MusicBeam Open
To get involved, you will have to register at the Bitwaves Bugtracker which will also give you the opportunity to report bugs, request features and help squish existing bugs. There you can download MusicBeam.
Installation on MacOS (Audio Unit + VST Plugin):
Download and double-click the installer package. You will have to enter your system password during installation.
Installation on Windows (VST Plugin):
Download an extract the ZIP file and put the resulting MusicBeamVST folder with all contents into your vstplugins folder. Install the latest Java version available at java.com.
Opening MusicBeam:
Open your sequencer of choice and set the sample rate to 44.100Hz. Now navigate to the Mixer and select the MusicBeam plugin in the last insert point of your master channel.
Welcome to the MusicBeam Open Beta!
Minimum Requirements (Plugin):
System MacOS X 10.4 (Universal) / Windows XP
Add. Software (WIndows) Java 1.5
Computer Mac G4/800 or x86 1.0GHz
Sequencer VST / AU compatible
Register as beta tester:
What to do after opening MusicBeam for the first time
After adding the plugin to the master channel of your sequencer, open the plugin window.
When the MusicBeam window is opened, press the "configure" button.
In the Preferences window that opens, enter a username of your choice.
Note that no password is required and the account is created on the fly.
ATM there is absolutely no security and somebody might log into and block "your" account by accidentially chosing the same name as you did.
This is no problem since no data except for the username is exchanged.
Note however that you should not upload your ingenious pop-culture revolutionizing new creation to MusicBeam right now, as somebody else might get to hear it by accident..
Connecting to the server
When you have entered your username, you can connect to the server by pressing the "connect" button in the upper left. You will get to enter a project name. Enter "Demo" for the demo project, which you will only be able to listen, not record, to. The Demo is at 120bpm and should start after one bar.
If you want to do a test with one or more friends, enter the same Project name of choice (case sensitive) on all computers and log in. This creates a project everybody can record and listen to.
If you want to test MusicBeam on your own, you can use different usernames on one computer by logging in with one username first, then logging off and logging in again with another username. Opening multiple instances of MusicBeam on one computer is not supported.
In any case, no password is required for now.
Known Issues
Have a look at the Bugtracker to see all current bugs/todos:
Troubleshooting
Crashes / Freezes
Well, this is beta software, it might very well be that it crashes or freezes your sequencer. Have a look at the Bugtracker to see if your problem is listed and please report in the "notes" section of the bug or file a new one.
Connecting
If you have trouble connecting to the server, check if you are online and TCP port 6201 is open in your firewall.
If you cannot log on to a project, note that project names and usernames are case sensitive.
Finding the plugin
If you cannot find the MusicBeam plugin in your sequencers pop-up window, look if you try to insert it to a mono channel. MusicBeam will only work in stereo master channels.
Sequencer out of sync
If your sequencer is not in sync with the Demo project (check by enabling the "click" in your sequencer), you will have to calibrate your sequencer. Do this by right-clicking the lightbulb in the lower left of the MusicBeam window and selecting "recalibrate project". A calibration dialog will appear. Make sure your sequencers play postion is "0" (press stop twice) and that there is some audio being played at that position (move a wavefile all the way to the left or enable a click going through the master). Press the "go" button in the MusicBeam calibration window and then press play in your sequencer. MusicBeam will calibrate itself and use the given play position as "0". Now everything you record to and load from the server will be in sync. This has to be done once for each project.
Audio pitch/speed does not match
Make sure that the same sample rate of 44100Hz is used in all sequencers that connect to the project. Currently there is no checking for the samplerates to match. Future versions of MusicBeam will inform the user when the sample rate of his sequencer does not match that of the project.
Project data lost
If you should accidentially delete the local audio files, you can reload the whole project by right-clicking the lightbulb in the lower left of the window and pressing "reload project from server".
Remove MusicBeam
To remove MusicBeam, simply delete all files installed and created by MusicBeam. Look here for a list.
Also look at the Q&A and the video to get more info about MusicBeam.