NINJAM - Internet Jam Sessions

Vegeta897

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NINJAM is a free program that lets you connect with anyone on the internet to have live, perfectly syncopated musical jam sessions.


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All you need is an instrument or something that you can plug into your PC. Guitar amp, mixer, synthesizer, etc.

"But Vegeta, how can you have a perfectly syncopated jam over the internet? What about lag?"

Well, NINJAM has a solution to that. Your input is heard by everyone else exactly 1 measure later. This eliminates any internet lag, while retaining a coherent jam session. Since everyone's improvising anyway, it really doesn't affect the loose structure of a jam.

Here's a small sample from a session I was part of last night

Another sample, tail end of a jam I was having with 2 guitarists, I was on the drum machine

There's a lot of talented people out there. Live drummers, keyboardists, pianists, guitarists, bassists, sax, even singers. It's a pleasure even to just listen to them, let alone take part.

Download here

View status of public servers (Unfortunately these servers have 6 slots max)

Getting your audio set up is the only hard part. I recommend downloading ASIO drivers before installing. Use these drivers in NINJAM for best performance. Just go to the audio config in NINJAM and select ASIO as your Input/output system, then select ASIO4ALL as your driver. Then select your audio inputs and outputs. Go to the ASIO configuration to tweak if necessary, such as lowering the latency. Too low and you'll hear static and stuff. Find a good minimum.

When you join a server, enter a name and tick the anonymous connect box. After you're in, you'll start hearing people once a measure goes by. You can turn on the server metronome if you want (usually there's a drummer or someone playing that you can just sync up by ear). You'll see a progress bar at the bottom indicating where and when the measure starts.

When you're in a server, you'll hear your own input being played along with everyone else's. But other people won't hear you until you tick the Transmit box.

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Keep this box unchecked if you want to practice before joining in.

Well, that's about all I can say for now. I hope someone here is interested in this and has an instrument to join in, and doesn't have problems setting it up.
 
Gonna check this out. Need to re-setup my audio shit.
Will get round to it in the next few days after I get some inspiration to compose something, hence giving me motivation to set it up.

Edit: Oh yeah I gots an acoustic, bass and electric guitar. And a MIDI keyboard.
 
This is kind of sexy. Now to find a way to connect my amp.
 
Still doing this occasionally.

Just had a session that really boosted my confidence in my keyboard playing. It was really damn fun playing with these guys, and I was so into this jam.

www.pixelatomy.com/stuff/jamjam.mp3

I'm the synth, as you can guess. Kinda sloppy, but one of my best performances probably. It's a long recording. I change up my chords around minute 8.

It was one of the first times where I felt like I knew what I was doing on the keys. Like I could understand all the harmonies and could improvise and experiment without sounding way off. Really an amazing time.
 
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