Jacktrip Server: Setup, Independent Channel Mixing, Integrated Launch

[TJGigs]

Hi All

After seeing several posts about running your own Jacktrip server and getting a prompt from Mike (oconn...@gmail.com..thx Mike!)  I decided I should finally bit the bullet and  spend the time needed to document everything I've researched, experiment with, learned, and configured running my own low latency Jacktrip server and sessions. I've been running this way exclusively for about a year after experimenting with a lot of other solutions at the start of the pandemic. 

This implementation of Jacktrip is the closest I've come to reaching the online jamming goal for myself and bandmates to make it feel and sound like we are all in the same recording studio with everyone wearing headphones, and enabling all session members to control their own independent mix of each instrument in the Jacktrip session. 

In the attached JackTripServerMixing PDF I tried to include as much of my findings and experience as I can think of  (being an IT guy). Let me know if something is not clear and I can make updates and repost as needed

Thx

TJGigs 

[Mike O'Connor]

wow!  i love this.  thanks for doing all the work of pulling it together.  could i publish a copy of it on my little www.jcktrp.com tips/reminders page?

all kinds of treats in here.  a biggie was the reminder that abundant bandwidth offers the option to go back to a peer-to-peer model -- which offers all the local-mixing options that you then go on to describe.  

i'm really interested to hear why you chose hub-server mode to do the connections -- what pointed you in that direction?

i love your approach -- a good geek pulls together a setup that, once completed, makes it really easy for the rest of the gang to connect/mix.  

i found this to be a terrific writup of Qjackctl tips and techniques.  i'd never seen Patchbay Persistence used before and it's given me lots of food for thought. the whole idea of pushing XML files to folks through web pages is...  really cool.  did you find a good set of documentation for Qjackctl?  i went on the hunt for explanations of some of those features you highlight (eg "reset all connections on patchbay activation") and couldn't come up with anything that felt solid.

another Qjackctl feature that i need to explore is the JACK client/port aliases first thingy.  never noticed that before...   and on and on.  that whole section has lots of little treats buried in it.

page 14 was a wonderful revelation -- so *that's* how Windows folks can do what JMess does for Mac/Linux folks.  plus much more...  lots to digest here...  

yep -- editing session-XML has become quite a thing for me too...

ahh....  those scripts...  soo nice.  

bravo!  and thanks!

tiny nits:

page-6 section 2)  i'd take that "P5" at the beginning of the first bullet and take it down to a lower-case "p5" -- Jacktrip commands are really case-sensitive and running a server with "-P5" doesn't disconnect auto-patching the way you intend.  the strings in the examples are fine, but the cap-version in the description might confuse somebody besides me.  ;-)  

mike

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<JackTripServerMixing.pdf>

[TJGigs]

Thx Mike for feedback (and any others you got)

I'll make changes and repost and answer other questions in a bit.... I'm heading out now but will get back to you more  later today 

I have not add Mac screen shots yet because I'm still waiting on the piano player to get them to me.

 Also I know qjackctl has a more visual object like interface for the connections but not running that version yet 

Also maybe I missed something/concept  about how to implement jacktrip p2p mode 

 but I started with -s,-c (ie "p2p") with port offsets because of stability connect (UDP waiting etc) issues with -C (until the last Jan release of jacktrip)

So my set up for jacktrip was more like this on the sever and clients (who run -c with the same assigned port offset)

jacktrip -s -o 6 -z --clientname Jimmy -n 4 -q 16

jacktrip -s -o 4 -z --clientname Matt -n 4 -q 16

jacktrip -s -o 2 -z --clientname Jimmy -n 4 -q 16

So in this case I'm still running 1 jackd server BUT 3 instances of jacktrip using "p2p" mode (instead of 1 instance of jacktrip with -S mode)

This to me still looked like a hub mode but with extra overhead and admin. But it worked. 

client and server patching in my document is still the same regardless of -S or -s

Below pic is the way I understand the difference between Hub and p2p...

once you get past 2 connections (-s, -c)  in Jacktrip's implementation of "p2p" really looks like HUB to me but with extra overhead. 

someone still has to run as a "server" (ie the control point to make all the connections). Jackkazam true p2p mode no one is the server

Do you understand it differently? Maybe I missed something

thanks

Tom (geek to geek...lol) 

[TJGigs]

Mike Here's updated doc.. the minor tweaks .

However, maybe I need more updates because I'm very curious if my understanding of HUB and P2P in Jackd/Jacktrip is correct.. 

Maybe I got it wrong?  How do you run P2P (-s,-c) when there are more than 2 session participants? 

Wouldn't you have to have several instances of Jacktrip running for each participant? and also decide who will be 

-c and who will be -s for each possible combination of peer to peer routing? 

I never tried that...and not sure how Jackd would handle or how port forwarding for the offset combinations would be configured.

Anyone try this?

Thx

T

[Mike O'Connor]

hi TJ

sorry sorry sorry...  i had great plans to write this note and then i went out and had a little accident whilst working to clear some brush.  i still can't see very well, so this will be a bit terse -- more to follow.  

your understanding of hub and P2P is fine -- my thinking and writing was wrong.  i've been thinking about hub mode so much that i've kinda forgotten how non-hub jacktrip works.  so forget all that crud.  but in thinking about hub mode so much, i've also been completely focused on mixing in the hub and then delivering that mix to players.  what's got me going with your stuff is the idea of using lots more channels (especially when internet is fast and abundant) and replicating the Sonobus/Jamulus experience where each player can do their own mix.  *that's* what i shoulda said the first time.  and i'll expand on that when my eyesight returns to normal...

mike

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<JackTripServerMixing.pdf>