Making music on the Web

Making music on the Web


The start-up Ujam will help users to get creative: directly in the browser they click together without much effort their own songs.

The Internet was in the early days especially designed for the consumption of content, more and more people are using today's global data network for its creative side. In blogs they write stories, upload it on Youtube and movies high on Flickr, they present their best snapshots of other users.

Could cut programs allow you to create videos, as previously only the experts, filters and other image enhancement routines provide for prettier pictures: This software helps to professionalize the result. Even texts are better thanks to technology - if only because users now routinely send them through an automatic spelling correction.

Also in the field of music are now options available to amateurs, who previously could only afford professionals. Even a spark of creativity is enough to realize interesting song ideas. However, one must first buy the necessary software and install it.

Of the German internet start-up companies founded Ujam [1] from Menlo Park, California wants to make making music on computers now much easier. Rather than download a software must be able to use the technology of the company interested in any standard browser such as Firefox, Safari or Chrome. Only the device installed on almost any computer plug-in must be installed for the Flash multimedia technology.

Ujam allows even beginners to produce a very professional-sounding song - and it's free so far. For this, the user begins with a melody, which is enough to sing them into the microphone of the computer to hum or feeding with one instrument - the only requirement is that no chords are first used.

The resulting melody is fed by Ujam server analyzes the Internet then. The software tries to detect pitches as accurately as possible. Anyone who likes can not stand his voice, then play back the melody from another instrument.

Then begins the actual creative work: Ujam allows backing the melody with matching chords along with rhythm section. Here you can choose from numerous styles to your heart's desire of "classical" to "Dance" to "rock" the right thing. Then start the fine tuning: for example, install chorus and interlude, melody and chord changes retroactively.

The finished work can then be exhibited at the Ujam website or shared with friends in social networks - Facebook is supported, as the musicians network Soundcloud be evaluated by the songs and other users to enter into individual passages may criticize.

Ujams idea seems to come: the start-up has attracted renowned investors such as the IT venture capital company of the SAP founder Hasso Plattner and is advised by such artists as the film composer Hans Zimmer. On the Start-up Conference "TechCrunch Disrupt" Ujam recently finished in second place - for firms with European origin are rare.

The two founder Peter Gorges and Axel Hensen themselves come from the music business. Meanwhile, nearly 20 people work at Ujam, important parts of the programming work done in the Hanseatic city of Bremen.

The plan now is a gradual expansion. The target group is wide: from people who have never made music to semi-professionals who want to refine their creations with the help of Ujam technology.

The challenge to the infrastructure is not small: typically come from web applications without multimedia needs. Ujam however, must allow hundreds of users simultaneously, to make music - on the same platform. For this reason Ujam started with a small beta test is now available for anyone interested in the offer.

"Virtual musicians make it in professional possible to create high quality without expensive studio musicians sounding results with a few simple steps," says  founder Axel Hensen. Exactly what you would now also make available to ordinary users, the first start making music. "UJAM thus offers a broad mass of resources that you would not otherwise be available.'s Why we often speak of democratization."