The proposal for X-underlined type of webcast

1. structure of connection:

two server addresses to which two "musicians" are sending the signals. in order to have a mix, there must be third party who is doing it for the two mentioned real audio addresses. i suggest at certain moment this could be "studio" in linz. i want to give to this structure a name + a sign, as follows:
X - stands for two senders who are listening back the signal of the other at the same time, but do not resend (no loop) what they are (getting) listening to.
X - underlined - presents the same situation + the mix at the third party destination.

2. rules of behavior:

he action consists of two solos - intros, with the aim to introduce "instrumentarium" to each other. what follows is a duet for improvisers, which can have a prologue or commentary - in this commentary the two actors again respond with a solo, which is the final impression on what was achieved. if there is interest, another cycle can follow.

3. roles to play:

- a musician - is an actor who is capable of real time production of sound from original source (original source = sound source you can navigate quick enough to respond in live situation and generate sound by advice which do not include reproduction - like dj-ing - it is about playing an instrument - if anybody can still understand this naive expression)
- a technician - can be a musician himself if s/he is capable of manipulating the rest of the procedure which is needed at one entry point. if not, a technician is the one who downstream and upstream live signal, navigate the mixing desk* and take care about chat.
- producer - is the one who collects the signals and serves as the master of ceremony for the audience or other "public" situation. at this point it should be clear that X (itself) situation consists of hidden addresses, which are accessed by two musicians and producer only - the reason is simply the best possible rate of exchange and the manner of behavior - the duo in this case is "equal" for the one who is listening. the producer also manipulates the recorded (stored) ra-files. in this case it is possible for musicians to make a brake and listen back (downstream the file) to get information on how to adapt or improve. the role of producer would ideally be split to the whole production team, depends on how active is participation of audience online or live where the mix is performed.

4. exchange of roles:

of course there are many permutations and combinations possible. for beginning i would like to describe only the basic frame. the two entry points can be concentrated for the contact (exchange) and the production point can manage synchronisation of the X , feedback (in a sense of comments, technical data, navigation through web space...) and presentation (and fast archiving for immediate reuse). at a certain moment, the three (physical) locations can exchange the roles. for example: at the moment i can downstream two independent addresses (two machines online), mix them (analog - in the mixer) and stream the result to another address. hopefully there will be enough equipment in linz to provide the same.

5. the frame of problematics to examine:

most of all, i would like to appeal for the quality of exchange and intensity of program. very old-fashioned criteria can be introduced. program (on the live side, in this case) can be very good, good, bad or unbearable. it is not just important how good the musicians are in telepathy (because they can not use delay as an excuse - they can try to play for some seconds in advance before they hear a reaction (which, again, they have to delay back in time in their mind)), but also how fast are the technicians and producers in keeping links and conduct the situation - there is a big difference if in one hour five different duos can happen without big waiting and technical hocus-pocus. this aim introduces another level, which is level of preparation - how fast can be a certain pair of collaborators (providers - producers -technicians) without loosing too much time for misunderstanding and the chats which are not in "public" interest... how motivated can stay the musicians to invite them back for another session after an hour etc.
till now i had no opportunity to listen the X situation from the third side. it is not so easy to imagine -a but i can predict that delays at the third time - listening two sources could be much different then in X situation itself. the main questions remain for the improvisers - will they accept the role of waiting for the signal to give a response or will they try to lead the signal or will they try to "brake" the time barrier...

*mixing desk - is a very important tool in the case of X-underlined. the most important is at the sound entry points. in order to work out the situation with a single online computer, the one has to have ability to listen the signal independently to what s/he is sending out. this would usually mean separately addressable monitor and main-out level, two independent groups or dedicated aux - send facilities...

Did i say i have a simple suggestion?

marko kosnik