Rudsamblog

 Jamulus is free open-source software, and a number of servers scattered around the internet, and a community of people who develop and maintain and use it all.

Jamulus lets a group of people in different places play/sing at the same time, and hear each other, with so little delay that they can keep time and feel that they are properly together*.

How do you get to use Jamulus? There is no website to log in to in the Skype or Zoom style. There is no simple app to download either. There is, though, a website which will let you download an installation package. You can the run the installer, and that gives you the Jamulus client software. Then you can run the software.

When you run Jamulus, it lets you create a profile for youself, including a name, so that other Jamulus users can choose whether to hear you**.

Once you have a profile, you can choose a server from a big list. The list shows the response time between each server and your computer. You want to choose one which will respond quickly.

If you want to play/sing with somebody else, then they need to choose the same server. You need to agree on one that shows a good response speed for both or all of you. For a big group, especially if you're widely separated, there might not be many servers that suit you all.

Your choice of server is not permanent. You can choose a different one for each session.

Once you've chosen your server, you can "connect" to it. The rest of your group should do the same.

Once you're all connected, Jamulus shows you a kind of "mixer" that lets you choose from all the people using the same server as you: which ones do you want to hear? Obviously, you choose all the members of your group.

You can click the "solo" button for each of them, and for yourself (and the other members need to do the same).

You also have a slider to set the volume for each user on the server - including one for yourself.

Once you have set up your mixer to let you hear all the members of your group, and they have done the same, then you can all hear one another.

That's it. Or rather, there must be more, but we'll find that out as we try it.

* Jamulus doesn't let them see one another. If they try to achieve the "seeing" bit by using (for example) Zoom, then the "little delay" bit won't work, and the illusion of singing/playing together will break down.

** You can make yourself totally inaudible, so that nobody can hear you. That lets you listen in to other people's sessions. They can see that you're there. They can't stop you listening except by moving to a different server.

# posted by rudsambass @ 3:39 pm