In this unique time for the world of online learning, the video conferencing software company Zoom have established themselves as a leader in the industry. The latest version of Zoom’s software has some advanced audio features that are useful to optimize your experience as you take music lessons. In addition to the features within the software, there are also some great ways to make the most out of your Zoom music lessons, from setting up your ideal learning space, making use of the best possible hardware, and getting the optimal internet connection to reduce the potential for interruptions.
This is our comprehensive guide to getting the best out of your Zoom music lesson experience. We’ve also included links to related articles with even more details about the things we discuss here in case you want more information. Feel free to leave a comment directly below if you have a question or think there’s something we missed, or you can reach out to us at thelessonfoundry.com/contact.
The Best Zoom Settings for Online Lessons
The latest version of Zoom’s software has some advanced audio features that are useful to optimize your experience as you take music lessons. In order to take advantage of the latest features of Zoom, make sure you’re up to date on the most recent version by heading here. If you already have Zoom installed, you can also click your profile picture (or your initials if you don’t have a profile picture) in the top right and click the option “Check for Updates.”
Audio Settings
To get to your Settings menu, click on the gear on the top right of your Zoom home screen. The left side has all of Zoom’s settings organized into tabs. Click on the “Audio” tab. Make sure “Automatically adjust microphone volume” is unchecked and set the “Suppress background noise” dropdown to “Low.”
Click on the “Advanced” link at the very bottom to open the advanced audio settings. Check the box that says “Show in-meeting option to ‘Enable Original Sound’ from microphone,” then select “Disable echo cancellation” and “High fidelity music mode.” One thing to note is that High fidelity music mode will increase the load on your computer’s CPU, so you may or may not be able to use this depending on your computer.
Once you’re in a Zoom meeting, you should now have the option “Turn on Original Sound.” Make sure this is selected.
These settings will all stay as you’ve set them anytime you’re using Zoom on the device you used to make the changes. It’s always a good idea to check that nothing has changed any time you update Zoom to the latest version.
Video Settings
Back in the Settings menu, this time we’ll open up the Video tab. Select the camera you want to use from the dropdown menu. Select “HD” right below, since that is not set that way by default. This will allow you and your teacher to see each other in the best quality. If bandwidth does become an issue, you might choose to uncheck this box, but bear in mind the video quality will drop if you choose to do so.
Scroll down to the bottom and click on the “Advanced” section. Uncheck the box for “Optimize video quality with de-noise,” because that uses unnecessary resources while you’re on your Zoom meeting, and if the camera you’ve got is high-quality enough, that won’t be an issue for you at all.
Setting Up Your Ideal Learning Space
Having a dedicated learning space can help facilitate a more impactful experience, so it’s important to be intentional with setting up your workspace. A workspace that is well lit, comfortable, free from distractions, and isolated from ambient noise is best.
Being in a well-lit space is important not only for you to be able to see everything you’re doing, but also for your teacher to be able to see you and how you’re performing. You can either achieve this through a room that is lit well with natural light by setting up near a large window, or with a bright desk light or a specialized streaming or video light if you are in a dark space that needs some supplemental light.
Next is the part where you can have fun with your space. There’s a great deal of preference that goes into setting up a space for learning, so consider what might be best for you to have effective time with your Zoom music lesson. That could be inclusion or exclusion of background noise in the room, personalizing your space with decorations and necessary supplies.
If you’re playing an instrument that could fall, you might also consider picking up an instrument stand to keep your instrument safe and properly secured. Check out Hercules stands for one of the most trusted names in the business.
The Gear You Need
To get the best out of your Zoom music lessons, there are some pieces of gear you will need in addition to your computer. Make sure you have an audio interface, a high quality microphone, a good web camera, and either headphones or monitor speakers.
There are actually two routes you can take when setting yourself up for your computer to hear your voice and instrument. One is to use a traditional microphone into an audio interface. This will give you the best possible results. Or, you can alternatively choose to use a USB microphone, which combines both audio interface and microphone into one package. It’s totally up to you, but the audio interface option provides more flexibility, since you can use any microphone out there, all the way up to the professional grade if you so choose. The downside is that if you get an interface, you will have to devote a little bit more of your desk space to another device.
Audio Interfaces
In order to be able to send your audio through your Zoom conference, you will need an audio interface, a device that’s used to convert the analog audio signal from your voice and instruments into digital information that can be sent online. These devices also have onboard digital-to-analog audio converters that take audio received and sent it out to your speakers or headphones. A simple search online for the term “audio interface” will yield a wide array of results. The differences between these interfaces are often subtle and can be difficult to understand. Check out Jordan’s article on affordable audio interfaces if you need some help picking out the interface that works best for you.
Microphones
Generally speaking, the best microphone to use is a type of microphone called a “condenser microphone.” Without going into too much detail, this style of microphone generally has a more natural, broad frequency response. As a result, condenser mics are much more sensitive to sound, so they are useful for picking up both voices and instruments.
If you go the traditional microphone and audio interface route, this type of microphone requires something called phantom power. This is sometimes written as “+48V” or “+48 volts.” Phantom power is power provided to the microphone so its components can actually capture sound. Fortunately, every major audio interface out there provides this right through the XLR cable that you use to plug into the interface. With that said, you will most likely need to purchase an XLR cable to connect your microphone and audio interface.
If you’re using a USB microphone, the power the microphone needs is supplied through your USB cable. USB microphones are a kind of all-in-one solution to converting your voice and other captured sound into digital information to send through your computer. They take up less space and are more convenient. However, because they’re an all-in-one device, they don’t offer the most flexibility. For example, if you wanted a microphone that could capture a source from further away, you might need a longer USB cable. That might mean more audio latency (or lag time), making your Zoom call less than ideal. Additionally, USB microphones don’t have their own digital to analog conversion, so if your computer’s sound capabilities are lacking, you might notice a drop in quality there. If you want more help choosing a microphone for your lessons, head over to our microphone article here.
Webcam
Even though playing music is absolutely an aural experience, it is also a visual one, both from learning and in performance. To make sure your teacher can see you and how you’re playing, you’ll need a camera. Fortunately, both desktop and laptop computers tend to include a built-in camera with fairly decent quality. However, if yours does not have a camera, or you’d like to step up the quality, consider the Logitech C930e for 1080p HD quality recording and streaming for a decent price.
Headphones or Speakers
You have two options for hearing your audio: headphones or speakers. While you can use built-in speakers if your computer has them, the quality will not be the best, due to the extremely small size of the drivers of those speakers. The reason they’re so small is so they can fit into the tiny space allocated by your computer. But that convenience comes at the cost of fidelity. Two ways to get better quality are to use headphones, or to use external speakers. Just like in every other shopping category, the sky is the limit when it comes to price and, there are a ton of options out there.
Headphones
Headphones are a great option for audio for a couple reasons. A great set of balanced sounding headphones tends to be less expensive than a good set of speakers. Headphones also provide a degree of separation and privacy from outside noise and distraction. On the down side, they can get uncomfortable to wear, and cause fatigue if worn for long periods of time. Hearing damage also comes more easily than compared to using desktop speakers. One thing to note to make sure audio lag (also called latency) during your Zoom music lessons doesn’t become a problem is to avoid using Bluetooth wireless headphones. A wired connection is always better than a wireless one.
Desktop Speakers
External speakers are a great option if isolation is not a big deal. Not having an isolating barrier between your ears and your instrument during your lessons is also a great advantage. There is also less opportunity for ear fatigue, and it is a little easier to avoid hearing damage as well. Generally speaking, however, these tend to be more expensive for a similar level of audio quality to headphones. They also take up desk space, and can be distracting if you’re working in a shared space with others.
Optimize Your Internet Connection
The backbone of your online lessons (aside from your great instructor!) is the quality of your internet connection. Prioritizing the best signal fidelity is vital for making sure you have the best experience during your Zoom music lessons. There are a few strategies you can use to get the most out of your home network.
If possible, the absolute best option to have a stable connection is to use a direct wired connection to your modem. For that you would just need an ethernet cable, which comes in a variety of lengths, and they’re very inexpensive.
If a wired connection is not available in your space and you need to stay wireless, the next best choice is to optimize the fidelity of your wireless signal. Being as close as you can to your wireless router is ideal. If you can’t get close to the router and you’re having trouble with your connection, you can consider investing in a router with a wider range. Or, if your workspace is still too far away and you need an extension, the best case scenario is to invest in a mesh network system.
These work a little differently from traditional Wi-Fi extenders, in that they truly expand a single network’s range, rather than creating a new network that daisy chains to an existing one. This can save you the extra step and frustration of having to connect to a separate network depending on where you are in your home. Although more expensive, they also tend to have much better signal fidelity, and some options out there even allow for a wired connection to their satellite pieces.
Hit the Ground Running
Hopefully this helps you get set up for success with your Zoom music lessons. If you have any questions, comments, or think there might be something we missed in the process that would help someone else, please leave a comment below. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can! You can also reach out to us at our Contact page.
Recent Comments