Related link: http://www.esession.com
Music is all about communication, but ironically, it seems the more powerful our computer tools become, the more likely we are to work alone. In The Art of Digital Music, Alan Parsons contends that part of the problem is that the mouse is made for only one human hand. He then describes watching in amazement as Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, a.k.a. the Crystal Method, recorded their tracks for Parsons’s new album at the same computer, tag-team style.
For several years now, programmers have been trying to bring that level of collaboration to musicians situated at different computers. One of the most promising approaches was Res Rocket (later Rocket Network), which allowed far-flung musicians to build up songs by trading overdubs over the Internet. It was like instant messaging for music production, with a chat window and even virtual rooms where participants could search for collaborators. As your Rocket sequencer chugged along in Idaho—the program had the playful name Distributed Realtime Groove Network (DRAGON)—a musician in Brazil could be recording a complementary part on his computer. A few clicks of the mouse later, and it was playing back on your machine. The beauty of the system was that it didn’t attempt to synchronize all the DRAGONs around the world. Each played back at its own tempo or timing offset. The realtime interaction happened in the chat window.
At first, Rocket supported only MIDI tracks; later it allowed musicians to trade audio tracks as well. Eventually, major sequencer companies including Steinberg and Emagic released “Rocket-powered” versions of their programs, and massive Digidesign implemented a subscription-based virtual recording studio. Then came the dot-com crash, and Rocket was grounded. Parts of the concept resurfaced recently in Digidesign’s DigiDelivery, a multithousand-dollar hardware/software system for transferring large audio files easily and securely. It’s essentially an ftp replacement for professional recording studios—more of a utility than a creative tool.
Still, some people never forgot the joyful collaborative vibe of early Rocket offerings. Yesterday, Gina Fant-Saez, whom we profiled on the O’Reilly Digital Audio site, launched a service called eSession that truly seems to be geared for music. The site promises to help you find top-drawer studio musicians and recording engineers to work on your projects, and then handle all of the financial transactions and file transfers. There’s also 24/7 telephone tech support.
Currently, eSession is building a database of talent. To sign up as a session musician or engineer, participants need 15 major-label credits, a personal digital studio, and high-speed Internet access. You’ll be able to hire these ringers either by the track or by the hour, at negotiated rates.
It will be interesting to see how eSession evolves. Instead of reaching for a loop CD, songwriters may soon be dialing in drum doctors, riff repairmen, and guitar gurus for musical housecalls. In the meantime, be sure to check out the O’Reilly Digital Media Professionals Directory, where you can search for music and audio professionals (as well as photographers and graphic designers), or advertise your own services for free.
How would you like to collaborate remotely?
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Read More Entries by David Battino.
Funkdawgs, world's first internet jazz fusion band
Funkdawgs (fan'kdaags) n. US slang.
1. A virtual band comprised of talented musicians from planet Earth that have found a common groove and freedom to create in the jazz-funk/fusion scene.
2. Jazz musicians that collaborate in the virtual realm by sending recorded wave files through cyberspace via the internet to develop infectious instrumental compositions.
3 Contemporary musicians who feel a heavy jazz-funk vibe, occupy the same creative headspace and spend considerable late hours in home-based recording studios....
You can’t surf our waves but you can groove to our funky rhythms....FUNKDAWGS
Funkdawgs produce music exclusively via the internet and record for many musicians around the world... more than 100 original compositions to their credit
...On line band since 2000....
main site at www.funkdawgs.com
our current podcast
http://feeds.feedburner.com/funkdawgs
our current blog
http://funkdawgs.blogspot.com/
DAWGMA THE SECOND INDEPENDENT RELEASE FROM THE WORLD'S FIRST VIRTUAL JAZZ-FUNK BAND
Presenting a breath of fresh air on the nu jazz scene.
Dawgma, the exciting, much-awaited second release from the Funkdawgs delivers 14 new tracks that have come together in the true spirit of musical collaboration.
Because the band doesn't really exist… except in the 'virtual realm'.
In fact, most of the Funkdawgs members have never met face-to-face.
The Funkdawgs are five highly-talented, innovative jazz musicians who have gained years of experience, both in the studio and on stage, and still feel the need to create from their various home studios around the planet.
Although from different cities in different countries (United States, Canada and Italy), they definitely feel the same groove and passion for jazz-funk.
The original instrumental material they create has many familiar influences that surface in their compositions.
It's an exploration that wouldn't have been possible without today's advanced digital recording and Internet technologies.
All the compositions on Dawgma have been recorded in the virtual studios of each musician, with tracks being exchanged across cyberspace and assembled in digital software on the Funkdawgs' studio computers.
Feel the contemporary nu-jazz directions that Dawgma delivers.
Influences range from funk to blues to R & B to fusion to Latin jazz to acid.
It's a heady mixture of rhythms and melodies that breathe new energy into today's world jazz scene.
Dawgma is available by order only through cdbaby.com or via www.funkdawgs.com
Clarification
I just heard from Gina that the eSession site will officially launch with all features in July. What went live yesterday was the sign-up page. Still, even if you don’t have the 15 major-label credits necessary to join the session-musician database, the site is still worth a visit to get a sense of where online music collaboration is going. —David Battino