We are making more and more video calls. Either for work issues (teleworking) or meetings, or simply because devices and Internet connections make it easier for us and are becoming fashionable. The fact is that sometimes they arise problems that make communication difficult, we tell you how to improve audio quality.
The rise of teleworking, the bandwidth that we enjoy in our Internet connections, or simply the new habits that we are picking up cause us to make more and more video calls. Once we have a correct disposition of the input and output devices of audio, that is, that we do not have the microphone near a wall that generates an echo, that it does not have a reflective surface that absorbs acoustics, or that it is not near the speakers (so that no echoes are produced) we will try with different settings and improvements in Windows and applications.
Settings in Windows
Although applications for video calls such as Skype or Teams have their own audio configuration panels, it is advisable to start by optimizing the parameters in Windows. Once we have made sure that the audio input and output devices (speakers, headphones, microphones, etc.) work properly and are properly connected to our computer, and that both Windows and the drivers and applications to make video calls are up to date, we will try with the different audio settings.
Audio and microphone settings
Contradictory as it may seem, audio enhancements they can make it worse in Windows. Therefore it is recommended disable them like this:
- In the Search box we go to Control Panel.
- We choose the section Hardware and sound and then click on Sound.
- Inside the tab Reproduction Right-click on the chosen device to play the video call.
- Click on Properties.
- On the top tab Upgrades check the boxes Disable all enhancements and / or Disable all sound effects.
- Press To accept to save the changes.
- Make a proof to play an audio and check that the acoustic quality has improved.
When the problem is that the microphone does not pick up anything, it may be because Windows is not giving the applications that need it access to the microphone. To activate it you have to do the following:
- Tap on Beginning.
- Go to Settings / Privacy / Microphone.
- Click on Change.
- Active Allow applications to access the microphone.
If the audio quality of your microphone is not good and it is also a volume problem, we will try this:
- Go to Start / Settings / System Sound.
- Look at Entry, make sure the microphone is selected as the input device, and tap Device properties.
- In the section Levels test different regulations on the levels of Microphone and Microphone Amplification until you achieve optimal quality.
- Tap on To accept to save the changes.
Noise reduction in Windows
To configure the quality of your microphone in Windows and to be able to adjust the background noise removal we will have to follow these steps:
- Let’s go to Control Panel from the search box.
- We click on the section Hardware and sound and then in Sound.
- We press with the right button mouse over the microphone and choose Properties.
- In the tab Levels we can adjust the microphone sensitivityThis way, the volume of our voice would also lower, so we must find the balance. If the microphone has these possibilities, you can also activate and deactivate audio enhancements such as noise reduction and acoustic echo cancellation. As we have said before, not always the activation of these “improvements” will offer a better audio quality, it is a matter of trying the best option for us.
Settings in video calling programs
The applications we use for video calls also have own configuration menus that can help us improve acoustics.
Noise cancellation in Skype
If you are an active user in Skype, it is interesting that you know how to configure the cancellation for your calls and video calls. This is what you have to do:
- Click on the picture of your profile.
- Click on Setting.
- Choose Audio and video.
- In section Noise Cancellation choose the option that offers you the best quality, you will have to try one by one.
Car adjust the level of reduction depending on the environment you have at all times, Under eliminates continuous tones, although it allows background music playback, Tall suppress everything except your own voice.
Noise Suspension in Microsoft Teams
When you attend a Microsoft Teams meeting by video call, the background environment in the office, your home or the environment in general can be annoying. To maintain a sufficient acoustic quality that your background environment does not distract others, you can configure Team in this way by setting the level of background noise suppression like this in the main Teams window:
- Click on your profile picture in the upper right.
- Choose Setting.
- In the left sidebar click Devices.
- In the section Noise suppression you will see that the mode is selected by default automatic. If you choose Tall everything other than your voice will be deleted, the way Under Suppresses all lingering tones like fans or air conditioners.
You can also access these settings from the meeting window and clicking on More options “…”. Here you will have to access the Device configuration and adjust the Noise elimination.
Background noise suppression with Zoom
The Zoom noise cancellation It is activated automatically, but if you want to try another type of configuration to improve the quality you have to follow these steps:
- Click on the picture of your profile.
- Accede to Setting.
- Click on the tab Audio.
- On Suppress background noise We will choose and test between the different options that Zoom gives us.
The function Automatic it is the default and exerts a moderate reduction of each moment. Come down removes lingering tones only and Half offers a reduction over tries. The reduction high it will remove everything that does not correspond to your voice.
Active noise cancellation by software
There are different programs that filter the audio stream to offer better quality through active cancellation and other tools. These programs process the collected sound in real time and filter it to eliminate everything and to be able to reproduce in the recording applications or video calls an already filtered audio with much better quality and clarity.
Krisp
This program provides a active noise cancellation to let them only hear your voice. It integrates seamlessly with most Windows video calling apps and is also compatible with macOS.
In addition to the cancellation of the environment, echoes (both from the room itself and acoustic) are also eliminated while maintaining HD audio quality. There are payment plans that are complemented with extra functionalities on the free registration like the storage space of recordings or unlimited minutes, but the free version offers 4 hours of conversations per week and it may be more than enough.
AudioCommander
This program provides a series of sound filters that apply a reduction in stereo for our microphone that eliminates repetitive tones from the signal of your input device that also includes the elimination of interference caused by other devices or power sources.
This program allows the creation of different profiles to use in the circumstances that you consider and is certified to use with Skype. You can buy it directly from your website and the price is $ 9.99. It is compatible with versions of Windows 7 and later.
NoiseGator
This program applies real-time filters to remove background sound in your video calls. It channels the acoustics from the input device, filters it to eliminate ambience through its active cancellation and distributes it to the output devices to reproduce with a higher quality, cleaner without that atmosphere that is usually so annoying.
It is a program that also allows you to play from your microphone on your speakers, eliminating the echo. It is compatible with Windows and you can download for free, the necessary requirements to use it in Windows is to have Java 7 or higher.
Use of equipment with active cancellation
Something that most smartphones already incorporate is active cancellation, in this case it allows us to offer a higher quality in the calls we make. The same thing also happens with the microphones that we usually use for video calls, they also have this feature if they are of mid-high or premium range. It is important to take this feature into account when purchasing them because the quality they offer is very different.
The active noise cancellation it is done by various microphones on the same device. In this way, what we are interested in reproducing is filtered and separated from the environment that is detected with the rest of the microphones. Thus, the sound that interests us is emitted, that of our voice, and everything else is canceled. In these cases, it is the audio input device itself that does the filtering and provides clean acoustics directly to the equipment. This feature is mostly found on external devices intended for live broadcast, streaming, and video calling. Today’s PC built-in microphones are often quite limited in quality and performance.
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