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To use a guitar controller in Fortnite Festival, select Festival Main Stage, enable Always Display Pro Parts if Pro Lead or Pro Bass is missing, then run Stage Tech → Tune-up to measure audio/video offset and input latency. Pro parts use five colored fret lanes plus strumming: hold the matching fret and press Strum at the note’s timing.
Epic’s documented keyboard defaults are 1–5 for Green through Orange, Right Shift or Enter for Strum, Page Down for Overdrive, and Right Ctrl for Whammy. The officially compatible hardware listed in the compatibility guide includes the PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller and two Rock Band 4 Fender models, with important platform and adapter restrictions.
How Pro Lead and Pro Bass work
Pro Lead and Pro Bass are Fortnite Festival’s guitar-focused parts. They are available on current and future Jam Tracks that support Pro parts. A guitar controller is not required: Epic also supports keyboard and mouse keybinds, controller-to-keyboard remapping, and accessibility devices on console and PC.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsEach note uses one of five fret colors—Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, or Orange—and a Strum input. To play a standard note, hold the fret that matches the note’s color and press Strum at the correct time. Holding the fret without strumming does not complete the note, and strumming without the matching fret will miss it.
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Pro parts replace the Lift Notes used in other Festival parts with Hammer-On and Pull-Off (HOPO) notes. During a combo, a HOPO can be played by pressing the matching note-color keybind without pressing Strum. If you break the combo or the chart requires a regular note, use the normal fret-plus-Strum method.
Guitar controllers can also select non-Pro Festival parts, including vocals or drums. The available parts depend on the Jam Track and the instrument selection shown in the lobby.
Turn on Pro Lead and Pro Bass
Supported guitar controllers should expose Pro Lead and Pro Bass automatically. If those parts are absent from the instrument list, enable the setting below.
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- From the lobby, select Festival Main Stage.
- Open the profile menu, then choose Settings.
- Select the Game tab.
- Choose Festival.
- Turn on Always Display Pro Parts.
- Select Apply, return to the Main Stage, and check the instrument list again.
This option makes Pro parts visible even when the game does not detect a guitar controller as the active device. It does not create a Pro chart for a Jam Track that does not contain one; the track must support Pro Lead or Pro Bass.
Default keyboard and controller mappings
Epic added keyboard-and-mouse keybind support for Pro Lead and Pro Bass in the v30.00 update on May 23, 2024. These are the documented keyboard defaults:
| Function | Default input | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Green fret | 1 | Hold for Green notes |
| Red fret | 2 | Hold for Red notes |
| Yellow fret | 3 | Hold for Yellow notes |
| Blue fret | 4 | Hold for Blue notes |
| Orange fret | 5 | Hold for Orange notes |
| Strum | Right Shift or Enter | Press at the note timing while holding the matching fret |
| Overdrive | Page Down | Activates Overdrive when the meter is available |
| Whammy | Right Ctrl | Uses Whammy on eligible sustained notes |
On a standard game controller, the default layout uses shoulder buttons for strumming and triggers for Overdrive and Whammy. Epic notes that controls vary by device and can be customized in-game. If a guitar’s buttons are arranged differently, open the control settings and assign each fret, Strum, Overdrive, and Whammy action to a comfortable input before playing a song.
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Choosing a practical keyboard layout
The default number row keeps the five fret inputs next to one another, which is useful for alternating notes. You can remap them if your keyboard, one-handed device, or accessibility setup makes those keys difficult to reach. Keep the fret order consistent with the on-screen colors so that a chart’s left-to-right pattern remains predictable.
For HOPO notes, press only the mapped fret key when the note reaches the hit window. For ordinary notes, press the fret and Strum together. If you remap Strum to a mouse button or another key, verify the assignment in a short song before attempting a difficult chart.
Calibrate audio, video, and input latency
Fortnite Festival does not publish one universal millisecond value that works for every television, headset, console, controller, and room. The correct setting depends on the complete setup you are using. Calibrate with the same display, audio output, and controller that you will use while playing.
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- Enter Festival Main Stage.
- Speak to the Stage Tech on the right side of the stage.
- Select Tune-up.
- Run the Audio/Video Offset test. This aligns the sound and visual timing you perceive with the chart.
- Run the Input Latency test. This measures the delay between pressing a control and the game receiving it.
- Save the results, then play a familiar Jam Track to verify the feel.
- If hits consistently register early or late, return to Tune-up and choose Optimize Manually for fine adjustment.
How to judge the result
- If notes appear to pass the strike line before the sound reaches you, the audio side is late relative to the video you see; adjust using the in-game test rather than copying a number from another setup.
- If the sound and animation feel synchronized but button presses register late, rerun Input Latency and check the controller connection.
- If timing changes when you switch from television speakers to a headset, calibrate again for that output device.
- After changing display mode, audio hardware, console, PC, or controller, repeat both tests because the old values may no longer describe the new signal path.
Officially compatible guitar controllers and platform caveats
The compatibility guide lists three guitar controllers as officially compatible with Fortnite Festival. The exact platform SKU matters, especially when using a guitar on PC.
| Controller | Connection and layout | Platform notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller | Wireless guitar with fret buttons and a Strum control | The PlayStation version discussed in the compatibility guide does not work on PC. Confirm the platform version before buying. |
| Rock Band 4 Rivals Wireless Fender Jaguar Guitar | Wireless guitar with fret buttons and a Strum control | An Xbox version can work on PC with the required Xbox wireless adapter. PlayStation guitar versions do not work on PC. |
| Rock Band 4 Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar | Wireless guitar with fret buttons and a Strum control | An Xbox version can work on PC with the required Xbox wireless adapter. PlayStation guitar versions do not work on PC. |
The guide does not establish current prices or stock, so availability should be checked for the exact model and region. It also does not establish native support for every legacy Guitar Hero or Rock Band guitar. Epic said it was continuing to improve Pro Lead and Pro Bass and investigating ways to expand the compatible-controller list.
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PC adapter checks
- Match the guitar’s console version to the platform you intend to use.
- For the Xbox versions of the listed Rock Band 4 guitars, obtain the required Xbox wireless adapter for PC operation.
- Do not assume a PlayStation guitar will pair with a Windows PC simply because the same model name has an Xbox edition.
- After pairing, confirm that every fret, Strum, Overdrive, and Whammy input appears in Fortnite’s control settings before starting a long session.
Playing Pro parts without a guitar controller
You can play Pro Lead and Pro Bass on any supported console platform or on PC without dedicated guitar hardware. Use the default keyboard mapping, remap a standard controller to keyboard-style actions, or connect an accessibility device that exposes the required inputs.
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A keyboard setup still follows the same timing rule: hold the matching colored fret input and press Strum for ordinary notes. The main trade-off is physical ergonomics. A guitar controller places fret buttons and Strum in separate hands, while a keyboard may require more finger movement or a custom layout. Remap controls until the five frets can be reached without releasing Strum or accidentally pressing Overdrive.
Troubleshooting common problems
Pro Lead or Pro Bass is missing
- Confirm that the selected Jam Track includes a Pro Lead or Pro Bass chart.
- From Festival Main Stage, open the profile menu and go to Settings → Game → Festival.
- Enable Always Display Pro Parts, select Apply, and return to the song setup.
- If the part is still unavailable, disconnect and reconnect the controller, then restart Fortnite Festival.
Notes miss even when your timing looks right
- Run both Audio/Video Offset and Input Latency tests through Stage Tech → Tune-up.
- Use the same screen, audio output, and controller during calibration and play.
- Check that you are holding the fret and pressing Strum for a regular note; pressing only the fret works only for an eligible HOPO during a combo.
- If misses are consistently early or late, use Optimize Manually instead of applying a random online offset.
The guitar connects but inputs do nothing
- Verify the controller’s platform SKU and, on PC, install the required Xbox wireless adapter when using an Xbox version of a listed Rock Band 4 guitar.
- Open control settings and test each fret, Strum, Overdrive, and Whammy action.
- Remove conflicting remaps from another controller or accessibility device, then reconnect the guitar.
- Remember that compatibility is model- and platform-specific; support for one guitar does not prove that every older guitar works natively.
Whammy or Overdrive is hard to activate
On keyboard, Overdrive defaults to Page Down and Whammy to Right Ctrl. On a controller, triggers are the documented defaults. Rebind either action if the location causes missed notes, and test the new binding on a sustained note before playing a full chart.
Setup checklist before your first song
- Select Festival Main Stage and confirm the desired Jam Track has a Pro chart.
- Enable Always Display Pro Parts if the instrument is not shown.
- Connect the guitar or configure keyboard, controller-remapping, or accessibility inputs.
- Check the five fret assignments in order: Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange.
- Test Strum, Overdrive, and Whammy separately.
- Run Audio/Video Offset and Input Latency calibration with your actual display and audio hardware.
- Play a familiar song, then use Optimize Manually only if hits remain consistently early or late.
Once these checks are complete, Pro Lead and Pro Bass use the same clear rule throughout a chart: match the fret color, apply Strum at the note timing, and use HOPO inputs without strumming only where the chart and combo allow it.
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