Koor&Stem and research centre Imec (both from Flanders) are working on ChoirBox – hardware that will make it possible to sing together online without producing a cacophony.

Singing together via meeting software such as Zoom or Teams is difficult. The delay in this software makes it impossible for singing together to sound really good. Software options specially designed for making music together, such as Jamulus, also have their drawbacks. Koor&Stem and Imec want to use ChoirBox in combination with a fast 5G connection to make the delay virtually imperceptible so that choral singers can sing together online in real time and at different locations. The ChoirBox should be a user-friendly, affordable piece of hardware with a good microphone and/or audio input, a minicomputer, a good sound card, a 5G modem and other network options.

Good solutions

Koorschool Delft is following the developments closely because although we’re hoping that we can soon sing live in a choir again, we don’t know yet exactly when this will be allowed. And even once it is allowed, it may be with fewer people than we are used to. Singing together online could then be a good solution. And who knows, perhaps we can look beyond physical borders once again and form an international choir!