How to Get a Microphone Working on the PS3 Rock Band

Rock Band is a video game for the PS3 and other video game consoles that allows players to use a specialized microphone and sing along to the songs found on the game. If you are playing Rock Band for the first time, however, you may find that your Rock Band microphone isn't working when you start the game. The most common reason for this is that people are not aware that you cannot play Rock Band with the microphone alone. Here is how to get a microphone working on the PS3 Rock Band.

Begin by determining how many people will be playing Rock band. Depending on which PS3 you own and how many players there are, you may need to have a USB hub (see Resources below).

Plug a standard PS3 controller into the Player 1 port found on the front of the PS3. Then, plug the Rock Band microphone into the Player 2 port. If you are using the USB hub, plug the standard PS3 controller into the Player 1 port on the PS3. Then, plug the Rock Band microphone, guitar and drums into the USB Hub. The Hub can then be plugged into the Player 2 port on the PS3.

Put Rock Band into the PS3 and turn the console on. Pick up the PS3 controller, as you will need this controller to set up your Rock Band game and use the microphone.

Choose the Rock Band game mode once the game loads. You can choose a single player or multi-player tutorial or “Tour.” Selecting the game mode with the PS3 controller will activate the Rock Band microphone. When you are ready, select “Start” to begin the song. Then, pick up your Rock Band microphone and begin singing when instructed by the game.