Ejamming.com appears to be nice bet, but I have doubts. The software is proprietary and claims near-zero latency. According to one immediate review, the latency is anywhere around 30+ ms or less. There is no mention – if it’s compatible with the DAW or other programs (such as Ableton Live). Will it play well with other programs? I would hope so, but there is no real mention of routing or plug-in compatibility.

“Near-zero latency.” is misleading. Between your gear and your computer, there is a variable processing time before the audio is acceptable to broadcast over the internet. Near-zero latency is an irresponsible term. Musicians can expect to reasonably adjust to latency below 25ms.

I view ejamming’s biggest fault, is that they are seeking to create profits off their idea of how online collaboration should look and interact. You have their forum, proprietary software that may or may not behave how you need it, and access to a community of people. Given the scenario, I imagine it’s a bit like a dating site.

Our setup requires ableton, multiple instruments, and unique plug-ins. I have no assurance that the program they have developed, is resource-ready, and transparent.

Ninjam is novel, but hasn’t been updated since 2007. It’s an exciting format for active songwriters. You play in intervals, and receive updates in intervals. Somewhat like playing “red light / green light.” It’s easy to imagine a group of people working over song patterns and building full songs. The interval aspect creates a constraint that focuses on each section of a song.

It disadvantages itself by leaning heavily on it’s self-built DAW called Reaper. This is again, an immediate turn off. Again, my opinion revolves around software that’s unassuming and open. Many people are ritual-based. They’ve learned a certain complex piece of software and interfacing, why should they be expected to reconstruct their workflow in an unproven environment?

We’ve rested our solution on Skype, it’s might advantages and it’s predictable flaws. Our only concern, is that Skype being own by Microsoft doesn’t bring the assumed tradition of unwieldy software.

Skype pros:

*Simple software audio routings
*One continuous stream
*Peer-to-peer
*No extra garbage
*Free

Cons:
*No stereo (transmits in mono)
*Direct adaptability to DAW

It’s advantage is derived from the fact it wasn’t intended for collaborating music over the internet. It’s initial goal, was to broadcast audio efficiently and evenly. It performs pretty well in that respect. Sometimes it is overloaded, yet as our DAWs are still active and don’t depend on the program – we just call each other back and continue the mayhem.

I invite you to explore or discover any other options and prove my attitude wrong. I’d love stereo, or transmitting tempo. Midi would be amazing, imagine a ghost hand from across the continent turning a knob for you!