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alexis PhD in Jamology

Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 454
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 8:28 pm Post subject: Just heard about Jamstix |
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Hi All -
Seems like a really satisfied user base!
I'm looking for some general info on Jamstix. Some questions I had are:
- For starts, how does it work (how does it "jam")?
- Can the MIDI output be further edited/fine-tuned in Cubase SX3 like any MIDI track, or are there some limitations, even possibly that "the jam you hear what you get"?
- Is there any option for audio output as well as MIDI?
- How varied are it's jams? For example, if I have 5 country x western song at 90BPM in 4/4, will it play the same drums for each song, or is there a way to choose among several jams? Are there lots and lots of jams, a "few", or only one for each style of music? Lots of choices for less common key signatures (3/4, e.g.)? For different styles of music (60s pop/rock, blues, Sheryl Crowe, Maroon 5, etc. Zydeco? )?
- And last but not least, how easy/hard is it to use/program/etc. I'm just learning drum maps, so anything too complicated would probably not be a good purchase for me at this stage.
I'm a Cubase SX user, so I see from another post that I won't be able to jam with audio, at least for now. Even so, it sure looks like a possibly good alternative to the Groove Agent 2 I was hours away from buying until I saw a reference to Jamstix in a forum!
I'll keep reading these forums to try and get a better idea of real-world expectations with this cool sounding tool.
Thanks for any info on these ?s and other thoughts any of you may have!
Thanks  _________________ Alexis
JS 3.6.1x64; Cubase 7.5.40 64 bit; i5-4570 3.2GHz, 16GB RAM; W7 SP1 64-bit on Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB; Seagate 1TB SATA 600 Audio Drive; UR28M; Motif8; UAD-2 Solo, BCF2K; TC Helicon VoiceOne; RevoicePro3 |
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Ralph [RZ] Site Admin

Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 13332
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 9:00 pm Post subject: Re: Just heard about Jamstix |
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| alexis wrote: |
For starts, how does it work (how does it "jam")?
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I assume you mean what does it analyze? For audio input it adjusts its velocity and play style to the volume of the input. It's uncanny to play a bass and have Jamstix follow your dynamic and switch to ride when you play hard and sidestick when you play quiet.
With MIDI input it's the same but in addition, Jamstix analyzes note patterns and assigns rhythm patterns to them so that as you repeat sections of your song the same patterns are used. In addition, it performs extra hits and all kinds of little accents based on certain characteristics of MIDI input.
| Quote: |
- Can the MIDI output be further edited/fine-tuned in Cubase SX3 like any MIDI track, or are there some limitations, even possibly that "the jam you hear what you get"?
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Yes, you can edit it. You can record or export the MIDI and then edit is as you want and feed it back into Jamstix or other drum modules.
| Quote: |
- Is there any option for audio output as well as MIDI?
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Not at this time. Since it is a VSTi you can simply bounce it to audio in your host.
| Quote: |
How varied are it's jams? For example, if I have 5 country x western song at 90BPM in 4/4, will it play the same drums for each song, or is there a way to choose among several jams? Are there lots and lots of jams, a "few", or only one for each style of music?
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Free jams are generated in real-time, they are not canned. You choose basic settings like funkiness and complexity and Jamstix will create fitting patterns from scratch. The possibilities and varieties are huge.
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Lots of choices for less common key signatures (3/4, e.g.)
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Jamstix is focused on rock/funk/pop in 4/4 but it can also free jam with 3/4 and 6/8. Furthermore, if you set up alternating time sigs in your host (i.e. 4/4 1/4 4/4 1/4 4/4 1/4... which effectively models a 5/4), Jamstix can generate free jams to odd time sigs.
| Quote: |
Lots of choices for less common key signatures (3/4, e.g.)? For different styles of music (60s pop/rock, blues, Sheryl Crowe, Maroon 5, etc. Zydeco? )?
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Jamstix is not a canned tool. It allows you to generate original rhythms that may or may not fit into a category. In conjunction with a fitting sound module you can satisfy many genres but there's no 'Maroon 5' style etc. It has flexibility and originality so that you can approach an existing style or define your own. You really have to try the demo to get a feel for it.
| Quote: |
- And last but not least, how easy/hard is it to use/program/etc. I'm just learning drum maps, so anything too complicated would probably not be a good purchase for me at this stage.
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Jamstix is a tool that can be used in various workflow, ranging from simple free jams or single rhythm to complex composed tracks. You can use it in simple ways and then grow from there.
Jamstix does not have the learning curve associated with step sequencers when it comes to rhythm editing. I'd venture to say that the rhythm editor of Jamstix is one of the easiest tools to create realistic drum patterns with just a bit of understanding of drum sets and rhythms. Again, try the demo and ask any questions here or via E-mail.
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I'm a Cubase SX user, so I see from another post that I won't be able to jam with audio, at least for now.
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Where did you read that? Audio jam in Cubase works great using the audioM8 plugin that comes with Jamstix.
Feel free to ask more questions but go ahead and try the demo as well! _________________ Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
http://www.rayzoon.com |
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alexis PhD in Jamology

Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 454
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 11:09 pm Post subject: Re: Just heard about Jamstix |
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Thanks, Zauni for your helpful answers. I will try the demo.
You wrote:
| Zauni wrote: | | alexis wrote: |
I'm a Cubase SX user, so I see from another post that I won't be able to jam with audio, at least for now.
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Where did you read that? Audio jam in Cubase works great using the audioM8 plugin that comes with Jamstix.
Feel free to ask more questions but go ahead and try the demo as well! |
I got that from this thread http://rayzoon.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=34 , where:
| Zauni wrote: |
| anonymous wrote: |
Is there a special way to do this in sx as I can't seem to get Jamstix to see the audio input......Thanks |
As far as we know, Cubase SX cannot route an audio signal to a VSTi (VST instrument). It assumes that only VST plugins should process audio. This means you can only use MIDI to jam with Jamstix in realtime. |
I guess I understood that to mean you could only jam to a MIDI track, not an audio track. I'm still not sure I understand how that's different from your answer to anonymous, unless your point was that Cubase SX can jam with audio, just not in real time ...?
Thanks much - Alexis _________________ Alexis
JS 3.6.1x64; Cubase 7.5.40 64 bit; i5-4570 3.2GHz, 16GB RAM; W7 SP1 64-bit on Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB; Seagate 1TB SATA 600 Audio Drive; UR28M; Motif8; UAD-2 Solo, BCF2K; TC Helicon VoiceOne; RevoicePro3 |
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Ralph [RZ] Site Admin

Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 13332
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2005 7:00 am Post subject: Re: Just heard about Jamstix |
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| alexis wrote: |
I got that from this thread http://rayzoon.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=34 , where:
I guess I understood that to mean you could only jam to a MIDI track, not an audio track. I'm still not sure I understand how that's different from your answer to anonymous, unless your point was that Cubase SX can jam with audio, just not in real time ...?
Thanks much - Alexis |
That's an old post when we didn't have audiom8. I just edited it so thanks for the catch!
Today, you just load our audiom8 plugin into an audio track and it will extract the audio info and send it to Jamstix in the VST rack. So, you can now jam with MIDI and Audio in Cubase SX. _________________ Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
http://www.rayzoon.com |
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alexis PhD in Jamology

Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 454
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2005 10:50 am Post subject: |
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Great, thanks Zauni. I look forward to learning more and trying out the demo. _________________ Alexis
JS 3.6.1x64; Cubase 7.5.40 64 bit; i5-4570 3.2GHz, 16GB RAM; W7 SP1 64-bit on Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB; Seagate 1TB SATA 600 Audio Drive; UR28M; Motif8; UAD-2 Solo, BCF2K; TC Helicon VoiceOne; RevoicePro3 |
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alexis PhD in Jamology

Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 454
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2005 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Zauni -
Sorry to bother you over this triviality, but I'm not able to open the Quicktime video tutorials ... I get the time button scrolling across the bottom , but no picture or video. I've got Quicktime version 6.5.2 installed, is there another version I need?
Thanks - Alexis
WinXP sp2 _________________ Alexis
JS 3.6.1x64; Cubase 7.5.40 64 bit; i5-4570 3.2GHz, 16GB RAM; W7 SP1 64-bit on Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB; Seagate 1TB SATA 600 Audio Drive; UR28M; Motif8; UAD-2 Solo, BCF2K; TC Helicon VoiceOne; RevoicePro3 |
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Ralph [RZ] Site Admin

Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 13332
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2005 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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| alexis wrote: | Hi Zauni -
Sorry to bother you over this triviality, but I'm not able to open the Quicktime video tutorials ... I get the time button scrolling across the bottom , but no picture or video. I've got Quicktime version 6.5.2 installed, is there another version I need?
Thanks - Alexis
WinXP sp2 |
Hi Alexis, please try Window Media Player _________________ Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
http://www.rayzoon.com |
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alexis PhD in Jamology

Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 454
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2005 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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Windows mediaplayer works great, all is cool, thanks, Zauni! _________________ Alexis
JS 3.6.1x64; Cubase 7.5.40 64 bit; i5-4570 3.2GHz, 16GB RAM; W7 SP1 64-bit on Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB; Seagate 1TB SATA 600 Audio Drive; UR28M; Motif8; UAD-2 Solo, BCF2K; TC Helicon VoiceOne; RevoicePro3 |
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