Bill Pendry wanted to use his PlayStation 3 Rock Band controllers with GarageBand on the Mac, so he’s posted step-by-step instructions to do just that. The secret formula: a wonderful utility that helps you use HID-compatible game controllers on the Mac, sans drivers.

GamePad Companion (US$15 shareware)

Of course, the nice thing here is that the basic steps apply to other controllers, just in case Rock Band doesn’t float your boat (or rock your socks, or whatever).

I ended up choosing kick, snare, two toms and one cymbal, since the other cymbal I wanted was in a inactive area of the keyboard. I re-mapped the keys in GPC, switched back to GB and gave it a try. Success! Samples were triggered correctly, the fast key repeat rate didn’t cause any problems, and latency was basically nil.

The results:

And step by step instructions:
GarageRockBand [billpendry.com blog]

More good news: Bill has updated the post with information on Xbox 360 controller possibilities. Generic Xbox controllers work just find via the Wireless Gaming Receiver. No word yet on the Rock Band controllers, though, and I think they do a little more than the standard controllers. Anyone got an Xbox 360 and a Mac who can tell us if it works?

Previously:
Game Day: Use Rock Band Drums as MIDI Controller - Windows, Yes, Mac, Soon? (and I guess we got our answer!)

Look out, PCs: you’re getting the audio engine from the Xbox 360. That’s the message from Microsoft, which abandoned the old DirectSound APIs in Windows Vista. They’ve got a new audio system called XAudio2 ready and waiting, however, and it looks good — though it also begs the question, why didn’t Microsoft ship it with Windows Vista out of the gate? (Instead, Microsoft actually suggested users turn to the OpenAL open audio architecture, and now appears to be getting XAudio2 ready for Vista SP1.)

Geek alert: the rest of this post may be interesting only to developers…

XAudio2 does look more ambitious than many other audio architectures in that it includes programmable DSP effects baked right in, plus some nice mixing and spatialization features. This stuff is largely aimed at gaming, but it could yield some interesting music applications, as well:

• Multi-channel and surround-sound support with full per-channel volume and mapping control.
• Programmable, cross-platform DSP effects framework.
• Per-voice filtering, arbitrary submixing, and multi-rate processing.
• Multicore optimized, non-blocking API design.
• Pluggable and generalized 3D spatialization support, with a full-featured implementation provided by the independent X3DAudio math library.

“Cross-platform”, though, in Microsoft fashion, should actually mean Xbox 360 + Windows Vista.

For more:

Microsoft Announces DirectX 10.1 Preview, Betas New Audio Tech [ExtremeTech]

Meanwhile, the state of true cross-platform engines is not so fantastic. OpenAL, a multi-platform, open source 3D audio library, comes closest and appears actively updated, though your mileage will vary depending on platform. DSP and many other features have to be provided on your own. Sun, meanwhile, has left the Java platform a mess; the dusty, rusty Java Media Frameworks hasn’t gotten an update since 2003, the open source Java efforts are stumbling on multimedia support because so much of what’s required is proprietary, and no one seems to know what’s happening next.

Are game music themes becoming the new equivalent of the old jazz standards? Maybe, as game covers are going from novelty to meme. Matrix of Matrixsynth sends along this YouTube find. Yes, you can get any timbre you want out of a guitar; nice violin effects, as well. (Now we only need a “Give the Children Some Tripods” fund.) And, in the bizarre world of YouTube, this is only one of many Halo theme song covers:

Say hi to this quartet over on MySpace. Sorry to Mac users who like me remember hearing this theme for the first time at Macworld Expo. How’d that all end, again? (Get your revenge by running Halo 2 under Vista in Boot Camp. Then play Myth.)

Aside from introducing me to the magic of arithmetic (I’ve been away from Sesame Street far too long), our eagle-eyed readers note that Kotaku has interviewed the violinist, Hanah Stuart. Or, anyway, there’s an extended crush-fest that you might call an interview:

That adorable, auburn-haired sprite with the exposed milky calves, hugging her violin? That’s Hanah Stuart… teenage girl, classical violinist, and the pixy who casually pranced upon a high school auditorium stage and rocked the Halo 2 theme song so hard that Steve Vai started spitting up bloody chunks of lung.

There’s nothing like a Gawker blog journalist in love. Now, before I have to re-take Kindergarten, I’m out for the holidays. See you soon.

In an effort to create the “YouTube of video games”, Microsoft announced yesterday that an offshoot of Microsoft’s XNA Framework will be available in August in beta form, with an official release this holiday season for an annual subscription fee of $99. Indie game developers, homebrew fanatics, and educational institutions will now be able to develop games concurrently for PC’s running Windows as well as for delivery and play via Xbox Live Arcade.

Here we are, a site that regularly follows unusual gaming - music crossovers, and I don’t think we could ever have imagined anything this odd: a video game in which you play as Frédéric Chopin (yes, the one you’re thinking of), fighting disease with magical powers in a dream world:

Chopin’s Dream Screens at Kotaku

Bungie, of course, is the developer and — ha, just kidding. No, this one is from Japan. (Pretend to be surprised.) Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume is the official name (trusty bell?!), and other than that, you can really only look at the images, awestruck.

I’m trying to think of something stranger, like a 3D badminton game with Beethoven or a first person shooter starring atonal music theorist Allen Forte, but it all rings hollow. The game itself looks like it could be interesting, though it’s hard to tell from the screen grabs. (Looks like a sort of anime-esque Myst-y exploration/adventure/puzzler?) Naturally, we’ll keep you posted.

Chopin, for his part, looks awfully cute.

W. Brent Latta is a professional game composer and sound designer; here he brings us his pro opinion of how Microsoft’s next-gen game box shapes up. Hey, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it, right? And as Tomonuba Itagaki, the creator of Ninja Gaiden, says, “Xbox 360 is the best. So we should wait with a great anticipation.” -PK

Much has already been written about Microsoft’s new console, the Xbox 360. We have a bevy of game reviews, accessories to buy, Live Arcade titles to play, and even future releases over which we drool. But not much has been written about the audio performance and capabilities of this first-of-the-next-generation contraptions. In this short review, I hope to give you a quick breakdown of the how the system has been working for me.

Here’s CDM’s resident game composer with the perfect opportunity for lovers of remixing and gaming. Why do I have a feeling that you’ll get disqualified if you mash Halo 2’s music with Animal Crossing or, for you long-time Mac/Bungie geeks out there, Marathon? (Maybe an odd quote from Myth . . . “Casualties.”) -PK

Tired of waiting for Halo 3, Gears of War, or Prey? Or is your music gear gathering dust since you setup that new Xbox 360? In either case, Sumthing Else Music Works (notable video game soundtrack record label), has a treat in store for you!

In conjunction with the recent release of the Halo 2: Volume Two soundtrack, a mash-up/remix contest has been launched. Once you register on the site, you can download stems from the original Halo 2 soundtrack, along with a Mashup Mixer application (if you so desire). You remix and mashup the stems to your heart’s content - using the provided Mashup Mixer or your preferred software tools - then upload the finished mixes for a chance to win some great prizes including Xbox 360 consoles, DJ equipment, and even a “high-end” Fender guitar signed by Nile Rodgers.

For those looking for some game-related fun, or those hoping to get a jumpstart in the game industry, this could be a fun and interesting way to get the ball rolling. Samples of the soundtrack are available on the site, and there are some great sounds in there, just waiting to be taken to the NEXT LEVEL by our CDM readership.

If you decide to submit an entry - or if your entry is chosen among the winners - let us know so we can showcase your work!

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets are getting use in music, and not just for tracking musicians’ growing credit card debt. First, Tom Whitwell at Music thing discovered an Excel spreadsheet for additive synthesis: drag sliders, and you get real-time Fourier synthesis with both a waveform view and spectrogram. This is more than just a novelty: watching the harmonic content of the wave shape while you listen to the sound is a good way to learn about (or teach) this synthesis method.

Also via Music thing, CDM’s friend Thomas Wilburn has built a a drum set in an Excel spreadsheet. That may sound utterly useless, but the creator has a great twist: audience members with wireless Xbox game pads can play the beats. It gets better: Thomas’ friend Andrew has now hacked the spreadsheet further to make it a full-fledged drum machine with a sequencer. (Thomas previously sent us details of his music making tutorial for ElectroPlankton, the Nintendo DS game; expect more on that as the game hits US shores next month.) Disclaimer: Neither the synth nor the drum pad seems to work on Mac. (Correct me if I’m wrong, Mac gurus.)

Excel doesn’t give you much reason to pitch your drum machines or synths, so is there anything really useful you can do with Excel? Here are some ideas:

Databases of music: The Amateur Chamber Music Players have a list of chamber music databases in Excel format, perfect for finding new music and rare chamber pieces.

Tracking your music library: A reader on the MacAddict forum has devised a method for converting an iTunes music library to HTML via Excel.

Analyzer/calculator for keyboard tunings: Do tunings and temperament make your head spin? Yeah, me, too: if you’re not in 12-tone equal temperament, tuning gets complicated fast. A clever doctoral project resulted in an Excel spreadsheet that does the calculations and analysis for you.

Given the range there, this seems like only the beginning for Microsoft’s humble spreadsheet software, especially since there’s a copy of Pocket Excel included with Windows Mobile PDAs and phones. More ideas, anyone?

Xbox 360 is here — and with it has brought major hype, major shortages, and armed robbery of new systems. We’re going to assume that must mean it’s a big deal. Resident gaming expert W. Brent Latta looks at what the Xbox 360 might mean for digital music with a roundup of past coverage. But in short: game systems are a major new platform for music. And that could mean new ways of listening (for better or worse), and greater acceptance of high-definition, surround-sound digital media. Take it away, Brent . . . -PK

CDM’s resident game composer Brent is back, this time with a soundtrack review of some of the hottest games out. Oh, yeah, and he’s also officialy making me want an Xbox. -PK

Game developers and publishers continue to give focus to the power of audio in today’s games. Whether PC, Mac or console, audio plays an increasing role in creating an immersive environment for gamers. While some players lament that audio is still lacking in many titles, my experience has proven that you don’t have to look far to find soundtracks of ‘Hollywood-class’.

Two recent titles which have received much attention from the gaming and gaming music press are Advent Rising and Jade Empire. Both titles have an official soundtrack release available, and both truly raise the bar for music in AAA game titles.