How to play Rocksmith without a Real Tone cable (2022) – Killer Guitar Rigs
do you need a real tone cable to play rocksmith?
The guitar hero has undoubtedly inspired many people to learn the guitar, but unfortunately, the popular video game won’t make anyone a better player. however, there is another video game that could help you improve your guitar skills, and that game is rocksmith.
playing rocksmith can be a lot of fun for players of all skill levels, but the technology and user experience could definitely be better. In this killerguitarrigs review, we’ll look at the controversial real tone cables that are required to play rocksmith, and look at alternatives we can use to play without real tone. cables.
what are true tone cables?
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real tone cables are cables that are “required” to play the ubisoft rocksmith 2014 game. for those who haven’t played rocksmith 2014, simply use the real tone cable to connect your guitar electric or acoustic to xbox, playstation or even pc to play. Electric guitars can be plugged directly into the device, while acoustic guitars will require a pickup to plug into the game.
Real tone cables are fairly simple and not much different from a regular guitar cable. while a normal guitar cable has a standard ¼ inch plug for both output and input, a true tone cable has a standard ¼ inch plug on one side and a usb cable on the other .
why should i play rocksmith without a real tone cable?
as mentioned above, a true tone cable is a fairly simple device that is just a ¼” to usb cable that serves as a connector between rocksmith and your guitar. Unfortunately, true tone cables can be quite problematic and are notorious for their latency, connectivity, and build quality issues, not to mention high prices.
high price
One of the main problems with real tone cable is its price. real tone cables cost around $30 or more and are too expensive for how simple they are. it is possible to get a better quality cable at a lower price.
latency issues
latency is a delay between your input and the playback of that note through the system. this is a problem that can arise every time you connect your guitar to a digital device, and we know from our own experience that it can be an extremely frustrating experience when what you play and what you hear don’t match.
Latency is a common issue many rocksmith users face when using a real tone cable. this can happen to all users, but if you’re very sensitive to slight latency when playing rocksmith, it’s probably a good idea to buy an alternative cable.
connectivity problems
when we tried rocksmith with a real tone cable, sometimes the usb slot on the computer didn’t recognize the device at all. It was a frustrating experience, but since the computer only recognized the cable in certain usb slots, we quickly realized that the problem was with the cable and not the computer.
We didn’t face this issue when using xbox, but the real tone cable seemed to have some difficulty connecting to mac and pc. So if you plan on using Rocksmith on your Mac or PC, we recommend looking for a more reliable guitar to USB cable.
poor build quality
Real tone cables are known to break easily and often break within 6 months, heavy users need to replace theirs more often .
Keeping in mind that there are better options available that will last longer, having to spend $30 every two months on a real tone cable isn’t ideal.
For these reasons, it’s much better to buy a guitar to usb cable from a different company with better quality at an even cheaper price.
ways to play rocksmith without a real tone cable
using another guitar to usb cable
The easiest way to play Rocksmith without a real tone cable is to connect another guitar to a USB cable. the true tone cable is marketed as a single cable that is irreplaceable, but there are some viable aftermarket solutions.
yespure usb guitar cable
If you’re looking for a cheap and reliable guitar to usb cable, the yespure usb guitar cable is a great option, and typically retails for under $15.
The most obvious downside of this option is that it’s not plug and play, but luckily all you need to do to get it up and running is download “nocablelauncher” (to use this cable with rocksmith). works well with a mac or pc, and will be a great replacement for your actual tone cable.
roland rcc-10-us14 black series
if you want a high quality guitar to usb cable that will last you a long time, the roland rcc-10-us14 is the black series is a fantastic option. it is one of the best options on the market and works well with rocksmith. it’s a bit more expensive than a real shade, but it won’t need frequent replacement.
behringer2 guitar usb cable
the behringer guitar2usb cable is another excellent high quality cable to connect your guitar to rocksmith. it’s not as well made as the roland, but we still found it to be superior to the real thing and cost less.
audio interface
using an audio interface to play rocksmith is another great way to replace your actual tone cable. furthermore, an audio interface has the advantage of being able to be used for its primary purpose, which is also recording.
To use an audio interface to play rocksmith, you will need to switch the game to microphone mode on your computer.
note that this method will only work for pc or mac, and getting an audio interface will cost you a minimum of around $100. the most popular options for cheap audio interfaces are the usb audio interface focusrite scarlett 2i2 3rd gen and the ik multimedia irig hd 2.
3rd generation focusrite scarlett 2i2 usb audio interface
ik multimedia irig hd 2
acoustic guitar with microphone
another easy way to play without a real tone cable is to simply use an acoustic guitar and use the mic mode in rocksmith.
This method will only work if you are an acoustic guitarist and don’t need to play electric guitar. the microphone mode in rocksmith allows you to use an external microphone to play rocksmith, and this is a great way for acoustic guitarists to practice without an actual tone cable.
For this method, we recommend that you get a usb microphone like the blue yeti usb microphone, or the shure mv5.
blue yeti usb microphone
shure mv5
playing offline
Finally, probably the simplest method of all, is to simply play offline. when you use offline mode, the game will not be able to detect your game or match it to the screen. instead, you’re just following the screen and playing along with your guitar.
If you’re someone who just wants to use rocksmith as a way to practice guitar instead of playing it as a kit, offline mode is an easy way to practice using rocksmith without an actual tone cable. For a full gaming experience, this method is not recommended.
final thoughts on true tone cables and their alternatives
Real tone cables are often overpriced and their latency, connectivity issues, and poor build quality tend to cause more frustration than you’re likely to want to deal with. buying a usb cable alternative guitar online is the easiest way to replace a real tone cable and find a reliable and durable solution, but using an audio interface, playing acoustically with microphone mode or playing in offline mode are other easy ways to play without the need for a real tone cable.
