Software:Comparison of remote music performance software

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Software created specifically to minimise or eliminate 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.[1][2][3][4]

One of the problems with music playing over the Internet in real time is latency[5] - the time lag that occurs while audio streams travel to and from each musician. Although the precedence effect means that small delays (up to around 40 ms) can be perceived as synchronous, longer delays make it practically impossible to play live together.[6][7] A further problem is jitter, a type of packet delay due to changes in latency over time, which results in choppy or distorted sound. Long delays can even lead to packet loss (perceived as a 'blackouts'). These can be alleviated by delay buffers or jitter buffers, but these then add to the overall round-trip delay, so need to be balanced.[8][9]

Total latency is composed of:

  • Network latency due to delays within the network - every 300km is responsible for at least 1 ms extra latency since the speed of light limits the data transport on internet.
  • Conversion latency - if analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion is not handled by special hardware, these conversions will add additional latency;
  • Audio latency from sound traveling through air, if the microphone and/or loudspeakers are not in immediate proximity. Every meter of distance adds around 3ms delay due to the limitation of the speed of sound.

Popular video conferencing software such as Zoom or Teams is unsuited to this task as the latency is too high. Zoom recommends "a latency of 150ms or less" and jitter of "40ms or less",[10] and in some 2020 tests was shown to have an average latency of 135 ms. The "Audio poor quality metrics" for Teams include having "Round-trip time >500 ms" and "Jitter >30 ms".[11] In addition, most such software is optimized for speech rather than music, so sustained musical notes can be misidentified as background noise and filtered out (although this can be alleviated to an extent via settings such as "Enable Original Sound"). Conferencing software is also often designed for one person to be heard at a time (the speaker gets 'focus'), to stop people talking over each other, but this makes playing music together impossible. In addition, it does not normally allow detailed setting of individual audio streams' volume or panning on the user side.[12]

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.


Name Licence Charge Architecture Platforms Session type [a] Max. participants Synch. [b] Video Codec Sample rate Bitrate First release Current release Date
Bonza Music[13] Proprietary Free to join sessions, Free trial, subscription P2P Mac, Win Closed 20 Delay sync Yes Opus & Uncompressed 48 kHZ, 96 kHz, 192 kHz 16-bit March 2026 2.0.3.2 2026-04-10
Koord GPL Freemium Client/Server Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android Closed Up to 75 None Yes Opus 48 kHz 132-894 kbit/s 2021 1.4.47 2023-01-28
Jamstud.io Proprietary Free P2P Win, Mac, Linux Open & Closed 6 None Yes Uncompressed 44.1 kHz 16-bit April 2021 1.24 2021-11-9
Sublive Proprietary Free/donationware P2P Win, Mac Open & Closed 5 Audio track[14] Yes Opus 48 kHz 32-384 kbit/s May 2021 0.42 2021-09-21
Groovesetter Proprietary Free plan or Free Trial P2P Win, Mac Closed 8 Locations Mixed[15] No Uncompressed From 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit May 2021 1.2.13 2021-08-08
Jam Connect Proprietary Freemium P2P Win, Mac, iOS, Android Open & Closed Up to 16 locations Tracks possible Yes[16] Opus & Uncompressed 48 kHz At least 16-bit 2021 2.5 2021-10-01
Jamulus GPL Free Client/Server[17] Win, Mac, Linux, Android Open & Closed 100+ [18] None No[19] Opus 48 kHz 132-894 kbit/s[20] 2006 [21] 3.11.0[22] 2024-09-21
JammerNetz AGPL and MIT available Free Client/Server Win, Mac, Linux Closed ? [18] None No Uncompressed 48 kHz dep. on # channels 2019 2.0.0 2021-03-21
Digital Stage Proprietary Free, restricted[23] Various Win, Mac, Linux Closed 30 Prototype testing[24]
Sagora GPL Free Client/Server Win, Mac, Linux, Raspbian Open & Closed None Opus 48 kHz May 2020[25] 1.1 2020-08
LoLa Proprietary Free/shareware P2P Win Closed 3 locations None Yes at least 1 Gbit/s 2005 2.0.0b1 2019-10-18
JamKazam Proprietary $0 - $19.99p/m[26] P2P, C/S[27][17] Win, Mac[28] Open & Closed Unlimited (for $10+ plans)[26] Metronome Yes (paid plans)[26] 48 kHz; 44.1 kHz 2014 (?) 1.0.3950 ?
SoundJack Proprietary Free P2P, C/S[29] Win, Mac, Linux Open & Closed[19] ~60 None β (OSX)[19] Opus & Uncompressed 48 kHz 2006 monthly updates 2022-03-26[30]
JackTrip MIT like[31] Free P2P, C/S[17] CLI: Win, Mac, Linux ? Unlimited None No 2000 (?) 1.3.0[32] 2020-08-04
SonoBus GPL[33] Free P2P via AoO[34] Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android Open & Closed 10 None No Opus & Uncompressed 48 kHz & 44.1 kHz 2020-08-31 1.7.2[35] 2023-12-11
HPS Jam BSD[36] Free Client/Server Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android Open & Closed 256 None No 8/16/24/32-bit PCM and MIDI 48 kHz 2020-11-19 v1.2.5 2022-10-12
Ninjam / Ninbot GPL (Server only) $60[37] Client/Server Win, Mac, Linux ? ? Delayed Sync[38] No ? REAPER 6.18 ?
Jamtaba GPL Free Ninjam Client[39] Win, Mac, Linux ? ? Delayed Sync Yes 2015-09-26 v2.1.15 2020-06-30
Jammr.net GPL Free - $9.99p/m[40] Client/Server Win, Mac, Linux Open & Closed 20 Delayed Sync No ? 1.2.92 2020-09-13
Endless Proprietary Free - $4.49[41] ? 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)[42] Client/Server Win, Mac, iOS, Android[43] Closed 30[44] Audio track Yes ? ? ? ? ? ?
Solocontutti[45] Proprietary Free to join sessions

Basic and Pro subscriptions to start sessions

P2P Win, Mac, iOS, Android Open & Closed 12 Metronome Yes (limited) Opus 44.1 kHz - 48 kHz 100 - 500 kbit/s 2013 3.1.14 2026-03-26
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[46] Yes
Ringing Room Proprietary[47] Free Client/Server Win, Mac, iOS Open 16 No No 21.51[48]
Lutefish Proprietary $400 hardware

$13p/m or $20p/m

5/50 Yes[49] 48 kHz Summer 2024[50] 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

  1. ↑ Wise, Brian (2020-09-07). "Long-Distance, Online Performances Without the Latency?" (in en-US). https://brianwise.net/long-distance-performances-latency/. 
  2. ↑ "Virtual Jamming: The Latest Tools for Playing Together in Real Time" (in en-US). 2020-05-15. https://acousticguitar.com/virtual-jamming-the-latest-tools-for-playing-together-in-real-time/. 
  3. ↑ "Networked Music Performance: An Introduction" (in en-US). 2020-09-25. https://medium.com/@mdessen/networked-music-performance-an-introduction-for-musicians-and-educators-d31d33716bd2. 
  4. ↑ "Networked Music Performance: An Introduction" (in en-US). 2020-09-25. https://medium.com/@mdessen/networked-music-performance-an-introduction-for-musicians-and-educators-d31d33716bd2. 
  5. ↑ jimamsden (2020-04-04). "Remote Jamming with Helix and Jamulus" (in en). https://jimamsden.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/remote-jamming-with-helix-and-jamulus/. 
  6. ↑ Rosen, Peter (2020-11-15). "Social Distancing For Musicians: A Quick Guide To Low-Latency Audio". https://ksltv.com/449043/socially-distancing-for-musicians-a-quick-guide-to-low-latency-audio/?. 
  7. ↑ 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. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2979362. ISSN 2169-3536. 
  8. ↑ "What is Jitter?". 4 June 1998. https://www.webopedia.com/definitions/jitter/. 
  9. ↑ "Talk network requirements". https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005468288-Talk-network-requirements. 
  10. ↑ "Meeting and phone statistics". https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/202920719-Meeting-and-phone-statistics. 
  11. ↑ "Use CQD to manage call and meeting quality in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams" (in en-us). https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/quality-of-experience-review-guide. 
  12. ↑ Fischer, Volker. "Case Study: Performing Band Rehearsals on The Internet With Jamulus". https://jamulus.io/PerformingBandRehearsalsontheInternetWithJamulus.pdf. 
  13. ↑ "Record of the Day - In tune. Informed. Indispensable". https://www.recordoftheday.com/on-the-move/news-press/bonza-music-launches-commercially-bringing-immersive-real-time-collaboration-to-music-education-and-professional-audio-workflows. 
  14. ↑ Backing track with 'Sendahead' for synchronised output.
  15. ↑ None under 400 miles. Delayed synch at longer distances.
  16. ↑ Includes screen sharing and recording.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Rosen, Peter (2020-11-15). "Social Distancing For Musicians: A Quick Guide To Low-Latency Audio". https://ksltv.com/449043/socially-distancing-for-musicians-a-quick-guide-to-low-latency-audio/?. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Limited only by server resources
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "SoundJack: Real Time Online Music" (in en-US). https://www.ianhowellcountertenor.com/soundjack-real-time-online-music. 
  20. ↑ "Quality, Delay and Bandwidth – Jamulus Wiki". https://jamulus.io/wiki/Network-Requirements. 
  21. ↑ "June 2020, "Community Choice" Project of the Month – Jamulus - SourceForge Community Blog". https://sourceforge.net/blog/june-2020-community-choice-project-month-jamulus/. 
  22. ↑ "Jamulus/Releases/Latest" (in en). https://github.com/jamulussoftware/jamulus/releases/latest. 
  23. ↑ Free for members of artistic associations and project partners.
  24. ↑ Kurtz, Holger. "Noch ruckelt die digitale Konzertbühne | Ausgabe: 5/20 | nmz - neue musikzeitung". neue musikzeitung (5/2020). https://www.nmz.de/artikel/noch-ruckelt-die-digitale-konzertbuehne. 
  25. ↑ "Sagora - Agora Sonora". https://sagora.org/index-en.html. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "What Are JamKazam's Free vs. Premium Features?" (in en-US). 2020-12-05. https://jamkazam.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/66000122535-what-are-jamkazam-s-free-vs-premium-features-. 
  27. ↑ Free version is P2P only, commercial chooses faster route.
  28. ↑ Wilson, David. "What Gear Do I Need to Play on JamKazam?" (in en). https://jamkazam.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/66000122533-what-gear-do-i-need-to-play-on-jamkazam-. 
  29. ↑ "Server - Soundjack". https://www.soundjack.eu/server-panel/. 
  30. ↑ "Dev Status - Soundjack". https://www.soundjack.eu/dev-status/. 
  31. ↑ "jacktrip/jacktrip" (in en). https://github.com/jacktrip/jacktrip. 
  32. ↑ "Releases · jacktrip/jacktrip · GitHub". https://github.com/jacktrip/jacktrip/releases. 
  33. ↑ "SonoBus License" (in en). https://github.com/essej/sonobus/blob/main/LICENSE. 
  34. ↑ "Audio Over OSC" (in en). https://github.com/essej/aooserver. 
  35. ↑ "SonoBus Releases" (in en). https://github.com/essej/sonobus/releases. 
  36. ↑ "hselasky/hpsjam" (in en). https://github.com/hselasky/hpsjam. 
  37. ↑ Requires purchase of a REAPER software licence.
  38. ↑ Marraccini, Fabio (2020-04-06). "Best services for online music jam (2020)" (in en-US). https://audiogeek11.com/best-services-for-online-music-jam-2020/. 
  39. ↑ "elieserdejesus/JamTaba" (in en). https://github.com/elieserdejesus/JamTaba. 
  40. ↑ "Get premium! | jammr". https://jammr.net/payments/subscribe. 
  41. ↑ Includes in-app purchases for advanced features.
  42. ↑ "Pricing/Ordering" (in en). https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/pricing. 
  43. ↑ "Hardware Recommendations" (in en). https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/hardware-recommendations. 
  44. ↑ "FAQs" (in en). https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/faqs. 
  45. ↑ Redactie, Onze (2013). "Op afstand samen muziek maken". Klank Wijzer: 50–53. https://www.klankwijzer.nl/media/archief/klankwijzer_editie_02_2013.pdf. 
  46. ↑ "Elk.Live Brings Musicians Together to Play Online" (in en). https://geekazine.com/cool/interview/elk-live-brings-musicians-together-to-play-online/. 
  47. ↑ "Ringing Room". Apple Inc.. https://apps.apple.com/app/ringing-room/id1531929847?platform=ipad. "© 2021 Matthew Goodship" 
  48. ↑ "Ringing Room". https://ringingroom.co.uk/about. 
  49. ↑ (in en) 10 Crazy & CREATIVE things at NAMM 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvGCzQmodx0, retrieved 2024-02-13 
  50. ↑ (in en) 10 Crazy & CREATIVE things at NAMM 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvGCzQmodx0, retrieved 2024-02-13 



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