The Digital Stage: digital-stage.org
Inspiration
Live Concerts, theatre, and other performances are currently not possible. Instead we can only enjoy past performances in the form of recordings on the Internet. Currently, Live performances do not work properly. Most services on the Internet lack the ability to offer a quality audio mix. While there are some existing solutions.They are expensive and need special hardware or prerequisites such as fiber optic internet connections.
Regular conferencing tools offer video connections but, the Audio quality is useless for music and theatre. This is in part due to:Automatic compression, mixing, muting, as well as high latency, make rehearsals and performances with more than 4 participants difficult.
What it does
Provides artists a custom platform to collaborate live trough the internet. Larger music and theatre ensembles will be able to rehearse and distribute content from home.
Furthermore, we will attempt to use Technology that most people already own. Allowing everyone to perform live on a digital stage together in front of an audience. In later cycles, we would like to add 3D audio and virtual reality formats.It is also worth mentioning thatIn contrast to most solutions out there,this project respects the German and European data protection laws (EU-DSGVO).
Our progress during the EUvsVirus Hackathon 24.-27. April
We revised the concept:
Artists are out of work, art is dead-not-live during Corona-Lockdown.
While Youtube-type streaming is still going on, live concerts and and rehearsals and music are impossible, putting all artists in an existential crisis and denying the public of the arts. Decent quality productions are pre-recorded because all conventional video-conferencing solutions are inadequate.
1. The solution we bring to the table:
We created a WebRTC-based NodeJS / mediasoup solution from scratch, that focuses on low-latency without compromise and enables e.g. a choir, orchestra or band to rehearse together.
Performances and concerts are possible by up-streaming one live mix via youtube or similar solutions to infinite number of paying of free visitors.
During this EuVsVirus weekend, we re-build an existing draft prototype of a combined WebRTC and mediasoup streaming solution. We are now able to create and maintain server based mediasoup connections as well as peer to peer WebRTC connection.
We found committed partners among Europe, such as cultural institutions, universities, theatres, artist's associations.
2. The solution’s impact to the crisis
By using the solution of digital-stage, artists can work and perform live each from their home studio, and the public can enjoy the arts, and the UN goal of inclusion
3. The necessities in order to continue the project
We need funding for our startup, paying developers and customer support. The Web-version will stay free and open source.
4. The value of your solution(s) after the crisis
The solution will enable the same artists and teachers as before to go on teaching, rehearsing and performing in a more sustainable and more globally united way than before. Additionally, the digital stage will certainly be able to contribute to:
• enable artistic creativity (e.g. enable the integration of remote transmissions live onstage for small theatres as well)
• strengthen social cohesion
• create new opportunities for audience interaction
• expand online teaching tools at universities
• Support the remix culture
• Reduce the carbon footprint (e.g. you would not have to have everyone arrive for every rehearsal; auditions and entrance exams would be much better possible online, etc.)
• Enable international cooperations (festivals, "world choir" etc.)
We interconnected our solution to the SIA online theatre project:
We ensured on the artistic, the conceptual and on the technical level that our solution will go hand-in-hand with a live streaming to the SIA online theatre by Valerie Lang et al.: https://devpost.com/software/sia-the-online-theatre
Members of the Team DIGITAL STAGE at the EUvsVirus Hackathon:
Martin Burr - Team lead // Tobias Hegemann - Lead Development // Jan Petzold - Developer // Julia Wacker - Music Expert // Claudio Cappelari - Streaming Expert // Julian Klein - Initiator
Built With
- c++
- firebase
- javascript
- mediasoup
- next.js
- node.js
- react
- soundjack
- typescript
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