Recent upgrades to the remote collaboration platform help to build infinitely customizable virtual venues with Soundscapes and an AI-powered loss concealment feature

Each new innovation from JackTrip Labs makes virtual space feel and sound more like a real place. The company’s Soundscapes platform and AI-powered loss concealment feature give JackTrip’s remote collaboration technology new levels of intimacy. They enable more immersive and high-definition sessions for JackTrip Virtual Studio users performing together while far apart.

Soundscapes transforms the Virtual Studio into a true performance space. Users can mix every voice present to perfection in real time, becoming their own sound engineers within rich acoustic environments tailored to artists’ needs. Preset settings simulate everything from the clean sound of a rehearsal studio to resonant cathedrals, all of which can be tweaked and adjusted for every production. JackTrip’s cutting-edge lossless audio takes on new and fully customizable dimensions, like adding reverb and noise gate effects, panning, limiting, and compressing sound to design vivid and seamless online sonic experiences. Whole ensembles can sing in sync as never before.

Another, more recent upgrade to the platform is JackTrip’s loss concealment technology, which makes the Virtual Studio accessible through a wider range of internet connections. Tapping into the possibilities of AI, JackTrip engineers utilized machine learning technology to train their platform to adapt to different connection types with wildly varying quality. This allows for potential glitches in audio, caused by lost network packets, to be eliminated in real time. “Music making shouldn’t be limited to the few people with perfect internet connections,” says CEO and co-founder Mike Dickey. “While internet protocols are in place to adapt to poor connection quality, this adaptation introduces a lot of additional latency which makes real-time collaboration difficult. JackTrip’s AI-based loss concealment reduces latency by correcting quality issues as the collaboration is unfolding, making possible the feeling of being in the same room and a sense of community.”

When Soundscapes and JackTrip’s loss concealment feature come together, musicians can feel truly in sync, practicing and performing in literally perfect harmony. It’s more than just a simulation: the Virtual Studio is a venue in its own right, now that singers and musicians can work together to create full-scale musical events with authentic auras and the tools to fine-tune every element of the production with detail comparable to in-person concerts.

“Our world has never been more dependent on being able to link up at a distance,” explains co-founder Russ Gavin, also the Director of Bands at Stanford University, where JackTrip’s journey began. “Virtual spaces are where we live so much of our lives. We want to make the most of them. With Soundscapes, we aim to reshape the entire idea of remote communication.”

In the Virtual Studio, countless permutations of tones and timbres are not only possible but easy to achieve in the face of geographic gaps. The JackTrip team is constantly at work on making the Studio an even more exciting place to spend rehearsal and performance time, and Soundscapes represents one of the most ingenious shifts yet toward the future of the virtual realm. With underlying features like loss concealment making the experience even smoother, JackTrip makes every performance a joy for artists and audiences in a wide range of technological circumstances, all but putting them in the same room as they share their skills with one another.

JackTrip Labs’ Virtual Studio real-time music collaboration platform has already won over an impressive range of creative performers. Fans like “father of the virtual choir” Eric Whitacre, the world-renowned San Francisco Girls Chorus, funk-punk icons Royal Crescent Mob, and Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn are just a few of the major artists and groups who have made good use of the JackTrip Virtual Studio. High-speed, low-latency cloud computing technology allows musicians to play together remotely while feeling like they’re in the same room. Hundreds of musicians can come together over hundreds of miles to share uncompressed audio in true harmony, making online practice and performance an accessible possibility for amateurs and professionals alike.

Now, JackTrip’s integrated video feature adds a new dimension to Virtual Studio sessions that promises to make remote rehearsals even more immersive. “A lot of people use video collaboration tools in parallel with running JackTrip, and having to go between two different tools is never a great experience,” notes co-founder and CEO Mike Dickey. “What we came up with is something that’s not only great from an integrated experience perspective, but also better, lower latency video than what you get with other tools.”  The low latency video feature is now a standard capability in all Virtual Studios. 

Both an entrepreneur and engineer, Dickey knows well the current state of the remote communication market. Along with the rest of the JackTrip team, he has ideas about how to make it better for people who need a higher quality experience, especially musicians. “Bringing an audio first perspective into the tool is very different from what anybody else has done,” he continues. JackTrip's streamlined interface and focus on quality makes it easy to maximize audiovisual experiences in the Virtual Studio.

For bands looking to rehearse conveniently from home or practice before an in-person concert, this new video feature is yet another game changer from JackTrip. “We already had that groundbreaking, latency-free audio, and now we also have it with video that is faster than we’re accustomed to. It feels far more authentic,” says Russ Gavin, JackTrip COO and co-founder who also serves as Director of Bands at Stanford University. Speaking on recent trial experiences with JackTrip’s video, he has nothing but good news to report. “It felt like it was one step closer to being in the same room than anything I’ve experienced to date. To me, that’s just spectacular.”

With user-friendly controls and revolutionary speed and quality, JackTrip Labs’ innovations continue to narrow the gaps between physical and virtual realities. By applying their trailblazing developments in remote audio infrastructure to seamlessly integrated video, the JackTrip team offers artists an even more multisensory experience as they sync up from far apart.

About JackTrip Labs
JackTrip Labs focuses on innovations for musicians, especially in a time of increasing demand for ways to make music online just as effectively as in person. Initially developed from a collaboration between Stanford University and Silicon Valley, and then further enhanced by JackTrip Labs development team, the JackTrip Virtual Studio uses state-of-the-art cloud computing technology to link users who are up to 400 miles apart at the speed of light. JackTrip Virtual Studio links musicians at high speeds and makes it possible for up to 500 musicians to play simultaneously. 

Funk-punk icons use JackTrip’s cutting-edge remote collaboration technology to prepare for a long-awaited reunion this December.

Icons of the 80s-90s indie scene, funk rock group the Royal Crescent Mob returns to the stages of their home state of Ohio for two shows this winter. Set to play Dec 16 in Columbus and Dec 17 in Cincinnati, the RC Mob’s reunion concerts will benefit the Tri-State Research Fund of the American Cancer Society. Making it possible is a partnership with JackTrip Labs, whose groundbreaking Virtual Studio technology allows musicians to collaborate in real time even when many miles apart. JackTrip Virtual Studio has been helpful  for the Mob’s four members to rehearse remotely, as they join together for their first show in 28 years.

For the RC Mob, the personal stakes for the reunion are high, especially since the charity at hand is personal. Drummer Carlton Smith (Howlin’ Maggie) faces a recent Glioblastoma diagnosis, singer David Ellison (tour manager for Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, Kesha) has recently undergone treatment for prostate cancer, and guitarist Brian “Mr. B” Emch lost his wife, Cincinnati attorney, Sallee Fry, to pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

“It’s so important to each one of us to bring the live energy our audiences expect from an RC Mob show, but it’s hard to get together for an extended period of time as we are in different locations,” says David Ellison. “With the help of JackTrip,  we could do several of the practice sessions together and sharpen up from our individual homes. We can’t wait to share our work with our listeners and help contribute to the amazing work of the American Cancer Society.”

The quality of that practice is key to the band’s entire creative worldview. The Royal Crescent Mob–Smith, Ellison, Emch, and bassist Happy Chichester ( Howlin’ Maggie, the Twilight Singers)–is known for live shows that are nothing less than revelatory, as evidenced by a throng of devoted fans including superstar multi-instrumentalist Dave Grohl.

In a recent Loudersound article penned by Grohl just last year, he commented on seeing the band numerous times at the Legendary 9:30 Club in D.C. and how they became one of his favorite bands.

With the help of their partner JackTrip Labs, the RC Mob will capture the magic of their live performance for virtual audiences. Based on technology initially developed at Stanford University and further enhanced by the JackTrip Labs development team, JackTrip’s cloud computing platform is capable of sending uncompressed audio up to 400 miles at lightspeed, allowing up to 500 users to sing and play together in perfect sync within a virtual space. This low-latency, high quality audio makes real-time collaborative music accessible to all artists with high-speed internet access and creates a truly live listening experience for fans.

The Royal Crescent Mob will perform December 16, 2022 at The Atheneaum (Columbus, OH) and December 17, 2022 at The Madison Theatre (Covington, KY). All net proceeds will go to the Tri-State Research Fund of the American Cancer Society. 

The audio from the December 17th concert at the Madison Theatre concert will be live streamed on JackTrip Radio at jacktrip.radio/RCMob

Ticket Information

Columbus, Ohio December 16, 2022
www.columbusathenaeum.com/event/12617815/cd92-9-presents-royal-crescent-mob-reunion-show/

Cincinnati, Ohio (Covington, KY) December 17, 2022
www.ticketmaster.com/royal-crescent-mob-covington-kentucky-12-17-2022/event/16005D5AC99E5DD8

About JackTrip Labs
JackTrip Labs focuses on innovations for musicians, especially in a time of increasing demand for ways to make music online just as effectively as in person. Initially developed from a collaboration between Stanford University and Silicon Valley, and then further enhanced by JackTrip Labs development team, the JackTrip Virtual Studio uses state-of-the-art cloud computing technology to link users who are up to 400 miles apart at the speed of light. JackTrip Virtual Studio links musicians at high speeds and makes it possible for up to 500 musicians to play simultaneously. 

The collaboration software platform teams up with Sweetwater to get musicians of all skill levels back to jamming and sharing with their fans.

JackTrip Labs, the virtual rehearsal and jamming platform, has launched a new fun way to engage with the company’s many, ultra low-latency collaboration features. Co-sponsored by Sweetwater, Jacktrip’s Battle of the Jams lets bands experiment and create together remotely—and broadcast the session to their fans. Those who get the most love from friends and supporters via likes will win weekly prizes.

“Jam sessions can lead to real creative breakthroughs, not to mention good times,” explains Russell Gavin, co-founder and COO of JackTrip. “We want to democratize the process and encourage people to get back into the groove and to play more music.” 

“JackTrip makes music collaboration easier and more accessible for all ages and types of musicians. We are pleased to partner with JackTrip to encourage people to use this cutting-edge technology to create more music in the world, something Sweetwater is passionate about,” says Mike Clem, Chief Growth Officer, Sweetwater.

Based on tech developed by a collaboration between  Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics and Silicon Valley software entrepreneurs, JackTrip allows everyone from an intimate duo to a hundred-singer chorus to connect and make music together with high-quality, uncompressed audio and no lags. These remote experiences can be shared with viewers, opening up a world of creative possibilities for musicians wanting to create together despite distance and connect with fans in new ways. 

A hip hop crew can bounce across the metro area for their own beat battle. Singers can harmonize perfectly, even if separated by dozens of miles. A jazz quartet with wicked scheduling challenges can finally get together and play to their heart’s content.

A public broadcast on JackTrip Radio is free, and only requires a quick download of JackTrip’s easy-to-use JackTrip Virtual Studio software. To participate in Battle of the Jams, two or more people need to join the performance virtually from different locations. During and after the jam, bands will get their fans to vote for their performance. The award will go to the host with the most and to one random host every week from now until December 25, 2022. Awards include up to $250 in gift cards from Sweetwater and 3,000 free minutes in JackTrip Virtual Studio. (For full content rules, see here.) 

“We wanted to give musicians an extra nudge to get together virtually and jam. We’ve set up some amazing sessions with veteran musicians, including a founding member of Earth, Wind, & Fire, and they have been blown away,” Gavin notes. “The ultra-low latency and the pristine audio quality transforms the virtual experience into something powerful. We want more people to feel it.”

About JackTrip Labs
JackTrip Labs, a Silicon Valley based company, began as a collaboration between Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and Silicon Valley software entrepreneurs. Jack Trip Virtual Studio is a cloud-based platform that enables individuals and groups to gather virtually to rehearse and perform music together in real time over the Internet. JackTrip delivers high fidelity lossless audio with minimal delay, so that musicians can rehearse and play music together online and make it sound like you are playing music in the same room as each even though you may be miles apart. JackTrip Labs won “Best in Show” at 2021 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) and has collaborated with music industry giants including Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre and Hal Leonard, the world’s largest print music publisher and leader in digital music technology. For more information about JackTrip Labs, visit JackTrip.com.  

The cutting edge of music meets the cutting edge of tech in SFGConnect, an upcoming San Francisco Girls Chorus program powered by Silicon Valley-developed JackTrip Labs. SFGConnect is an innovative pilot program that offers SFGC’s full choral and music theory curriculum to singers exclusively over the internet. SFGConnect will allow girls and gender expansive youth ages 7-10 to participate in SFGC’s accredited music training, even if they live hundreds of miles away, a first for the storied chorus. This ground-breaking virtual curriculum is made possible by JackTrip’s revolutionary Virtual Studio, which enables real-time music collaboration over hundreds of miles with high-quality audio–truly the next best thing to being in the same room.

The San Francisco Girls Chorus is more than a local institution. Their widely acclaimed ensembles have sung at events like the 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama and have been honored with official San Francisco Girls Chorus Day proclamations by the mayor of San Francisco. They regularly participate in San Francisco Opera productions, tour internationally, and have performed with Bobby McFerrin, Kronos Quartet, Chanticleer, and the San Francisco Symphony. With over a dozen releases, they’ve even won multiple ASCAP and GRAMMY awards. In short, they’ve been blazing national and even global trails for nearly four and a half decades, offering music education to girls, young women, and gender expansive youth ages 4-18 that is second to none.

Critical to that success? The Chorus’s forward-thinking leadership, which has long maintained a dual focus on artistic innovation and fostering the best possible opportunities for its young members. It’s with both of these values in mind that they’ve partnered up with JackTrip Labs, whose groundbreaking Virtual Studio technology allows for true real-time collaboration even across hundreds of miles.

“We’ve been using JackTrip for two years now, during the entire pandemic,” says artistic director Valérie Sainte-Agathe. “It was the only technology that allowed a chorus of 50-100 choristers to sing together successfully over the internet. I was finally able to build a program, to have the music ready to sing during the pandemic.”

Rehearsing over JackTrip proved to be such a success, in fact, that the Chorus even used it for their 2021 live streamed Gala. “It was so moving for everybody,” Valérie continues. “Everybody was at home, but we were able to sing one of our songs live.”

This was JackTrip in action, breaking down barriers of time and space. Now, Valérie and her team are putting it to work in the much longer term, announcing SFGConnect as a new and regular part of the Chorus’s educational program starting in Fall 2022. SFGConnect is a pilot program using JackTrip Virtual Studio to implement the Chorus’s regular Level I curriculum, offering singers ages 7-10 the chance to learn from the SFGC even if they live many miles outside of the Bay Area or are otherwise unable to attend in-person rehearsals. As rigorous and rewarding as the in-person program, SFGConnect pushes the limits of music education astronomically, bringing it into a whole new realm by way of JackTrip’s near-instantaneous signals.

“It’s going to be an exploration,” says Valérie, who notes that the students will be working with experimentally-minded composer Danny Clay. “It’s really the opportunity to have this new medium as part of the creation of a piece that the group will present.”

For many singers, SFGConnect represents something even more fundamental: a chance to learn and grow with like-minded people.

“The technology aspect is important,” Valérie continues, “but what’s most important for me is the connection between people.”

JackTrip Labs co-founder Alan Hu agrees. “Put yourself in the shoes of a parent with a driven young singer, but because you live in a small community some 200 miles away, you can’t access SFGC even though your child is deserving of that level of training. All of a sudden, with this innovative SFGConnect program, your young singer can participate in this world-class organization to develop their musical skills to the highest level, to bond with other kids with similar capabilities. That social connection–that is the magic that I see here.”

Experimentation, innovation, and collaboration are at the heart of everything JackTrip Labs and SFGC do. SFGConnect promises to realize both groups’ expansive visions.

“In the future, I would like to see an entire version of the program online,” says Valérie, who makes it clear that, as always, the Chorus has no plans of slowing down. “This experience using JackTrip has opened doors. We can reach out to singers who are living throughout California, and maybe, if it’s possible later, throughout the country. Maybe around the world.”