I just heard about Jamtrainer.com but already have strum machine. Can someone compare and talk about why I would use one over the other? I did poke around a bit on jam trainer but wonder if anyone has advice that has done both. Thanks!
Jam trainer vs strum machine
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Jamtrainer is all-American.
I heard that strum machine proceeds go toward puppy mills and funding Russian space travel.
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I have a better question: Isn’t the same counting voice used in both? Is there any copy rights being infringed?
I’d like clarify that my last response was a joke, because there will be some who cannot distinguish.
@Tom3 I’m using JT more and more and will have a better feel for it soon. Truth is, I haven’t used Strum Machine much at all so I can’t offer you a robust comparison. Of course, I’m partial to JamTrainer because Mark is my buddy. He’s wanting honest feedback, though, so I plan do give it to him straight as I use/learn it.
I’m sure Mark got the voice from AI, so copyright infringement would be a nonissue.
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So, uh, you mean the money doesn’t go to puppy mills and Russian Space programs! I just cancelled my Strum Machine subscription!
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They do sound similar, but I got the voice for JT legally. Maybe they come from the same source? Not sure. When the project first started, it was actually Ben’s voice doing the count in. 
I wish I could give better feedback, but I’m really not that familiar with Strum Machine. I’d only seen it used a couple of times before starting on the Jam Trainer project. I did get a subscription when people started asking for specific items in JT that SM already has, but I never went beyond learning those requested features because I never intended for JT to be a SM alternative.
I intentionally referenced SM as little as possible because I wanted JT to be its own thing. Maybe that’s good. Maybe not… but I want JT to succeed or fail on its own merits.
All that said, Jam Trainer has evolved to be way more than a backing track. It can now play tabs, store your lyrics, and sync all devices at a jam so every player knows exactly what chord they’re on. It also has a built in tuner, metronome, and ear training games to play when you don’t have your instrument handy. It also has a huge library of chords and scales for guitar, banjo, and mando, so it’s also a great reference source.
If you have any specific questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.
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bravo!
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I’ve been a Strum Machine subscriber for a while now. The puppy mills I’m ok with, but the whole Russian Space travel violates my morals. So Strum Machine is effective, but pretty basic compared to Jam Trainer. I’ve only played around with the basic functions on it, but the possibilities are incredible. Put it to you this way, if Mark makes it a subscription service, I’d drop Strum Machine and support his platform.
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I’ve been enjoying jam trainer for a while now. One unintended benefit is that I turn off all the instruments in the audio mix except the banjo and slow the speed way down to learn some good basic backup banjo patterns. It’s a little difficult to learn because depending on where, in the song I start, the backup isn’t always the same. But still a great side benefit!
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