The claim “ FarPlay reduces the audio delay between yourself and others to the absolute minimum, so much so that you can play music together over the internet in real-time.‘
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface casio wk-7500 biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
Extremely interesting. Ideal for remote performances, where latency has previously been a significant issue.
And the price is very reasonable too!
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Not following the logic. The lag comes from the internet connection. How can you change latency that happens at your ISP and across the backbones on zee infrawebz? If somebody buys it please let me know. I am not going to buy it because I wouldn't use it but as a networking geek I am interested in know IF it works, and if it does, HOW.
Many years ago now I had a chap call in an issue regarding login to a secure session from Australia to some place in the USA which had security built in to disconnect any session not completed the round trip within 100msec. The issue was that any round trip to the USA was 160msec. I had a major issue explaining that transmission was limited to less than the speed of light (at best 90% I’d the speed of light). At the time all transmission was basically serialised even on high speed fibre. Packet prioritisation was not really that well handled.
These days there are many better ways of prioritising packets and methods that will allow parallel paths to make things faster but to my way of thinking there will always be some latency. There will be about 13msecs or so just from the mic into the PC. It looked to me she was already starting the clap in anticipation before he clapped. But then again even when playing together there is a lot of anticipation that holds a group together.
Yep, maybe the technology will help but it will not completely stop latency. Anticipation will play a major part.
My thoughts
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
I am not going to buy it because I wouldn't use it but as a networking geek I am interested in know IF it works, and if it does, HOW.
Hi Eddie. It's apparently free (at least for the moment). I suspect it just uses more efficient routing, but that's only a guess. Trev
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
It's all about the internet connection folks. They are located in France and Switzerland and they stated their latency is around 16-17 MS AND both of them are on Fiber connections, which is ultra fast, if you are lucky to have the luxury.
I am in Springfield, MO and I just did a ping test from Springfield to Des Moines,IA (about the same distance) and my latency was 60ms download and 123ms upload.
That would defiantly not be acceptable for this purpose.
You can't go any faster then the traffic on the freeway.
I'll pass until I can get connected to fiber.
BIAB2026 Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!) WA6NCB
I'm on 20mb DSL.... I wonder how well that would work for me.... (don't answer that)
Could you try two cans and a tight piece of string? (runs, ducking for cover )
- Oh, sorry, I wasn't supposed to answer. Apologies.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
I haven't tried it yet but the concept sounds cool. My ASSumption is that you may get hung up on the delayed signal. Even on the demo they said they had to shift the video time so that it appeared they clapped when they did. I guess if both parties are on the best internet, it could work.
Steve, you live in Spectrum land like I do. I have aping of 43ms and downstream of 247.7 mbps. I have no idea why they leave the upstream at 12 mbps, but through all the speed increases they have never changed that provisioning for more than 12 mpbs up.
Were you down Tuesday night at all, or don't you use them for TV? I use their streaming and the auth server must have gone down because for 6 hours nobody could log into it. They have 10 million "TV by stream only" users so you can imagine the phone call and online traffic they had. Eventually they either shut the phones off on purpose or they got overloaded and died on their own. People were reporting that they'd call in, get 1 ring, and it would hang up.
Were you down Tuesday night at all, or don't you use them for TV?
Nope. We have the 1 Gig service for internet only. We get our TV through Amazon Firesticks connected to each TV in the house. The Firesticks all connect to the Spectrum internet wirelessly. We "cut the cable" a couple of years ago for TV.
There are several companies developing similar products.
Audiomovers, SessionWire, and ConnectionOpen
ConnectionOpen, is the VOIP solution that doesn’t compromise on audio quality. It allows voice talent and studios to collaborate remotely using uncompressed audio, from start to finish, with minimal latency. Webcam video and screen sharing are also supported, to communicate and share ideas visually too. This is what they say.
SessionWire, “I was able to monitor through Sessionwire in LA what was happening in Japan while setting up to record a drum kit. Because this is an audio engineering class, we really wanted the high-quality audio in stereo. Sessionwire, with its high-quality audio feature, was perfect for that” What someone in LA said.
Audiomovers, I have actually used Audiomovers from Miami to New York City. The results were mixed. On some days there was next to no latency but on other days it was unusable. Both myself and the people in New York had one gig fiber connections.
I don't see how any software could provide routing from one POP to the next.
There is going to be latency no matter what. The signal is about 1.5 times slower in fiber than in air.
I just checked the internet speed that I pay $70 a month for and it is running at 1/10 the correct speed. AT&T is always a rip-off. Welcome to living in a third-world country.
The South Korean government has encouraged its citizens to get computers and to hook up to high-speed Internet connections by subsidizing the price of connections for low-income and traditionally unconnected people.
We are too poverty-stricken here I guess to have high-speed internet for everyone.
Billy
EDIT: Got my internet back up to speed. Only took 30 min on the phone with AT&T.
The two people in the video are not very far apart and with a good internet connection, they should normally be able to work in very near real-time. Paris, in general, has poor internet speeds. Bern has good internet speeds and about 16% higher average speeds than the USA.
Also, Zoom has some enhanced audio that can be turned on.
There is delay from the instrument into the pc followed by delay from the pc to the router then from the router to the first step to the ISP and this goes on to every router on every hop. Sometimes a connection can have multiple parallel paths allowing packets of data to go down different paths which may make things faster. However once packets reach the end router they must be realigned into the original order.
All of this can take time. Even on a Gigabit service each bit follows the one ahead therefore there must be a little latency even assuming no errors or retransmission.
A speed test on my link for example shows a ping response 40ms to a server 100 or so Km away on a link that delivers 50Mbits. Since retiring I don’t handle this sort of stuff anymore.
There are ways to fudge it but unless Einstein was wrong there are limitations to speed. The limitation will result in delay (or if you prefer Latency).
My thoughts Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
I'm on 20mb DSL.... I wonder how well that would work for me.... (don't answer that)
Could you try two cans and a tight piece of string? (runs, ducking for cover )
- Oh, sorry, I wasn't supposed to answer. Apologies.
Lol.... yeah, we live back in the woods. I'm about 1000' from the road. We bought this place specifically because the house is not visible from the road.... in fact you can't see it until you're almost at the house. We wanted privacy after having lived in a neighborhood where the neighbors on all sides and several houses away could see what you were doing in your backyard. When I bought it, we contacted Spectrum to run their internet cable to the house. The day of the scheduled install, they were a no-show. About 2 hrs later, and a labyrinth of phone menus later, I finally got in touch with a lady who then explained..... Sir.... you live off the road a distance. By my satellite view, it looks like there are 4 power poles from the street to your house. We don't count the first one but to run past the distance to the first one is approximately $4000 per giving you a total install cost of $12,000 which must be paid up front before we will install for you.
Uhhh, nope.
So I called the DSL phone company who offered the install for their normal $49.99 even after I explained that it was 1000'. No problem Sir. When would you like this installed? They left the service pedestal, ran 200' up the side of the road, bored under the road, and buried 1000' on my land up the power line right of way to the house. The technician gave us a balanced DSL line so we'd have 20mbs. Unfortunately, it was the fastest he could offer based on the equipment in the area.
Apparently, the government subsidies to make sure under-served areas have access to high speed internet don't apply to me.
For a while I thought I was going to have to do like one of my customers who lives further off the road than I do. They have to use a cellphone hotspot for their internet. I wasn't going to go with satellite internet no matter what.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Herb I have a friend who lives in a remote area and had difficulties with internet speed and performance. He installed a 5G wireless modem and now has blazingly fast internet, faster than my fiber connection. It might not be for everyone, but it worked for him.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Any idea how far he is from a tower, Trev? The tower proximity is key. When I am close to a tower I get amazing speed on my 5G. But when I get into less populated areas the towers are further between and that performance varies. When I first got a 5G phone I used a tower map and tested at varying distances and it is really great when you are near a tower that is a higher power tower. For home internet, since neither your home or the tower are moving, I would imagine that once you locate your modem in the best place in the house it's great. I live within 1000 feet of my closest tower. Yet I have spots inside my house where I get 1 bar of 5G. (Wall densities, amount of clutter between point A and point B, etc...) For me, just inside my kitchen door is where I put my phone when I am using it as a modem because Spectrum is out. I am waiting for AT&T to have their 5G+ available where I am to see what that gives me. It's in downtown Cleveland but not here 40 miles away.
Hi Eddie. No, I'm not sure of the distance involved. He lives in another State. But I'll ask him next time I'm speaking with him. I do agree that distance, signal strength etc all play a major part in performance.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Cell phone towers are placed wherever the carrier can rent or buy a tower site in the United States.
In central Europe, the cell phone tower location is dictated by the government of the country in question. I don't think I have ever dropped a call in Europe. I am sure it must be possible to do so. My experience with cell phone service in Europe has been good at all locations.
Before the hurricane in 2017, the cell service in Marathon, Florida, was terrible. After the hurricane, new tower equipment was installed at the same towers, and the service was excellent.
The worst internet connection I ever had was using a $5000 dollar-plus satellite earth station I had installed in the mountains in California before consumer systems were available. The consumer satellite systems I have used also are awful.
I have a satellite phone which works great anywhere I have been in the world. I mainly use it in case of an emergency on the boat. So... high-quality satellite communication is possible but pretty slow for text data and relatively expensive. It costs around $500 per year to have around 600 minutes of air time. I have never used more than 45 minutes. It is only for the boat and is used by my neighborhood friends during a hurricane.
Poor Herb...the actual cost of exterior fiber cable is about $250 for 1000 feet. Trenching costs anywhere from $1 to $6 dollars per foot if you own the land. Or free if you do it yourself and have the equipment. There is the fiber splicing cost and Spectrum's hook-up charge. None of that adds up to the $12,000 Spectrum was asking for. Spectrum must be related to the lovely people at AT&T...lol
Very useable near real-time internet-based audio and visual communication is currently available and is being used all over the world as we speak.
Herb I have a friend who lives in a remote area and had difficulties with internet speed and performance. He installed a 5G wireless modem and now has blazingly fast internet, faster than my fiber connection. It might not be for everyone, but it worked for him.
I am testing 5G right now as I type. So far I don't see much difference between it and cable in day to day use. It 'measures' a little less on Speed Test but functionally stable. Only problem I have is one Samsung TV keeps losing connection every few hours. It is not that the 5G has a problem it is the TV. It doesn't happen with any other device. Turning the TV Off/On resolves the issue, so easy to fix, but a pain in the behind when it happens with 45 seconds left in the game. <grin>
This is after using it for three days 24 hours a day (I work remote). Uploads/Downloads, video calls, VPN etc all seem fine. I'm kind of impressed. We got in on the "introductory/test" phase in our area so if we decide to stick with it we have a guaranteed lifetime price that is less than half of our cable internet cost currently.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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