14 DAY TRIAL // As it happens, Mad Catz has been working on a certain peripheral for about half a year, and it seems that the company is now ready to ship it, which means that the usability of MIDI keyboards and drum sets will extend to playing Rock Band 3 in time for Christmas.
As some end-users may or may not remember, the Mad Catz MIDI Pro adapter is a peripheral that was revealed back in June, 2010.
Essentially, it is made to work as an interface between a console (Sony's PS3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo's Wii) and whatever MIDI instrument one might own.
The connection is accomplished via the USB (universal serial bus) interface and can reduce cross-talk during gameplay by means of velocity sensitive adjustment for MIDI drums.
It is mostly meant to let owners of most any MIDI keyboards and drum sets play Rock Band 3 and even the upcoming Rock Band 3 Squier guitar / controller.
“The Rock Band 3 MIDI PRO-Adapter bridges the gap between music rhythm games and performing on real guitars, keyboards and drums,” commented Darren Richardson, president and chief executive officer of Mad Catz.
“Aspiring musicians can learn to play an instrument and veterans can enjoy Rock Band 3 with actual MIDI musical instruments,” Richardson added.
“When used with the Squier Guitar and Controller, MIDI keyboard or drum set, we are confident that the MIDI PRO-Adapter will prove a hit with Rock Band fans of all skill levels,” he went on to saying.
Among the hardware details that end-users may be interested in are full-featured action buttons and D-Pad for in-game navigation, plus a clip for attaching to a waistband, an instrument or use on tabletop.
Finally, the MIDI Pro adapter is built with an overdrive activation button, a MIDI indicator LED and a fixed USB cable with a length of 3 meters.
The product has already been added to Amazon but has not yet started shipping. When it does, it will have a price of $39.99.