Before we start

This guide assumes you have all the necessary gear, and it's all plugged in correctly.

If you're not there yet, please refer back to Step 0: What is the JackTrip Virtual Studio?

Registering your JackTrip Bridge

In order to connect to other people, we first need to create an account and register our JackTrip Bridge to it.

1. Log In or Create a New Virtual Studio Account

Open your favorite web browser and enter "https://app.jacktrip.org" into the location bar, or just click here.

If this is your first time using Virtual Studio, click the red "Sign Up" button in the middle of the page.

If you have already created an account, click the red "Log In" button. If you've already created an account, make sure you're logging into the same account you registered with!

• Option 1:  Sign-in using an existing account with Google, Facebook, or Microsoft. (preferred)
• Option 2:  Create a new account using your email address and password.

2. Register Your JackTrip Bridge

Update: while you can still register your JackTrip Bridge via the web app, we've just released a fast, easy way to register your bridge via bluetooth. Check it out!

You should see the "Audio Devices" page with a message indicating that no devices are registered to your account.

Click the green "Register a New Device" button to register your JackTrip Bridge. You should then see a "New Device Registration" form. If you receive an error, please see Troubleshooting http://jacktrip.local for help.

If you would like to rename your device, please feel free to do so here. Click or tap the “Register Device” button to complete the registration process.

Connecting to a Studio and setting volumes

1. Get familiar with the device controls

You should now have a device registration visible on https://app.jacktrip.org/devices (pictured above). There are useful controls on this page. In fact, it's probably where you'll go to do most things Virtual Studio related. You can:

• Connect to a running studio with the Select Studio dropdown + Connect button
• Change your Input Volume, AKA how loud your microphone is
• Change your Output Volume, AKA how loud your headphones are
• Change the Quality setting if your internet is having trouble
• Add Reverb to your sound
• Add a Limiter or Compressor to your sound (automatic ways of controlling your volume)
• Change Port which is only important if you have multiple devices

Please note that if you're using the JackTrip Digital Bridge, your Audio interface may or may not support these controls. See Tested Sound Cards for more information.

2. Connect to a virtual studio

A studio is like a virtual room- everyone connected to that studio will hear each other in real time. To test your JackTrip Bridge, you need to connect to a studio. Probably the easiest (and most fun) way to do this is to have everyone in your group connect to your group studio. That way you can get everyone in your group connected, and help each other if you run into any problems. To do this, whoever is in charge with your group will have to start the studio.

• Turn on your JackTrip Bridge. Each time you power on the Bridge, it may take a minute, as it is checking the software for updates. Make sure the device gets powered off regularly, so it can do this.
• In the Select Studio dropdown, find the name of your group's studio and select it. Make sure it says “Ready”. If not, talk to your group leader. Then click the green Connect button. You should now be connected to that studio. If your device is not connecting, double check that your ethernet cable and power cables are all fully plugged in.
• Carefully increase the Input Volume and Output Volume until you can hear and be heard comfortably. Keep in mind that there is a short delay each time you adjust the volume. Here are some initial settings based on your setup:
  
  • Output Volume = 100%. Turn on the boost if you're having trouble hearing
  • Input Volume = 40% if using a USB microphone or Mixer
  • Input Volume = 95% if using a dynamic microphone
  • The exact levels will depend on exactly what Mic and Headphones you're using. Make small changes until you can hear and be heard comfortably.
• Once you are connected to the group studio, in the control panel you will normally want to have the Limiter turned on and the Compressor turned off.

Creating your own Studio and inviting others

If your group does not have a studio yet, the steps below will show you how to create one.

The "Owner" of the studio is the person who creates it. Any "Admin" of the studio will also be able manage it, for example starting or stopping the studio.

Only the Owner of the studio will be charged based on the studio time used. Please see: Virtual Studio Pricing for more information.

1. Create a new JackTrip Studio

Use the menu on the left to navigate to the "Studio" page, and click on the green "Create Studio" button.

Click on the "Descriptive Name" box and type in a name for your new studio (such as "<Your Name> Test Studio").

Click on the "Region" drop-down and select the location that is closest to you.

Leave the other settings with their default values. You can change these later. For more info, see Managing Studios.

Finally, click the orange "Create Studio" button to create your new studio. You will be returned to the "Studios" page and should see your new studio listed under "My Studios."

2. Inviting others to your Studio

Any studio can be set to Public by using the on/off toggle next to the word "Public". This will allow anyone in the world to see a connect to your studio, so be careful about using a Public studio!

By default, the toggle will be OFF, meaning your studio is private. In order to connect with others on a private studio, you need to add them as subscribers by using the "Search for user" search bar under the subscribers list.

Once you've added them, they'll show up in the subscribers list.

Anyone in the subscribers list can connect to your studio, regardless of whether they've actually accepted the invite explicitly. If you'd like to remove them from being able to connect to your studio, just click Remove under "Actions".

3. Start your Studio

Click the green "Start" button in the lower-left corner of the studio you just created.

The icon for your audio studio will change from orange to blue and the status will change from "Disabled" to "Starting." Once you audio studio is ready (after about 1 minute), the icon will change to green and its status will be "Running." Your audio studio is now ready for use.

4. Connect your Bridge to your new Studio

Use the menu on the left to navigate back to the "Audio Devices" page. You should see the JackTrip Bridge that you registered listed here.

Use the input box at the top middle to find and select the name of the new studio that you just started. Then click the “CONNECT” button to connect your device.

5. Stop your Studio

Managed servers include a timer feature that automatically stops them after running for 60 minutes. This is intended to only be used as a fallback. Whenever you are finished and no longer using a studio, please manually stop it using the red "Stop" button located in the lower-left corner.

For more information, please see the following user guides:

• Managing JackTrip Bridges
• Managing Studios

Next Steps

You made it, congratulations! Go make a real audible connection with someone.

And if you run into issues, please reach out to us for help at https://help.jacktrip.org/hc/en-us/requests/new