Synthesia (aka Piano Hero)

**insanefreddy926** · Joined: 22 Nov 2007 Posts: 21

Has anyone heard about this game, Synthesia?

You use a musical keyboard or your computer one to play the notes that scroll down the screen. It plays any midi file you can find. There's some screenshots on the site and the game looks crazy hard. There are so many notes flying down the screen and so many different buttons on a piano... But it still looks fun. There's also a learning pack which displays sheet music and teaches you how to play I guess. The game itself comes with 10 piano arrangements of some classic videogame music, which is pretty cool.

Apparently it used to be called Piano Hero but the creator received a cease and desist letter from Activision so he changed the name.

Check out this crazy video - Youtube-TTFAF on Piano Hero
It's completely impossible but it sounds so cool.

Here's a more serious one but it's still insanely hard - Youtube-Synthesia-Beethoven Virus

**Beedlebub** · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:17 am Post subject:

Just Downloaded it, It's installing as I write this. I'm a bit nervous, but excited.

EDIT:Damn it, my computer's too crap to play it. Oh well...

Looked Fun, too.
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**Imryel** · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:47 am Post subject:

That looks insane. How is it possible to process that much?
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**qays1991** · Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Posts: 434 Location: UK

I'm assuming this is easier for people who know how to play the piano

**insanefreddy926** · Joined: 22 Nov 2007 Posts: 21

Yeah you pretty much need to already know how to play piano to even be decent at it. I downloaded it and it runs really well for me. Just wish I had a midi to usb cable, it's no fun with the keyboard.

**Raikri999** · Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 1573

**insanefreddy926** · Joined: 22 Nov 2007 Posts: 21

**SamStone** · Joined: 24 Sep 2006 Posts: 46

I downloaded the program, bought a usb to midi cable for my laptop, and hooked it up to my piano.

It works perfectly. I threw a couple of MIDI files at it for songs I already know how to play on piano, and the notes were bang on.

The only drawback I can see is that it doesn't really have a beginner/intermediate/expert mode. I'd like it to let me learn a song gradually - on beginner filter out everything except a single-note melody for one hand. On intermediate add a single bass note per bar or something, and as you go up in levels, fill in more notes. All you can do now is play the song slower or have the game play one hand while you play the other (if your MIDI file is broken up that way). Some songs are a bear to learn even played slowly.

But overall, a cool product with a lot of room to grow. If you have a MIDI piano or keyboard, you really should give it a try. A USB to MIDI adapter is pretty cheap.

**makosira** · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:45 am Post subject:

Okay, I knew TTFAF was hard on this game, but, this is pretty freaking impossible too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQsnMF-61xc

**Kroikey** · Joined: 20 Nov 2007 Posts: 195 Location: UK, Sunderland

I have this software, I've been watching it closely for 6 months or so. The only problem with it is a lack of game modes and a decent learning curve. Commercialisation of this would be ideal at this point, so that a team of people could create decent midi's that learn you slowly.

At the moment all I'm doing is plugging in cool midi's and getting my hands used to moving x notes by feel. Other than that, its only as cool as the midi's you put in it. Infinitely expandable though. Kudos to the developer.
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**coolguy5678** · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:49 pm Post subject:

I have this... and it's stupidly hard. It doesn't help that my monitor is at right angles to my piano keyboard. I have some mids of songs I can play; maybe I should try those.
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**habitat** · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 30

This thing is really hard! I gave up playing it because it was just too frustrating to learn on. You either have to know the song or you play the piano blindfolded a lot because its so hard to relocated your hands if you screw up.

There is also a program called doremi mania that is the same thing. It's pretty hard to find, took me about 3 hours of googling.

**Mischlings** · Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:43 pm Post subject:

I need to figure out how to hook my keyboard up to my computer. I used to play piano, so this looks like it might be something to get me back into it. I tried using my computer keyboard, but it just doesn't make much sense to me like that.

I need to get the midi files for some songs I know how to play and see how hard this really is.