u/Lofter1

(Thanks to the mods for allowing this post)

Over the years I tried a few different approaches to reading orders and tracking my progress in them. CMRO, reading order apps, extracting reading orders from websites using scripts and creating spreadsheets with them, but nothing really was all that great, with CMRO coming the closest to what I was looking for, but still not quite there and some features I desperately wanted were locked behind a paywall.

I've also found that sometimes longer/ongoing reading orders are created by someone, but they then abandon it and the reading order is not being updated for years (like the 616 spider-man reading order linked in the spider-man sub) and I was always looking for a way to apply an open source like mindset to reading orders so that they can be improved or continued by the community.

Well, I just did the first step towards that, too, depending on how well my OSS self hosted reading order app is being received. You can find the project here https://github.com/Lofter1/ComicHero

Right now some technical knowledge and docker are required to run the app, and there currently is no way to share reading orders properly, but all that is already planned.

For now I want to wait and see how big interest in the app is. If interest is high enough, I will look into adding logins and user management so that I can host a version of the app somewhere and people don't need to install or self host it (I just don't want to end up paying the hosting costs just for only me to use the app. but I have no plans of discontinuing the ability to self host). If this is the route I'm going to take, I will also add some mechanism allowing for the open source principles to be applied and allowing people to improve or continue a reading order of someone else in some way, shape or form.

This is mostly directed to the newbies like me (or anyone who has been to scared to do it themselves until now) and is meant as: you should do it yourself!

Mostly the advice I've seen when it comes to "I have a problem with my guitar, it does XYZ" is "get it set up by someone who knows what they are doing" but you know what? F that advice.

I know it seems intimidating at first, and yes, a professional will probably do a better job than you, but you know what else is true? Certain stuff you need to do on the regular yourself. And sometimes you will pay for someone to do the bare minimum. And adjusting some things on your guitar is literally a matter of minutes instead of the hours or even days that your guitar might sit in a shop.

You can't really break anything as long as you follow a simple rule. In Germany we say "Nach fest kommt ab" meaning after tight comes broken. If it feels like you need too much force, don't overdo it.

I had my guitar professionally set up a couple of years ago, just picked it up again after a long time but I found that some things still weren't perfect or my neck moved in the meantime or whatever. But I didn't really want to pay the 30-40 bucks again and drive to the next big city with a shop and I just got a video recommendation on how to actually do the setup myself. So when I noticed some fret buzz on some strings? I busted out an allen wrench (your guitar probably already came with one) and a screw driver kit and started adjusting. Wasn't actually as intimidating and was kind of fun. I started experimenting "what if I do this, what if I do that" and sure, some stuff might not be perfect but at least I now understand my guitar a bit more, I have barely any fret buzz anymore (and for the remaining fret buzz I think old strings are the culprit so this will be my next step: restringing my guitar for the first time myself) and I noticed some stuff that the shop actually didn't do or at least not properly. And if I find out I over adjusted something, something feels off or the guitar behaves strange? I can just bust out the tools and start adjusting again!

Just start by googling your problem and see what might cause it or have a quick watch of the video that lead me to set up my guitar myself which explains some general stuff: https://youtu.be/k8ZpTWPnJ20?is=IV4ruruuYXfSH_Bt

Edit: NVM, Slopsmith is actually working on tutorials and guitar lessons https://github.com/slopsmith/slopsmith-plugin-tutorials
So one of my caveats is solved. Lets hope I can get the note pick up to work once my interface has arrived

I first bought rocksmith 2014 back in 2019 or so for PS4 and played it a lot for some time, but then I started my first job and didn’t have much time for guitar anymore. When I picked it back up the sound was all bugged so I put it down again.

Then I got a TikTok on my FYP about slopsmith. AMAZING. An open source rocksmith alternative? That lead to me picking up my guitar again and doing a deep dive and OH BOY.

The last couple of days have been up and downs.

First I downloaded slopsmith, but the current desktop version is broken and doesn’t request microphone permissions on macOS. But quite quickly someone posted a workaround on here. AMAZING. Oh…no. It does pick up audio now but not while playing a song/when trying to tune the guitar. Oh well, not that bad, it doesn’t have lessons, anyway, I can just practice songs and while that is more than enough for an open source rocksmith clone…it’s not enough for me as a beginner.

Oh wait, there seems to be this new thing, rocksmith+, and it does even have an iPhone, iPad and PS5 version. No Mac version though but that’s fine, the PS5 version is enough and iPhone version for a quick 5-10 minute practice, don’t even need to pull out my amp. I don’t even need the real tone cable (don’t know if I even still have mine and if yes if it still works). It’s even free!

Oh, but the lessons are paywalled for the most part. Okay, understandable…60 BUCKS FOR A 3 MONTHS SUBSCRIPTION? That’s more than I paid for rocksmith 2014 back in the day!

Okay, apperantly the subscription also sometimes goes on sale for 60 bucks a year which is…acceptable, especially for the convenience RS+ introduced with the apps and microphone pic ups and even though the current library of songs is not great I still get full access to it, but I need to wait for a sale.

But okay, I read somewhere RS2014 works on Mac and I don’t need a RTC. Strange, steam doesn’t list it as Mac compatible. Let’s look it up. Oh, seems like it broke a few times but now works again. Great, let me check for a cheap audio interface, this way I can play RS2014, RS+ and slopsmith in far better quality. RS+ even supports audio interfaces natively now, even on iPhone and iPad!

No, stop, not every audio interface is supported? I need to look up whether it can support 16bit 48khz? And all the cheap ones mostly don’t? Okay, I found a cheap second hand one of the listed compatible devices. Yes, found one, only 40 bucks. More than I wanted to pay, but that’s an 80 buck, popular audio interface I can use for far more than just RS.

But wait, the RS+ Tuner app that can pick up audio for RS+ on my ps5 doesn’t support using audio interfaces, only the actual RS+ app. Sigh. Fine I guess. But at least RS2014 on Mac works and I can just put that up on my TV instead of the PS5 version then. Is cheaper anyway thanks to CDLC, plus I get the mini games I loved when I played rocksmith back in the day that RS+ doesn’t seem to have anymore.

…oh wait, they actually Re-Re-Released RS2014 and the current version is actually not compatible with Mac. God damn it, why is it all called the same but just „play and learn“ as a suffix now??? Obviously I didn’t find accurate information online until now! This shitbis confusing as hell! Maybe I can find a key seller who still sells the old mac compatible version…HOW MUCH? Nope. Maybe I can find a Mac version of the old RS2014 on the high seas? Nope. Okay…the only windows pc I still own is my work laptop. But I do have a steam deck, so…okay it’s the most complicated game to set up on steam deck. But hey, if it’s on sale again on steam for 3 bucks eventually, why not, even though it’s missing almost all songs apperantly? Oh well, CDLC it is. In the meantime, I still have my old PS4 RS2014. And I just remembered something.

Didn’t that version have a microphone mode? I know I can’t use the interface, but my PS5 has a built in microphone in the controller! And I even have some DLC that are not available anymore on there.

Nope, microphone does not pick up sound. Well, I already paid more than I wanted to, maybe I can wring out some more money for a new RTC…HOW MUCH ARE THEY NOW???? But there have to be clones of them by now?! Oh yeah they actually are. 40 bucks for the cheapest one still???? 100 for the expensive one???

I just want to be able to learn to play my guitar in a gamified way? Why can’t I just have that? I know that, technically, there are still options for me, but the last 3 days have been so frustrating. Every time I thought I found the perfect solution something turned up that punched me right in the gut and told me „you really think this would be easy you idiot?“. God damn, I‘d even be willing to pay for the lessons and practices on RS+, because slopsmith might never fill that role, but not god damn 20 bucks a month! Hell, 60 bucks one time purchase for all lessons and practices, but no songs? Sign me the fuck up. But no, that’s not an option!