GHX Instructions

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Last rev: 12/11/07

********** Requirements
GHX is a program, designed to work with Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems only. GHX is a music program, so the computer you use must have a working sound and speaker set.

GHX is controlled by one or two Guitar Hero controllers. Currently, the GHX requires a Guitar Hero controller made for the XBox360. "X-plorer" controllers are usually for XBox, but here are three important parts of this controller.

1) The controller has a big green "XBox jewel" button,

2) the controller has a directional pad next to the jewel button, and

3) The cord ends in a USB connector.

If your controller doesn't have all three of these things, it probably won't work right with GHX.

********** Basic theory
GHX is an arpeggiator at heart. That means it's designed to play a sequence of notes, not just one. GHX plays chords (groups of notes that sound good when played together), but it plays the notes in sequence, not all at the same time. So you don't strum or pick the strum bar to make individual notes. Instead, you use the strum bar to both start a sequence of notes, and to keep the beat. You will find yourself using the strum bar almost like a bass drum, pressing it on the first beat of every measure.

To use the GHX properly, you should be familiar with the basic 12-note scale (A,B,C,D,E,F,G, and sharps and flats). You should also be familiar with the difference between major and minor chords (the only two types of chords GHX can play).

********** Basic operation
The controller has 5 colored buttons and a strum bar. To make a sound, press (and hold) a combination of the buttons, and press the strum bar up or down. Notes will ONLY start playing while the colored buttons are held down, but individual notes will not be cut off by releasing the colored buttons.

Of the 5 colored buttons, the middle three (red, yellow, and blue) define the musical chord that will be played. The first (green) button will make the chord a MINOR chord. The last (orange) button sharps the chord (raises it by 1/2 step).

Here's a chart of the three chord buttons and what they do when held down:

A red
B yellow
C blue
D red + yellow
E yellow + blue
F red + blue
G red + yellow + blue (all three)

SO, to play an A MAJOR chord, hold down the red button and strum once.

To play a G#m chord, hold all 5 buttons.

********** Volume
The proper controller will have a 4-way D-pad at the base. Below that are two smaller buttons, sometimes labeled "start" and "back". For the GHX, these buttons adjust the volume of the instrument up and down.

Also, the "Whammy bar" of the controller can be used to fade out of a song. While continuing to play, you can press the bar all the way down, and the volume will slowly decline. Use the start/back buttons to adjust it back up.

********** Samples
The proper controller will have a 4-way D-pad at the base. Up and down on this d-pad operates the same switches as the strum, but left and right on this d-pad changes the GHX into a settings mode.

While holding the guitar normally, press and HOLD right on the d-pad to switch to SET PATCH mode. Some text saying "SET PATCH" should appear on the screen. When you release the d-pad, the SET PATCH mode turns off again.

Now, while holding right on the d-pad, the 5 colored buttons do completely different things.

Green and red move the selection through the list of audio samples that appear on the screen. Yellow plays a single A note of the selected sample, so you can listen to the samples and pick one you like.

These samples are all .WAV files, stored on disk, in the 'DAT' subdirectory of the GHX installation directory. You are free to modify, delete, replace, and add to this selection of sounds in .WAV format. The GHX program (each time it starts up) will read and use every .WAV file in the 'DAT' subdirectory.

********** Patterns
Hold right on the d-pad to engage SET PATCH mode. While it is held, you can adjust the "pattern set" the GHX uses. Press the blue and orange buttons to move through the pattern list. Many of these pattern sets contain more than one pattern, in which case one of those patterns is chosen at random every time you press the strum bar. The patterns can be of different lengths.

Like the .WAV files for the Samples, patterns are kept in the 'DAT' subdirectory, as individual .PAT files. These files can be edited with NOTEPAD or any other simple text editor (don't use Microsoft Word; it adds extra codes into the files that GHX won't like). You can create your own .PAT files, and if you place them in the 'DAT' subdirectory, and start GHX, it will read all the .PAT files and display them for use.

********** Tempo
GHX is, at heart, an arpeggiator. That means it's designed to play a sequence of notes, not just one. But how does it play the notes at the right speed? Here's the answer.

The tempo of GHX is on the screen, and can be adjusted. The proper controller will have a 4-way D-pad at the base. Up and down on this d-pad operates the same switches as the strum, but left and right on this d-pad changes the GHX into a settings mode.

While holding the guitar normally, press and hold LEFT on the d-pad to switch to SET TEMPO mode. Some text saying "SET TEMPO" should appear on the screen. When you release the d-pad, the SET TEMPO mode turns off again.

Now, while holding left on the d-pad, the 5 colored buttons do completely different things.

You can tap the green button in time to the music. If you do this 10-15 times, GHX will adjust its tempo to match the tempo you tap out. You can watch it adjusting on the screen while you tap.

If you need to adjust the tempo just a bit, the red and yellow buttons will adjust it up and down. Using these three buttons will let you syncronize the GHX with the band or recording you're playing along with.

********** Up-strum Pattern
Hold left on the d-pad to engage SET TEMPO mode. While it is held, you can adjust an alternate "pattern set", which is used only on an UP STRUM. Press the blue and orange buttons to move through the pattern list. The up-strum pattern selection is shown by purple colored text.

********** Keyboard commands
GHX has very few keyboard commands. First, ESC shuts down the program.

< and > will adjust the fine tuning on the primary controller.
Z and X will adjust the fine tuning of the second controller.

********** The "Star Power" switch
In the Guitar Hero game, you can raise your controller vertical to engage the "Star Power" mode. The GHX uses this functionality in a fairly silly way. If you hold a chord, raise your controller vertical (point it straight up), and strum, then the notes will play quickly and crazily. Give it a try!

It's possible to engage the Star Power switch by holding the controller flat on your lap, or by giving it a shake. So if you don't want your GHX to go crazy, don't do these things.

********** Multi-user
GHX can support TWO guitar hero controllers at once! Just plug in two controllers (your computer will need two open USB ports), and both will work. The tempo setting will be common to both users, but either user can adjust the tempo.

********** Screen modes
When you first start GHX, it will show you two buttons; "Fullscreen Experience" and "Desktop Tool".

Fullscreen Experience is a full-screen mode, with a few pretty effects. More importantly, it's the proper mode for two-user mode, since it has enough screen space to show the pattern and sample lists for both users.

Desktop Tool is a smaller, windowed mode, designed to fit well on your desktop, next to your recording program and a webpage with some music on it. It only shows the information for one controller, although both controllers will still work.

While you should be able to attach and remove the controllers' USB connectors with impunity, while GHX is running, it's still recommended that you plug in the controllers and let Windows connect to them properly BEFORE you start GHX.

********** Legal Stuff
The GHX concept and software are owned by Thom Robertson, and he reserves every legal right to it. He owns no rights to Guitar Hero or its controller.

You have permission to create new sound samples for GHX and share them with others, providing you don't use anyone's proprietary sound samples without permission.

You also have permission to create new pattern set files for GHX and share them with others.

Thom Robertson assumes no rights or responsibilities for sounds and patterns you make for GHX, and makes no guarantee that they will work with GHX.