# How are these artists solving the latency problem with Virtual performances? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158 "2020-04-06T01:13:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158/1 "2020-04-06T01:13:05Z")
I have first hand experience with latency. Took weekly vocal lessons using Skype for 11 months… It worked great until we tried performing together. For example, Sing this scale… She played it and I sang afterwards. It didn’t work if I tried singing while she played. This teacher frequently taught on Skype and knew how to adapt to its limitations. I’m watching the Virtual Country show on CBS. It’s substituting for the ACM awards. Many of the artists are strumming guitar and singing. Others, like Tim McGraw had five windows open with members of his band. These artists are at home using iPhones and Laptops. No tech help. How did they solve the latency problem that we all dispise? So far no one has Skype freeze. That’s another issue with this technology. I’m amazed at how smoothly these Virtual concerts are airing. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158/2 "2020-04-06T01:37:03Z")
I didn’t view it but from your description I would bet Tim’s band members weren’t live but instead each recorded their parts one at a time and layered it onto the previous member(s). Tim was probably playing along to a final cut of the layers. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158/3 "2020-04-06T01:43:28Z")
😉 That’s a excellent point. John Legend is debuting a new song with Kane Brown. (right now) Kane let it slip “sort of live” as he talked to John. I strongly suspect one part was pre-recorded like you suggested. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158/4 "2020-04-06T02:49:21Z")
That’s nothing. I know a guy in the San Francisco area who is one of a two-person death metal duo. His band-mate is in Uzbekistan. They make music by recording their parts separately and sending the files on-line to each other. Then they merge them to create their music pieces. [Interview – Valentin Mayamsin of Montfaucon](https://sfsonic.com/interviews/interview-valentin-mayamsin-of-montfaucon/), Jeff Spirer, _SFSonic_, Feb. 27, 2017. > [@](#): > > **SF Sonic:** Living 7000 miles apart must create some challenges. How do you put together your music? > > **Mayamsin:** This is mostly challenging for the creative process. We used to sit next to each other, Michel on piano and me on guitar and composed music piece by piece. It was interactive process and very productive. Now it’s different. It is not only 7000 miles, it’s also 12 hours difference. It’s just impossible to synchronize and work together. Now Michel records his piano parts and sends them over Internet so I could work on guitar parts. Speaking of recording, it was not very hard. Just like in a studio, we recorded every instrument track by track at home at our own pace and exchanged files over the internet with Google Drive. ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158/5 "2020-04-06T03:12:37Z")
If you watched the performance of Lady Antebellum on that ACM show, you may have noticed that Dave Haywood magically changed musical instruments multiple times with no break in the performance, so, definitively not live. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-artists-solving-the-latency-problem-with-virtual-performances/851158/6 "2020-04-06T03:20:37Z")
Many vocalists can’t accompany themselves on an instrument. I admire their willingness to perform with minimal accompaniment. Glad they found a way to make it work. Several million people got a much needed distraction from self isolation. Garth and Tricia were amazing. A full hour prime time with Garth strumming a guitar. They sounded really good.