Collaboration Proclamation - NINJAM adds session mode

[pipelineaudio]

Want to play with friends and strangers across the net and even record collaboations?

 

NINJAM just got more uber....

 

NINJAM here: http://ninjam.com/

 

Much easier even to do it from inside REAPER: http://reaper.fm/

 

Let me quote an eloquent user

 

"Justin has just included on a Session Mode into reaper's included reaNINJAM plugin.

 

Purely as a user I believe it has the potential to revolutionise online collaboration.

 

Here is a primer I wrote on it if you guys are interested:

 

- Whats it for?

 

Imagine a facility made of virtual studios where artists could meet online and collaborate on their reaper projects, without technology getting in the way.

 

So two words - online collaboration.

 

The concept behind it is that a group of reaper users can congregate in a virtual room (within a NINJAM host server), and record tracks together using reaper, ultimately building up a complete song. Or you could just have a wild jam where everybody can hear each others tracks in sync with their own project.

 

- Sounds like regular NINJAM - whats the difference?

 

The best way to describe it is to detail a typical session between 2 people, 'A' and 'B'

 

'A' pops the included ReaNINJAM plugin into the master track within reaper, opens it, and connects to say the 'test.ninjam.com:2600' server. When connected he then sets his local channel to 'Session' mode, as opposed to 'Normal NINJAM' mode.

 

'B' does the same. Now they are both in the virtual room and can chat to each other via text or voice right inside the plugin.

 

Next they both set their projects to the same value (say 100bpm)

 

Now 'A' sets up a track of drum loops of say 3 minutes. He arranges this on a track inside his current reaper project.

 

When complete he hits play for the duration of the project length. (This records the track into the Ninjam server software so that others can hear it)

 

Now when 'B' hits play he can hear the drum track that 'A' put down! (via the reaNINJAM plugin). He can adjust the balance to taste in the reaNINJAM plug too.

 

Next 'B' records a bassline into his project (with the reaper Track record monitoring on) when he is ready

 

Now 'A' can hear the bassline alongside his drum track when he plays back the project.

 

And so on....get the idea?....We have had a few trial sessions of doing this and the potential is huge.

 

If I had a song done that just needed say a keyboard part , I could meet a keyboard player in there, get him to play his part in, record it to disk and the job is done. Maybe make a few pointers along the way via text or voice.

 

 

Cheers

Jed

"

[blue2blue]

I find these developments more and more intriguing.

 

My initial interest is more in the real-time workshop possibilities (songwriter workshop, open-mic types stuff) but I was among the earlier 'net collaborators (Terminally self-involved digression: I collab'd with a young English techno guy who found my music on the old mp3.com and contacted me back in 1999 to produce this track. ["Acid Vibez," music by Deakin Scott; I wrote the lyrics and performed the vocals over his backtracks. This is my version mix of the track; his version mis-seated the vocals rhythmically as per the intent of me, the vocalist -- I spent a lot of time shoehorning my post-Dylan lyric style into a 142 bpm dancefloor style workout and I wanted them on the mark -- highlighting one of the dangers of online collaboration.])

[pipelineaudio]

with this setup, that particular problem shouldnt really be an issue

[blue2blue]

Well, it's a very different model. But it's definitely a really interesting one.