Hello everyone, just found out about JamKazam this week and our band wants to start using it.
What internet speed is really needed? I know the specs say 1 Mbps upload but I see posts from other users online and opinions of course vary.
There are 4 of us in the band, two of us have Fiber connections although I'm not sure what speed they actually have.
I have a 2Mbps upload/25Mbps download, the other guy has 1Mbps upload/10Mbps download. I'm thinking the two of us need to upgrade our speed but would like to hear from others what is really needed to make best use of JamKazam.
(08-21-2020, 02:33 PM)MIL8 Wrote: Hello everyone, just found out about JamKazam this week and our band wants to start using it.
What internet speed is really needed? I know the specs say 1 Mbps upload but I see posts from other users online and opinions of course vary.
There are 4 of us in the band, two of us have Fiber connections although I'm not sure what speed they actually have.
I have a 2Mbps upload/25Mbps download, the other guy has 1Mbps upload/10Mbps download. I'm thinking the two of us need to upgrade our speed but would like to hear from others what is really needed to make best use of JamKazam.
Thanks!
Welcome to the wonderful world of JamKazam ...
The internet speed required is fairly dependent on the distance between you all and whether those links are being used for any other purpose. You should be able to use JK with the spec connections that you have - it certainly wont hurt to try.
A couple of things to remember though .....
1) NO WIFI ... you must use a cable connection as WiFi ‘looses packets’
2) Use an Audio Interface if you have one - it reduces ‘latency’ (time taken to get your audio to everyone else). Lots say that you can get by with a USB headset / mic ... which is true - I have..... but I have a 10Mb upload / 80 Mb download fibre connection. .... and it is much better with the Audio i/f.
Just as an update I talked with one of the two guys that has fiber since I made the post, he has 100Mbps down, 97Mbps up so I think the two guys with Fiber are good.
The two of us that have the slowest connections are in the same town, probably about 5 miles from each other, then the two guys that have fiber are father, one about 10 miles, the other about 20 miles.
I've also started a thread in another section about interfaces, I have one now and the other 3 are going to need to buy them.
(08-21-2020, 02:52 PM)MIL8 Wrote: Thanks for the reply.
Just as an update I talked with one of the two guys that has fiber since I made the post, he has 100Mbps down, 97Mbps up so I think the two guys with Fiber are good.
The two of us that have the slowest connections are in the same town, probably about 5 miles from each other, then the two guys that have fiber are father, one about 10 miles, the other about 20 miles.
I've also started a thread in another section about interfaces, I have one now and the other 3 are going to need to buy them.
Yes - commented on that post too ....
It’s worth trying out with what you have - and working out what you need. You may get away with it as long as nobody else is streaming Netflix, playing Fortnite or trying to hack NASA* on your connection. (*Other governments / agencies are available). Good luck
08-21-2020, 04:15 PM (This post was last modified: 11-30-2020, 05:05 PM by Mike Garrahan.
Edit Reason: added safety factor
)
Based on my experience with a DSL user who could play duets but not quartets, and what the Audio Booster dialog shows in the top line, I suggest this formula:
(players in session - 1) * (max music bitrate + 0.3 kbit/packet * max packet rate)
So if there are 4 in the band, sending 256 kbps audio in 400 packets per second, that's
both ways. The bandmate with 1 Mbps upload capacity should either upgrade their Internet service, or limit music bitrate to 128 kbps and consider limiting packet rate to 200/sec (5 ms frame size).
Edit: If your upload capacity is double the minimum, you'll be less vulnerable to temporary fluctuations in network performance.
08-21-2020, 04:23 PM (This post was last modified: 08-21-2020, 05:05 PM by Hans Peter Augustesen.)
"Use an Audio Interface if you have one"!?
It is not at all possible to use JamKazam without an audio interface.
But all modern computers actually have an audio interface. A built-in audio interface.
It can normally be used in JamKazam, but an external audio interface will generally give a better result; better sound, lower latency ...
---
Many people offen use the term "audio interface" about an external audio device. While an internal audio device is called "sound card".
But of course it's basically rubbish.
A "sound card" and an "audio interface" are completely the same.
Sound card is audio interface and audio interface is sound card.
No longer is that story, in the first place.
So: Free us from this confusing language, please!
(08-21-2020, 04:23 PM)Hans Peter Augustesen Wrote: "Use an Audio Interface if you have one"!?
It is not at all possible to use JamKazam without an audio interface.
But all modern computers actually have an audio interface. A built-in audio interface.
It can normally be used in JamKazam, but an external audio interface will generally give a better result; better sound, lower latency ...
---
Many people offen use the term "audio interface" about an external audio device. While an internal audio device is called "sound card".
But of course it's basically rubbish.
A "sound card" and an "audio interface" are completely the same.
Sound card is audio interface and audio interface is sound card.
No longer is that story, in the first place.
So: Free us from this confusing language, please!
Oh, I've got a negative rating
for the above post. See attached image
This is how it can go even in the best family.
No comments on why.
Well, then I have no immediate comments either.
However, that should not deter me from giving Mike Garrahan a positive rating for his informative post here in this thread
When I started using Jamkazam, my Internet upload speed was around 1Mbit/s and I could successfully play with 2 other people but not 3. I complained about the speed to my ISP who replaced a network component which raised the speed to 3Mbit/s, which was fine for a 4-piece band. The bit-rate that Jamkazam uses is configurable from the "Manage" menu and I tend to use the lowest rate. Other participants were unable to tell the difference between different bitrates but that may depend on what instrument you play (electric guitar, in my case).
(08-21-2020, 04:23 PM)Hans Peter Augustesen Wrote: "Use an Audio Interface if you have one"!?
It is not at all possible to use JamKazam without an audio interface.
But all modern computers actually have an audio interface. A built-in audio interface.
It can normally be used in JamKazam, but an external audio interface will generally give a better result; better sound, lower latency ...
---
Many people offen use the term "audio interface" about an external audio device. While an internal audio device is called "sound card".
But of course it's basically rubbish.
A "sound card" and an "audio interface" are completely the same.
Sound card is audio interface and audio interface is sound card.
No longer is that story, in the first place.
So: Free us from this confusing language, please!
(08-21-2020, 04:23 PM)Hans Peter Augustesen Wrote: "Use an Audio Interface if you have one"!?
It is not at all possible to use JamKazam without an audio interface.
But all modern computers actually have an audio interface. A built-in audio interface.
It can normally be used in JamKazam, but an external audio interface will generally give a better result; better sound, lower latency ...
---
Many people offen use the term "audio interface" about an external audio device. While an internal audio device is called "sound card".
But of course it's basically rubbish.
A "sound card" and an "audio interface" are completely the same.
Sound card is audio interface and audio interface is sound card.
No longer is that story, in the first place.
So: Free us from this confusing language, please!
Oh, I've got a negative rating
for the above post. See attached image
This is how it can go even in the best family.
No comments on why.
Well, then I have no immediate comments either.
However, that should not deter me from giving Mike Garrahan a positive rating for his informative post here in this thread
Sorry ... what I meant was ‘don’t rely on the built in microphone and speaker on a laptop (windows or Mac)’
i agree even that is an ‘audio interface’ but tends to be low quality & poor latency .... and a ‘sound card’ in a desktop pc would be better ... and the quality goes up from there.
(08-21-2020, 02:33 PM)MIL8 Wrote: Hello everyone, just found out about JamKazam this week and our band wants to start using it.
What internet speed is really needed? I know the specs say 1 Mbps upload but I see posts from other users online and opinions of course vary.
There are 4 of us in the band, two of us have Fiber connections although I'm not sure what speed they actually have.
I have a 2Mbps upload/25Mbps download, the other guy has 1Mbps upload/10Mbps download. I'm thinking the two of us need to upgrade our speed but would like to hear from others what is really needed to make best use of JamKazam.
Thanks!
Welcome to the wonderful world of JamKazam ...
The internet speed required is fairly dependent on the distance between you all and whether those links are being used for any other purpose. You should be able to use JK with the spec connections that you have - it certainly wont hurt to try.
A couple of things to remember though .....
1) NO WIFI ... you must use a cable connection as WiFi ‘looses packets’
2) Use an Audio Interface if you have one - it reduces ‘latency’ (time taken to get your audio to everyone else). Lots say that you can get by with a USB headset / mic ... which is true - I have..... but I have a 10Mb upload / 80 Mb download fibre connection. .... and it is much better with the Audio i/f.
That's really bad for me, actually. WIFI is my only option and there is nothing I can do about it at the moment.
