Bringing the Joy of Music to Life in Virtual Reality
2 min read
Joint Active Music Sessions
Imagine jamming with your favorite musicians from around the world, all from the comfort of your living room. Well, this dream is now coming true with a system developed at the University of Birmingham called JAMS, which stands for Joint Active Music Sessions. Using avatars mirroring real musicians, JAMS brings the magic of live music into the virtual world.
According to Dr. Massimiliano (Max) Di Luca, one of the masterminds behind JAMS, here is how it works: “A musician records himself and sends the video to another musician. The platform then creates an avatar that responds-and plays in perfect sync with said partner. You can dive into virtual concerts, practice, or even a lesson, with an iPhone and VR headset.
Think of JAMS as the musical social network, but, you know, like Spotify or Myspace, if you will, only different. It’s for connecting musicians together to learn, perform, and create together. Whether seasoned performer or just beginning, JAMS makes every note feel like magic.
It captures those really subtle, unspoken cues that are part of a performance–the grace with which a violinist tips the bow, that knowing look across band members. And these avatars aren‘t cosmetic; they’re highly responsive and adapt in real time to the movement of the musician for an experience all their own.
JAMS takes the virtual stage to the next level with VR headsets, creating a realistic setting in which musicians feel really connected, as if they were side by side. And forget annoying delays–the system eliminates latency, making every beat hit on time.
Hatched from some very sophisticated algorithms pouring out of the ARME-or Augmented Reality Musical Ensemble–project, this wonder of technology embodies psychology, computer science, music, and many more in its creation to deliver some really realistic-feeling avatars.
As aptly said by Dr. Di Luca, “We want to bring in the magic of live music inside the virtual world-be it playing along with a maestro or jamming together with friends; it is all possible on JAMS.”
JAMS is not just about music; it’s a gateway to everything from lip-syncing in media to creating digital twins of musicians for licensing and beyond. It’s a revolutionary way to experience music, making the virtual world as vibrant as the real one.
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