Toward Professional Distributed Performances: Effects of a Global Metronome on Networked Musical Ensemble Interactions

Hupke R, Nophut M, Preihs S, Peissig J. Toward Professional Distributed Performances: Effects of a Global Metronome on Networked Musical Ensemble Interactions. J Audio Eng Soc. 2021;69(10):720-736. doi:10.17743/jaes.2021.0037

@article{Hupke2021_21467,
  author = {Hupke, Robert and Nophut, Marcel and Preihs, Stephan and Peissig, Jürgen},
  title = {{Toward Professional Distributed Performances: Effects of a Global Metronome on Networked Musical Ensemble Interactions}},
  journal = {Journal of the Audio Engineering Society},
  volume = {69},
  number = {10},
  pages = {720--736},
  year = {2021},
  month = oct,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  doi = {10.17743/jaes.2021.0037},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2021.0037}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Toward Professional Distributed Performances: Effects of a Global Metronome on Networked Musical Ensemble Interactions
AU  - Hupke, Robert
AU  - Nophut, Marcel
AU  - Preihs, Stephan
AU  - Peissig, Jürgen
T2  - Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
J2  - J. Audio Eng. Soc.
VL  - 69
IS  - 10
SP  - 720
EP  - 736
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/10/06
DO  - 10.17743/jaes.2021.0037
UR  - https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2021.0037
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Modern communication networks enable audiovisual interaction between geographically distant locations in near real time, leading to an increasing interest in networked music performance (NMP) and growing availability of related tools and applications. An important point of such distributed performances is the nature of interaction between the performers, which poses challenges toward, e.g., the network latency in the communication chain. Extensive research in the field of NMPs has shown that it is possible to achieve stabilization of synchrony and tempo deviation by providing a global time reference signal at each location of an NMP. In this study, for the first time, both an auditory and visual global metronome were integrated into the ecosystem of a physical NMP to evaluate the objective musical outcome and perceived benefit of the metronome with a professional music ensemble of five musicians between Munich and Hanover. The objective analysis shows that the metronome has a positive effect in terms of tempo stability at high latency levels, whereas synchrony strongly depends on the individual coping strategy of each musician. The subjective analysis suggests that a perceivable positive effect of the metronome is discernible for the musicians at all latency levels.
ER  -