https://github.com/jminjie/fourhands
Fourhands is an online jamming platform.
https://github.com/jminjie/fourhands
Last synced: 19 days ago
JSON representation
Fourhands is an online jamming platform.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/jminjie/fourhands
- Owner: jminjie
- Created: 2020-12-30T21:16:46.000Z (over 4 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2024-06-05T05:01:26.000Z (11 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-11-02T18:41:33.309Z (6 months ago)
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage: https://fourhands.jminjie.com
- Size: 96.7 KB
- Stars: 34
- Watchers: 4
- Forks: 3
- Open Issues: 4
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Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-networked-media - fourhands - Fourhands uses WebRTC to establish p2p connetions for minimal latency 2-person jamming using MIDI keyboards. (Uncategorized / Uncategorized)
README
# Fourhands, the p2p piano
Fourhands uses WebRTC to establish p2p connections for minimal latency 2-person
jamming using MIDI keyboards.
For seamless collaboration on Fourhands, one-way time of 20 ms or less is
ideal. Typically this can be achieved on wired connections for fairly nearby
players (within 35 miles / 50 km. Anecdotally, a friend has also achieved this
between SF and LA -- 350 miles / 500 km).
Try it here: [create a room and share the link to invite another
player](https://fourhands.jminjie.com).
## Prior art
Online jamming has been achieved already, but often not in an accessible and
unstructured way.
- [Jacktrip](https://news.stanford.edu/2020/09/18/jacktrip-software-allows-musicians-sync-performances-online/)
allows fairly nearby players to jam in real time, but requires a local
machine with a static IP (an AWS instance will not work, since the audio
cable must be plugged in to the machine).
- A few different apps including
[Endless](https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/31/21201913/endlesss-app-music-remotely-jam-out-loops-real-time),
[NinJam](https://www.cockos.com/ninjam/), and [Jammr](https://jammr.net/)
allow collaborative looping, in which your playing is shared n measures after
you play it.
- [Jamlink](https://musicplayers.com/2011/11/musicianlink-jamlink/) shares
audio for remote jamming but requires custom hardware.
- My own [collaborative piano](https://piano.jminjie.com) allows multiple
participants to share a piano (like Google Docs for piano). The latency is
too high to jam, but this does work for sharing ideas when songwriting
remotely.
- See an [overview of other options
here](https://acousticguitar.com/virtual-jamming-the-latest-tools-for-playing-together-in-real-time/).
Comparatively, Fourhands is a simple in-browser solution for which all you need
is a MIDI keyboard and an optionally wired internet. Because only MIDI data is
shared, it is limited to instruments which can output MIDI.
## Development
For self hosting, after cloning the repo run `npm install` to install necessary
packages.
Deploy with `node index.js debug`. This will serve the files
needed for the page (index.html and js/) and also start the NodeJs server
(index.js).
If you have local SSL keys you can deploy with HTTPS using `node index.js`.
Note that a secure connection is required for MIDI input (localhost is secure
by default).
Client should be available at localhost:30001.
## Browser support
Chrome and Edge work. Firefox does not work as there is [no support for
MIDI](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MIDIAccess). Other
browsers are not tested, but should work if they support MIDI, Tone.js, web
sockets, and WebRTC.