Collaborating over the Internet with other musicians
As the Covid-19 crisis hit, we sought a way to continue to make music with our fellow collaborators. We would like to share some of the lessons we learned in the hope of making it easier for you to do the same. The tools fall into two main categories - recording and live play/rehearsing.
Asynchronous Recording
As a band, Sidetrack had previously recorded live; we gathered in one home studio with 16 tracks of digital recording and laid down tracks simultaneously. Bass, guitar, and keyboards were recorded direct to the board, and drums and horns were recorded via mics. (We also captured a second guitar track from a miced cabinet in an adjacent room). But in lockdown this was not possible.
One asynchronous alternative was to have each player record tracks independently in the DAW of their choice in their own home studio, and to share the tracks on Google Drive, however this required that each player have a DAW and the time and inclination to use it. We settled on Soundtrap, an online collaborative DAW owned by Spotify. We have included a full discussion of Soundtrap on the Recording Setup page of this website. Ironically, the need to move to distributed, asynchronous recording resulted in several benefits including better performances (multiple takes, each musician could play when they were rested) and the ability to collaborate with friends who now lived in other cities. When this crisis passes, as we hope it will, we still intend to continue recording this way.
One asynchronous alternative was to have each player record tracks independently in the DAW of their choice in their own home studio, and to share the tracks on Google Drive, however this required that each player have a DAW and the time and inclination to use it. We settled on Soundtrap, an online collaborative DAW owned by Spotify. We have included a full discussion of Soundtrap on the Recording Setup page of this website. Ironically, the need to move to distributed, asynchronous recording resulted in several benefits including better performances (multiple takes, each musician could play when they were rested) and the ability to collaborate with friends who now lived in other cities. When this crisis passes, as we hope it will, we still intend to continue recording this way.
Live Synchronous Rehearsing
Live synchronous collaboration requires a different approach. Online meeting tools such as FaceTime, Google Meet, and Zoom are not suitable due to a variety of technical limitations. To date we have found two workable platforms for real-time collaboration that do not need a high level of technical expertise: Jamkazam and Jamulus. Both apps are free, but accept donations. As of this writing (late October 2020) we have found Jamulus to be the best trade-off of functionality and simplicity at this point, but we expect both of these tools to improve and others to arrive as the Covid-19 crisis continues.
The following technology pointers apply to either app:
1. Please read the information about recording interfaces/USB microphones on the Recording Setup page before moving on to the collaboration software.
2. A wired ethernet connection (not wifi) is necessary for a satisfactory experience in either app. If you are on a newer Macbook with no ethernet port you will need a USB-C hub like this one into which to plug the ethernet cable.
3. Both apps have Mac and Windows versions, but performance and flexibility is better on the Mac. If you are limited to Windows, you will need an Asio audio driver such as Asio4All.
The following technology pointers apply to either app:
1. Please read the information about recording interfaces/USB microphones on the Recording Setup page before moving on to the collaboration software.
2. A wired ethernet connection (not wifi) is necessary for a satisfactory experience in either app. If you are on a newer Macbook with no ethernet port you will need a USB-C hub like this one into which to plug the ethernet cable.
3. Both apps have Mac and Windows versions, but performance and flexibility is better on the Mac. If you are limited to Windows, you will need an Asio audio driver such as Asio4All.
Jamulus (the platform we are currently recommending/using ourselves)
Installation for Windows: https://github.com/corrados/jamulus/wiki/Installation-for-Windows
Installation for MacOS: https://github.com/corrados/jamulus/wiki/Installation-for-Macintosh
Note for Mac installation: Be sure to follow the instructions including the section "The first time you try to double-click Jamulus to run it, you will probably see a message saying it cannot be opened." in the middle of the page.
The install package includes two apps - the Jamulus Server and the Jamulus Client. In most cases you will only need to use the Jamulus Client software. Unlike JamKazam, Jamulus relies on a distributed community of Jamulus Servers, each of which typically supports up to 10 musicians, but can be larger. As a user the easiest choice is to use someone else's public server - there are lots of them. But if you want to have your own server you can either:
a) Setup a Jamulus Server on your own computer (this will require port routing and adjustments to your firewall)
b) Install a Jamulus Server on Amazon Web Services for about $5/month as we did (details in this excellent article by Simon Tomlinson)
There is an excellent article that describes how to install and use Jamulus on the audiogeek11 site. We recommend you read that article first, but we would also add the following advice to that article.
a) Audio Routing Software/DAW
Unlike JamKazam, you can only send two channels of audio to Jamulus, and there is no dedicated "talkback" channel as there is in JamKazam. So if you either have more than two channels of audio running through your interface (e.g. 4-8 channels of drums) or you have two channels stereo direct (e.g. keyboard) and want to be able to communicate with your voice in the session rather than the text chat feature, you will need to either:
i) Use an outboard physical mixer board and feed two channels of Main Out to your interface then on to Jamulus, or
ii) Use your favorite DAW software as a digital mixer from your multichannel interface, mix down, then route to Jamulus using audio routing software.
If you are playing eDrums through either EZ Drummer or Superior Drummer rather than taking the output from your eDrums physical module, you will also need audio routing software to route the eDrum output to Jamulus, or if you want to add a talkback mic, to your DAW then on to Jamulus. If you are on a Mac, Blackhole is free and easy, and the paid app Loopback is also popular. If you are on a Windows machine, the Jack Audio Connection Kit is free, but a little more complicated. There is a good article on audio routing and Jamulus on the C4 website.
b) Make sure all software in the chain is set to the same sampling rate (48k) and buffer size (128).
I start with my interface software, then my DAW, then the Mac Audio and Midi control panel.
Installation for Windows: https://github.com/corrados/jamulus/wiki/Installation-for-Windows
Installation for MacOS: https://github.com/corrados/jamulus/wiki/Installation-for-Macintosh
Note for Mac installation: Be sure to follow the instructions including the section "The first time you try to double-click Jamulus to run it, you will probably see a message saying it cannot be opened." in the middle of the page.
The install package includes two apps - the Jamulus Server and the Jamulus Client. In most cases you will only need to use the Jamulus Client software. Unlike JamKazam, Jamulus relies on a distributed community of Jamulus Servers, each of which typically supports up to 10 musicians, but can be larger. As a user the easiest choice is to use someone else's public server - there are lots of them. But if you want to have your own server you can either:
a) Setup a Jamulus Server on your own computer (this will require port routing and adjustments to your firewall)
b) Install a Jamulus Server on Amazon Web Services for about $5/month as we did (details in this excellent article by Simon Tomlinson)
There is an excellent article that describes how to install and use Jamulus on the audiogeek11 site. We recommend you read that article first, but we would also add the following advice to that article.
a) Audio Routing Software/DAW
Unlike JamKazam, you can only send two channels of audio to Jamulus, and there is no dedicated "talkback" channel as there is in JamKazam. So if you either have more than two channels of audio running through your interface (e.g. 4-8 channels of drums) or you have two channels stereo direct (e.g. keyboard) and want to be able to communicate with your voice in the session rather than the text chat feature, you will need to either:
i) Use an outboard physical mixer board and feed two channels of Main Out to your interface then on to Jamulus, or
ii) Use your favorite DAW software as a digital mixer from your multichannel interface, mix down, then route to Jamulus using audio routing software.
If you are playing eDrums through either EZ Drummer or Superior Drummer rather than taking the output from your eDrums physical module, you will also need audio routing software to route the eDrum output to Jamulus, or if you want to add a talkback mic, to your DAW then on to Jamulus. If you are on a Mac, Blackhole is free and easy, and the paid app Loopback is also popular. If you are on a Windows machine, the Jack Audio Connection Kit is free, but a little more complicated. There is a good article on audio routing and Jamulus on the C4 website.
b) Make sure all software in the chain is set to the same sampling rate (48k) and buffer size (128).
I start with my interface software, then my DAW, then the Mac Audio and Midi control panel.
JamKazam
JamKazam is also free, but performance (delay and dropouts) have varied widely from day to day, and we have found Jamulus to be a more consistently enjoyable platform. That said, JamKazam works, and it has a few advantages over Jamulus:
a) It will take as many channels as your interface handles, vs. only two for Jamulus
b) It offers the choice of an additional dedicated talkback mic, which includes the built in mic on your computer - very handy
c) The ability to record sessions
If you go to jamkazam.com, in the upper right corner you will see the link for signing up.
JamKazam is also free, but performance (delay and dropouts) have varied widely from day to day, and we have found Jamulus to be a more consistently enjoyable platform. That said, JamKazam works, and it has a few advantages over Jamulus:
a) It will take as many channels as your interface handles, vs. only two for Jamulus
b) It offers the choice of an additional dedicated talkback mic, which includes the built in mic on your computer - very handy
c) The ability to record sessions
If you go to jamkazam.com, in the upper right corner you will see the link for signing up.
Click on Signup, and you will be taken to the signup page. It is good practice on the site to add (Instrument), where Instrument is the instrument you play, after your last name so that it is easy for others to identify players. Fill in the relevant information and submit. Go back to jamzazam.com and click on the login link to login.
Once logged in, click on the down arrow next to your name to open the menu, and click on Install App. Once the app is installed, open the app, and you will see a home page that looks exactly like the webpage.
Click on the down arrow next to your name in the upper right hand corner and complete the profile. Then select audio gear and configure the audio source (interface) and output (interface or computer headphones) for JamKazam. Optionally you can also select video gear and configure your webcam, but I have not tried that.
A good first step is to test your setup by clicking on Create Session, and then selecting Quick Start Solo. From there you can adjust volume, etc. Your output volume is controlled from your interface (or Superior Drummer). You should target three green lights, and only an occasional red to avoid distortion. Your headphone volume is controlled from the volume slider (click on the speaker icon to see the slider). Clicking on the icon will mute the channel. If you have more than one channel of output (e.g. stereo outs from your keyboard or 2 or more outs from drums) you can adjust the panning for each channel by clicking on the icon to the right of the volume icon and adjusting the slider for each channel. I would suggest hard left and hard right for keyboards or e-drums with a stereo out . The computer mic channel can be seen below the instrument channel(s) and can be adjusted independently. Monitor volume for the computer mic can be controlled with the volume slider. The mic output level itself is controlled from the setting panel on your computer.
For a collaborative session, one player starts a session and invites others. Once you have identified your "friends" you will be able to join their sessions. A session can be configured as public (anyone can join after asking the host's permission) or private (invitees and "friends" only). There is a provision for using the computer mic for voice communication if your instrument is connected by other than a mic. If a mic is used for the instrument, it is best to communicate voice over that mic and to mute the computer mic. I also recommend muting the computer mic on direct instruments before playing a tune. Volume and panning for the other musicians for your monitor mix can be controlled in each of the channels to get the mix you desire. There are green/amber/red indicator lights to monitor connection speed, CPU power, and latency for both your channels as well as each of the other participants in the session. The latency light for each musician is their latency as perceived by you, which is a function of connection speed and physical distance.
Bass/Keys player and Friend of Sidetrack Tom Yarnall has put together a document with helpful links on JamKazam here.
A good first step is to test your setup by clicking on Create Session, and then selecting Quick Start Solo. From there you can adjust volume, etc. Your output volume is controlled from your interface (or Superior Drummer). You should target three green lights, and only an occasional red to avoid distortion. Your headphone volume is controlled from the volume slider (click on the speaker icon to see the slider). Clicking on the icon will mute the channel. If you have more than one channel of output (e.g. stereo outs from your keyboard or 2 or more outs from drums) you can adjust the panning for each channel by clicking on the icon to the right of the volume icon and adjusting the slider for each channel. I would suggest hard left and hard right for keyboards or e-drums with a stereo out . The computer mic channel can be seen below the instrument channel(s) and can be adjusted independently. Monitor volume for the computer mic can be controlled with the volume slider. The mic output level itself is controlled from the setting panel on your computer.
For a collaborative session, one player starts a session and invites others. Once you have identified your "friends" you will be able to join their sessions. A session can be configured as public (anyone can join after asking the host's permission) or private (invitees and "friends" only). There is a provision for using the computer mic for voice communication if your instrument is connected by other than a mic. If a mic is used for the instrument, it is best to communicate voice over that mic and to mute the computer mic. I also recommend muting the computer mic on direct instruments before playing a tune. Volume and panning for the other musicians for your monitor mix can be controlled in each of the channels to get the mix you desire. There are green/amber/red indicator lights to monitor connection speed, CPU power, and latency for both your channels as well as each of the other participants in the session. The latency light for each musician is their latency as perceived by you, which is a function of connection speed and physical distance.
Bass/Keys player and Friend of Sidetrack Tom Yarnall has put together a document with helpful links on JamKazam here.