Photo credit: Gabriel Benois
I do a lot of remote collaboration. I’ve co-written songs remotely and I produce artists from around the world. So I’d like to share some tools that can make your next remote collab easier.
When It Makes Sense To Collaborate Remotely
Here are the most common reasons remote collaboration makes sense for musicians…
Remote production
If you’re trying to get into music production, you’re not just limited to the artists in your area. You can find clients on social media and on sites like SoundBetter.
Hiring session musicians
Speaking of SoundBetter, you can use this site to find and hire session musicians from around the world.
Co-writing
Let’s say you find a songwriter on Instagram with whom you want to write a song. Well, it’s possible thanks to today’s technology.
Scheduling conflicts
Whether or not you’re in the same area as another songwriter or musician, you can still collaborate remotely if you can’t sync up your calendars.
Extenuating circumstances
All I need to say is, COVID-19. It’s rare, but something could happen that doesn’t fall into the above categories. And you may lean on remote collaboration in those times.
4 Tools To Help You Collaborate Remotely
Two of these tools I’ve used and I’ve heard good things about the other two tools.
SonoBus
SonoBus is an app and plugin that lets you share high-quality audio in real-time. You just throw the plugin onto your master bus, share the “room” link with the other person, and they can listen in through the app.
I used it for a production and mixing session with one of my artists. He said the audio quality was great, but there was some glitching. But it was good enough that we made really good progress.
Zoom
It is possible to share your audio via a Zoom call. I’ve tried this. It’s not amazing, but it works in a pinch. The audio shared was okay quality and there was some lag. But it can definitely be an option.
LISTENTO
LISTENTO lets you share high-quality audio from and to any DAW. They claim you can have “no dropouts or variable bitrates.”
One reviewer on Reddit said it doesn’t work well for remote jam sessions.
“There is a slight lag,” they wrote. “Just large enough that drums and true tempo elements don’t work in real-time.”
But another Reddit reviewer said, “Most of my mixing clients tend to like using it rather than coming over cause they can stay at their home and listen to the mix on a system they know.”
Sessionwire
Sessionwire works like SonoBus and LISTENTO – it transmits high-quality audio from DAW to DAW remotely.
The official Sessionwire account said this on a Reddit forum:
“…Live jamming would not be in perfect sync. However, recording back and forth will be.”
Choosing one of these tools for your next remote collaboration comes down to this: price, compatibility with your gear/software, and how you like/dislike the interface.
