Software:SonoBus

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SonoBus
Logo for SonoBus
A screen capture of a SonoBus session
SonoBus
Developer(s)Jesse Chappell, Sonosaurus LLC
Initial releaseAugust 31, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-08-31)[1]
Stable release
1.3.2 / January 6, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-01-06)
Written inC++
Operating system
LicenseGPL 3.0
WebsiteSonoBus.net

SonoBus is a multi-musician live-streaming platform. It is designed to enable musicians to play together in live sessions while being physically remote from each other. It is open source networked music performance software licensed under (GPL). The author, Jesse Chappell of Sonosaurus LLC, describes it as "an easy to use application for streaming high-quality, low-latency peer-to-peer audio between devices over the internet or a local network." on the SonoBus website[2]

Background

SonoBus is primarily written in C++ and the source is hosted on GitHub[3]. It leverages Peer-to-peer networking via an Audio over Open Sound Control (AOO) package written by Christof Ressi. It also relies on the OPUS audio codec.

Like other platforms listed in the Comparison of Remote Music Performance Software, SonoBus is intended for jamming, practicing and live musical performances. Unlike Videotelephony technologies, this category of software is very focused on overcoming the latency in network communications and hardware interfaces. Another critical design consideration is jitter. The SonoBus approach to tackling these problems is to provide a streamlined and flexible interface that allows each musician to adjust their own and their fellow musicians settings to optimize their collective performance.

The University of Melbourne specifically notes SonoBus and Jacktrip as examples of this category of applications in its article "Performing music over the internet".[4] The document "A step-by-step guide to setting up Jacktrip for networked music performance"[5] compiled by Ben Loveridge[6] has been updated to include SonoBus as the overall instructions for equipment and configuration applies to both platforms.

KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah ran a feature on November 15, 2020 titled "Social Distancing For Musicians: A Quick Guide To Low-Latency Audio"[7] which identifies SonoBus as "a promising addition" under Other Options.

The website TheSession.org, dedicated to traditional Irish music, also includes a discussion[8] regarding the release of SonoBus and comparison with some of the other applications in the same category. The discussion regarding the use of Zoom for video ultimately made it into the SonoBus User Guide.

Trombonist Michael Dessen's page "Networked Music Performance Resources" recommends SonoBus and describes it as "a user-friendly app"[9]. The page includes additional links to related papers he has published on the general topic of live performances over the internet including an extended essay "Networked music performance: An introduction for musicians and educators"[10] which was updated in October 2020 to include SonoBus.

Usage

SonoBus performs as a standalone application and also has plug-in capabilities suitable for using in a Digital audio workstation (DAW) with AAX, VST (2 & 3) and Audio Unit versions included. The SonoBus Youtube Channel[11] has videos describing how to use them in Pro Tools and Ableton Live.

There is also a user guide[12] available with information on how to install and configure the various settings to tune the session. It includes details on how to connect SonoBus audio with video in Zoom and Open Broadcaster Software (OBS).

The Sonobus team leverages Discord[13] as a community chat & support system. It also uses Facebook and most recently Reddit to extend the community reach (search for Sonobus on those platforms).

SonoBus uses the Testflight[14] application available in the Apple App Store to install the beta iOS version. The Android version is available for download[15] on Google Play.

See also

References

  1. "SonoBus - High Quality Network Audio Streaming / Github Source Code / Release documentation". 31 August 2020. https://github.com/essej/sonobus/releases/tag/v1.0b17real. 
  2. "SonoBus Home Page". https://sonobus.net/index.html. 
  3. "GitHub Open Source Library for SonoBus" (in en). https://github.com/essej/sonobus. 
  4. "Performing Music Over The Internet" (in en). https://le.unimelb.edu.au/video-and-media/additional-media-production-services/performing-music-over-the-internet. 
  5. "A Step By Step Guide To Setting up Jacktrip" (in en). https://docs.google.com/document/d/18pbu2xQRv521NKvHuYHjIVXRcLFqcDsqYnfKixyuyGg/edit#. 
  6. "Ben Loveridge, graduate researcher at the University of Melbourne" (in en). http://benloveridge.com/. 
  7. "KSL-TV Social Distancing For Musicians: A Quick Guide To Low-Latency Audio" (in en). https://ksltv.com/449043/socially-distancing-for-musicians-a-quick-guide-to-low-latency-audio/?. 
  8. "The Session: SonoBus Discussion" (in en). https://thesession.org/discussions/45494. 
  9. "Trombonist Michael Dressen" (in en). https://mdessen.com/portfolio/networked-music-performance-resources/. 
  10. "SonoBus YouTube Channel" (in en). https://mdessen.medium.com/networked-music-performance-an-introduction-for-musicians-and-educators-d31d33716bd2. 
  11. "SonoBus YouTube Channel" (in en). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExqULjoZ4GvPFPCIvH2ST68ZOXNRoCWy. 
  12. "SonoBus User Guide" (in en). https://sonobus.net/sonobus_userguide.html#SonoBus-User-Guide. 
  13. "SonoBus Discord Channel" (in en). https://discord.com/invite/wm28tQdYTb. 
  14. "Beta Install Using Testflight" (in en). https://testflight.apple.com/join/TA0TGUGb. 
  15. "Beta Install Using Google Play" (in en). https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonosaurus.sonobus. 

External links

  • SonoBus Website [1]
  • GitHub Source Code [2]