
Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is Rehearsal Live Share? How does it work?
Rehearsal Live Share (RLS) is a remote music rehearsal and performance technology developed by Realtime Music Solutions. It allows a "director" to hear a live, synchronized music performance by one or more participants over the internet. See our guided tour video for more details.
Can I use RLS with any music I choose?
Yes, anyone can create a program of pieces or songs with their own audio files. Doing this does not require a subscription, and can be done right after installation. However, to get the full RLS experience, directors should sign up for a 2-week free trial subscription, which allows the sharing of your content, as well as the ability to conduct a live RLS session with your fellow musicians.
How much does RLS cost?
While installing and setting up our software is free, using RLS to direct a live share session only requires a subscription. Please see our pricing and ordering page for the cost of our subscription plans.
Do participants need to pay for a subscription to use RLS?
No, those who use RLS as a particpant do not require a subscription. The subscription is only required for RLS directors. This means anyone can participate, and those with subscriptions may share their show and initiate a live share session.
How many people can rehearse together with RLS?
We have placed an arbitrary maximum at 30 total users, which includes one director and 29 participants. Having said that, the speed of the director's computer is the determining factor for how the program handles a high capaictiy RLS session. If you have access to an exceptionally powerful system, and you wish to attempt a higher RLS capicity than 30, reach out to us. We can then help setup your system for higher participant caps.
How does RLS handle latency?
Since latency is an inevitable limitation of the current state of internet networking technology, RLS's unique design circumvents the problem by making the exact simultaneous performance of ensemble musicians unnecessary. By design, each participant is disabled from hearing each other's live microphone feed, thus allowing headroom for a milliseconds apart, out-of-sync performance. The non-synchroneous performances are then re-assembled for the director, who will hear all the musicians playing together in perfect sync. Recording capabilities in RLS further enhance the experience by allowing participants to record takes and distribute them from within the program. Once shared, each participant can then hear and perform alongside those recordings of the other participants.
Can I utilize RLS for instruments other than voice?
What is heard in an RLS session? Is it like rehearsing in the same room?
What do I need to use RLS? Do you have any recommendations?
RLS requires a computer for directors, while participants may run RLS on a computer or iOS devices. All must use compatible headphones and microphones. Visit our equipment recommendations page for more details.
What are some of the longer term plans for RLS?
We are fully dedicated to adding new and exciting features, as well as refining the existing ones. Our current focus involves adding video reocrding capability to RLS, and then in time, chromebook/android compatability. We also welcome customer feedback for features and changes that will improve the RLS experience.
What changed in the various software releases?
Here's a page containing a detailed Changelog.
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NATS 6/29/20 Webinar - RLS Exploration -
Original Product Announcement -
Beta Launch -
Version 1.0 -
Version 1.01 -
Version 1.02 -
Version 1.03 -
Version 1.04 -
Version 1.05
How do I order RLS?
RMS Creator subscriptions are purchased though the RMS accounts page. Just sign in or create an account and then hit Upgrade now! in the upper right-hand corner. A video tutorial on our Pricing and Ordering page shows you how.
Does RLS use, share, or sell my personal information?
You may encounter a notification such as this when using the RLS app on iOS. This is a standard privacy notification on iOS that informs users that the app is connecting with outside servers, and could potentially share data from your device. Be aware that we only keep information related to the functionality of the program (e.g. using email as a means to identify someone for log-in or payment processing). No information is sold or used for purposes outside of the Rehearsal Live Share experience.
Technical
What are the minimum tech specs, or technical requirements?
- MacOS 10.13 or later | Windows 8.1 (64 bit) or later
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iOS 13.x
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Chromebook* | Android
* While RLS may be installed on these Chromebooks, there is wide variability in performance, and not every model will be appropriate for RLS use. We suggest newer models for optimal results.
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Quad core CPU for director | Dual core CPU for participants
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4GB of RAM
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Broadband Internet speeds of at least 100 mbps download for director, 30 mbps download for participants. Upload speed requirement is 10Mbps. The network being utilized by all users must allow connections to the following servers:
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https://rms.biz/
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https://accounts.rms.biz/
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rls.rms.biz
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port 8888
How do you handle security? What about Zoom Bombing?
When you as director initiate an RLS session, you invite specific people to join. It is not possible to enter a session without the director's explicit authorization, and so the RLS equivalent of "Zoom bombing" is not possible.
Do you have any tips on how to get the best RLS experience possible?
Yes, please visit our best practices page here.
Where are Rehearsal Live Share (RLS) recordings saved?
When recordings are made, a recording assignemnt icon appears below each channel strip in the RLS window.
I'm having an issue attempting to use RLS. Is there a troubleshooting page?
See here for some common issues and fixes.
Why is my RLS Performance is sounding distorted, clipped, or choppy?
See here for the most common causes of this issue and fixes.
The first time I try to use RLS (Rehearsal Live Share) on Windows, I get a firewall prompt?
This is to be expected when trying to create a peer to peer connection between you and your cast mate/instructor's computers. It is recommended to hit "accept" at this point.
I'm having issues connecting to RLS when I'm at school?
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https://rms.biz/ -
https://accounts.rms.biz/ -
rls.rms.biz, port 8888
I've created a show for RLS. How do I share this content with my cast or ensemble?
You can learn how to share your show in step 5 of the getting started page.
Are there any known issues with RLS?
We are constantly working to improve RLS. That said, here are some issues we are aware of and working to resolve.
Can I share my RLS session with an audience over Zoom?
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The director of the RLS session initiates a Zoom call with audience members (non-participants). -
Director shares screen in Zoom with audience members. -
When sharing screen, select Share Computer Sound and Optimize Screen Share for Video Clip at bottom left. -
Select Desktop as view and hit Share on bottom right. -
Launch Rehearsal Live Share. -
Go to the RLS Preferences select the Audio tab. Set output to ZoomAudioDevice. -
Go to menu Tools → Rehearsal Live Share and begin your RLS call.

What do the colored dots mean in my contacts list?
The dot system is in place to quickly figure out who you can connect with. All below info included in our new video.
Is there a quick way to toggle recording assignments?
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On Mac, holding command while clicking on the recording assignment icon will unassign that channel strip. Holding command + shift together while clicking on the recording assignment icon will unassign all channel strips.
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On Windows: holding ctrl while clicking on the recording assignment icon will unassign that channel strip. Holding ctrl + shift together while clicking on the recording assignment icon will unassign all channel strips.
Is it possible to change my previously built show by adding or deleting songs?
Yes, just select "Modify Original Show" from the file menu. This will reveal plus and minus buttons in the songs section of the main window, which permit the adding and deleting of songs.
Is there a way to add or replace a conductor track to an existing song in a show?
This feature is currently not available. However, one could build a new show, adding the midi conductor track during that process.
Can I replace an audio file for an existing song?
Why can't participants see each other? After sharing recordings, participants could see each other's channel strips, but not their video feeds.
Can directors peform/record along with participants?
Is RLS supported on Linux/WINE?
While some users have been able to install RLS on those platforms, we cannot promise successful operation, and do not have plans to support them in the future. We currently support Windows, Mac, and iOS, and are working on adding support for Android/Chromebook.
Windows detected a threat when I tried to download/install RLS; why is this?
Can I delete a show I have already created?
Yes, in the show managment window, right-click the folder representing the show you want to delete. If you on are on a mac, you can control-click the folder to bring up the delete option.
When I have "director can participate" checked, the participants can no longer hear me. Why is that happening?
If the "director can participate" preference is checked, participants will not hear the director's live microphone feed during playback or recording. This is due to how RLS works: all users are hearing and performing asynchroneously in their respective locations due to latency, so disabling live microphone feeds is required.
How many participants can my computer handle? Why does RLS freeze up after (x) number of participants on my 4-core machine?
How do I change the reverb settings applied to participants during playback and recording?
The reverb effect that is applied to participants during playback and recordings may be changed or disabled in the "mixer" window, under the "output" tab. The reverb send appears as a radial knob beneath the output channel strip. For more information on this window, see our user guide.