
Hello Rocksmith fans!
The year isn’t over yet and it seems like @UbisoftStudioSF have a surprise for us!
We've got a surprise to share today. Watch this space. 🙂
— Rocksmith+ (@rocksmithplus) December 13, 2016
It wasn’t a pony…
It’s a new patch!
What was added/changed in the December 13 patch?
We added a few new features (including one big one!) and improved a few others based on user feedback. The latest patch includes:

Microphone Mode
If you don’t have an electric guitar or simply want to use an acoustic to play Rocksmith, now you can! Use a USB microphone as your input device, point it at your acoustic guitar or bass, and enjoy strumming and picking in Rocksmith without a Real Tone Cable. (We still recommend using the Real Tone Cable for best results and the most direct/cleanest signal input for any guitars with pickups.)

It's basically YouTube video mode. pic.twitter.com/STKVku8YuI
— Cisc0 (@PikminGuts92) December 13, 2016
Disconnected Mode
Want to just play along without plugging in? You got it. You no longer have to have a Real Tone Cable plugged in to play along with Rocksmith – note detection is deactivated, and you can just read the notes on the screen for more casual practice sessions.
Endless Replay Mode in Guitarcade
Guitarcade fans asked for less downtime between games — request granted! Instead of kicking you back to the menu after each round, you can now immediately restart your next run.
We’ve also tweaked a few other key elements, thanks to the feedback we’ve received from players:
- You can now edit your Song Lists from the Learn a Song menu as well as the Nonstop Play menu
- Rocksmith can now hear your guitar better during Calibration
- Added ability to choose Other Arrangements in Score Attack
- Added the ability to replay the “Welcome to Rocksmith” introductory lesson
Does Microphone Mode work the same as if I were using a Real Tone Cable?
Yes – all your songs are available, dynamic difficulty adjusts to your skill level, Emulated Bass mode is available to you – it’s the Rocksmith experience you know and hopefully love. The only audible difference: Your guitar signal will not be processed through Rocksmith 2014’s Authentic Tones when you’re in Microphone Mode. You won’t hear stompbox effects, but you will be scored normally when playing songs.
Will any acoustic guitar work with Microphone Mode?
Any normal six-string should – we tested this mode with a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles of acoustic guitars. Specialty acoustics like 12-strings or baritone instruments still aren’t recommended, but a standard six-string acoustic should be fine.
What kind of microphone do I need?
Any dedicated USB microphone that your machine recognizes should work fine. (We do not recommend using a microphone that is part of another device, like a webcam or chat headset.) Not all USB microphones are supported by all gaming platforms. If in doubt, please contact the microphone’s manufacturer.
Any tips for best results with Microphone Mode?
You bet:
- Be sure you have a working, dedicated USB microphone plugged into your computer or console. Sounds simple, but it’s worth checking.
- Recalibrate any time your set up or environmental conditions change. Notes above the 15th fret may not be accessible on some acoustic guitars.
- Minimize background noise as much as you can. If the background noise is too loud, Rocksmith won’t be able to distinguish your guitar from everything else.
- Different microphones have different ranges of sensitivity, so you’ll need to make sure you’re close enough for it to hear you. If you’re having trouble with note detection, trying adjusting the angle and distance of the microphone itself.
- Be sure the microphone is pointing the right direction. Some microphones are designed to pick up sound from any direction while others can only pick up sound from one particular direction.
Acoustic guitar + USB microphone = #Rocksmith acoustic! Free patch adds this feature today! Check the @Ubisoft Blog: https://t.co/b86WtgNPaj
— Rocksmith+ (@rocksmithplus) December 13, 2016

Wow, we didn’t see that coming at all! Are you excited about these changes to Rocksmith Remastered? Let us know!

Is there a way to just completely disable this update at least the microphone part? It messed up my audio big time. Have a gaming headset and occasionally chat with friends while playing or want them to listen in for feedback on performance through services like Discord etc. Wasn’t a problem in the past didn’t need my mic set up for audio exclusivity, but now Rocksmith FORCES me to have my gaming headset set up for audio exclusivity for it to pick up the sound on the Realtone cable which makes no sense whatsoever to me and doing so means that it wont work in chat services since Rocksmith takes exclusive control. I’ve tried all the settings for turning off microphones in the options but no matter what i cannot use my headset on Discord (etc) and Rocksmith at the same time. Other than that good update.
I always wanted disconnected mode!!
I’m still missing better support for left handed guitarist, but I guess we are such a small minority it’s not worth the time to fix it.
What’s the issue you are having with lefty mode? I’ve used it since day 1 and haven’t noticed anything egregious.
Yay all the way around. Acoustic jam sounds fun. One nice thing would be no lag. I still get a tiny bit, enough to really bug me on certain songs.
I will probably get some use from the play along mode. Will have to give the mic mode a shot too. I know it isn’t recommended, but I had previously had luck with a soundhole pickup passed through an inline tuner to the real tone cable.
“You can now edit your Song Lists from the Learn a Song menu as well as the Nonstop Play menu”
Didn’t see that today. How to do this?
Will it work with any usb to jack cable in microphone mode?
On PC you’ll have luck with that
OMG, THANK YOU UBISOFT! You guys weren’t bullshitting about superior note detection and calibration with this update (previously a major problem for bass). I’ve been playing low tuned stuff today and so far down to Db is being recognized as well as E (I’m going to go down to C soon but I’ve already heard good things from others). Also recalibrating after switching between an active and a passive bass was a breeze (didn’t need to argue with the game and do it three times). This improvement alone is worth more to me than every other new added feature combined. I used to dread playing the low stuff but now that I can play it and concentrate on making each note sound good, instead of doing backflips to get the game to register the notes, the level of enjoyment and satisfaction that I get out of this game just went up dramatically. Maybe I can retire the bass I strung with transoceanic telegraph cables now, lol. Thank you Ubisoft for continuing to improve this awesome game and for making the patch available for older consoles as well. Well done. 🙂
Love the new calibration! I was able to clear a bunch of songs that I wasn’t able to before, even though I was sure I played it correctly!
Bram Breda je kunt kiezen: realtone cable of nieuwe gitaar!
Stop screwing with stuff. First I couldn’t hear my bass at all no matter what I tried. And now it won’t pick It up at all.
Has it switched to emulated bass?
I’m not sure because now it crashes during start up.
For anyone having troubles with the game not recognizing the Real Tone Cable on PC, just deactivate any other sound inputs
I know it’s minor, but I’d still like to see some new games in guitarcade. (or maybe include a few from the original Rocksmith)
Maybe add a few new lessons too.
I was shocked that the alt arrangements accessible in score attack when 2014 launched. I was blatantly offended when they weren’t accessible in Remasted. Now I am at peace.
What’s cool is that someone had the foresight to include them over on RS buddy anyway, lol.
Will Elison be showing an example video of this new mode with one of let’s say, the original songs on the main setlist?
Elison mentioned he might give “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” a shot