Conferencing Direct™ will automatically use the default audio devices selected in the Windows control panel.

Any problem relating to sending or receiving audio can be easily resolved by following the solutions provided below.

Click here for Quick Tips to Improve Audio Quality

In the meeting room, click this button to open the Rights Settings box.

If the box next to "Voice" is checked, you have been granted this right and should now proceed to the troubleshooting steps below.  Start by first identifying the problem you are experiencing by reading the possible audio problems listed below.

Audio Problem #1

"I have been given voice rights and clicked the Hands-Free button. The problem is people in the room say they hear background noise and feedback from my side even when I am not speaking.  The LED's on the Talk and Hands-Free buttons remain in the (green) ON status even when I am not speaking."

The full-duplex voice feature utilizes audio gain technology. This means that as you speak, the LED lights are supposed to change from red to green.  It is very important that when you are not speaking that these LED lights change back to red.

If the Hands-Free and Talk button LED lights remain in the (green) ON status, unnecessary background noises will be detected, this means the mic volume is too high and you should check the following:

1. In the program opened, locate the Microphone Volume Control. Click to the left of the slider bar to reduce the volume.

2. Move your microphone away from your mouth and/or lower the background noise near your computer such as a fan or air conditioner.

If the Hands-Free and Talk button LED lights continue to remain in the (green) ON status, even when you are not speaking, follow the directions in the next step.

3. Click Start, select Control Panel, then double-click Sounds and Audio Devices. Click the AUDIO tab. In the "Sound Recording" section, click the VOLUME button. Adjust the vertical volume control to 25%.  Now click the ADVANCED button under the Microphone column. Make sure that the Mic Boost is NOT checked.

The microphone settings are correct if the LED lights change back to red approximately 2 to 3 seconds after you are finished speaking.

Audio Problem #2

"I have been given voice rights and clicked the Hands-Free button, but the LED's on the Talk and Hands-Free buttons remain in the (red) OFF status even when I am speaking.  The problem is, no one can hear me."

While speaking into your microphone, if the Hands-Free and Talk button LED lights do not change from red to green, you can easily remedy the problem by checking the following:

1. The microphone volume is too low, simply increase the volume.

2. The microphone is not connected to the correct hole on the soundcard, try one of the other available ports on the soundcard. The microphone port is usually indicated by the color red and a small image of a microphone next to it.

3. In Windows - The audio device for the microphone has not been selected in the Windows Control Panel>Sounds & Audio Devices>Sound Recording section.  Click here to view a screenshot for the location of the setting to check. (The device shown in the screenshot, is most likely going to be different from the one installed on your PC.)   

4. In Conferencing Direct™ - The audio device for the microphone has not been selected in the Conferencing Direct>System Settings>Audio Settings section.  Click here to view a screenshot for the location of the setting to check. (The device shown in the screenshot, is most likely going to be different from the one installed on your PC.)

5. There is a "mute" feature on the microphone wire or headset that has been activated. Try reversing that switch (if one exists). This switch may be located on the physical hardware or in the software for that device.

6. The soundcard you are using requires a "Silence Threshold" adjustment.  First, turn OFF the Hands-Free button.  From the Conferencing Direct™ program, go to the System Settings>Audio Settings section.  Click here to view a screenshot for the location of the setting to check.  Change the "Silence Threshold" from -25 to -30, close the System Settings window, click the Hands-Free button again and begin speaking.  Continue incrementing the "Silence Threshold" until your microphone is detected (green LED's appear), while you are speaking.

Performing an Audio Test

From the the Audio Settings screen, you can press and hold a button that allows you to test your audio settings and volume.

When using the audio test button, if you CANNOT HEAR your spoken words come back through your headset speakers, check the following:

1. Are the microphone and headset speaker wires leading from your headset, plugged into the matching ports on the back of your computer?  The microphone jack is usually marked with a small image representing a microphone and is colored red.  The corresponding color/image is also shown on the back of your computer representing the microphone and speaker ports.  If you have more than one soundcard installed, make sure the headset wires are connected to the correct soundcard ports.
   
   

2. When more than one soundcard is installed, often times the audio controller in your computer will assign the microphone and audio rights to a specific soundcard and your headset may be plugged into the wrong soundcard.  Here's what to do.  In Windows, go to START, then CONTROL PANEL, then open the SOUNDS and AUDIO DEVICES utility.  Check to make sure the Default Device for the Sound Playback and Sound Recording is the one your headset wires are connected to.
   
   

3. Once you have verified that the correct soundcard (Default Device) is showing in both the AUDIO and VOICE tabs, you need to go one step further and check that there is a "microphone" selected under each setting.

Quick Tips to Improve Audio Quality

If you are hearing excessive "hissing" and "crackling" from the person speaking, it could be as a result of the microphone quality and volume settings and background noise of the other person.  This could also be a symptom of your soundcard settings.

Here are some things to check:

1. Make sure the "Sound Alert On Login/Logout" is NOT checked. (click "System Settings" button, then click the "Audio Settings" tab) See the screenshot below.

The default setting is OFF (unchecked).  Some soundcards can create these sounds when multiple channels of audio are played at the same time.

2. Check your local equipment settings.  Most speakers and soundcards have TREBLE
and BASS controls that allow you to adjust the "pitch" and "quality" of the audio.

The audio played through the web meeting room, will be heard at the best quality when the TREBLE and BASS levels are set to the default setting of 50%.  To access the TREBLE and BASS controls, go to Start> Control Panel> Sounds and Audio Devices.  Click here for a screenshot showing how to navigate to these control settings.

If you are listening to the audio through external speakers, you may be able to adjust the TREBLE and BASS levels on the speaker itself.

4. If you hear background noise from others in the room even when they are not speaking, this is a result of one of the following:

• They have their microphone turned up too high, tell them to move the microphone slider bar to the left.

• They have their microphone too close to their mouth, tell them to move the microphone at least 4 to 6 inches away from their mouth.

• They have a cell phone or cordless phone transmitting next to their computer and  headset/microphone.

• The two lines that connect the headset microphone and speakers are touching the  computer's power line or other power supply.

• The two headset wire connectors may be touching.

• If there are other programs running that also rely on an Internet connection, such as an email program, an anti-virus or firewall software or even Windows automatic updates, you may experience breakup in the audio you send and receive during your meetings.

As a good rule of thumb, it's best to leave your email and other web-based services turned off while using the meeting room.  Important programs such as an anti-virus and firewall can be running, but you may want to temporarily turn off the automatic updates while using the web meeting room.

Preventing Audio Break-Up

If you hear audio break-up or others indicate they hear audio break-up from you, everyone should check these two things:

1. Make sure there are no programs or other users on a network that are using the same Internet connection.

2. Make sure the hard drive LED indicator light is not busy.  If it is blinking continuously, this means other programs are taxing the computer CPU.  Reboot, then launch only the meeting room.  You can also try closing other programs that are using resources.