🎧 Zoom Audio Setup on Computer — for Breakout Room Instrument Playing

Best results (highly recommended)

Use headphones/earbuds (wired or Bluetooth). This prevents echo and helps everyone hear instruments more clearly.

1) Before we start: set Zoom audio mode (2 minutes)

Open the Zoom desktop app → Settings (⚙️) → Audio

Microphone modes

Select:

  • ✅ Original sound for musicians

Turn ON these checkboxes under it:

  • ✅ High-fidelity music mode

  • ✅ Stereo audio

Echo cancellation

  • If you are using laptop speakers: ✅ Echo cancellation ON

  • If you are using headphones: Echo cancellation can be OFF (more natural), but ON is totally fineif you’re unsure.

Audio profile (important)

  • Live performance audio: Leave OFF (unless the facilitator asks you to turn it on)
    Note: this can override other mic modes and requires at least two people to enable it in-meeting.

2) In the meeting: turn “Original Sound” ON

Once you’re in the meeting, look in the top bar of the Zoom window (often top-right, sometimes top-left) for Original Sound.

  • Turn it on so it reads: ✅ Original Sound: ON (or “Original Sound for Musicians: ON”)

If you don’t see the button:

  • Click the ^ arrow next to the microphone icon → look for Original Sound for Musicians and turn it ON
    (Or choose Audio Settings and confirm “Original sound for musicians” is selected.)

(This can reset each meeting, so please check it every time.)

3) Quick mic placement (makes a big difference)

  • Put your laptop on a hard surface (desk/table).

  • Aim the mic toward you/instrument.

  • Distance guide:

    • Soft instruments / voice: ~1–2 feet away

    • Louder instruments (drums/shakers): ~3–6 feet away to avoid distortion

4) Breakout room etiquette (so everyone can hear)

  • ✅ Mute when you’re not playing

  • One person plays at a time (unless we’re doing a guided “together” exercise)

  • Keep your volume comfortable (too loud can cause echo/distortion)

Fast troubleshooting

Echo / feedback

  • Switch to headphones/earbuds (best fix).

  • If using laptop speakers: keep Echo cancellation ON and lower speaker volume.

They say your instrument sounds “processed,” fades, or gets quieter

  • Confirm Original Sound: ON in the meeting.

  • If you turned Original Sound off, Zoom goes back to your noise suppression setting (Auto/Low/Med/High), which can “fight” sustained tones and instruments.

Original Sound button is missing

  • Click the ^ next to the mic icon → Audio settings / Microphone modes → choose Original sound for musiciansand turn it on in-meeting.

Sound is choppy/cutting out

  • Try turning High-fidelity music mode OFF (it increases codec quality and can require more bandwidth/CPU).

  • Close other apps that use audio/video, and if possible move closer to your router.

Distorted/crunchy sound

  • Move farther from the laptop mic (often 3–6 ft for loud instruments), or play softer.

  • Make sure you’re not overdriving the input (avoid super-close placement on drums/shakers).

You can’t hear others well

  • Turn their volume up in Zoom (or lower your own input/playback a bit so Zoom doesn’t clamp down).

  • Headphones usually improve clarity + reduce room reflections.