If you have spent a greater part of your life envious of those who can play instruments like it's a second language, it’s your turn to pick up a guitar and jam out to your heart's content. But how, you don’t have any experience or perhaps you have forgotten everything you have learnt. Well, Ubisoft’s new music-learning subscription service, Rocksmith+ has come to your aid. Be it acoustic, electric or bass, the platform will help you learn your favourite songs through a form of gameplay.
With over 5,000 songs from Alicia Keys, The Clash and Santana at the launch, Ubisoft boasts that Rocksmith+ will have the largest catalogue of official songs ever offered in a music learning service with millions of more tracks on its way. Developed by a team of musicians, educators and game developers, Rocksmith uses a 360-degree, interactive approach with unlimited access to learning.
So how does it work? Kind of like Guitar Hero, but with a real guitar! You will need to connect your electric, acoustic or bass guitar to your computer. This can be done in a couple of ways, either download the Rocksmith Plus Connect app on an iOS or Android device and use your phone’s built-in microphone to detect your playing. Or, you can use Ubisoft’s Rocksmith Real Tone Cable to directly connect your instrument. This latter option enables you to add effects to your playing.
It is possible to use a third-party audio interface, but it's not an entirely reliable method and the company won’t offer you technical support in that case. There seems to be no word about the previously announced PlayStation and Xbox versions of Rocksmith+, but the mobile release is set to arrive soon.
If you have played a previous Rocksmith release or participated in the closed beta, you will be offered loyalty pricing. If you subscribe for three months upfront, you will receive one month free. If you are sure of your talent and are ready to go all in, you can also prepay for a whole year of service to get an additional three months free. The subscription fee is $15, $40 and $100 for one, three and twelve months respectively. Last but not the least, Ubisoft is holding a contest from now until the launch, with the chance to win a signature Gibson or Epiphone guitar. To sign up you can head over to their website.