Let's Jam - Quick Start Guide

In this quick start guide, we will show you how to get up and running with RealTime Audio so you can start jamming online with other musicians. We recommend following this article, in order, from top to bottom.

Here is a demonstration video that shows what you can accomplish with RealTime Audio:

Table of Contents

Step 1: What You Need
Step 2: Where to Purchase Hardware
Step 3: Connect Your Hardware
     Directly Into Your Internet Router
     Using an Ethernet Over Power Adapter
Step 4: Create a RealTime Audio Account
Step 5: Get Into Your Webcam Room
Step 6: System Checks and Subscription
Step 7: Inviting Others
What's Next

Step 1: What You Need

In order to be able to play with other musicians remotely, all participants will need to have:

• An iCON RealTime Portal box. 
• A Premium subscription to the RealTime Audio app. 
• An audio interface (USB Class-Compliant).
• A Non-USB microphone and mic cable.
• Headphones.
• An ethernet cable.
• A computer or mobile device.
• Access to your internet router (you can use the cable modem that you have from your cable company as they typically have a router inside of it). 
• (Optional) Ethernet Over Power adapter, if you can't set it up right next to your internet router.
• UPLOAD speeds of 10Mbps or greater: Test your speed at https://speed.cloudflare.com 

Note: For best results, participants should be within 1,000 miles (1,609.34km) of each other.

Note: Internet connections MUST be wired, not wireless. The RealTime Audio technology is not compatible with 5G wireless WiFi nor panoramic WiFi gateways, because they create high jitter which leads to high latency. Any path that the signal takes that isn’t wired will introduce jitter (inconsistency in signal strength) and jitter causes latency.

Step 2: Where to Purchase Hardware

Now that you know what you need, the following is where you can purchase your hardware. 

iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal
This is the core of your setup. The technology it houses enables you to jam online as if you were all in the same room.

Purchase the iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal here. 

Audio Interface, Microphone, Headphones, and Cables
Audio interfaces come in many shapes and sizes. You will be plugging your microphone, headphones, and instrument(s) into the audio interface.

Headphones come with two common connectors: 1/4 inch and 3.5mm. Just be sure that the headphones you are using have two rings on the connecter. Three rings mean you have a microphone attached, and when you plug this into your audio interface, the headphones may not work.  

Microphones come with three common connectors: USB, XLR, and 1/4 inch. Most audio interfaces can accept both XLR and 1/4 inch, but not USB. We recommend XLR as the sound quality is more balanced with an XLR compared to a 1/4 inch.  Note: XLR microphones do not come with an XLR cable, so make sure to get one.

Ethernet cable. This cable will be needed so you can plug your iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal into the internet.

Realtime Audio offers these items in a bundle as an easy way to make sure you are getting the hardware that you need at a good price. Note: The last three items in the bundle (both stands and the smartphone adapter) are optional. The other items in the bundle are needed.

Purchase the bundle here. 

Ethernet Over Power Adapter
If your house is like mine, my internet router is in a small room in the basement. Which makes it not a very good place to set up the hardware or my instruments. Happily, there is an excellent fix for this issue. Purchase an ethernet over power adapter. These allow you to connect to your internet router through any power outlet in your house, instead of having to connect your Realtime Audio box directly to your internet router.

The one that I use is the Powerline Network Extender. I have been very happy with it.

Note: Make sure to plug these adapters directly into a wall outlet, not a power strip. 

Purchase the Powerline Network Extender here on Amazon.  

Step 3: Connect Your Hardware

Now that you have your audio hardware, here is how to connect them. We will show you two common setups:

• The first setup is where you are close to your internet router and can connect your iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal directly to it.
• The second setup is where you are not close to your internet router and thus need to use the ethernet over power adapter.

Directly Into Your Internet Router
The diagrams below show you how to connect your hardware when you can connect directly to your internet router.

First, your overall setup will look like the following. Note: Your iCON Portal will supply power to your audio interface.

Your steps for connecting this hardware are:

Make sure to turn the gain/input and output knobs up so you can hear the audio, and others can hear you!

iCON Portal Bootup Process
When you plug in the power cable, your iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal will go through a bootup process. Your portal is designed to talk to you during bootup, thus we recommend putting on your headphones and turning up the output or headphone volume knob so you can hear the status of the process.

During bootup, your portal will check that it is connected to the internet, that your audio interface is connected to the Portal, and a few other similar items. Your portal will be ready to use when you hear the last prompt "...ready to connect".

Using an Ethernet Over Power Adapter
Most commonly, with this setup, you will have your internet router in one room (Room A) and your audio hardware and equipment setup in another (Room B). The diagrams below show you how to setup your hardware in both rooms.

Steps For Connecting Hardware - Room A
First, your overall setup for Room A will look like this: 

Your steps for connecting the hardware for Room A are:

Steps For Connecting Hardware - Room B
First, your overall setup for Room B will look like the following. Note: Your iCON Portal will supply power to your audio interface.

Your steps for connecting the hardware for Room B are:

Don't forget to turn up the audio input and output knobs so you can hear and be heard!

iCON Portal Bootup Process

When you plug in the power cable, your iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal will go through a bootup process. Your portal is designed to talk to you during bootup, thus we recommend putting on your headphones and turning up the output or headphone volume knob so you can hear the status of the process.

During bootup, your portal will check that it is connected to the internet, that your audio interface is connected to the Portal and a few other similar items. Your portal will be ready to use when you hear the last prompt "...ready to connect".

Step 4: Create a RealTime Audio Account

The RealTime Audio site and app are where you can find other musicians to jam and network with. It is also where you access the Webcam video conferencing tool so you can jam with others online.

1. Go to: RealTime Audio Website
   
   
2. Sign up for an account.
   
   First, fill out your name, email address, and password:
   
   
   
   Second, click on the Continue button:
   
   
   
   Third, fill out the rest of the form (most of it is optional). Then click on the Enter Webcam Tool button:
   
   
   
   You are now signed up. You will be taken directly to your Webcam home page:
   

Step 5: Get Into Your Webcam Room

When you go into the Webcam app, you are always taken to your Webcam home page first:

Here is where you can either choose an existing room to enter or create a new room:

Note: My Rooms are the rooms that belong to you. Where Other Rooms are rooms that you have entered and may belong to someone else.

Tip: When you first create your website account, a Webcam room is automatically created for you. Located under My Rooms:

Enter an Existing Room
One way to enter a room is to just click on an existing room name under either My Rooms or Other Rooms.

Note: You will be taken into that room's lobby unless the lobby has been disabled.

Create a New Room
Another way to enter a room is by creating a new room. You create a new room by entering a room name and then clicking on the Join button.

Note: You will be taken into that room's lobby unless the lobby has been disabled.

Step 6: System Checks and Subscription 

System Checks
No matter which way you enter a room, the next place you end up is in the room's lobby. To show you what this part of the Webcam does we will use Mary Steinway's account.

1. Choose a room to enter. In this example, we will enter an existing room named "marysteinway". 
   
   
   
   
2. You will see a popup box asking if you want to join with or without RealTime jamming.  Since you have your hardware connected and turned on you will want to click on "Join WITH RealTime Jamming".
   
   
   
   
3. A series of system checks will start. These checks are designed to head off a number of common issues, such as your audio interface box is not plugged in, before you enter the room.
   
   
   
   
4. Toward the end, the system will check to see if you have a Premium subscription. If you don't, then a popup box appears that will walk you through the steps of purchasing one.
   
   A Premium subscription is needed if you are going to jam in real-time using an iCON Pro Audio RealTime Portal.
   
   
   
   
5. Click on Activate PREMIUM Subscription.
   
   
   
   
6. You can choose either a Monthly or Annual subscription. In this example, we will choose Monthly. From there, you can subscribe by either using a coupon code or being taken to the shopping cart to buy a subscription.
   
   
   
   Subscribe By Using a Coupon Code
   a. Click on Have a coupon code? link.
   
   
   
   b. Type in your coupon code, then click on the Apply button.
   
   
   
   
   Subscribe By Purchasing a Subscription
   a. Click on the Buy Now button.
   
   
   
   You will be taken to a checkout page:
   
   
   b. Fill out the checkout form and then click on the Start trial button.
   
   
   
   
7. Once you either apply a coupon code or purchase a subscription, you will be transported back to the lobby where the system check will find that the Premium subscription has been activated. You can now enter the room by clicking on the Join meeting button.
   
   
   
   
8. You will be transported into your Webcam room, where your iCON Portal will now connect to your room. This will take a minute or two.
   
   
   
   When done connecting, your personal sound mixer will popup. This allows you to adjust the volume settings in your headphones to your own personal preferences. To close the sound mixer, click the X in the upper right-hand corner.
   
   

    

You are now in your Webcam room.

Step 7: Inviting Others

Once you are in your Webcam room, there are several ways you can invite others to join. These are all located in the Participants panel.  

1. Go to your Toolbar and click on the Participants/Invite People icon.
   
   
   
   
2. The Participants/Invite People panel will open. Your options to invite others are located in two places: Find a JAM Partner on RTA Social and Share Invite Link.
   
   
   
   
   Find a JAM Partner on RTA Social
   Let's take a look at the top button first. Click on Find a JAM Partner on RTA Social button.
   
   
   
   This will open up the Invite popup window. This shows everyone who has a RealTime Audio account.
   
   
   
   Here you can search for people, select who you want to invite, then send them an invite.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Share Invite Link
   Next, let's look at all the options inside the other button. Click on the Share Invite Link button.
   
   
   
   You are presented with a number of ways to share an invite link. 
   
   
   
   When you click on the top button, it will copy the meeting link for you. You can then paste the link into a chat conversation, for example.
   
   
   
   When you go into Share meeting invitation via Email, you send a pre-written email that has a link to the meeting.
   
   
   
   When you go into a Share meeting via SMS, you can text message the meeting invitation to a person's cell phone.
   
   
   
   
   When you go into Share meeting invitation, you can send the meeting invite using applications such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.
   
   
   

    

What's Next

Congratulations! You are up and running with your hardware setup and Webcam room. To learn more about the features the Webcam app offers see this tutorial.