JamNSync: A User-Friendly, Latency-Agnostic Virtual Rehearsal Platform for Music Ensembles

Abstract

Existing technologies that support virtual rehearsals are complex and unintuitive. Network music performance platforms promise real-time interactions between physically separated musicians, but they demand hard-to-achieve network conditions, lack rehearsal-specific features, and require extensive knowledge of network jargon. JamNSync, designed with musicians in mind, proposes a hassle-free alternative. The JamNSync web application offers a recording-based, synchronous rehearsal experience using a novel consensus protocol. Each musician only needs a basic understanding of playback systems and common audio devices. To account for non-deterministic audio latency in the browser, JamNSync provides a user-friendly audio alignment tool that efficiently automates audio processing and produces a group mix ready for immediate feedback. Three rounds of user testing show that JamNSync holds significant advantages over current virtual rehearsal solutions. By providing an intuitive platform for physically distanced groups to rehearse, JamNSync enables musicians around the world to remotely make music together. This is especially valuable during times of social isolation.