Flexibility of Jamstix for live jams

[Burakov_Anatoly]

I've been playing online with Jamstix since early versions, and find it's much better to use Liveloop mode. I've combined it with a bass system so I have a fully dynamic rhythm section I can jam with controlled by a Launchpad (v1) with a custom mapping program.

Much more flexible to jam with than a full generated track.
I can loop sections, take dynamics up and down driven by my guitar (or other audio input), swap bass/drum sections independently if I want depending on how I feel, or even mute them. It's very flexible.
I've also added keys and other instruments as well. EZkeys is great for creating sections for this, and looking forward to their upcoming EZBass to see how that might be integrated.

I find you don't need more than 8 parts for each song as when you combine them with dynamics (both volume and Jamstix adding/reducing hits) you have a very large range of expression both musically and arrangement wise (on the fly). That said, you can expand it beyond 8 but then you have physical cognitive load issues due to having to manage the midi interface combined with the Jamstix interface. There's a lot going on when you're doing this, so cognitive load and UX workflow considerations are key.

But that's just my style, and there's multiple ways to use it which just indicates how powerful it is.

yep. this is predicated upon the fact that you [i:82d3642274]want[/i:82d3642274] to control Jamstix in realtime. our use case is such that we generally [i:82d3642274]don't[/i:82d3642274] want to do that - we essentially treat it like a backing tracking generator.

Where do you play online?

we have our own NINJAM server.

I've played around with Jamstix jamming options but pretty much all I accomplished was lowering and raising power level. Anatoly, can you provide more details about your approach to controlling Jamstix real time. Which DAW are you using?

i believe that's exactly how it works - you can raise or lower the power level, and attach things (e.g. beat complexity) to power level, so that the harder you play, the more busy the beat becomes.

that said, that's the thing - we don't control it in realtime, our use case is the opposite of that. we map out sections like a backing track, and then we jam over it. we don't jam [i:82d3642274]with[/i:82d3642274] Jamstix. i'm using REAPER.

For some reason my web browser isn't connecting to the link you provided. I found I can't get to anyone's link at www.hearthis.at so it's not your particular song.

here's alternate link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lzKw6 ... n0lVPIsANx

[d_steinschneider]

Thanks for sharing the alternate link. Nice guitar playing! Agree the drum track is just right for the Porcupine Tree type sound you're going for. I think most listeners will think the drum part is played by a live drummer. Sometimes Jamstix's "out of the box" fills are too busy but in your example they sound awesome.

I have been practicing Hammond parts for an R&B Soul influenced style in a similar fashion. I never save the actual playing.

Ralph directed me to Standard Rock - Style: Basic 4 - Player: Restrained, for Verse, Chorus, Breakdown (4 bar transition back to Verse) where I vary power to get a ride cymbal going in the Chorus. I have modified the fills so they are short transitions from Verse to Chorus etc.

Can you please explain how editing the structures.ini helped you achieve the result?

Do you mind if I share your link on the Cantabile Software forum? There are a some Jamstix users there who are interested in hearing examples.

[Burakov_Anatoly]

Can you please explain how editing the structures.ini helped you achieve the result?

it didn't, the structures are there to add a few variations on songs. i.e. i pick a style, and i pick a structure. i then audition stuff to ensure that i get the groove i would like to hear, and that's it. we just use different structures to make repetitiveness not so obvious, and generally for our backing tracks to have some dynamics.

for example, this track: https://hearthis.at/guitar-jam.ru/03-kick-in-da-ballz/ (alternate link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aD3fu ... 9lo73utY2o)

Jamstix is doing quite a lot there, from half-time "intro" parts to tom-driven grooves, to straightforward metal beat, to all-out double-time crazy bonanza. literally all of that is accomplished just by having lots of different part types (Middle-8, Verse, Chorus, Solo, etc.), so the backing track is varied and fun to play to. creating such a varied backing track is a matter of picking the right structure, and setting up parts to suit my needs, and because Jamstix is so awesome and easy, it can be done during a break between songs ('cos you get all sweaty when playing something like this, and need to rest afterwards...).

Do you mind if I share your link on the Cantabile Software forum? There are a some Jamstix users there who are interested in hearing examples.

sure, those jams are public, they're [i:be14306dd5]meant[/i:be14306dd5] to be shared

[d_steinschneider]

So your approach is very similar to mine. I use more parts to reduce repetition and I practice Hammond trio style (left hand bass - right hand comping or soloing). Jamstix is always playing the parts, I don't lock them.

This time the hearthis.at links worked! Listening to "Days Gone Bye". I think this is the best I've heard Jamstix drumming in a style. It motivates me to see if I can improve my R&B Soul parts.

[Burakov_Anatoly]

So your approach is very similar to mine. I use more parts to reduce repetition and I practice Hammond trio style (left hand bass - right hand comping or soloing). Jamstix is always playing the parts, I don't lock them.

This time the hearthis.at links worked! Listening to "Days Gone Bye". I think this is the best I've heard Jamstix drumming in a style. It motivates me to see if I can improve my R&B Soul parts.

Thanks or the compliments, but Days Gone Bye wasn't jamstix, it was Microtonic used as a sequencer for Algonauts Atlas (with IIRC some Wave Alchemy samples). I couldn't find a good way to use Jamstix for electronic drums, so for anything electronic, I am manually sequencing.

[d_steinschneider]

Ha, nice drum sequencer programming on "Days Gone Bye"! The Jamstix drumming in "funky porcupine" is pretty amazing. I have Breakbeats so I went back and listened to Ray's examples on Soundcloud which I don't think I had seen before now. I'm now spending some time with those - they work pretty well for the R&B stuff I'm working on.

[Burakov_Anatoly]

Revisiting this topic because i'm trying to make Live Looping mode work.

So, long story short, i'm trying to create a more advanced jamming setup, and while the song mode has served me well, Live Looping mode would provide a lot more benefits... [i:945b5894ec]if it worked the way i expect[/i:945b5894ec].

The biggest problem with Live Looping mode is that it's reverting to the first part when DAW transport jumps. The scenario i'm trying to use it is as follows:

1) At the start of the song, we're looping indefinitely because i'm creating my loops with a looper, so i need Jamstix to loop as long as i want
2) After i've recorded the loops, we're starting to actually jam, and there is a defined song structure that we use

The 2) part generally works because it doesn't involve DAW looping, and in any case jumping backwards yields us first part, which is okay.

However, it's the 1) part that i'm having a problem with. I need to record 4 different loops for 4 different drum parts, but seeing how i have only one part on loop at all times, it keeps resetting to first part instead of keeping playing the part i just triggered.

I tried using "Live Loop bar jumps" setting, and i tried putting MIDI signals to trigger parts in the beginning, to no avail: Jamstix ignores the MIDI signal at the start of the bar, and reverts back to playing the very first part.

Is there any way to disable that behavior, and keep playing the same loop i triggered even if transport jumps? or at least have Jamstix take into account the part that gets triggered at the start of the bar?