Music Made Mobile for the Masses

First Timers:

• The You Rock Guitar is a great learning tool for anybody that wants to play because:

• No stringing required offers a smoother learning curve while maintaining the feel of frets & strings all the way up & down the neck.

• No tuning – Chords don’t sound ‘off’ because of the constant retuning requirements of strings.  The two features combined allow you to pick it up and play right away – no wasted time setting up or adjusting.  It’s truly plug & play.

• Ease of Use – Between the strings and the You-Rock Mode that auto-corrects common finger-positioning mistakes, early practice is a lot more rewarding as users sound good from the get-go.

• Versatility – It can emulate almost any instrument, providing the user with a wider choice of songs to play. The Chord-progression modes help the player growth and expand his/her musical horizons at their own pace.

Composers/Musicians:

The You Rock Guitar is a great compliment to any guitar player because:

It is small, lightweight, and portable – perfect for travel/on the road playing

Versatility of multiple sounds/instruments in one – don’t have to carry multiple instruments with me to write/compose different sounds on different instruments.

Plugs into headphones or amps so I can use it anywhere (plains, trains, automobiles)

Long battery life (~8 hours) – compose from LAX to Heathrow airports.

Fun; all the different effects, sounds, recourses of the instrument push the boundaries of creativity.

Video Gamers

The You Rock Guitar is the first instrument to truly bridge the worlds of gaming and real music, enabling you to use an actual instrument right from your game.

In 2009, those benefits are limited only by the games themselves.  While the instrument (combined with the Game Flex Module) works out of the box with existing games, there is no additional/incremental functionality to the experience other than hitting strings instead of buttons.

But as game developers/publishers takes advantage of a new peripheral that begins where today’s accessories end, there’s no limit to what kinds of innovation will be possible through the You Rock Guitar.  Here are some obvious examples:

Games will be able to offer modes that increase in degree of difficulty by more closely associating in game notes to real notes played in any song.

Speed, rhythm, number of notes, complexity of notes, chords, and songs, will enable a continuous transition from simple/easy beginners, to ‘playing along-side the real music’ as the actual performers would see fit.

Both developers’ and gamers’ creativity will drive game development and a natural evolution between 100% game (role play) and 100% performance (music play).

The game’s appeal will broaden, as more people of all ages & skills will relate to the experience.

Teachers/Educators

The You Rock Guitar makes teachers’ roles easier:

• The properties of the guitar inherently make it easier for students to immediately see results – the satisfaction comes quicker and hurdles are overcome more easily.

• Measure progress – when connected to a computer, the instrument can keep track of every note and chord that you play, and will provide you with ‘reports’ on what/how you did, what errors/mistakes were ‘corrected’, along with behavioral trends.

• Custom learning – The instructor can utilize the SDK to create customized learning plans that meet the specific needs of their students and that assist in measuring and analyzing their progress.

• Fun will drive more players into the market for real instruments; driving demand from more students and the desire for more lessons – translating into increased revenues.

About the Founders

Cliff Elion, President and Kevin Kent, CEO have known each for almost 3 decades. Meeting at Linn Electronics in the early 1980’s– both brought on to launch the Linn 9000. Cliff was in the engineering department and Kevin Director of Sales and Marketing. Even during the trying time of launching the ill-fated the Linn 9000, the two shared a common love of music and technology and they both shared a similar quirky sense of humor. One from the south of California, one from the South of Africa. They left Linn to launch K-Muse with a patented guitar pick-up technology. That product came to be the Photon guitar, used by luminaries such as John Mcglaughlin, Bunny Brunel, Larry Coryell, Brian Bromberg, Carlos Alomar, etc.  They later sold the company off to Gibson Guitar Corporation.

Getting back together after almost 20 years to complete the development and launch the You Rock Guitar. Taking the original G-Stik concept and creating one of the world’s most versatile musical instruments they are very pleased with the progress of the You Rock Guitar. “There has never been an instrument that touches so many consumer electronic customers.” states Kent.

XBox is here to stay! At least for a while…

Microsoft: No new Xbox coming next year
by Ina Fried

No matter what people thought they heard Steve Ballmer say in Chicago,
Microsoft is not planning to introduce a successor to the Xbox 360 next
year.

In a blog posting on Thursday night, Microsoft said that the Xbox 360 is
"not even halfway" through its current lifecycle and will be here long into
the next decade. The company is planning to introduce a new
gesture-recognizing controller, code-named Project Natal, and that is
expected next year, although Microsoft says it isn't talking timing with
regards to Natal.

"As the Xbox team stated at E3 two weeks ago, we are not even halfway
through the current console generation lifecycle and believe Xbox 360 will
be the entertainment center in the home for long into the next decade,"
Microsoft's Major Nelson said in a blog post. "Project Natal will be an
important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at
this time."

Of course, that is what has opened the door to all the speculation. In his
posting, CNET colleague David Carnoy notes that Microsoft says it isn't
planning an all-new Xbox 360 either.

That doesn't completely shut the door on new hardware for 2010. Although
Microsoft has said it plans to offer Natal as an add-on to the Xbox 360, it
seems reasonable that the company might well come out with some new bundle
or set-up to accompany Natal's arrival as it looks to convert all of those
Wii owners.

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times,
changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley.
These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.

CNET
Beyond Binary
June 18, 2009 8:52 PM PDT

Games continue to appeal to a broader audience

Videogames attract more players
Two-thirds of Americans play; 42% own a game console
By Susanne Ault — Video Business, 6/2/2009

JUNE 2 | PHYSICAL: The Entertainment Software Assn. reports that 68% of U.S.
households enjoy computer or video games, representing a 3% uptick over
2008.

Adult gamers have been playing for 12 years on average, marking a decrease
from 2008. That indicates to ESA that more people are picking up game
controllers for the first time.

Releasing the study during the annual E3 Expo game conference, which it
produes, ESA touted the category¹s ability to attract new players.

³This is the new golden age of entertainment software. Our products are now
being enjoyed by over two-thirds of Americans,² said Michael D. Gallagher,
CEO of the ESA. ³As the findings of the 2009 Essential Facts illustrate,
more and more Americans across all demographics are now embracing the
interactive entertainment experience that computer and video games provide.²

In other findings in ESA¹s Essential Facts study, 42% of Americans own a
game console. The average player is 35 years old, and 43% of players are
female.

Almost half of all games sold are rated ŒE¹ for Everyone by the
Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

Gaming is increasingly a family activity, adds ESA. More than 60% of parents
with children under 18 believe gaming is a positive part of their kids¹
lives. These parents are present when kids purchase/rent games 92% of the
time. Also, these parents say they monitor their children¹s play 91% of the
time.

©2009 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights
reserved.

E3 is this week – You Rock Guitar

Inspired Instruments introduces the world’s first all digital guitar that is a musical instrument a video game controller and a hi-speed USB/MIDI controller.

Los Angeles – June 2009 – Inspired Instruments, Inc. announced the introduction of its hybrid guitar the ‘You Rock Guitar’ designed specifically for those who want to migrate from video games like Rock Band and Guitar hero to playing real guitar music. The You Rock Guitar’s patented technology bridges the gap between rhythm based video games and real music.

According to Kevin Kent, CEO of Inspired Instruments “The transition between video games and real music performance has been elusive and real holy grail for the millions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band players who want to step out of the game box and onto a real stage.  Playability must be immediate.  Never having to tune the guitar is essential.  The feature set must include incredible sounds and game-like fun in the jamming. The integration of multiple levels of technology makes the You Rock Guitar the most advanced game and music controller in history – all at an incredible value. This is guitar 2.0”

Precision Musical Instrument – Guitar Mode

The Your Rock Guitar is the perfect complement to any guitar-player’s collection, adding fun, convenience, versatility, and range.  It never requires stringing and never goes out of tune, perfect for the first time player.  It connects to your existing amplifier for jamming sessions, or headphones for quiet time. Its USB interface connects to MP3 players & cell phones, so you can record & playback on an iPod or phone.  The same connectivity makes the perfect companion for computer programs like Garage Band on Mac or Cakewalk on Windows™. So it’s a great learning tool for those just getting started, or casual players looking to improve. The guitar’s connectivity makes it an incredible platform.

For gamers and first time guitar players, the “You Rock Mode” auto-corrects finger positioning mistakes and digitally filters out wrong notes, making you sound like a real rocker from beat one. It encourages a player to practice and learn the guitar while playing.   It takes you from a simple A-chord jam and then migrates you through the chord progressions that changed the world of rock and roll.  These chord progressions are the building blocks for creating music and being able to jamming with your friends.  The USB/MIDI controls are fast enough for professional studio song writing, sequencing, and professional composition.  The built-in sampled guitar sounds are 16 bit and include acoustics and electrics, over ten thousand dollars worth of great guitars. They will keep you rocking all day and night no matter what your mood is; Stratocasters, clean and electric same for Les Paul’s, acoustics, 12 strings, even a 12 string Rickenbacker, some great rock and punk guitars, even power chords and mutes.

“What’s amazing about the You Rock Guitar is that it grows with you.  I’m no musician, but have always wanted to play.  This product is so much fun, it seamlessly improves my playing skills.  That’s why we say; Have fun, Music will happen!”  says, JR deSouza, Inspired’s VP of Marketing & Business Development.

Video Game Controller – Game Mode

The YOU ROCK GUITAR’S GAMEFLEX™ plug-in cartridges allow a single guitar to connect to any of the video game consoles; Nintendo Wii, Xbox360, or Sony’s PlayStation, making it compatible with ROCK BAND™ and GUITAR HERO™ games, and helping protect your investment against obsolescence as new games & consoles come to market.  The You Rock Guitar picks up where today’s products reach their limits.  It eliminates the barriers that exist between the video game & music worlds.  And as game developers & publisher take advantage of this new platform they’ll be able to develop games that exploit musical gaming with no boundaries.

Cliff Elion, President of Inspired Instruments states “Gaming requires something beyond a MIDI guitar, in fact, you cannot play any of the popular console music games with a MIDI guitar, that’s why we invented the multi-touch fret board technology. The future of music gaming can now be in your hands.”

Market Availability

The product will be available online and at retail stores across the country in the fall of 2009.

YOU ROCK GUITAR – Pre-production proto-types will shown at booth 407 at the E3 show, June 2-4^th, 2009.

About Inspired Instruments

Inspired Instruments is dedicated to providing customers with innovation at every opportunity, real music for real gamers. You Rock Guitar is the registered trademark of Inspired Instruments, Inc.