German by birth, American by residence, drummer by passion, programmer by profession, Ralph Zeuner, 36, is the author of an amazing VST plug-in that will literally leave you speechless: Jamstix, a real virtual drummer well different from those we have already found on the market in the past months. An instrument capable of "improvising" like a real musician and capable of following the progress of the piece as a human being would. Certainly a significant step forward in the field of artificial intelligence and, above all, in the field of digital musical instruments.
In the drummer's mind
The drummer is a fundamental component of any group that plays for real: he is the rhythmic base, he guides the movement of the song and has the arduous role of creating that sense of dragging that the music transmits. But unfortunately not everyone is able to think like a real drummer, when you have to program a base on your audio / midi platform, and often you risk getting something blatantly fake when, on the contrary, the intention would be to create a rhythm track. realistic. So there are two solutions: either you need a real drummer or you need Jamstix, a program that not only can perform pre-recorded rhythmic patterns, but can literally "improvise" by adding light accents, fills, or small drumming subtleties such as ghost notes, press rolls and flames, even going wild in a real solo, all following the dynamics of the band that accompanies it without ever getting tired!
How it works
The structure of Jamstix (Fig 1) is divided into two basic sections: the brain and the sound module. The brain, the brain, is the part that is in charge of playing the patterns and the arrangement, adding variations based on complex algorithms that can be fully controlled by the user, understanding and perceiving the level of the audio or midi input signal and consequently adjusting the dynamics execution.
The sound module, on the other hand, can simply output a midi stream to be manually redirected to other external instruments, or it can itself host other drum VST plug-ins such as BFD and DFHS, or it can take advantage of the internal samples to produce the sound. of the acoustic drums. It is possible to use Jamstix as a simple sample library excluding the brain, or to use it as a common one drum machine excluding all the possibilities of “spontaneous” intervention. The user has full control of all the musical aspects of the plug-in, by acting on commands based on the intervention percentages, thus being able to decide, for example, with what percentage of probability a sixteenth note triplet should be played on the hi -hat closed during the third movement, or how likely it is to play a kick drum hit on the eighth sixteenth note of a 4/4 measure, or what percentage of error do we want to give to the timing performance or a single component such as snare drum or kick drum, and so on. All this makes the performance incredibly natural and "human", also considering the fact that Jamstix uses technologies such as "velocity variance" which, as you might easily guess, allows you to slightly vary the level of midi velocity used on the same drum to avoid the so-called machine gun effect, or the x-samples which, for the same purpose, play different samples even if the velocity level does not change. The samples supplied with Jamstix are of excellent quality and include the separate recording of the natural environment recorded during the sampling phase, they are freely editable as regards parameters such as pitch, pan, volume and decay time. A four separate stereo output mixer with built-in compressors / limiters (Fig 2) allows you to obtain perfect mixes, suitable for any musical genre, and the possibility of purchasing the add-on packs enriches the available library even more.
Finally, we also find a section dedicated to percussion (Fig 3) such as keys, tambourine, cow bells, shakers e nice chimes that can play together with the acoustic drums creating a rhythmic synergy worthy of the best combination Dave Weckl - Walfredo Reyes!
Let's create an arrangement
Arrangements can be created in different ways: for the more listless you can activate the Free Jam mode (Fig 4) and let Jamstix do his own thing. In this way, all you have to do is connect your keyboard to the midi input and play, or connect your guitar or electric bass to the Jamstix audio input. For those who don't want to program patterns and arrangements, but don't want to leave too much space for their electronic Phil Collins, you can use the Keyword Jam mode (Fig 5) which allows you to choose some of the many preset styles and patterns and let Jamstix play only according to the chosen genre. For those who, on the other hand, want to deliver the score to their drummer and expect it to be followed by the semibiscroma, then the patterns, or single measures, and the arrangements can be programmed - i.e. the sequence of patterns with the insertion of introductions, fills, pauses. and final. At this point, I have prepared some small demonstrations that you will find by clicking the links .mp3 inside of of the article.
The first (the file “Jamstix_Arrangement_ (84bpm) .mp3”) is a small 84 bpm song recorded with a bass, a Rhodes piano and a Hammond organ. I have prepared two main patterns on which Jamstix will then improvise small variations, and a small arrangement line that includes an introductory measure, some fills, a passage to the refrain, a small final solo made up of a sequence of three fills and an ending (Fig 6). For convenience, I also wanted to include two mp3 tracks, one containing only the drum track and the other the rest of the instruments, and the arrangement file for those who would like to personally try to perform the song with their copy of the software.
In the mode Manual Jam the right space is left to the plug-in to humanize the drum performance without polluting the rhythm too much with unnecessary interventions, and the result is nothing short of amazing. Note that for these demos I used the internal sounds including the “Brushpak” and “Drum Pak # 1” add-on packs that can be purchased directly from the Rayzoon website for a few dollars. Composing a single pattern is extremely easy: the screen is divided into several sections (Fig 7), each dedicated to a fundamental component of the drums, namely the kick drum, the snare drum, the accompaniment section made up of hi-hats and ride, the tom-toms and cymbals. The standard tempo is 4/4 and the resolution is sixteenths, but it is also possible to play odd and shuffle tempos. Just to help the most inexperienced in terms of musical metrics, the notes are inserted in very simple grids divided into quarters, eighths, previous and subsequent sixteenths, while with the right mouse button you can set the velocity levels with which a given note must be be played. As for hi-hats and ride, you can automatically add the eighths or sixteenths, while for the snare we can decide to play the ghost notes (those very light intermediate strokes that enrich the accompaniment). Obviously the Brain he also takes care of avoiding situations in which 4 toms, 3 cymbals and the snare drum are played simultaneously, which is humanly impossible. Finally, you can save and load new patterns, copy them from one slot to another and even program them by playing directly on the keyboard thanks to the function Learn. As a second experiment, I connected my Rhodes piano to the Jamstix audio input thanks to the plug-in utility audio M8 (which allows you to easily route the audio of a track directly to the Jamstix input in those VST hosts that don't allow you to do it directly) and I improvised a little funky at best! Pay no attention to my playing, but notice how Jamstix follows the dynamics of the music. It is possible to establish how Jamstix should adjust itself during execution through the controls funkiness e complexity, the minimum and maximum velocity levels, the mode regulator power play and many other parameters, obtaining results ranging from an angry John Bonham to a very precise Lele Melotti.
Last experiment:
I loaded a bass library in Halion and connected the midi output of the track to the input of Jamstix, I selected the mode Manual Jam, I programmed a pattern and I improvised Marcus Miller! Also in this case the response was surprising, especially since using the midi input we have further controls available, which can be set in the section Jam Habits, which allow us to decide how the Brain in certain situations: for example if we are playing a slow and every 2 measures there is an accent on the fourth movement, Jamstix automatically learns where the "obligates" are; or if we play single notes slowly, Jamstix can accent them with light hits on the ride.
Conclusions
Jamstix acts just like a real drummer, follows the arrangement when he has to, plays the fills when he has to, never goes out of time or yes, he has a good interplay although sometimes he can freak out, and if you let him freewheel he won't stop until you take the sticks out of his hand… or press STOP! Technically speaking, it is ideal for those who do not know how to program MIDI drum parts that sound quite realistic, it is particularly suitable for the project-studio where auditions or backing tracks are prepared, but it can also be a professional instrument if used. by expert hands. It is currently only available in the VST version for the Windows platform and can only be purchased via the internet from the site www.rayzoon.com and the full download exceeds one hundred Mb, so a fast connection is required. The installation of both the program itself and the add-ons is quick and easy, compatibility with the most famous VST hosts is more than guaranteed and the technical support is excellent. I think even the most experienced MIDI programmer wouldn't exploit half of Jamstix's full potential, but one thing I'm sure: fun is guaranteed!
Interview with Ralph Zeuner
I personally learned about Jamstix even before the final version was published, and I met the author, Ralph Zeuner, on the KvR forum in early 2005, when this fabulous program was just starting to be rumored. Overwhelmed by curiosity, I was among the first to buy it in presale at the price of 89 US dollars and immediately began to compose some new songs with the help of my new electronic Dave Weckl, so much so that on the Rayzoon website there are still some demos played by me. On the occasion of this article, I asked Ralph to give me a short interview.
Guido Scognamiglio: How did the idea of Jamstix come about?
Ralph Zeuner: Jamstix's project was born around 2000, when I was tired of programming the drum parts manually for my songs, and I realized that there were no instruments on the market able to help the musician to create realistic and original arrangements. I needed something that would take the trouble, in my place, to "humanize" the drums in terms of dynamics and accents, allowing me to arrange multiple patterns and add fills throughout the song. At the same time, I thought that such an instrument could also autonomously develop original rhythms "on the fly" based on certain parameters, so I studied a method for analyzing MIDI notes and audio volume to control the performance of the drum track. . I spent years gathering ideas and implementing prototypes of an artificial brain capable of generating MIDI notes based on MIDI or audio input. I still remember my first jam with one of the first prototypes of Jamstix: I felt like I played for 5 minutes but in reality it had been at least 20 playing and listening to the reactions of the software! The sense of the interaction was amazing and clearly inspired my creative process. It was then that I realized that I was approaching something concrete. This began to definitely take shape when the VST standard was born, making it possible to use a similar instrument within other music software, thus creating enormous versatility. Finally, I added the audio input giving the user the possibility to use Jamstix in different ways.
GS: Aren't you afraid that computer music may one day completely replace music played the old way?
RZ: Absolutely not. It's just about making it easier for a musician to create their own music. I have beautiful musical ideas in mind that I would like to realize, but I certainly cannot benefit from real musicians whenever I need them. And this is where tools like Jamstix come in handy.
GS: How would you compare Jamstix to other AI-based music programs? What makes it so "different"?
RZ: Well, I'd rather leave the comparisons to others. If anything, I can tell you about the technology behind Jamstix. A drummer has precise mental patterns (please, no drummer jokes!) In response to what other musicians are playing and what kind of music they are approaching. Jamstix tries to capture all these mental processes and superimposes them in a "musical" way. Finally, a filter senses all those “impossible to play” situations and eliminates them from the performance based on priorities. This type of approach is unique in the market to my knowledge.
Then there is a series of individual components that interact with each other, sometimes giving surprising results even for me who, as an author, I have not programmed at all.
GS: Where and how did you record the samples included in Jamstix?
RZ: The recording and editing were done in my personal studio. I did several experiments with different levels of dynamics, ambient capture and alternating sampling, in order to obtain realistic results while maintaining a good compromise between CPU and memory usage. The same goes for the selection of kits: I have specific sounds in mind and therefore I try to get the right equipment to make those sounds.
To tell the truth, I didn't expect so many users to be interested in using the internal sounds, I rather believed that many were interested in using high-end libraries like BFD and DFHS. However, I have noticed that there is like a void between cheap and high-end libraries, so Jamstix tries to fill that void so much that there has been a strong demand for new sounds and lately we have been very busy creating the expansion packs.
GS: Who do you think is Jamstix's potential target?
RZ: Anyone who creates music on a computer is a potential buyer of Jamstix! You can use it as a simple sound module, or to improvise music with you, you can use it to create the arrangements or let him create them for you. It's a bit like the computerized drummer's Swiss army knife! Be that as it may, many are fooled by Jamstix's low price, but in reality you could get highly professional results even without using a high-end library.
GS: Do you think joining a large software house could increase your sales?
RZ: I am open to any possibilities regarding the future, but in the meantime I like to enjoy the close control I have of my products. Being independent allows me to offer Jamstix at a great price and offer good support. The response from the community was wonderful, I really wasn't ready for this sense of satisfaction you can get when interacting directly with your buyers.
GS: Now what are your future projects?
RZ: Well, early next year we plan to release Jam Bass, software that does for bass what Jamstix does for drums. The two software will also be predisposed to "dialogue" with each other to create a synergistic group. There are other projects in the drawer, such as a virtual percussionist and, of course, Jamstix 2 which will see the light perhaps at the end of 2006. Apart from that, I have many other original ideas in mind, but it's still too early to talk about them!
