The World Is Your Workstation

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Marty Cutler

           

Online collaboration services let you work with anyone, anywhere.

FIG. 1: digitalmusician.net’s standalone DMR application is a multitrack recorder that lets you log in to a session without your browser. You can also use it as a ReWire app in conjunction with your favorite digital audio sequencer.

Almost ten years ago, I produced a MIDI project for PG Music called “The Bluegrass Band.” The work flow started with recording basic rhythm tracks with a MIDI guitar and a custom banjo controller. I would sequence and email the MIDI data to a musician friend who had the rare combination of expertise with a sequencer and the ability to translate his bluegrass chops through a MIDI mandolin controller. He would record his parts into his sequencer, then email MIDI files to me, at which point I checked the tracks, balanced the Velocities, and cleaned up the data. If I needed something different, I asked for another take.

What I didn't know at the time was that the remote collaboration I was engaged in was a precursor to what is now being implemented, mainly with digital audio files rather than MIDI files, by a number of Web-based services. Thanks to the growth of broadband, today's musicians can share digital audio files and utilize Web-based audio-and-video communication technology to create a virtual studio environment with others in remote locations. These days, many musicians independently engage in online collaboration, especially for session work. All that's needed is a reasonably fast connection and a bit of file-transfer savvy.

Sensing a business opportunity in facilitating online collaboration, an increasing number of Web-based companies have emerged, offering a wide variety of services and features ranging from the hiring of session musicians to social networking to two-way MIDI programming, online jamming, live-band showcases, and more.

Read the Electronic Musician interview with Thomas Dolby about his experiences with remote collaboration

It's impossible to fully cover all the online collaboration services in the space allotted, so, given EM's focus on recording, I have narrowed my scope to those for which recording is the main activity, or at least a major one. I'll provide a basic overview of what these services offer and what you'll need for a successful and fruitful collaboration. I'll cover digitalmusician.net (DMN), eJamming, eSession, Indaba Music, i-Studio.net, and SessionPlayers. To get firsthand experience using an online collaboration service, I did a test project in eSession, which I'll talk about later in this story.

What You Need

It may be obvious, but I'll start by saying that at minimum, you'll need a high-bandwidth Internet connection. The speed of your connection will affect not only download and upload times, but also any audiovisual and data-streaming features you may use. Dial-up is, of course, out of the question, and cable and DSL remain the most popular choices, although fiber-optic service (FiOS), if it is available in your area, offers higher and relatively consistent bandwidth. If you can afford a T1 line, go for it — you'll enjoy much faster and steadier transfer rates.

Because each company examined here differs somewhat in its features, your system requirements and hardware choices may dictate which one you use. These companies are working hard to accommodate all popular platforms and baseline audio systems.

Collaborative Tools

The basic modes of operation for these online services are remarkably similar. Some share conceptual roots in the Performing Artist's Network (PAN), which was arguably the first collaborative online musical network.

Although a few of the online collaboration services offer real-time monitoring and communication during the recording process, the promise of real-time, full-bandwidth-audio recording for the masses across the Internet is not yet a reality. However, compressed streaming audio is, albeit with some latency. Many of the services support in-session audio-and-video conferencing and instant messaging (IM).

For two-way audiovisual communication during a session, you will need at least a FireWire- or USB-capable Webcam. Some services allow any ASIO-compliant microphone as an audio connection, but of course, the better the audio interface, the better the outcome.

According to Joey Finger of SessionPlayers, “An Internet camera complete with a microphone can turn your computer monitor into the control room window. Production ideas and arranging can be every bit as easy as if you were in the same room.”

Digitalmusician.net (DMN) provides three applications tailored for online collaboration: Digital Musician Link (DML), Digital Musician Messenger (DMM), and Digital Musician Recorder (DMR; see Fig. 1). DML is a VST plug-in for Mac OS X 10.3.7 and Windows XP computers. Inserted on a single track, it transmits time-stamped MIDI and audio data between computers connected to the DMN site. Real-time playback is compressed to MP3, but high-resolution files can be sent through DML when the recording is finished.

If you only require real-time monitoring with post-take audio and MIDI file sharing, you can use the DMM plug-in. It supports a wider range of formats than DML, including AU, VST, and RTAS. It provides for monitoring of the master output of each participant's sequencer, and, like DML, communication through video and IM. DMR is a standalone 16-track recorder that can be used as a ReWire client.

That functionality lets you audition tracks in sync with your main recording software, without having to import them. It also has facilities for finding players, buying and selling tracks, and more.

DMN's suite of software offers a lot of functionality, but I found the jumble of acronyms and applications to be a bit confusing. I hope they'll eventually develop a single, universal application. SessionPlayers also uses the DMR/DML software and gives you access to Source Elements' Source-Connect, another application for real-time collaboration.

Continue reading about Electronic Musician's evaluation of online collaboration services for musicians.

Listen to Thomas Dolby talk about his experience with online collaboration.