The Internet has opened up the whole world to musicians. It has transformed the way we create music. It has democratized the industry, enabling us to distribute and promote our music without a record label. What’s more, thanks to real-time online collaboration tools such as NINJAM, Jamulus, eJamming, and JamKazam, it has enabled us to make music with other musicians that live in other locales. But is this relatively young technology really ready for prime time? Does it provide an inspiring musical experience? And can it take the place of a real-world band rehearsal? Read on.
Latency — The Biggest Hurdle
The biggest technological struggle to overcome during a real-time internet jam session is latency, which is the time delay it takes to move data from one place (or musician) to another. It doesn’t matter how fast your connection is, latency is still going to be an issue — it’s a matter of physics. Any time you send data from one location to another location and then back again, there’s going to be a delay. The best way to decrease the latency impact is to maximize your internet connection.
To start, you’ll need high-speed fiber broadband, cable broadband, or ultra-high-bandwidth DSL internet service. Low-bandwidth DSL and satellite wireless services will not provide you with the speed or bandwidth you need. And you’ll want to connect directly to your router via Ethernet cable — Wi-Fi won’t cut it because of the way it handles data packets.
Location, Location, Location
When you’re collaborating over the Internet, the more distance between the musicians, the greater the latency you’ll have to contend with. Most studies have shown that humans have difficulty hearing any latency below 25 milliseconds, so you’ll want to keep it below that. This means that your band members will need to be relatively close to one another. So how close is close? Well, it takes a packet of data about 39 milliseconds to make a round trip between Chicago and Nashville, 42 milliseconds between Cleveland and Detroit, and 137 milliseconds between New York and Los Angeles — all of which exceed the 25 millisecond threshold. Conversely, there are only 16 milliseconds separating Fort Wayne and Chicago, so musicians here at Sweetwater could hypothetically jam with buddies in the Windy City.
To summarize: if you’re in the same zip code, you’re probably fine. Neighboring municipalities will work more often than not. Adjacent states will be okay — sometimes. But rocking out cross-country will likely not work for live musical interaction.
How do you figure out the latency between geographical locations? By using an online tool like this: Wondernetwork.com/pings/. And if you want to get a real-time measurement of your actual internet connection speed and latency, you can check that here: Speedtest.net/.
The Musical Conversation
When a live band enters the studio for the first time, it can be a huge adjustment. For example, singing in a vocal booth can cause a vocalist to feel separated from the rest of the band. Using in-ear monitors onstage for the first time can cause a similar feeling of disorientation — it can seem as though the technology is standing between you and the rest of your band. Online collaboration can give you a similar disconnected feeling. And why is that?
Seasoned musicians know that there’s something special about the musical conversation between players — the constant subtle adjustments you make while you interact with one another. Online rehearsals rob you of much of that nonverbal communication, which can give the performance a sterile feeling — almost like jamming along to a backing track. And just because you can’t hear 25 milliseconds of latency doesn’t mean you can’t feel it. Does that mean that real-time online collaboration tools won’t work? Of course not! But be cognizant of the fact that they’re not like being in the same room together. So if you want your band to develop into a tight group, you’ll want to spend at least some time playing together in a real-world setting — even if it’s just to supplement your online rehearsals.
Gear Essentials
If you’re going to participate in an online band rehearsal, you’ll need the right gear for maximum sound and optimal performance. For starters, you’ll need an audio interface, such as the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. This interface offers excellent bang for your buck, boasting two great-sounding preamps, 24-bit/192kHz AD/DA conversion, and a convenient bus-powered design. Your handheld vocal mic might sound amazing onstage, but it won’t cut it for an online band practice. Instead, you’ll want a studio microphone like the Audio-Technica AT2020 — the price/performance standard for side-address condenser mics. We also recommend an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter X, which is essentially a portable vocal booth. The difference it makes in your vocal sound quality is nothing short of remarkable.
Are you an electric guitarist? You probably won’t be able to crank up your amp to gig volumes at home, so you’ll want an attenuator like the Bugera PS1 Power Soak. This handy device not only allows you to achieve rafter-shaking tone at bedroom levels, but it also features a speaker-cabinet-emulated XLR output for direct connection to your interface — no cab miking required!
You’ll need to hear what you and your bandmates are playing, so you’ll want a quality set of headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-M30x. These headphones offer an impressive frequency response (15Hz–22kHz) and extended dynamic range that enable you to hear every detail of your session. Need a mic stand? If so, the On-Stage Stands MS7701B is a great choice if you don’t want to break the bank. And don’t forget your cables! Pro Co cables hit the sweet spot between price and performance. They sound great and will stand up to the rigors of life in the studio or on the stage.
In Summary
Real-time online collaboration isn’t a substitute for practicing together in person. That said, there are times when it makes sense. There are occasions when its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. For example, any band without a permanent, low-cost practice space would benefit from online rehearsals. Band members could run through their basic parts online, then tighten things up in a real-world practice session later. This would save time and, consequently, money spent on a rehearsal space. Online practice sessions can also benefit bands whose members live several miles away from one another, allowing them to work out the kinks before commuting to a real-world rehearsal.
If you have any questions about how to maximize your band’s practice sessions, give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 . They’ll be happy to help!
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