If you put the headphones on, the delay in the output will make it really difficult to play your instrument. Without headphones, that would certainly create a terrible feedback situation. For this to work, you’ll have to configure your setup such that the microphone audio is playing back through your speakers. Connect Headphonesīut don’t put them in/on your ears. But if you want to use an external mic, connect it now. The built-in mic on my MacBook Pro actually picks up instrument audio quite well. Connect MicrophoneĪn external microphone is optional. Depending on the type of computer you’re using, you may have to find a different way of accomplishing it. In the music world, this is referred to as “monitoring” your microphone input. In order to share your microphone audio as described above, you have to create a situation where your microphone audio is being played through your speakers. That got me thinking: Is there a way to share my microphone audio in the same way? It turns out there is. This tells me that Zoom doesn’t perform the same audio processing (feedback elimination) on audio shared this way. You can share music from applications on your computer with participants on the call, and the audio is really good. In addition to screen sharing, Zoom also supports sharing your computer audio. The result is that your audience hears music that cuts in and out.

When you attempt to play an instrument like a violin, mandolin, or guitar through Zoom, the application thinks the high-frequency sounds from your instrument are feedback and eliminates them too. This feedback loop happens again and again, creating a loud, high-pitched ringing sound that makes it feel like your head might explode - which is why Zoom tries to cut it out. Feedback is when audio from your speakers gets picked up by your microphone, amplified, and then played back out of your speakers again. What follows is my theory.īecause Zoom was designed to provide high-quality audio for normal speaking voices, the application performs audio processing that attempts to eliminate feedback during calls. I don’t work for Zoom, and I don’t know anything for certain about what is happening within the application. Fortunately, I found a way to configure Zoom to provide high-quality audio even when playing musical instruments.

But while its audio is great for speaking, Zoom has problems when you try to use it for music. Zoom is a great platform for virtual meetings. These concerts are a fun little pick-me-up during the week that help many of us get through the emotional roller coaster brought about by current events. At Atomic, we’ve been staying connected with “Quarantunes” - mini live concerts given by employees and streamed to the entire company over Zoom.

How to setup zoom on my computer