tl;dr: Singing and playing duets and larger ensembles in real-time over the internet is possible. It’s not intuitive, but it’s simpler than you think!

I ache to sing and play together with others – that is one of my greatest sources of joy. Since all concerts and gigs have been cancelled, I have hosted a couple outdoor, distanced, masked “driveway concerts,” performing string quartets and string quintets with friends. But winter weather and darkness have made that impossible.

I love karaoke, and I have been successfully hosting online karaoke for many months now (17 parties in 2020). We have a lot of fun, and a couple local TV stations plan to interview me about it. I’ve created a website explaining how to do this if you are interested in hosting your own. A local TV station even broadcast a story about it last week.

What we haven’t been able to do, however, is to sing duets or trios with distant friends. Singing or playing over the internet usually introduces a time lag (aka “latency”) of .25-1 second, which is untenable. Up to this point, only those who are sheltering together during the pandemic have the option of singing/playing together.

I was aware there is technology out there that minimizes latency over the net and enables people to perform together (e.g. JamKazam, Jamulus, JackTrip, etc.). But even as an experienced IT professional, my earlier investigations into JamKazam and Jamulus were unsuccessful and frustrating. I found the software unintuitive and glitchy, the help documentation seriously lacking, and I just couldn’t get them to work.

Last night I had my first successful test with JamKazam. I am in Portland, OR, and I was able to play duets with a friend in Moscow, ID. Sound was passable, and we had live video so we could see each other. We were both so excited!

I know many musicians, singers, and teachers who would benefit from being able to perform in real-time with friends, colleagues, and students over the net. I will document my journey and recommendations. My goal is to make this understandable and within reach for the non-techie person.

Posts in Series:
Making Music Online Together in Real Time: Introduction (this post)

Making Music Online Together in Real Time: Step 1 – Tech Requirements to minimize latency

MMOTIRT Part 2: My First Successful JamKazam Session

MMOTIRT Part 3: JamKazam First-Time Login and Setup

MMOTIRT Part 4: Your First Jamkazam Session!

MMOTIRT Part 5: Getting a wired network connection

MMORTIRT Part 6: A New USB Mixer

MMORTIRT Part 7: First Real-Time Online String Quartets!

Stay tuned!

#makingmusictogether
#thepleasureofyourcompany
#jamkazam
#nolatencymusic