IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE. BUT THERE’S FINALLY A WAY TO BE IN-SYNC.
There are many technologies out there that claim to give musicians the ability to play together in real time over the internet. But all of these solutions are still plagued by delay and latency, which stifle creativity and eliminate the possibility for true collaboration. In turn, musicians give up and resort to the old, time-consuming ways of sending files back and forth, or even cancel projects altogether, dreaming of the next opportunity to get the band back together in the same room.
But now there’s a new option. True real-time collaboration at remote distances is now a possibility. Musicians can stay in-sync, never miss a beat, and be miles apart. Park Boulevard Productions will work with you to make it happen.
Sending studio-quality audio over a network is not a new concept – we’ve been using technologies like Dante, AES67, and SMPTE 2110 for years now in both live events and system installations. But they all have typically been limited to local networks – a single office location or venue, for example. However, newer products, along with GPS clocking, allow us to send that audio over much longer distances.
You may be thinking that this still is limited by the delay in the internet, and you’d be correct. However, through partnering with major Internet Service Providers, with fiber optic connections that are routed through a different backbone than the regular internet, it’s possible to create a virtual point-to-point connection between locations, which can get the delay below 20ms. That is a shorter amount of time than it takes the same sound to travel across a stage in a live performance. This enables musicians to connect with one another from their own homes or studios, playing live, in real-time with the same exact feel as being in the same room.
Our services are turnkey. Park Boulevard will communicate with your ISP (or set up a new account, as necessary), ship equipment to each location, and remotely configure the entire system. Our goal is for you to have the easiest experience possible without the need for technical expertise on the ground at any location.
We have rental and sales packages available for end-point equipment, and we are available to consult on studio equipment upgrades and crossgrades. Further, our solutions are not limited to musicians. The same technology can be used to connect producers, engineers, publishers, A&R, marketing… the list goes on… and we can customize to the needs of each situation.
Once the solution is implemented, the connection stays active as long as desired. The connection is live 24/7 and does not rely on Park Boulevard’s continued involvement. It’s ready to use for rehearsals, songwriting, sessions of any kind at the drop of a hat; we can be as hands-on or as hands-off as you would like. We are available to support if there are any issues, but the vast majority of the time, musicians can simply be online working remotely as if in the studio together.
There isn’t really a “catch.” Unlike other systems, our approach enables actual real time collaboration, as promised. The only real challenge is cost. While our services and equipment are reasonably priced and are significantly less expensive than outfitting a whole studio or stage show, Virtual Point-to-Point (Leased Line) internet connections can be expensive, and can vary quite a bit depending on a variety of parameters. There are some unavoidable geographic limitations – at this time we are only pursuing connections between members in neighboring cities or states – but our solution works in most places in the contiguous United States.
Pricing. Turnkey solutions start around $35,000. For band managers, labels, and concert promoters who are currently unable to get musicians into a studio or on the road, this technology can easily and quickly create a source of revenue that pays for itself many times over. We’ll work closely with you every step of the way to evaluate budgets and find the best solutions.
