Still Zooming – More On Sound
Posted by terrepruitt on July 22, 2020
Well, many of us are still teaching classes via Zoom. In my area indoor exercise is not allowed and even when they thought they were going to allow it they had restrictions on indoor cardio and dance. And Nia is a cardio dance exercise. Because it is full of playfulness, taps into many types of movement forms, energies, and challenges and satisfies the BMES we don’t like to call it just a cardio dance exercise, but when classifying it for indoor activity purposes, that is what it is. So many of us are still doing it online. Some have moved outdoors, but that gets into all types of possible liabilities and issues I am not ready to take on just yet . . . so I continue to try to improve my delivery of the virtual class.
In my last “Zoom” post I wrote about how at the point of class starting my mic and music failed. That was a bummer. Then I had a great week and then it failed again. Some of it, I know is user (me) error, but sometimes I think it is internet or software error. As an example, last week I used a different USB port for my microphone and speaker and in doing so the transmitter was hanging and I think was not plugged in all the way. But then when we were doing our little chat after class, I couldn’t hear one of my students, the other students could, but I couldn’t. I didn’t do anything to fix it, but she exited the meeting then came back on and I could hear her. So it is crazy.
My students continue to be kind and understanding so I continue to try.
Lately I am using iTunes directly through Zoom. Zoom allows the host to share the screen and in this case the “screen” is just audio. This eliminates the issue of the music cutting out as would happen when I used a speaker and a microphone to pick up both my voice and the music. My fans would create background noise and interfere with music transmission.
Here is the advanced screen where you can choose to just share sound.
The Kimafun microphone I got (box shown in my “struggles” post) came with a USB converter that allows me to plug the transmitter into it so it feeds directly into the computer/Zoom and it allows me to have a speaker attached so I hear the music that is being played through Zoom to my students.
I still have to rely on my students telling me if they can hear me and the music, but that will always be the case. I record myself and the music to test it, but it really boils down to what the students hear. So whoever shows up first gets to set the volumes because I adjust according to what they say.
I still feel I need more practice with the microphone. I usually teach without a microphone so I am used to projecting my voice and allowing myself to exhale with all the lovely sounding techniques that Nia encourages, but that gets LOUD with the microphone in my face. The recommendation I saw said to keep it two fingers away from your face and I am using three. Next week I am going to try four. Part of the issue is that it moves around as I dance so the set up changes. I readjust it when I remember. For the most part it is working out, but I will keep in mind that I need to keep trying to improve.
So . . . what do you do when you are teaching a class? Or, if you don’t teach, what experiences have you had in regards to sounds when in a Zoom class or meeting?
This is the basic screen share screen
Zoom reminder and “stop” sharing
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Alien Resort said
Re that issue where the person can’t be heard until they leave the meeting and then rejoin: let me know if you figure it out because one of my computers does that. One hint is that it did the same thing in Google Meet.
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terrepruitt said
Well, it was really weird because the other people in the meeting could hear her, I just couldn’t. So to me that is a program, internet connection, or something issue. She could hear me, I could see her, but I couldn’t hear here. When she signed back on I could. And I didn’t do anything, so there was no adjustment on my end.
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Alien Resort said
Something different all the time.
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terrepruitt said
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! So true. So frustrating. I spend HOURS testing and practicing with microphone and music and then go to actually have a live class and KABAMOOOOOH! As least my students are super kind and understanding. And . . . I hear even professional outfits have issues so we are all in this together trying to make it work! It is crazy!
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Alien Resort said
I have six computers all in working condition, from 1-7 years old. Everything is either fixable, has a workaround, or can be adapted to as is.
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terrepruitt said
I have three and they ALL operate differently. One, my husband claims is more powerful so I try to use that with Zoom. The other one has the CD player so I can put music on it. The other one I don’t use for Zoom at all. If you have SIX computer that old you ARE seriously cavorting with Aliens! 🙂
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