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Jam Hub?

Anthbass

Anthbass

Jul 24, 2006
1,085
16
Canada
#1
I wasn't sure where to put this, so... it's here.

I recently bought a Jam Hub, the Greenroom model. My band rehearses in our drummer's basement, and he has small children, and a wife, so after nearly a year of 'plugged-in' practice, we switched over to a preamp and laptop. This turned out to be more of a hassle than anything else, so I sprung for the Jam Hub.

We've only used it once so far, but it works pretty well. There are 5 channels, and you can adjust the volume of all other instruments and vocals in your mix without affecting anyone else's levels. There are a number of effects for vocals, which we are playing with. Inputs are 1/4", and the only odd thing I've found so far is that the output is mono, so you need to run stereo cables.

Besides the marriage-saving qualities, the Jam Hub seems like it could be good for spontaneous recording, where noise is a concern. Also, headphone playing is terrific for highlighting where ambient, distortion-drenched sections of songs need some work. We should play better, as a result.

Anyone else use one?
 
#3
DiabolusInMusic said:
Does your drummer play with an electric kit? These have always seemed appealing but I would think a loud drummer would overpower everybody's headphones.
Click to expand...

Yes, he has purchased one. An acoustic kit would, as you say, pretty much negate the usefulness of the Hub.

As it is, all you can hear outside our rehearsal room is sticks on pads, hands on strings, and acoustic vocals. That is livable, I think.
 
#4
My buddy has the Bedroom model. He's not playing in any bands right now so pretty much it only gets used when I come up to visit and we decide to jam (he lives in a third floor apartment). It works great. I love the idea that in our headphones we can have a righteous jam session happening yet outside, like Anthbass says, all you hear are hands on strings and vocals (my friend's, not mine- I can't sing!!! :D). Feel like cranking it up and jamming at 2 AM? No problem! :bassist:
 
#5
I have the JamHub Green Room, and I really dig it.
I got a used set of Roland Vdrums TD3, and even though they're the beginner set, they sound great. My drummer uses regular drums as well as a set of Roland TD12s, so he is used to the electronic drum thing.

I set up the JamHub and the drums in our extra bedroom, and even though it's tight, we can have rehearsals at home. The Green Room gives you 7 separate "channels." Each channel has a stereo input as well as a mic input and stereo headphone out with everyone being able to control their own monitor mix. It's great. There are built in effects for vocals, and there's stereo output. Apparently there's USB output as well, but I haven't tried that yet.

The only issues that I've had so far are that the overall volume is not that loud, and the deaf ones in our group complain about that. I think the point of this sort of device is to ultimately protect one's hearing though...

The other thing is that the tone is pretty sterile. For some reason, our other rehearsal setup with Behringer mixer with Behringer headphone amp sounds much more alive and has more sparkle than the JamHub. Maybe it's the on board EQ in the Behringer. I'm not sure.

I really like the individual mix feature and that everyone can have a mic so that we can have conversations at rehearsal over the headphones.

I've also heard of people using the Jamhub with acoustic drums that are miced and inputted into the Jamhub with everyone else going direct. I think with the low volume from the Jamhub, one would need sealed or isolating headphones to make this work.
 
#6
First post, so: Hello to the forum!

I bought the Greenroom model as well. Best solution to using an acoustic drum kit is in-ear monitors (NOT earbuds but inside the ear canal), instead of cans (unless they're exceptional at isolation). You don't need a full wireless system, just use wired in-ears and headphone extension cables and don't forget the SoleMix remotes. Also, if you really want to get creative, you can use the same system for on stage in-ear monitoring AND a submix (2 channel) to a mixer (FOH). OR You can send a submix of vocals to two channels (for effects) and a separate submix of the rest of the band. This method takes up 2 channels on the JamHub, but works well. Technically, on the Greenroom, there are 21 inputs. Using either a combiner (2XLR/TRS) or a 2 channel preamp (with phantom power for condensers) and insert cable (2 tip/ring to 1 tip/ring/sleeve), you can use 3 mics for drums on a single channel in the jamhub. Since the instrument input is stereo, you get good separation for the drums using two overheads strategically placed. The kickdrum mic input is mono, so needs no change, but remember to cut the effects on that channel. Once it hits the mixer, just hard pan L/R, add effects/compression and you're done.

The Jamhub doesn't do anything to the sound, so what you put in is what comes out, but with effects units and digital amp heads, you don't really need cabs for rehearsal. On stage, I'd still recommend mics on cabs, but you might consider turning the amps toward the back of the stage before mic'ing. It took years to get my guitarists to do that but it works wonders for controlling levels in a small room. Since you're mic'd up, you don't need full stacks. Small combos work better and lessen the workload.

I've also used it for tracking/monitoring (analog w/5ms latency) and capturing rehearsals/performances via the USB output (40ms latency). The USB is output only, so using it as an interface isn't going to work, but the analog method is fine once you accommodate for the 5ms of latency (using E-mu 1212 PCIE). Since you're monitoring your recording in real-time and PRE digital audio workstation (turn OFF monitoring in DAW), when you playback you'll have to adjust the newly recorded track by 5ms. Not difficult.

In all, this is an awesome addition to any equipment list and well worth the price. I spent a bit of time talking with Steve Skilling (JamHub inventor/engineer) and the other engineers/technicians prior to buying, and we discussed every possible hitch and roadblock before I committed to a purchase. Every question was answered almost immediately, and often by Steve Skilling himself. I just don't know how you could beat that without spending a WHOLE lot more. Customer service speaks volumes for me, especially when I can understand them on the phone...

Churches and venues - JamHub can be used as a zone controller as well. Each zone has an independent mix, so every instrument level can be adjusted. A little creative thinking opens up all kinds of new uses for this one product. JamHubs can be linked together using one channel out (stereo) to one instrument input on another JamHub. This comes in handy if you've got a big band or horn section.

Broadcast production - JamHub can be used as a "broadcast box" to distribute a source to several points (think news conference with 5 or more services wanting a feed). It can also be used to combine several sources/feeds as composite audio (music festival with several stages/feeds) for live broadcast/podcast.

BTW, I'm not being paid to rave about the JamHub, it's just THAT cool.
 
#8
I'm curious: those of you who've gone for the various JamHub versions, why did you pick a JamHub over using a mixing board + a multichannel headphone amp? A cheap mixer + headphone amp would be less expensive than a JamHub, while a low-cost digital mixer would be in the same price ballpark as a JamHub Tourbus, while offering a wider feature set, fuller recording capability, and the ability to fill a crucial role in live shows.

I'm not criticizing your decision, just trying to understand.
 

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