JamLink ready rock SXSW

If you're in Austin this week, give real-time online music collaboration a whirl

Last November I tested JamLink, a $299 device that lets musicians collaborate in real time over the internet with zero detectable lag. The sound was clear and immediate, and inspired visions of Jack Black leading a globally-distributed live-streamed revolution of awesomeness. Tomorrow, parent company MusicianLink will be demonstrating its device at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, TX.

“We will have Mark Akin, 200 miles away in Dallas, Texas ready to play with anyone who stops by our booth.” David Willyard, Co-Founder and CEO of MusicianLink said. “It's a great opportunity for musicians to come and experience the jamLink for themselves.” Mark Akin is a multi-platinum soundtrack recording artist for the popular anime series DragonBall Z. If you're in town, had a garage band in high school, and ever dreamed of an online reunion, I highly recommend giving the device a test run. 

The goal of real-time internet-based jamming has proven elusive because even a few microseconds of lag can destroy the experience. However, most of that lag is caused by computers, and not the wires hanging from telephone polls—which means a lot of it can be erased by using a dedicated device plugged into your Ethernet connection. JamLink is that device and I was surprised at how well it worked when I tried it out at the company’s headquarters over a a 1-megabite connection.

Below is a video I taped during my visit to MusicianLink's office, showing Willyard playing in San Jose, with company's music director Dan Meblin, who was 80 miles away in Novato, CA, at the time.