Daikano

It is a custom PC I built myself. asrock p67 extreme4 mainboard (http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/P67%20Extreme4/, overclocked to 4GHz with 8GB of dual channel DDR3 memory. I'm using the integrated sound card, output to a Samsung Dolby 5.1 surround sound amplifier. HDD is a 1TB 10,000RPM Velociraptor with about 600GB free. Video card is a Gigiabyte (NVidia) GTX 770 and I'm running Geforce Experience with the most current driver update.

I think the lag that I experience may be just a function of the games audio engine. I have in fact managed to get many songs to virtually 0 delay but certain auto tones (like the lead tone in Losing my Religion) produces latency up to probably 300-400ms. I'm running an i5 quad core overlocked to 4GHz. I've calibrated til I was blue in the face, and the drivers for my sound card are up to date. The issue I'm working on though, is digital noise coming from the PC when I use a Y splitter to connect my guitar to both the computer and my amp. Rocksmith doesn't even have to be playing for this noise to occur. I've consulted several forums and believe the issue is partially related to a ground loop. I purchased a Hum-X (http://www.ebtechaudio.com/humxdes.html) but it was DOA and din't provide any power. The music store did not have a 2nd one for me to try this solution again. As I am typing this message, I have my amp turned on and all cables connected, and I can actually hear the digital ticking of me typing coming out of my amp. When I move my mouse I hear a ~800Hz (guessing) digital squeal. I even went to the store today and bought a Boss noise suppressor (gate) which works perfectly for just the guitar, but as soon as I plug in the rocksmith cable, the noise comes right through, even if the gate is on mute (tuning) mode. This suggests that it is indeed a ground loop. I'm just not sure if the Hum-X (if I find another one locally) will solve the problem if I just connect it to my amp. I don't feel comfortable connecting it to my computer.

I have been playing rocksmith without my guitar connected to the game lately because the audio processing lag has been inhibiting my performance. I connect to rocksmith long enough to 'tune' for the game, then unplug and connect to my pedal rack & amp. The down-side of this is that dynamic difficulty automatically down-grades sections so notes stop appearing, and of course every song is a 0% score. Expecting to feel clever, I bought a simple Y connector for my guitar, which allows me to plug my guitar into my amp, as well as my PC. Unfortunately, the design of such a signal splitter also allows the signal to come from my computer to my amp in the form of digital noise. I've tried putting the splitter both before or after my compressor/gate pedal but this was no help. As soon as the gate opens, the noise comes in with the guitar. I have considered buying an A/B and A+B footswitch that costs $70 but I suspect I will find the same result. For those of you who have successfully configured a 'no lag' setup, could you please tell me how you eliminate the digital noise that comes out of the rocksmith cable? Would an A+B switch put a filter between the two channels? Thanks in advance.

The most common problem with cheaper guitars is poor intonation and action. A more rare problem, but one to be wary of is incorrect fret placement. The action is easily judged with the eye and fingers. If you can see that the action is way too high, you should know that the notes will be sharp as you progress from the nut to the bridge because you're actually bending the strings in order to reach the frets. If you can see that the action is 1/2" too high but the 15th fret is perfectly in tune, walk away. :) Here are some tips on how to analyze the setup and quality of a guitar: Tune it to the nut, then press on each fret (on each string) and determine if the notes go sharp or flat. Could you adjust the action and truss rod a little bit (if the cheap guitar has one) to correct it? When I'm considering buying a guitar, whether it be cheap or expensive, I sit down at an amp that has a built in tuner and get it precisely in tune from the nut. Then, I'll bar the 12th fret and see how the tuner shows its accuracy. Check the 5th and 7th frets as well. If it passes the above fret test, the intonation test comes next, in the form of harmonic tuning. Natural Harmonic (NH) tones are the same at E5 & A7, A5 & D7, D5 & G7, G12 & (not NH) B8, and B5 & e7. I typically don't use the tuner for the latter test because you can tell by ear if they are the same. The tuner can help you confirm the notes aren't both sharp or flat, but that is rare because of the math involved in natural harmonics. This test takes string action out of the mix except for the G12. If the tones differ, or are consistently sharp or flat, BUT the fret tuning test passed, you'll probably want to put it down and walk away because this would mean that the frets are not measured correctly between the bridge and the nut. Let me clarify that last statement: If you put a tuner on a guitar and measure accurate notes at the nut, 5th, 7th, and 12th frets, but a NH tuning test finds the notes are off, then the measure between the bridge and the nut is not accurate. If the harmonics are perfect but and the frets are too, then it is likely a setup issue. Movement of the bridge saddle (used to adjust intonation) toward or away from the nut will cause the harmonics to quickly go sharp/flat (respectively) but the fretted notes will change more slowly. Using the above method, you may find that you've just picked up an $100 guitar that has amazing playing potential, or a $1000 used guitar that is never going to make you happy.

Here's what I play. The Ibanez JS20s for E-Standard, Squire mini (for alternate tunings), and Luna Andromeda bass. http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b5ac/8s8rm7mqmchsbtgfg.jpg