Clarinet + Accordion + Jamulus = ?

[debitspread]

WHO I AM
My name is Steve. I play the clarinet, and would like to make music with an accordion player.

WHAT I WANT
I would like to join one or more people on a platform called "Jamulus", which is described on their website as: "...software for playing music, rehearsing, or just jamming with anyone online with low latency. You can use your Windows, macOS or Linux machine to connect to Jamulus servers worldwide. Jamulus is free and you can just use your normal broadband connection. Simply connect to a public server or host your own private one. Jamulus has been in development since 2006 and is designed for high quality, low-latency sound, making it easy to play together remotely and in time."

WHAT IS REQUIRED
Users of Jamulus need to have several items in addition to a computer, such as an audio interface, network cable, microphone, etc. To get a complete list of what is needed, visit jumulus.io, or search YouTube for "Jamulus".

Please note: Although Jamulus does an excellent job of reducing latency, its power is related to physical distance between the players. I live in the US, which means that musicians outside of North America may be too far away for the software to work its magic. I would, however, be willing to mount a Jamulus server on an Amazon Web Services machine to facilitate our interaction.

PREFERRED MUSICAL STYLE
I have always loved French Café music, samba, bossa nova, and cool jazz; so, this is the general type of music that I'd like to play with an accordionist. Hopefully, we could go beyond the usual standards. (You undoubtedly know which tunes those are!)

If we are successful in remote music-making, we could reach out to a guitarist, violinist, etc. to round out our online experience.

FINAL NOTES
I am not a professional. After many years of music-making on clarinet and alto sax, I'm really only an intermediate-level player. So I'm just seeking a colleague who might enjoy casual jamming on an occasional basis.

It Is impossible to predict the response to this posting. Maybe no one will respond... or maybe MANY people will come forward. If the latter happens, then:
a) it will obviously be difficult for me to play with everyone, but also...
b) I encourage you to check out Jamulus and form your own remote musical relationships!

Let me know if you have an interest.

Cheers from Houston,
Steve

 

[debitspread]

Additional info:

I have communicated with a software engineer at koord.live. This group has spun up servers around the world, expressly for the purpose of hosting Jamulus sessions. The nearest server to me is located in San Antonio, Texas.

The lowest latency is to be found within 800 miles of any given server (due to the speed of light as one among several limiting factors). To see if your city is within this area, consult this page:

Distance Between San Antonio and Surrounding Cities

Distance between San Antonio and surrounding cities on map, list of distance values from San Antonio to near locations in kilometers and miles.

www.distancefromto.net

If you DON'T live within the recommended coverage area, but are still interested in Jamulus, I encourage you to check out:

Koord.Live is closed

koord.live

 

[NickC]

Interesting idea. I never really considered collaborating online, though I have heard of some people doing it successfully. I don't play French musette, but I do play Italian musette.

Here are some videos:




If you're interested, maybe we can connect. I would prefer to have a guitarist involved since I am not experienced with accompaniment at the moment.

 

[Tom]

I could try with guitar, if it works out, I'm probably 1500 miles from San Antonio though.....

 

[NickC]

That would be fun! I am probably 1700 miles away. I'm not sure how that all works, but we could find out.

 

[debitspread]

Nick and Tom -- It's certainly worth a shot. Jamulus features other servers, as well. We might all connect with one that is mid-way from all of us.

In Jamulus, pressing the Connect button opens a dialog box that shows all the available servers, their locations, and how many people are currently using each one. So, bottom line: we might find some other machine.

If Jamulus doesn't work out, there is also JamKazam, which is excellent. JK started out free, and still has a free level of service, but has better connectivity for those who are willing to pay for it.

Anyway, the most important thing at this point is the matter of physical resources: You'll each need an audio interface box, a hardwired connection from the computer to your router/gateway (not wifi), headphones, and a microphone. Do you have those items?

 

[Tom]

What is the audio interface for? I don't think I have that.

 

[NickC]

My computer and router both have an ethernet port. I would imagine that I would just hook up to that? Would I have to configure anything?
I was actually looking to purchase an interface to record to my computer. Would I be able to use that same one? I was thinking about this one: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SSL2Plus--solid-state-logic-ssl2-usb-audio-interface

 

[debitspread]

Yes, an ethernet cable plugged into that port will connect the computer to your router.

There is a little bit of configuration at the very beginning. After you install the latest driver for the interface, you will probably have to fiddle with the settings. There are 3 things going on: The app (in this case, Jamulus) has to to talk to the interface driver (provided by the manufacturer), which then talks to the operating system (Windows or Apple). Once everything is coordinated, you won't have to mess with those settings again.

The interface that you cited in your link is very nice, but -- frankly -- I don't think you have to spend that much. This is the one I got:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC202HD--behringer-u-phoria-umc202hd-usb-audio-interface

It's built like a tank, works very well, and is way cheaper ($79). You can always get a small headphone amp if the phones output is too soft for your taste. BTW, the official Jamulus website states that this particular interface "Works Great" with Windows, macOS, and Linux:

Audio devices for Jamulus – Jamulus Knowledge Base

jamulus.io

What is the audio interface for? I don't think I have that.

Check out this page. It explains the features and functionality of the small box that I use:

Behringer | Product | UMC202HD

www.behringer.com

Here's a general overview:

What Is an Audio Interface? - Yamaha Music

What is an audio interface is, and why it is a vital part of every DAW-based recording system? Learn more here.

hub.yamaha.com

 

[dan]

Have you heard the duo Acclarion?

Acclarion – Accordion and Clarinet Duo

www.acclarion.ca

 

[Tom]

Yes, an ethernet cable plugged into that port will connect the computer to your router.

There is a little bit of configuration at the very beginning. After you install the latest driver for the interface, you will probably have to fiddle with the settings. There are 3 things going on: The app (in this case, Jamulus) has to to talk to the interface driver (provided by the manufacturer), which then talks to the operating system (Windows or Apple). Once everything is coordinated, you won't have to mess with those settings again.

The interface that you cited in your link is very nice, but -- frankly -- I don't think you have to spend that much. This is the one I got:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC202HD--behringer-u-phoria-umc202hd-usb-audio-interface

It's built like a tank, works very well, and is way cheaper ($79). You can always get a small headphone amp if the phones output is too soft for your taste. BTW, the official Jamulus website states that this particular interface "Works Great" with Windows, macOS, and Linux:

Audio devices for Jamulus – Jamulus Knowledge Base

jamulus.io

Check out this page. It explains the features and functionality of the small box that I use:

Behringer | Product | UMC202HD

www.behringer.com

Here's a general overview:

What Is an Audio Interface? - Yamaha Music

What is an audio interface is, and why it is a vital part of every DAW-based recording system? Learn more here.

hub.yamaha.com

Interesting, thanks! But can't you just use a usb mic?

 

[debitspread]

Yes!... which I did not realize until I consulted this page:

Audio devices for Jamulus – Jamulus Knowledge Base

jamulus.io

Check it out. They even list a couple of specific models that are known to work with the software.

 

[debitspread]

Have you heard the duo Acclarion?

Acclarion – Accordion and Clarinet Duo

www.acclarion.ca

YES! I L-O-V-E the music they make. What a fabulous team.

 

[NickC]

My son has a Blue Yeti USB mic that I can borrow. And I can borrow an ethernet cable from work.
Let me know if you are interested in the style of music in the videos that I posted.

 

[debitspread]

Hi, Nick. Yes, I'm very interested in playing with you. I just sent you a private message.

 

[Alans]

There is also the exceptional duo Bridge and Wolak they have many videos online.

 

[debitspread]

There is also the exceptional duo Bridge and Wolak they have many videos online.

Wow! They are terrific! Thank you so much for introducing them to me.

 

[JerryPH]

Bridge and Wolak are comprised of a pair of world class classically trained musicians... yeah, calling their stuff "good" is massive understatement... lol
For the people that do participate, let us know how it goes, it may inspire others to get on the bus as well.

 

[JerryPH]

So, I noticed a few questions up there... perhaps it may help if I write my way through the process to kind of explain it. Let's start with the path that the music has to take.

- The music exits your accordion and enters a microphone.

- The microphone has a 2 possible paths, depending on if it is a USB mic or a more traditional XLR wired connection.
If USB, plugs in to the computer. Done.
If XLR connector, it plugs in to the audio interface

- Either the USB connector of the mic or the Audio interface connect to the computer via USB (or FireWire for an even lower latency)

- once the audio is in the computer, it is routed to the Jumulus client software.

- The Jumulus software passes it on to a configured Jumulus server. If the Jumulus server (which is configured with an IP address and a specific port it receives on) is on the same computer it just points to that. If the server is remote (like someone else is running it a few hundred miles away), you need to point the client side to the remote server's IP address and port.

- The server then becomes the central point that receives and sends all received signals back and forth. For example you play your accordion, it gets in to your mic, in to the wire, in to the audio interface, converted to digital data, captured by the client software, sent to the server software, routed to the remote client software, to their audio interface and in to the remote listener's headset.

Easy peasy!

 

[Pipemajor]

So, I noticed a few questions up there... perhaps it may help if I write my way through the process to kind of explain it. Let's start with the path that the music has to take.

- The music exits your accordion and enters a microphone.

- The microphone has a 2 possible paths, depending on if it is a USB mic or a more traditional XLR wired connection.
If USB, plugs in to the computer. Done.
If XLR connector, it plugs in to the audio interface

- Either the USB connector of the mic or the Audio interface connect to the computer via USB (or FireWire for an even lower latency)

- once the audio is in the computer, it is routed to the Jumulus client software.

- The Jumulus software passes it on to a configured Jumulus server. If the Jumulus server (which is configured with an IP address and a specific port it receives on) is on the same computer it just points to that. If the server is remote (like someone else is running it a few hundred miles away), you need to point the client side to the remote server's IP address and port.

- The server then becomes the central point that receives and sends all received signals back and forth. For example you play your accordion, it gets in to your mic, in to the wire, in to the audio interface, converted to digital data, captured by the client software, sent to the server software, routed to the remote client software, to their audio interface and in to the remote listener's headset.

Easy peasy!

Phew!! a bit like UPS delivery service, only slightly quicker