Virtual Music lets anyone experience the thrill of playing a musical instrument. The player must simply provide the basic rhythm of the music; the Virtual Music software takes care of the harmony and melody parts.
Virtual Music software also detects how well a player produces rhythms. Thus, to succeed during a Virtual Music game,
he or she must consistently perform at a high skill level. Because of the complexity of the musical parts featured in a game, this test of rhythmic accuracy can be very challenging.
At the same time, the player who plays accurately is rewarded with the cheers of spectators, the compliments of fellow musicians and the presentation of increasingly challenging opportunities to demonstrate his or her skill. The process is fun, goal-oriented and consistently interactive.
The first Virtual Music product is an interactive CD-ROM game entitled Quest For Fame-Featuring Aerosmith. This rock n' roll adventure game includes eight hit songs, eleven interactive scenes and Aerosmith--one of America's greatest rock bands. The game comes bundled with a V-Pick game controller--and can also be played with the Virtual Guitar.
THE RHYTHYM EKG (REKG)
Rhythm EKG is a simple map that allows anyone to follow the basic beat of any piece of music. The correct beat is displayed by a series of "spikes" which point upwards. A red line representing time moves across these spikes, signaling the player to strum when the line and spike "line up". In real time, Virtual Music technology translates the signal into the right note if the timing is right or a flat note if the player is off. The REKG allows someone who has never played an instrument to easily understand the essential rhythm patterns. It also gives the player immediate feedback on his/her performance, allowing them to adjust and learn the correct way to play along and advance in the game.
VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS
The VPick
The VPick is a game controller for Virtual Music games that provides you
with a realistic feeling of playing electric guitar. The VPick looks like
a space age guitar pick which plugs into the parallel port of a PC or the
serial port of a Mac. Simply strum the Vpick against any object (belt or
tennis racquet) and Virtual Music technology translates the signal into
wailing guitar sounds.
Features:- 2-inch long, ergonomically designed oversized guitar pick; fits comfortably in hand.
- Inertial switching technology translates movement into guitar sounds.
- The Vpick game controller is bundled with all Virtual Music guitar games for the PC, Mac and Playstation.
- The VStix drum controller
The VStix virtual drum game controller is designed as a radically new kind of pressure-sensitive mouse pad. It connects directly to the back of a multimedia PC via a parallel port and allows you to play virtual drums using either your hands or real drum sticks. Hit the VStix pad anywhere and Virtual Music will generate all the the sounds of a full drum kit.
Features:- Can be used as a mouse pad as well, this peripheral won't clutter your desktop!
- Pad designed for accurate game play regardless of musical skill.
- It will be available for all Virtual Music drum games in 1997.
- The Virtual Guitar
Designed to look, feel and sound like an electric guitar, the Virtual
Guitar lets non-musicians experience the fun and thrill of playing rock guitar.
The player simply plays and strums the guitar's strings with a regular guitar
pick, and the Virtual Music software fills in the right notes and chords.
Features:- 95% of the size of a typical electric guitar
- Six stringed harp closely resembles the six strings of an electric guitar. A single standard guitar string is laced among a series of stops to form the traditional six-string configuration.
- Specialized pickup measures intensity of string vibrations
- Onboard controllers for volume, distortion, feedback and cursor movement
- User-replaceable standard parts
