Hi all,
I got the Axe FX II working with the (free) "Jamulus" software for online realtime playing.
Here's a quick and slightly disorganized write-up and a few notes as this may be of interest to others too.
Now that the virus is here, there won't be any band rehearsals for a long time. This isn't a perfect alternative but better than nothing.
My experience on the topic comes from maybe a dozen hours, give or take some. If there are any "online jam" power users around here, I'd be happy to hear from you if there is a better way
This write-up is opinion-based with the mindset of a "rhythm" player who is generally following the drums. Please feel free to disagree - E.g. I understand there are guitar players who just play their thing and it works too - at least as long as there isn't more than one playing at a time
Now for those that DO disagree, I list a hardware-monitoring alternative below for completeness that is much easier to set up but will cause sloppy timing on your playing for the others in the session (it's on spot for yourself with hardware monitoring but late for everyone else)
A few lessons learned.(general)
At patch level, I use the following routing to break the direct audio path and mix in the piano via input 2:
At the end of the signal chain,
Those global settings need to be done only once:
Then, edit the FASUSB Audio control panel settings (task bar on Windows, "Buffer settings" tab) to "Audio buffer size:64 samples" and "USB Streaming mode: minimum latency".
In the software, use "input 1 / 2" and "output 1/2". My favorite is "Jamulus" but "jammr" might also work well (I've used it successfully but not with Axe FX II).
For Jamulus, set "Audio Quality" to "Low" as a starting point. In Settings, observe "overall delay" in the bottom right corner while connected. It is possible that higher audio quality will cause higher delay readings after a few seconds. "Low" quality is perfectly workable for me but please experiment.
For testing (Jamulus), start a new server (Windows Start menu, "Jamulus", "Jamulus server". Do use the default "register my server" setting, because running a private server is more involved and may require fiddling with DSL router settings etc. Maybe call it "private test" to not risk ending up in the middle of a neighborhood jam session
In the Jamulus application, you should see your own server at the top of the list with near-zero ping. Connect to it.
Only when connected:
Latency:
You'll get best results on your own server. If you're trying to set up a virtual rehearsal, it may be a good idea to have the player, who is struggling the most with latency or has the slowest sound card run the server (because it will be 20..30 ms faster than connecting to a remote server)
The "ping" reading in the "connect" dialog gives a good indication. 15 ms is good (I get that to the "central server" in Frankfurt), 30 ms is probably acceptable with compromises on playing. The distance limit for me at the moment is probably around 1000 km (e.g. from Munich I usually get good sessions with Italy but it tends to fall apart with Spain and transcontinental US is hopeless. Most of the servers seem to be in US, though, if you're located there).
Results may vary - the internet is experiencing "interesting times" with the pandemic e.g. Youtube and Netflix were officially requested to lower bandwidth to conserve capacity. The point is, if it doesn't work right away, don't give up because the internet may be having a bad day.
Network issues:
I suspect that too much experimentation confuses my DSL router (e.g. port forwarding). If audio suddenly disappears and rebooting the PC doesn't fix it, try power cycling your network gear.
USB cable:
We won't get far with a broken USB cable. Painfully obvious but I hate to admit that I got bitten yesterday when moving boxes on the table... problems easily avoided.
This seems like generic advice but double-check that you have a "quality" cable e.g. not one that is 15 years old from USB 1 days.
USB port:
Double-check that it's not plugged into a "legacy" port (many PCs have low-end ports meant for keyboard and mouse e.g. with a black or white body instead of blue). Check the labels e.g. "SS" for "superspeed" ports (the better ones).
Why the trouble?
as a quick motivational speech The Axe FX is a bit difficult to set up for its complexity but it turned out to be the fastest audio interface in my collection, on par if not faster than a PCI-based RME Hammerfall card and substantially faster than a Line 6 HX Stomp (that said: I've used all three successfully in online jamming)
== Alternative approach with hardware monitoring ===
Much easier to set up: Omit the above "patch" instructions and keep USB / digi source at "output 1".
After logging into a Jamulus session, enable "mute" on yourself (this should cause a small change in your own playing volume).
The problem I see with this method is that I know of no way to reduce my own (hardware) monitoring volume relative to the session.
I'm just mentioning this alternative approach as a possibility, I haven't really used it myself.
I got the Axe FX II working with the (free) "Jamulus" software for online realtime playing.
Here's a quick and slightly disorganized write-up and a few notes as this may be of interest to others too.
Now that the virus is here, there won't be any band rehearsals for a long time. This isn't a perfect alternative but better than nothing.
My experience on the topic comes from maybe a dozen hours, give or take some. If there are any "online jam" power users around here, I'd be happy to hear from you if there is a better way
This write-up is opinion-based with the mindset of a "rhythm" player who is generally following the drums. Please feel free to disagree - E.g. I understand there are guitar players who just play their thing and it works too - at least as long as there isn't more than one playing at a time
Now for those that DO disagree, I list a hardware-monitoring alternative below for completeness that is much easier to set up but will cause sloppy timing on your playing for the others in the session (it's on spot for yourself with hardware monitoring but late for everyone else)
A few lessons learned.(general)
- I need to play through the server only, with local monitoring off. This way I hear my own playing in time, like the others hear it. Usually I even turn down my own playback volume - I know what I am playing (at least in theory...) but it makes it easier to listen to the others.
- Set a "hot" audio signal, then try to keep speaker (headphone) volume as low as possible to limit random noise bursts caused e.g. by users with connection problems.
- latency makes it considerably harder than playing in the same room but it gets better with practice and if I adapt my playing.
- especially if it seems hard to get a song going: Keep it simple and stupid. Fewer notes, be obvious in the used chords. E.g. an unexpected syncopation may throw the whole band off when you realize that they were following your timing, not the drums.
- Have patience. E.g. people may need a few bum notes to find the key, this is much harder when not being in the same room. And consider staying on Em for a minute or two for everybody to settle in.
At patch level, I use the following routing to break the direct audio path and mix in the piano via input 2:
At the end of the signal chain,
- A "Feedback RTRN" block with MIX near 50 % and Level = 0 dB (MIX balances the external input vs the guitar path). Omit if not using 2nd input.
- an FX LOOP block with levels at 0 dB or higher (sets the volume that goes out to the session via USB. 13 dB gain works for me here)
- An FX SEND block with "send level" = 100 % and "output level" 0 %. The output level setting is needed to disconnect the direct audio path between inputs 2 and main out. Omit if not using 2nd input.
Those global settings need to be done only once:
- IO/Audio: Set "USB/Digi Out Source" to "Output 2". The reason is that we're routing the signal via the FX LOOP block to Output 2 to disable hardware monitoring at main output 1, and here the signal is picked to be sent to the PC.
- Set USB BUFFER SIZE to 64 for lowest latency. Occasional dropouts may be tolerable (this won't be studio quality) but the latency difference to 128 is fairly small.
- check that USB return level is at 0 dB
Then, edit the FASUSB Audio control panel settings (task bar on Windows, "Buffer settings" tab) to "Audio buffer size:64 samples" and "USB Streaming mode: minimum latency".
In the software, use "input 1 / 2" and "output 1/2". My favorite is "Jamulus" but "jammr" might also work well (I've used it successfully but not with Axe FX II).
For Jamulus, set "Audio Quality" to "Low" as a starting point. In Settings, observe "overall delay" in the bottom right corner while connected. It is possible that higher audio quality will cause higher delay readings after a few seconds. "Low" quality is perfectly workable for me but please experiment.
For testing (Jamulus), start a new server (Windows Start menu, "Jamulus", "Jamulus server". Do use the default "register my server" setting, because running a private server is more involved and may require fiddling with DSL router settings etc. Maybe call it "private test" to not risk ending up in the middle of a neighborhood jam session
In the Jamulus application, you should see your own server at the top of the list with near-zero ping. Connect to it.
Only when connected:
- The "Input" virtual LED meter should react when playing (note, the gray-green color is easily overlooked, which can be misleading)
- In the "settings" dialog, there will be real time readouts on "ping rate" and "overall delay". "ping" is network only (which should be 0 ms for a private server), "overall delay" is the actual audio delay on your playing.
- Double-check that you can hear yourself playing through the server
- Double-check that clicking the "mute" button on yourself turns off your own playing (otherwise you have unwanted hardware monitoring).
Latency:
You'll get best results on your own server. If you're trying to set up a virtual rehearsal, it may be a good idea to have the player, who is struggling the most with latency or has the slowest sound card run the server (because it will be 20..30 ms faster than connecting to a remote server)
The "ping" reading in the "connect" dialog gives a good indication. 15 ms is good (I get that to the "central server" in Frankfurt), 30 ms is probably acceptable with compromises on playing. The distance limit for me at the moment is probably around 1000 km (e.g. from Munich I usually get good sessions with Italy but it tends to fall apart with Spain and transcontinental US is hopeless. Most of the servers seem to be in US, though, if you're located there).
Results may vary - the internet is experiencing "interesting times" with the pandemic e.g. Youtube and Netflix were officially requested to lower bandwidth to conserve capacity. The point is, if it doesn't work right away, don't give up because the internet may be having a bad day.
Network issues:
I suspect that too much experimentation confuses my DSL router (e.g. port forwarding). If audio suddenly disappears and rebooting the PC doesn't fix it, try power cycling your network gear.
USB cable:
We won't get far with a broken USB cable. Painfully obvious but I hate to admit that I got bitten yesterday when moving boxes on the table... problems easily avoided.
This seems like generic advice but double-check that you have a "quality" cable e.g. not one that is 15 years old from USB 1 days.
USB port:
Double-check that it's not plugged into a "legacy" port (many PCs have low-end ports meant for keyboard and mouse e.g. with a black or white body instead of blue). Check the labels e.g. "SS" for "superspeed" ports (the better ones).
Why the trouble?
as a quick motivational speech
The Axe FX is a bit difficult to set up for its complexity but it turned out to be the fastest audio interface in my collection, on par if not faster than a PCI-based RME Hammerfall card and substantially faster than a Line 6 HX Stomp (that said: I've used all three successfully in online jamming)== Alternative approach with hardware monitoring ===
Much easier to set up: Omit the above "patch" instructions and keep USB / digi source at "output 1".
After logging into a Jamulus session, enable "mute" on yourself (this should cause a small change in your own playing volume).
The problem I see with this method is that I know of no way to reduce my own (hardware) monitoring volume relative to the session.
I'm just mentioning this alternative approach as a possibility, I haven't really used it myself.
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