We recently caught up with drummer, producer, mixer and mastering engineer extraordinaire, Sam Brawner, also known as SammyB, at his Blue Dream Studios in Los Angeles.
Owned and operated by Sam, he offers a range of services at his studio including producing, recording, mixing, mastering and post-production services as well as songwriting, filming services and dedicated workshops.
Sam has worked with the likes of Anderson .Paak, Mac Ayers, Moonchild, Allen Stone and many more. His secret weapon for many of these sessions? LISTENTO.
With LISTENTO, Sam can collaborate in real-time with lossless audio, maintaining the momentum, connection and communication he has in real life whilst working with artists including Gareth Donkin and Dux.
“LISTENTO is this cool plug-in which transmits high-quality audio across the world.”
Head here to see how Sam uses the plug-in whilst on remote sessions with artists from around the world.
Introduction
If you collaborate on music remotely via Zoom, the preferred option is to ensure maximum audio quality to create the highest productivity and effective collaboration. Below we will walk you through how to use Audiomovers’ industry-standard plugin LISTENTO in conjunction with Zoom to enable your remote music collaborations to reach that next level of excellence and mimic the standards achieved during in-person recording sessions.
First, let’s ensure you have everything you need for the remote recording session.
A stable internet connection
The most up-to-date version of Zoom
The DAW of your choice
The LISTENTO plugin (or desktop application)
In order to get the best audio quality possible for your remote sessions, the person transmitting audio will need to have an active LISTENTO license. Don’t fret if you don’t have one, you can grab a free 2-day trial to test this setup and see how it works for you before committing to the paid subscription.
Setting up your session
Step 1: Start your video call
Your video call will be your main form of communication during remote sessions. We recommend starting with this step to ensure you can easily communicate with each other during the next steps.
When using Zoom you can see the latency of your video call by going into Settings, the Statistics and clicking across to Video. You can then match your latency preferences in LISTENTO.
Step 2: Setting up your DAW
Now that you can freely communicate with each other, you can now begin setting up the session within your DAW. Open your DAW of choice and insert an instance of the LISTENTO plugin on the master bus of the project that you are collaborating on.
Launch the plugin and enter your Audiomovers username/email and password and click ‘login’. Once logged in, the ‘Start Transmission’ button will become available and you can begin streaming your audio.
Set your session name, go with the default, or select a random session name. Bear in mind that if you wish to run multiple sessions and use the same session name, anyone with the link will still be able to listen in to your stream.
This is great if you’re collaborating with the same people over a number of days or weeks, but if you’re jumping from project, you should use a session name that relates to the project, or use the random session name generator and share new links each time.
Click “Copy Link” to copy a stream session link to your clipboard.
4. Getting started and testing your stream
Press “Start Transmission” to begin streaming. You can send your session link to anyone you want to share your stream with.
Before you share the link, you’ll likely want to test that it’s working. You can copy the stream link, and test it yourself. Simply hit ‘thru mute’ to mute the audio from the DAW, and test that the stream is audible by pasting the link in your own web browser or mobile app. NB.
LISTENTO streaming links have been heavily tested in multiple web browsers, but we recommend Google Chrome for optimum performance.
Factors that affect audio quality when collaborating via Zoom
When collaborating on music remotely via Zoom, there are several factors that can affect audio quality. Firstly, the quality of the internet connection can have a significant impact on the clarity and consistency of the audio. Poor internet connection can lead to drop outs, high latency, and other distortions in the sound.
Secondly, the type and quality of microphones being used by the collaborators can also affect the audio quality. Low-quality microphones may produce muffled or distorted sound, while high-quality microphones can capture the nuances of the music accurately.
Additionally, the software and equipment used to record and mix the music can also have an impact on the final sound quality. It is essential to ensure that all collaborators are using compatible software and hardware, and that the recording and mixing processes are carried out carefully to produce the best possible sound.
Overall, careful consideration of these factors can help ensure that remote music collaborations over Zoom result in high-quality audio output.
What is Zoom’s High Fidelity audio feature? And why should I still opt for LISTENTO?
Zoom’s High Fidelity Audio feature is an advanced audio codec that is designed to improve the audio quality of Zoom meetings. This feature uses a new audio codec called Opus, which provides high-quality, low-latency audio for real-time communication.
The High Fidelity Audio feature is particularly useful for remote music collaborations or other situations where high-quality audio is essential. It supports sample rates of up to 48 kHz and a bit depth of up to 96 bits, which allows for high-resolution audio transmission.
Although Zoom’s High Fidelity Audio feature is useful for remote music collaboration, it does not trump the power, accessibility, and versatility of LISTENTO.
LISTENTO creates a remote streaming and recording experience that reflects many of the benefits of the in-person studio experience. With LISTENTO you can stream uncompressed, lossless audio in real-time to anyone, anywhere in the world, allowing you to collaborate on projects in real-time, symbiotically prioritizing audio quality and user experience in tandem. It’s easy to use and is compatible with most DAW’s, you can collaborate seamlessly with your team regardless of their location.
For faultless remote audio recording, Audiomovers easily outshines other remote audio collaboration tools on the market, supporting lossless multichannel audio, delivering up to 7.1.4 surround sound, and offers stability and the unique ability to adjust latency and bit rate.
Turning your DAW into an online recording studio and allowing you to stream lossless audio with as low as 0.1 latency.
The buzz around lossless audio is on the rise in the music streaming industry, as major players such as Apple Music and Spotify upgrade their platforms to allow lossless quality audio streaming. This move towards lossless audio by these streaming giants has garnered significant attention, highlighting the increasing demand for high-quality sound among music enthusiasts.
The standard lossy audio formats used by most streaming services may not be sufficient. This is where lossless audio comes in. In this article, we will explore what lossless audio is, how it differs from lossy formats, and how you can stream lossless audio to get the most out of your listening experience. Whether you’re a music enthusiast, a sound engineer, or just curious about the world of high-quality audio, read on to learn more about lossless audio and how you can start streaming it today.
What does ‘lossless’ mean?
In the process of converting audio to digital file format, compression is often used to minimize file size. However, this compression can result in the loss of frequencies at the highest and lowest ends of the recording, which is why it’s called “lossy audio.” In contrast, when there’s no loss of frequencies, the resulting digital copy is considered “lossless” audio, meaning that it’s identical to the original recording.
Common lossy audio formats include MP3, MP4, WMA, and AAC, while lossless audio formats include WAV, AIFF, ALAC and FLAC. Despite using compression to reduce data storage, these lossless formats still maintain the full waveform of the audio piece.
Which lossless audio format is the best?
FLAC, short for Free Lossless Audio Codec, is a popular open-source audio format used by various brands such as Tidal and Amazon Music. In contrast Apple Music uses its proprietary lossless format called ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec).
Ultimately, the choice of lossless format while streaming music may not be necessary for most users, as it depends on the specific service and device they prefer. For Apple users, ALAC is the default format, whereas other streaming platforms typically offer FLAC or WMA (Windows Media Audio).
Is lossless audio the same as high-resolution audio?
Lossless audio and high-resolution audio are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. While both offer better sound quality than standard compressed audio formats, there are some key differences between the two.
As mentioned above, lossless audio refers to digital audio compression that preserves all the original data and information of the audio file without losing any quality. Lossless audio retains all of this valuable information and delivers a file identical in quality to the original audio recording.
On the other hand, high-resolution audio refers to audio files that have a higher sampling rate and/or bit depth than the standard lossy quality audio (44.1 kHz / 16-bit). High-resolution audio typically has a sampling rate of 96 kHz, and a bit depth of 24 bits. This means that high-resolution audio has a greater frequency range and dynamic range, capturing more of the nuances and details of the original recording.
So, while lossless audio preserves all the information of the original recording, high-resolution audio captures more detail in the recording, but still some of the original audio information is lost during compression, compared to lossless where no data is lost. It is worth noting that all high-resolution audio is lossless, and not all lossless audio is high-resolution.
Can I collaborate remotely on lossless audio?
Yes, it is possible to collaborate remotely on lossless audio, but it does require some additional set up and consideration compared to collaborating on lossy audio or other standard file types.
LISTENTO allows you to stream uncompressed, lossless audio in real-time to anyone, anywhere in the world. Whether you’re a musician, producer, audio engineer or voice over artist, LISTENTO allows you to collaborate on projects in real-time, symbiotically prioritising audio quality and user experience. It’s easy to use and is compatible with most DAW’s, you can collaborate seamlessly with your team regardless of their location.
LISTENTO allows you to transmit uncompressed audio in the format of PCM (Pulse Code Modulation). PCM is another method of translating analogue signals into digital data. It makes use of the binary language to store information about an audio signal in a digital medium.
Sampling – Samples are snapshots of the incoming signal which record the amplitude of the signal at that given moment.
Quantization – Quantization rounds those amplitude values to the nearest available value in the digital system, based on its bit rate.
Encoding – Encoding is the final stage where the newly sampled audio information is written to a hard drive or other digital storage medium in a given format to be used elsewhere.
For bandwidth details, please refer to page 9 of the LISTENTO User Guide under ‘Resources’ to see our recommended streaming and internet settings.
Conclusion
Lossless audio streaming is a game-changer in the music industry, allowing users to enjoy high-quality uncompressed audio without sacrificing any of the original audio quality or information, in essence acting as a replica of the original audio recording.
With the popularity and necessity for high quality remote music collaboration, LISTENTO exceeds industry standards and provides a seamless and intuitive platform for music creators to collaborate in an efficient and controlled manner. Negating the need to worry about technical issues and flowing as naturally as an in-person recording session would, facilitating real-time lossless audio streaming.
In recent years the music industry has undergone a significant transformation with the advent of remote music collaboration tools, like Audiomovers’ LISTENTO, OMNIBUS and the most recent addition, Web Transmitter.
Musicians worldwide can now work together seamlessly, creating music in real-time without being in the same physical space and, in turn, opening up countless opportunities for artists to connect and create music they may not have had access to.
With its unique solution to remote music collaboration, Audiomovers has enabled high-quality, long-lasting creative connections on a global scale, with music producers, artists, engineers, and industry powerhouses all championing and implementing LISTENTO, OMNIBUS and Web Transmitter into their daily workflows.
LISTENTO enables you to transmit, record and collaborate on lossless audio in real-time. It comes in both audio plugin form and standalone app versions. It is designed to stream audio from any DAW to a web browser, the LISTENTO iPhone, Android app, or any other DAW, supporting real-time remote music collaboration with several lossless and compressed audio formats.
OMNIBUS, on the other hand, simplifies and streamlines the process of routing multiple audio sources. It is a powerful, intuitive tool and has endless variations of applications within the pro audio, music and broadcasting industries.
Web Transmitter brings the functionality of LISTENTO to your web browser, making it possible to stream, record and collaborate on HQ audio (up to lossless quality) directly from your browser in real time.
In the following article, we will show you how you can utilize Audiomovers’ dynamic products to enhance your workflow, creative output and ability to collaborate remotely with ease, precision and quality at the forefront of the creative process.
Mimicking the in-person experience
LISTENTO supports lossless multichannel audio, provides up to 7.1.4 surround sound, and allows users to adjust latency and bit rate to suit their preferences.
Streaming quality: Transmit up to 32 bit PCM audio uncompressed (as well as lower bitrate PCM and AAC codecs)
Plugin formats: Stream audio from VST / AU / AAX plug-in
Anytime, anywhere: Record and receive via web browser / plug-in / mobile application
Whether you’re producing music, a podcast, a film score or any other project that requires high-quality audio, our remote recording software meets the high standards of audio professionals.
Even if you’re thousands of miles away from a collaborator, you can expect low latency, high-quality audio streaming and recording that makes remote collaboration feel like you’re in the same room, with no delays.
Remote music collaboration in action
With an endless list of applications, Audiomovers’ unique technology has facilitated HQ audio streaming and collaborative, reliable feedback across a multitude of industries, from music production, mixing, mastering, listening sessions with record labels and A&R managers – Audiomovers has kept the music industry connected
In a recent episode of #NerdingOut, we had the honor of being joined by Abbey Road Studios Senior Engineer, Andrew Dudman. Andrew is one of the foremost British film-scoring engineers, having worked on recording blockbuster scores from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings, to Guardians of the Galaxy, Baby Driver, Gravity, and many many more.
Watch as he took us through how he first started using LISTENTO on recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios during the pandemic and how it has now become an integral part of his daily workflow.
How to get started with Audiomovers
To get started with using Audiomovers for remote music collaboration, the first step is to sign up for an account on our website.
Depending on what exactly you are looking to achieve, you then download and install the LISTENTO and/or OMNIBUS plugin on your computer and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).
Once installed you can then share your stream link with your collaborators, who can listen to and even record your audio stream directly into their own DAW.
Although we are compatible with a wide selection of DAWs, each DAW differs in terms of its set-up.
Click here to watch our full playlist of ‘Getting Started’ videos.
What people also ask about remote music collaboration
What’s the best way to collaborate remotely?
By utilizing Audiomovers’ unique and adaptable plugins you can drastically improve the quality, ease and accessibility of your remote music collaborations. The most effective remote music collaboration setups should replicate what makes in person recording studios so impactful. In our experience, the ability to give and receive feedback in real-time ranks high among the factors.
By using LISTENTO you can stream high-quality audio to a web browser, the LISTENTO mobile app. Or directly to another DAW with the LISTENTO Receiver plugin (download it here) so that you can collaborate with others in real time.
Can I jam with other musicians remotely?
Our servers can support 0.1-second latency while maintaining the highest quality, allowing you to record remotely or sing/play along with an audio program streamed from a remote location with relative ease.
However, when it comes to remote music collaboration or “jamming” with someone over the internet, the specifics of your jamming session will determine its feasibility. Real-time jamming with tight, complex, or high-tempo rhythms may not be possible due to inevitable latency, regardless of your connection speed.
On the other hand, lower tempo jamming or playing with less emphasis on rhythm, such as when a bassist and drummer are not jamming together, may be possible. Experimentation is necessary to determine what works best.
Is there a limit on how many people I can collaborate with remotely?
With remote music collaboration, the maximum number of listeners who can tune in varies depending on the plan you have selected. Basic plans allow for up to ten listeners, while Pro plans can accommodate up to 150 listeners. For larger audience sizes, you can inquire about our business plans. In LISTENTO these are described as ‘connected clients’.
“The thing I’ve always been fascinated with is writing a song, chasing an idea and trying to capture that lightning in a bottle” — Jack Leonard
Songwriters and producers Jack Leonard and Matthew Genovese have never met in person.
Being paired in a virtual songwriting session, the duo quickly bonded through their mutual love of the same bands and artists and decided to create something unique.
Using a combination of Zoom and LISTENTO throughout the creative process, the duo can bounce ideas back and forth, collaborating with the same energy and freedom as if they were in the room together.
WATCH FULL VIDEO
TRANSCRIPT
The thing that I have always been fascinated with, more than sort of playing live or anything is writing a song and chasing down an idea, trying to capture that lighting in a bottle.
My name’s Jack Leonard, I am songwriter producer and we are here in my studio in West Hampstead, London.
So I’ll be working with Matt, he’s a producer based out of LA. I have actually met Matt before, we have been working together via Zoom and through Audiomovers.
When you’ve got someone to spar off and someone to bounce off, they’re the sort of times where you get the greatest songs in my opinion.
He is going to send me the LISTENTO link, and so it’s like I’m in the room with him.
Being able to listen to it whilst you’re in the moment, whilst you’re excited about it, whilst you’re like trying to capture this thing is really, really important.
Melbourne-based music producer, recording engineer and Badger’s frontman Michael Badger recently spoke to MIXDOWN about collaborating remotely with Belgium-based psych-rockers SONS on their latest record.
In 2019 SONS gripped audiences worldwide with their debut album ‘Family Dinner’. Badger co-produced that record in 2018 in Ghent and was re-enlisted to co-produce the band’s latest record, their gritty, punchy and dramatic sophomore offering ‘Sweet Boy’.
The recording process for both albums could not have differed in more ways, limited by the restrictions of Covid-19 lockdowns. With Michael working from Melbourne, the group adjusted their workflow and kept the creativity and energy of the first record flowing by using LISTENTO.
With LISTENTO, the team could collaborate in real-time with lossless audio, maintaining the momentum, connection and communication they had achieved while making the previous record.
“I made more of the creative decisions on that first record, so then on the second record, obviously I couldn’t engineer at all… and we were streaming things via the Audiomovers plugin.”
The sessions happened across this app, where everyone could see each other, and Audiomovers is a plugin that streams whatever channel it’s placed on with little latency.”
‘I’ve been really blessed to work with a lot of great people, I wake up every morning and think about it’ – !LLMIND
#TilYouMakeIt is a collection of stories chronicling those moments and capturing wisdom from the game’s most esteemed producers, mixers and engineers.
A successful career in music doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, patience, and an unwavering sense of dedication to achieve your goals and reach the dizzying heights of your dreams.
In this episode of #TilYouMakeIt, the renowned producer, songwriter and educator !LLMIND shares how he has gotten to where he is.
With almost twenty years of constant grind under his belt, he has gone from working with underground artists in the early 2000s to some of the biggest names in the business, putting his stamp on iconic tracks and achieving Grammy recognition.
WATCH FULL VIDEO
TRANSCRIPT
I’ve been really blessed to work with a lot of great people. I, I wake up every morning and I think about it like, wow, like, is this real?
It was a long grind for me. You know, I’ve been doing this full-time for almost twenty years from this super underground.
From the super underground artists from like the 2000s, you know, your Little Brother and Boot Camp Clik and, and then eventually working with, you know, 50 Cent and G-Unit.
And then from there it just snowballed. At this point, I’ve been, you know, really blessed enough to work with a lot of people.
Two Grammys, ten Grammy nominations, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Drake, Travis Scott, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, Khalid, Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Moana.
It’s been pretty crazy so it doesn’t feel real a lot of the time.
Audiomovers’ co-founder and head of product Igor Maxymenko recently spoke to Clive Young for an interview with Mix Online.
Their conversation was as seamless as LISTENTO’s functionality and included reflections on the origins of Audiomovers, how Igor got his start in the pro audio industry and when he decided it was time to develop his big ideas into new products.
Along the way Igor met a software engineer, industry veteran, and soon-to-be cofounder, Yuriy Shevyrov. They decided to join forces and create what is now considered the industry standard plug-in for remote audio collaboration, LISTENTO.
‘We decided to team up and try to build something we felt was missing that sound engineers would appreciate: a remote collaboration plugin.” – Igor Maxymenko
Writing code in Kyiv, Ukraine, Yuriy created a working prototype in three weeks in 2017. Soon, Audiomover’s leading product, LISTENTO, was released and began making waves in both the U.S. and the U.K., growing a dedicated user base in the process.
This user base would continue to expand throughout the years, and with improved functionality and a more comprehensive range of audio streaming capabilities, what was once a two-person operation, quickly grew into a multi-person undertaking spanning continents, cultures and industries, in turn connecting people through high-quality audio on a global level.
Abbey Road Studios acquired Audiomovers in 2021, and since then, we have continued to gain pro audio industry recognition from all over the world, with LISTENTO recently winning a ‘CEDED Audio Excellence Award’ in Japan and receiving a nomination for a NAMM TEC Award in the Outstanding Technical Achievement category of Audio Education Technology.
With many new products on the way, Audiomovers continues expanding its reach to new audiences worldwide. Carefully and intentionally reshaping the workflow of music creators, audio professionals and industry personnel, turning complex ideas into seamlessly integrated products, making it easier than ever for people to connect and share high-quality audio, no matter where you are.
#NerdingOut is where we uncover the “tools of the pros” — the sacred plugins, gear and instruments that are essential to the process of award-winning producers, mixers and engineers.
Learn how acclaimed Producer and Recording Engineer Matt Genovese found and recapped an original 1960s Scully 280 tape machine.
This famously versatile piece of hardware has been used on records like ‘Led Zeppelin II’ and ‘III’ and Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wing’.
Matt utilizes it in various ways, including printing on individual tracks to mixing with it.
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TRANSCRIPT
Clients are always impressed about, you know, just seeing a tape machine in the room is cool, but when you record a song onto it, it’s a pretty big difference.
Most of the records that I love were all done on tape machines. A few months ago, I found a Scully 280 machine, which is from the sixties.
It was the same machine that they had in, uh, Stax Records and Motown. Records like Led Zeppelin two and three were done on it, Jimmy Hendrix’s Little Wing was done on it.
So it’s a very famous machine. I found it. I recapped it and got it working a hundred percent.
Again, I print individual tracks to it. Sometimes if I want that sound on a whole recording.
I’ll just send something to a compressor, I can insert the tape machine as a hardware insert, and then I also mix to it. So I mix with it in input record.
So I’m monitoring it through the electronics as I mix, and then when I’m done, I flip it to playback and I record it to tape, and so it runs straight outta my console, straight into the tape machine and outta the tape machine back into my computer where I print the final mix.
When you ab it with and without the tape, specifically with the Scully 280, it’s a big difference.
We’re diving into some of the hard won techniques and wisdom gained from working in the industry in our series #101.
For this instalment, we uncover the “co-mix” with multi-platinum recording and mix engineer Bainz.
He shares that there are multiple ways you can get a co-mix, but what’s essential is that everyone is acknowledged when they have significant involvement in making a record. #Bainz #Mixing #CoMix #MixingEngineer
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TRANSCRIPT
The co-mix is when any, they could be a bunch of different things.
You could be someone who has a studio who’s organizing the session and delivered with the artist, engineer is also a part of it.
A lot of times the recording engineer gets Co-Mix.
Really? That’s how I, that’s how I started when I, when I first, uh, was working on ‘So Much Fun’, Alex gave me Co-Mix on a lot of them, cuz it was a lot of the stuff that I did in the recording sessions that’s stuck on.
It could just be you’re getting an acapella for someone else. It could be actually sitting in the room like me and my assistant do together a lot. Like, you know, give him Co-Mix, cause we work on the records together.
I’ll do some stuff, he’ll do some stuff. We’ll give each other ideas or here, whatever.
I might leave my finished a record. Vice versa.
When he’s prepping, he might get started or working on it.
Everything is collaborative these days and I feel like everyone should kind of get credit for it cuz that’s really what we hold proud.
