Comparison of remote music performance software explained

When playing music remotely, musicians must reduce or eliminate the issue of audio latency in order to play in time together. While standard web conferencing software is designed to facilitate remote audio and video communication, it has too much latency for live musical performance.[1] [2] Connection-oriented Internet protocols subject audio signals to delays and other interference which presents a problem for keeping latency low enough for musicians to play together remotely.[3] [4] [5]

Software created specifically to minimise or eliminate some of the issues with Internet-related audio latency enables musicians to perform live music together over domestic broadband connections. The use of various compression and other techniques, together with affordable low-latency audio interface hardware (which most of the systems listed here are also optimised to work with), has reached a state in which it is practical for even large numbers of musicians to play or sing together without experiencing significant problems.[6] [7] [8]

The following table compares key features of software written for the expressed purpose of allowing musicians to perform music together over the Internet.  It does not attempt to cover subjective features such as sound quality or ease of use. However, some software on the list may address different aspects of remote collaboration better than others, or may be more suited to certain musical genres.

NameLicenceChargeArchitecturePlatformsSession type [a]Max. participantsSynch. [b]VideoCodecSample rateBitrateFirst releaseCurrent releaseDate
KoordGPLFreemiumClient/ServerWin, Mac, Linux, iOS, AndroidClosedUp to 75NoneYesOpus48 kHz132-894 kbit/s20211.4.472023-01-28
Jamstud.ioProprietaryFreeP2PWin, Mac, LinuxOpen & Closed6NoneYesUncompressed44.1 kHz16-bitApril 20211.242021-11-9
SubliveProprietaryFree/donationwareP2PWin, MacOpen & Closed5Audio track[9] YesOpus48 kHz32-384 kbit/sMay 20210.422021-09-21
GroovesetterProprietaryFree plan or Free TrialP2PWin, MacClosed8 LocationsMixed[10] NoUncompressedFrom 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bitMay 20211.2.132021-08-08
Jam ConnectProprietaryFreemiumP2PWin, Mac, iOS, AndroidOpen & ClosedUp to 16 locationsTracks possibleYes[11] Opus & Uncompressed48 kHzAt least 16-bit20212.52021-10-01
JamulusGPLFreeClient/ServerWin, Mac, Linux, AndroidOpen & Closed100+ [12] NoneNo[13] Opus48 kHz132-894 kbit/s[14] 2006 [15] 3.10.0[16] 2023-09-03
JammerNetzAGPL and MIT availableFreeClient/ServerWin, Mac, LinuxClosed? NoneNoUncompressed48 kHzdep. on # channels20192.0.02021-03-21
Digital StageProprietaryFree, restricted[17] VariousWin, Mac, LinuxClosed30Prototype testing[18]
SagoraGPLFreeClient/ServerWin, Mac, Linux, RaspbianOpen & ClosedNoneOpus48 kHzMay 2020[19] 1.12020-08
LoLaProprietaryFree/sharewareP2PWinClosed3 locationsNoneYesat least 1 Gbit/s20052.0.0b12019-10-18
JamKazamProprietary$0 - $19.99p/m[20] P2P, C/S[21] Win, Mac[22] Open & ClosedUnlimited (for $10+ plans)MetronomeYes (paid plans)48 kHz; 44.1 kHz2014 (?)1.0.3950?
SoundJackProprietaryFreeP2P, C/S[23] Win, Mac, LinuxOpen & Closed~60Noneβ (OSX)Opus & Uncompressed48 kHz2006monthly updates2022-03-26[24]
JackTripMIT like[25] FreeP2P, C/SCLI: Win, Mac, Linux?UnlimitedNoneNo2000 (?)1.3.0[26] 2020-08-04
SonoBusGPL[27] FreeP2P via AoO[28] Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, AndroidOpen & Closed10NoneNoOpus & Uncompressed48 kHz & 44.1 kHz2020-08-311.5.1[29] 2022-03-30
HPS JamBSD[30] FreeClient/ServerWin, Mac, Linux, iOS, AndroidOpen & Closed256NoneNo8/16/24/32-bit PCM and MIDI|48 kHz||2020-11-19|v1.2.5|2022-10-12|-|Ninjam / Ninbot|GPL (Server only)|$60[31] |Client/Server|Win, Mac, Linux|?|?|Delayed Sync[32] |No||||?|REAPER 6.18|?|-|Jamtaba|GPL|Free|Ninjam Client[33] |Win, Mac, Linux|?|?|Delayed Sync|Yes||||2015-09-26|v2.1.15|2020-06-30|-|Jammr.net|GPL|Free - $9.99p/m[34] |Client/Server|Win, Mac, Linux|Open & Closed|20|Delayed Sync|No||||?|1.2.92|2020-09-13|-|Endless|Proprietary|Free - $4.49[35] |?|iOS|Open & Closed|?|Metronome|No||||?|1.1.2|2020-11-13|-|Ejamming Audio|Proprietary|$9.95p/m|P2P(?)|Win, Mac|Closed|4|?|No||||?|?|?|-|Rehearsal Live Share|Proprietary|$14.99p/m (directors)[36] |Client/Server|Win, Mac, iOS, Android[37] |Closed|30[38] |Audio track|Yes|?|?|?|?|?|?|-|Solocontutti[39] |Proprietary|Free|P2P|Win, Mac, iOS, Android|Open & Closed|12|Metronome|Yes (limited)|Opus|up to 48 kHz|100 - 500 kbit/s|2013|1.6.2|2021-11-20|-|FarPlay|Proprietary|Freemium|P2P|Win, Mac, Linux|Closed|About 8||Yes|Uncompressed|48 kHz|768 kbit/s per audio channel|2021-11-18|1.2.7|2024-05-08|-|Elk Live|OS is open source|$15.99p/m + $399 bridge|P2P|Elk Audio OS|Closed|5 for now[40] ||Yes|||||||-|Ringing Room|Proprietary[41] |Free|Client/Server|Win, Mac, iOS|Open|16|No|No|||||21.51[42] ||-|Lutefish||||||||Yes||||Summer 2024||2024-02-13|-|ovbox|GPL|Free|P2P/CS|Linux, Mac|Closed|Unlimited / up to 10 on Raspberry Pi 4B|Metronome|Yes (limited)|Uncompressed|up to 192 kHz||2020|0.21.1|2024-02-19|}

Table Heading Notes

[a] - Whether the system supports public or private performance or playing.

[b] - Whether the system has a built-in mechanism for helping or enforcing the musicians to play together. For an explanation of "delayed sync" method see https://jammr.net/howitworks.html (or, more in depth, https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?p=2230659#post2230659)

See also

References

]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zoom: online rehearsals (vocal) Making Music. 2020-12-21. www.makingmusic.org.uk. 2020-12-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20201204025422/https://www.makingmusic.org.uk/resource/zoom-online-rehearsals-vocal. live.
  2. Web site: Playing Music Together Online Is Not As Simple As It Seems. 2020-12-27. NPR.org. en. 2020-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20201226183340/https://www.npr.org/2020/07/14/891091995/playing-music-together-online-is-not-as-simple-as-it-seems. live.
  3. Web site: Rosen. Peter. 2020-11-15. Social Distancing For Musicians: A Quick Guide To Low-Latency Audio. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201211525/https://ksltv.com/449043/socially-distancing-for-musicians-a-quick-guide-to-low-latency-audio/. 2020-12-01. 2020-12-26.
  4. Web site: Fischer. Volker. Case Study: Performing Band Rehearsals on The Internet With Jamulus. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210118164953/https://jamulus.io/PerformingBandRehearsalsontheInternetWithJamulus.pdf. 2021-01-18. 2020-12-26.
  5. Carôt. A.. Hoene. C.. Busse. H.. Kuhr. C.. 2020. Results of the Fast-Music Project—Five Contributions to the Domain of Distributed Music. IEEE Access. 8. 47925–47951. 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2979362. 2169-3536. free.
  6. Web site: Wise. Brian. 2020-09-07. Long-Distance, Online Performances Without the Latency?. 2020-12-27. Brian Wise. en-US. 2021-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20210118062629/https://brianwise.net/long-distance-performances-latency/. live.
  7. Web site: 2020-05-15. Virtual Jamming: The Latest Tools for Playing Together in Real Time. 2020-12-21. Acoustic Guitar. en-US. 2020-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20201222232959/https://acousticguitar.com/virtual-jamming-the-latest-tools-for-playing-together-in-real-time/. live.
  8. Web site: 2020-09-25. Networked Music Performance: An Introduction. 2020-12-27. SmartMusic. en-US. 2020-10-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20201006052506/https://medium.com/@mdessen/networked-music-performance-an-introduction-for-musicians-and-educators-d31d33716bd2. live.
  9. Backing track with 'Sendahead' for synchronised output.
  10. None under 400 miles. Delayed synch at longer distances.
  11. Includes screen sharing and recording.
  12. Limited only by server resources
  13. Web site: SoundJack: Real Time Online Music. 2020-12-31. Ian Howell, DMA. en-US. 2020-11-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101115214/https://www.ianhowellcountertenor.com/soundjack-real-time-online-music. live.
  14. Web site: Quality, Delay and Bandwidth – Jamulus Wiki. 2021-06-25. jamulus.io. 2021-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20210303174024/https://jamulus.io/wiki/Network-Requirements. live.
  15. Web site: June 2020, "Community Choice" Project of the Month – Jamulus - SourceForge Community Blog . 2020-12-25 . 2021-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210329020651/https://sourceforge.net/blog/june-2020-community-choice-project-month-jamulus/ . live .
  16. Web site: Jamulus/Releases/Latest . GitHub . 29 March 2022 . en.
  17. Free for members of artistic associations and project partners.
  18. News: Kurtz . Holger . Noch ruckelt die digitale Konzertbühne Ausgabe: 5/20 nmz - neue musikzeitung . 8 January 2021 . neue musikzeitung . 5/2020 . 18 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210118070643/https://www.nmz.de/artikel/noch-ruckelt-die-digitale-konzertbuehne . live .
  19. Web site: Sagora - Agora Sonora . sagora.org . 8 January 2021.
  20. Web site: 2020-12-05. What Are JamKazam's Free vs. Premium Features?. 2020-12-25. JamKazam. en-US. 2021-01-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210124061308/https://jamkazam.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/66000122535-what-are-jamkazam-s-free-vs-premium-features-. live.
  21. Free version is P2P only, commercial chooses faster route.
  22. Web site: Wilson. David. What Gear Do I Need to Play on JamKazam?. 2020-12-27. JamKazam. en. 2021-02-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226072443/https://jamkazam.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/66000122533-what-gear-do-i-need-to-play-on-jamkazam-. live.
  23. Web site: Server - Soundjack . 2020-12-25 . 2020-12-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201229193153/https://www.soundjack.eu/server-panel/ . live .
  24. Web site: Dev Status - Soundjack. 2021-06-25. www.soundjack.eu. 2021-06-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20210625180913/https://www.soundjack.eu/dev-status/. live.
  25. Web site: jacktrip/jacktrip. 2021-01-01. GitHub. en. 2020-12-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20201205105742/https://github.com/jacktrip/jacktrip. live.
  26. Web site: Releases · jacktrip/jacktrip · GitHub . . 2020-12-27 . 2020-11-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201119165658/https://github.com/jacktrip/jacktrip/releases . live .
  27. Web site: SonoBus License. 2021-01-29. GitHub. en. 2021-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20211031230052/https://github.com/sonosaurus/sonobus/blob/main/LICENSE. live.
  28. Web site: Audio Over OSC. 2021-01-29. GitHub. en. 2021-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20211031230052/https://github.com/essej/aooserver. live.
  29. Web site: SonoBus Releases. 2021-01-29. GitHub. en. 2021-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20211031230052/https://github.com/sonosaurus/sonobus/releases. live.
  30. Web site: hselasky/hpsjam. 2021-01-01. GitHub. en. 2021-05-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20210530015810/https://github.com/hselasky/hpsjam. live.
  31. Requires purchase of a REAPER software licence.
  32. Web site: Marraccini. Fabio. 2020-04-06. Best services for online music jam (2020). 2020-12-27. AudioGeek11. en-US. 2020-12-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20201203053154/https://audiogeek11.com/best-services-for-online-music-jam-2020/. live.
  33. Web site: elieserdejesus/JamTaba. 2021-01-12. GitHub. en. 2020-12-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20201225172247/https://github.com/elieserdejesus/JamTaba/. live.
  34. Web site: Get premium! jammr. 2020-12-31. jammr.net. 2020-11-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20201128150450/https://jammr.net/payments/subscribe. live.
  35. Includes in-app purchases for advanced features.
  36. Web site: Pricing/Ordering . Rehearsal Live Share . 17 April 2021 . en . 31 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211031230053/https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/pricing . live .
  37. Web site: Hardware Recommendations . Rehearsal Live Share . 17 April 2021 . en . 31 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211031230058/https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/hardware-recommendations . live .
  38. Web site: FAQs . Rehearsal Live Share . 17 April 2021 . en . 31 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211031230055/https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/faqs . live .
  39. Redactie. Onze. 2013. Op afstand samen muziek maken. Klank Wijzer. 50–53.
  40. Web site: Elk.Live Brings Musicians Together to Play Online . Geekazine . 17 February 2022 . en . 30 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210830185035/https://geekazine.com/cool/interview/elk-live-brings-musicians-together-to-play-online/ . live .
  41. Web site: Ringing Room . App Store . Apple Inc. . © 2021 Matthew Goodship.
  42. Web site: Ringing Room . ringingroom.co.uk . 8 August 2022.

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