1. A spinning machine with a plurality of spinning places with a yarn formation means ( 6 ) each, with which staple fiber material which is supplied to the spinning place in the form of a longitudinal object is processed into a yarn by spinning and with a refining means ( 1 ) each with which the longitudinal fiber object as supplied to the spinning place is refined prior to yarn formation, characterized in that the refining means ( 1 ) of each spinning place is independently drivable and controllable at least partly from the refining means ( 1 ) of other spinning places, that each spinning place comprises at least one sensor means ( 10, 11 ) for detecting at least one property correlated with the fiber mass per unit of length of the fiber material supplied to or processed at the spinning place and/or the yarn formed in the spinning place, and that for the purpose of a compensation of irregularities concerning fiber mass per unit of length of the fiber material supplied to each spinning place, the spinning machine further comprises at least one control and monitoring unit ( 12 ) which processes measured data as produced by the sensor means ( 10, 11 ) of a spinning place into control data for the control of the refining means ( 1 ) of the same spinning place.