In this post, I describe my current setup and share the essentials for good audio in a video conference call.
My current setup
Software: Zoom.us
Hardware: a MacBook Pro 2012 and a ZOOM Q8 camera for video & audio
Internet connection by a wire (superior to wifis in stability and speed)
Physical setup: percussion stand for the laptop, mic stand for the camera
Acoustical instruments: acoustical piano and my voice (ie. no audio interphase or separate mics for voice and piano)
To improve the audio experience, I’ve learned how to use the original sound -feature in Zoom. This is the big game changer in what comes to music, and why Zoom is so superior in comparison to it’s competitors. The original sound -feature enables you to choose when to use the so-called speech codex, that consists of echo cancellation & background sound elimination. Taking them off makes the musical experience so much more pleasant – see for (or rather: hear it) yourself!
For the moment, I’ve found it most convenient to put original sound on for the entire session, whether I’m speaking or not. So the only thing to remember is to check that it is on in the beginning of the session, and again if the session gets interrupted and I join the classroom afresh. I might go over to switching it on and off during the session when I get more comfortable with the environment, to optimize the receivers experience even futher.
I am not sponsored by Zoom; this recommendation is my honest opinion based on my own experience. Every now and then, I come across new software with big promises about their ability to facilitate music-making online. I am curious of everything new, and happy to try things out. However, for the time being, Zoom is the best option I've found for this purpose. I'm looking forward to learning of the next best thing in the future!
