a drummer can play whatever they wish and utilize effects to change the sound of the drum set.
Guitar and bass (Existing "5 button" guitar controllers from previous
Rock Band and other compatible games (such as
Guitar Hero) can still be used interchangeably with real Pro instruments for non-Pro parts in
Rock Band 3, but not vice versa.) Both the Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar MIDI 102-button/string controller and the Fender Squier Stratocaster 6-string guitar and MIDI controller have "fret sensing" ability, in order to display fingering on specific frets to the video display for instant feedback on where the player's fingers are on the fret board at any time. Mad Catz based the Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar MIDI 102-button controller on the actual
Fender Mustang guitar, for the game software's Pro mode, as a way for 5-button players to have an intermediary step up to a real guitar using a combination of buttons and strings. Instead of five colored buttons, the Mustang has 6 buttons across 17 different frets, for a total of 102 buttons; the player needs to strike the corresponding buttons on the right frets similar to guitar strings. In addition to Pro mode use, the Mustang can be used to play the game in Basic mode, and it functions as a full MIDI guitar, with a MIDI output connector providing compatibility with MIDI software sequencers and hardware devices. For use in gaming mode, each Mustang controller can only be used with the game console it is designed for (except unofficially if you connect through a MIDI-Pro Adapter, then any console's Mustang can be used with any console for Pro mode game play, although direction pad buttons, overdrive detection and Basic 5-button game play will be disabled). The Mustang Pro-Guitar is only a few inches smaller in length than the actual Mustang guitar, and being made of plastic, is much lighter to hold than an actual guitar. The neck is removable from the body for easier storage and transport.
Fender made an even further step up by turning an actual full-sized, 6-string Squier Stratocaster guitar into a Rock Band 3 Pro mode real guitar game controller. This is a true six-string electric guitar, with electronics built in to allow it to interface with the game to provide added features such as on-screen fret sensing. The Squier Stratocaster Guitar And Controller therefore has full MIDI output capabilities outside of the game in addition to being an actual standard guitar. A demonstration of the Fender Squier Stratocaster Guitar And Controller at its
Electronic Entertainment Expo debut showed it being played directly through an electric amplifier alongside other players on the other controllers while playing the game. Unlike the Mustang controller which uses fret buttons, the Squier being an actual guitar, uses real guitar strings, therefore it cannot be used in Basic button mode. However, it can be played in the game (locally or online) alongside other players using 5-button Basic controllers. The Mustang Pro-Guitar controller was not available until a month after game launch. The Squier Stratocaster Guitar And Controller was not available at the game's launch either – it was finally released in March 2011 due to manufacturing delays in order to perfect the fretboard-sensing feature while keeping cost down as much as possible. In that time some players discovered that though unofficial, a third controller option was readily available from Inspired Instruments called the
You Rock Guitar. The You Rock was a
guitar synth much like the Mustang Pro-Guitar. In looks, and in function for the game, will play similar to the Mustang controller. It has six short nylon strings for strumming and picking on the body, like the Mustang, albeit with a rubber mesh in place of buttons along the fretboard. While the Mustang only has a MIDI jack, The You Rock has an additional standard 1/4"-inch audio jack, which can also be used to simulate a real guitar playing synthesized sounds from a standard 1/4" jack. This guitar also has a standard MIDI interface. Using firmware update 1.2 the You Rock is capable of sending the correct signals to the Mad Catz Midi Pro-Adapter in the same way as the Fender Squier Stratocaster. The You Rock guitar can be put into Rock Band Pro mode by simultaneously pressing the "Game" and "Guitar" buttons. The LED will display "rb".
Pro mode gameplay During Pro mode play for guitar and bass, single notes are represented by a number, representing the fret on the guitar, over a single string. Chords are represented by solid bars that mimic waveforms. The base position for the player's hand on the fretboard is given by a number on a specific string. The shape of the bar over the other strings provide relative fret positions for the player's hand on the controller. The instrument controllers provide feedback to the player by sensing the player's current fingering, which is then shown as a waveform drawn at the base of the note track, in the same style as the chord representation, allowing the player to match their waveform to the chord's shape. Pro Guitar also includes
open chords,
arpeggios where the player holds a chord and plucks specific strings for it, and
left-hand muting of notes. The game adjusts which frets are used depending on which Pro model guitar is used, because the Mustang, being only a couple of inches smaller than a real guitar, has fewer frets than the Squier real guitar. Some leeway is given on Pro Guitar such as by missing a chord by one offset string. A special MIDI adapter, also made by MadCatz and sold separately, allows players with existing MIDI-compatible keyboards, or drums to use them within the game; the unit will not work for most existing MIDI guitars due to the additional data that Harmonix registers over the MIDI data. In April 2010, Harmonix and game controller manufacturer
Mad Catz entered a multi-year deal to allow Mad Catz to produce and sell its controllers alongside the
Rock Band games. In addition to the standalone game and controllers, Harmonix and MadCatz released a
Rock Band 3 bundle package which includes the Basic/Pro RB3 keyboard controller and the game. Licensing prevented this bundle from being sold to PlayStation 3 users in the United States, but Harmonix worked with vendors to offer a "soft bundle" of the standalone game and keyboard at the same cost as the bundle, and to honor existing pre-orders for the bundle. Three more bundles were made available in November 2011. Each bundle came with the game itself, a voucher for complementary downloadable song content, and choice of Mustang Pro-Guitar, Rock Band 3 Stratocaster Basic, or Rock Band 3 Fender Precision Wireless Bass (Basic) controller.
Premium Basic Guitar and Bass controllers Existing "5 button" Basic guitar controllers from previous
Rock Band games and other compatible games (such as
Guitar Hero) can still be used interchangeably with real Pro instruments for non-Pro parts in
Rock Band 3 (but not vice versa). However, in addition to Pro mode guitar controllers, Harmonix added new dimensions of realism to their Basic guitar controller lineup. Premium and Limited Edition replica versions of Basic 5-button guitar controllers were released for the game by Mad Catz which resemble actual guitars in size, appearance and performance while remaining true to Basic 5-button game play. For example, the (Basic)
Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Precision Bass Controller features, as the actual guitar it is modeled after – a thumb rest. The strum bar is now a double-strum bar, for emulating realistic two-fingered bass playing. The double strum bar can also be used interchangeably as a standard strum bar during game play, to suit the player's preferred playing style. Since real bass guitars do not have whammy bars, there is no whammy bar, but as in the real guitar, a knob dial can be used to manipulate in-game whammy notes. It is compatible with the 'Electro-Harmonix Overdrive Pedal' for controlling whammy effects with the player's foot. The controller is available in various colors to choose from such as seafoam green, candy apple red, and white. The
Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Telecaster ''Player's Edition'' replica guitar controller features quieter more responsive buttons to replicate the feel of frets plus allow easier sliding chords, an upgraded strum bar, and touch activated overdrive directly above the strum bar. The whammy bar is adjustable and made by Bigsby out of solid metal. It is available in colors such as wood-grain butterscotch and light blue. The
Rock Band 3 Wireless Stratocaster Guitar Controller replica was released in November 2011 and is an upgrade to the original version. It also features quieter buttons and smoother action, to further replicate the feel of frets, allow sliding chords, and an improved strum bar. The
Rock Band Wooden Stratocaster Replica was released at the time of the game's release and is basically, a full-size actual wooden guitar body with all of the tuning keys, bridge, metal parts and fittings of the actual guitar left intact; but instead of strings, it has Basic 5-button premium buttons built into the neck. Since there are only 5 buttons and no strings, this one is for Basic game play only. The difference from the other Basic premium controllers is that it is the actual size and weight of a real guitar. It was made available in sunburst and candy apple red colors.
Drums Existing drum kits from
Rock Band,
Guitar Hero, and other games, including the ION electronic drum kits, can be used for Basic mode play in
Rock Band 3. For Pro drums, a three cymbal-pad set is added to the core drum kit; notes on screen are marked as a rounded note instead of rectangular to indicate a cymbal hit instead of a drum hit. MadCatz and other manufacturers already produced a cymbal add-ons for
Rock Band 2 drum kits, but introduced a new version with the release of
Rock Band 3. or placed on a horizontal surface. Players need to strike notes and chords, marked to specific keys on the display, to score points. In Basic mode, five white keys, from the middle C to G, each correspond to colored notes on screen, and are played in a similar manner to existing guitar and bass parts; these keys can also be used to play guitar and bass parts on the keyboard. Overdrive is activated by pressing a special button on the controller. A touch-pad in the handle of the unit functions as a
pitch wheel, providing for a
whammy bar-type effect on sustained notes. Arrow indicators are displayed to indicate when the displayed area is about to shift left or right, giving the player time to compensate.
Pitch correction technology developed by
iZotope has been integrated into the game, allowing vocalists to add effects to their vocal performances within the game.
Nintendo DS version or Lego Rock Band'' for the DS, and requires the player to manage playing four tracks at various times to prevent any single performance meter from dropping to zero. The
Nintendo DS version of
Rock Band 3 follows the gameplay format of
Rock Band Unplugged for the
PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo DS version of
Lego Rock Band. There are no special instrument attachments; instead, gameplay is designed around matching notes using the face buttons on the DS. Each of the 25 songs, a subset of the songs available on the
Rock Band 3 disc for other consoles, are presented as a set of four tracks, one for each instrument, with the player able to move between them. To perform well, the player must move between tracks using the shoulder buttons and succeed to match a phrase of notes using the face buttons of the controller in order to boost the band's performance meter; in normal game modes, this will cause the track to play automatically by itself for a brief period allowing the player to focus on the other tracks. The player can fail a song if they cannot match notes correctly, or by ignoring a single track for too long. The DS version includes a single-player career mode and both cooperative and competitive play modes. Additional features that were present in
Unplugged also are included in
Rock Band 3 for the DS, but have been renamed to match changes in the game's console modes. For example, the "Band Survival" mode from
Unplugged, requiring the player to keep all the instruments going without any respite after successfully completing a track section, is called "Pro Mode" in
Rock Band 3 for the DS. ==Development==