rock-bandrock-band-2
As I'm planning to buy Rock Band 3, but I wanted to buy Rock Band 1 & 2 first.
But off course I don't feel like swapping disks all the time and I heard you can actually import games from Rock Band 1 into Rock Band 2, but how do I do this?
Note: I own both a PS3 and a Xbox360, so feel free to answer the question for every platform
The old RB2 cymbals are just for show - they don't add anything to the game. Hitting the green cymbal, for instance, is the same as hitting the green pad.
However, the new RB3 cymbals serve a real purpose - they allow you to play in the new "Pro Mode," in which you are required to differentiate between hitting the cymbals and the toms!
Here you can see the pro-mode drums being played with cymbals (middle track). The green and blue ovals coming up are cues to hit the green and blue cymbals, respectively. The usual blue rectangles coming down the screen are the cue to hit the blue tom instead.
Note that this image also shows pro-keyboard (left) and pro-guitar (right) as well. (Credit to IGN for the image)
You don't need to shout into it - just any loud noise when there isn't meant to be singing. Maybe hold it near the drummer :P
In all seriousness, I usually just hit the mic too.
Best Answer
(Note: This answer applies to the XBox 360 version. I am not certain whether this is possible on other consoles.)
Start up Rock Band 1 while connected to XBox Live. The XBox will tell you there is a title update available; let it patch.
After it patches, there will be an option off the Main Menu to "Export" your songs. Select it and follow the instructions.
Note that this process costs about $5, a few GB of hard drive space, and quite a bit of time... so if you are running low on time, free space, or cash this might not be the option for you.
I can only assume that a similar process will work for Rock Band 2 to get the songs into Rock Band 3.