eSession Premiers Virtual Glass – Real-Time Global Recording
eSession, the online collaboration service, has premiered Virtual Glass, a new software plug-in that provides real-time musical collaboration. The new service not only allows musicians to hire talent in any corner of the globe, but also provides the ability to monitor the recording session via audio and video as it happens, and even remote-controlling the other musician’s software, all in perfect sync.
In a traditional, commercial studio, the engineer operates the equipment in a control room while the musicians, separated by a glass partition, perform their parts. Virtual Glass uses the Internet as the high-tech equivalent to the glass partition between engineer and musician. Its 3D design depicts a recording console and a “virtual glass” partition that functions as a video screen, so even the least tech-savvy user feels right at home.
To use Virtual Glass, users need a recording program, a high-speed Internet connection, a Web camera, and an eSession user account. Installation is simple, and there’s no copy protection. The software works with any Mac-compatible USB or FireWire camera for real-time video; the camera mic enables communication with the session players.
Virtual Glass is available for Mac OS X in RTAS, VST, and AU plug-in formats. Windows versions will be released in the last quarter of 2008. The new version 1.22 adds latency compensation so that new tracks are recorded and monitored in sync with existing tracks, as well as accurate ReWire synchronization for linking two sessions.
eSession CEO Gina Fant-Saez recently introduced eSession and Virtual Glass to the music industry in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. In live demos, she recorded with renowned artist and technology guru Thomas Dolby, in real time, from his studio in the UK. Dolby is using the eSession application and Virtual Glass to produce his latest album with eSession talent, including drummer Pat Mastelotto, Grammy-winning engineer Tchad Blake, and guitarist Kevin Armstrong.
“Virtual Glass has pushed forward online collaboration technology to the point where I can work with another musician who’s thousands of miles away, while feeling the sensation that [the musician] is right there in the booth next to me,” says Dolby. “Now I can live and record somewhere safe, cheap, and beautiful and still have access to the world’s greatest musicians.
eSession’s Virtual Glass is free for eSession members until Q1 2009, after which it will be part of eSession subscription packages. A Gold subscription for eSession is $19.95 per month. More information on eSession’s Virtual Glass.
