Question: How can I test my
microphone and speakers?
There are two easy tests
you can conduct.
You may log into
The VoiceWave Team™
Demo Center without a
password, or need for a Ticket ID user name, and test
the VoIP system. If you haven't done so, you can try
this first by a "Click
Here".
If that does not work, there may be
something wrong with the settings in your
computer.
To test your computer itself, click
Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then
Entertainment, then Sound Recorder. Make sure your
headset or microphone and speakers are connected
properly, then click the red button and speak. Click
the black square to stop. Click the arrow that points
to the right to play back. If you don't hear your
voice, you need to correct something on your
computer.
You can also check your volume
control settings by double-clicking the speaker icon
in the lower right corner of your screen (On your task
bar beside your clock).
Question: What might
be causing an "echo" when people are speaking?
While there are several
different causes of echo, audio feedback is usually
the most common. The easiest way to get rid of it is
to use a headset (if you're not already doing so).
Feedback occurs when the audio from your
speakers loops backs through your microphone. Think of
it this way: everything you hear coming out of your
speakers your microphone hears as well. So when the
person at the other end of the line speaks, their
voice (which comes through your speakers) is picked up
by your microphone and looped back to them via
the Internet.
When you use a headset, the
voice of the person you are talking with is trapped
between the speakers and your ears, so it has less of
a chance of being picked up by your microphone. If you
do not have a headset, try using a pair of headphones
in place of your speakers (even those from your
portable CD player or "Walkman" will work well).
Also, double click on the speaker icon on your
Windows taskbar. Under "Options" select "Properties."
Click on "Recording". If they are not already
selected, make sure that every box is checked, i.e.
Master, Wave, Synthesis, Compact Disc, etc. and click
"OK."
After clicking OK you will see the
controls for each of your audio components. Make sure
that "Mute" is selected for each of your audio
components except "Line In" and "Microphone." This
will disable all audio components except the
microphone. If after clicking OK, you do not have the
option of selecting "Mute" for the inputs listed
above, "Master," "Compact Disc," etc. but instead have
the option to select certain inputs, make sure that
"Microphone" is selected. This will enable your
microphone.
Check the microphone setting on
the computer to make sure that it is working well. If
you are using a Windows operating system: look under
the Start Menu/ Programs/ Accessories/ Entertainment/
Sound Recorder. Opening up this document will allow
you to record with your microphone to judge how well
it works.
Question: Other
people can hear me, but I can't hear them, what should I
do?
Check the speaker volume
control on your computer and make sure that is not
muted. A red circle with a slash through the center
appears over the speaker icon when it is muted. To
un-mute the speaker, double-click the speaker icon. If
the speaker is muted, a checkmark appears in the box
next to the word "mute". Uncheck this box. Your
speaker is no longer muted. Of course, make sure your
speakers are plugged into the correct socket on your
computer, that they are turned on, and that they are
plugged into power.
Question: How can I check to see if my internal
microphone is working?
The easiest way to
control the volume is to adjust the microphone volume
control on the Conference Center window up or
down. If that doesn't provide good volume, try the
following suggestions.
There are several ways
to check the performance of your microphone.
First, you can test to see if your microphone
is working by recording a short message in the Windows
Sound Recorder program. You can find it under "Start,"
"Programs," "Accessories," "Multi Media" or
"Entertainment," "Sound Recorder." Simply hit the red
button, talk into the microphone, and then hit the
play button. If you don't hear anything, there is a
problem with your microphone.
Also, if people
on the other end say they can barely hear you, try
adjusting your computer's microphone settings.
On your taskbar, right click on the icon of an
audio speaker and select "Open Volume Controls." Under
the "Options" settings, select "Advanced Controls",
select "Properties" and then highlight "Recording."
Click "OK." The window will change to your Microphone
settings. Make sure the Microphone Volume Settings are
set to the highest level. In addition, click on
"Advanced" at the bottom of the Microphone controls.
Select the "Microphone Boost" and click "Close", doing
this will help amplify the volume of your microphone.
If your microphone has worked with other voice
recording applications such as Microsoft NetMeeting,
it is because these programs automatically adjust your
default settings. Our program is designed to be very
small for quicker downloads, so it may require you to
initially adjust your settings manually.
Question:
Sometimes the voice or screen "freezes" while I or
another person is talking. What should I
do?
This is probably a "lost
packet" problem or something having to do with your
computer's resources. The Conference Center sends
and receives information over the Internet in the form
of "data packets." If too many packets are lost during
the voice transfer, the voice may freeze and you may
need to close and reopen the Conference
Center.
Question: How do
I improve the Sound Quality of the Conference
Center ?
When using
The VoiceWave Team™
Conference Center, most users
experience unprecedented sound quality. However, some
users may experience sound quality similar to that of
mobile phone call. The quality of your call is
dependent on a number of factors, some of which may be
within your control, and others that are the result of
your Internet connection.
1) Close Other
Programs that you may also have running on your
computer.
This is especially helpful for those
with older computers or if you maximize your RAM's
capacity with lots of open programs. Having other
programs open while trying to
use The VoiceWave
Team™ Conference Center may
result in breakup or gaps in the voice quality,
especially programs such as Microsoft Outlook that can
consume much of the bandwidth of your Internet
connection. Closing unnecessary programs can help
improve the quality of your call.
2) Use Good
Quality Speakers and Microphone when speaking.
Problems with sound quality are most often
related to your microphone and speakers and your PC
sound card.
The VoiceWave Team™
Conference Center requires
use of a microphone and speakers. The best setup is a
headset with a microphone. Headsets enable the best
quality sound and eliminate any echo you or the person
you're calling might be hearing. In the meantime, if
you don't have a headset, we recommend you at least
use a regular pair of headphones - those from any
portable CD player or "Walkman" will do just fine - in
place of your speakers.
3) Be sure to use the
fastest Internet Connection/Speed you have available.
The speed of your Internet connection is one
of the most important factors in the quality of your
call, and having a fast connection to the Internet
helps yield or provides better voice quality when
using The VoiceWave
Team™ Conference Center. We
generally recommend you have at least a 56.6k dial-up
Internet connection. However, faster hi-speed,
always-on Internet connections like Cable Internet and
DSL connections will offer you the best quality
possible.
NOTE: Your actual Internet
connection speed can vary will using The VoiceWave Team™
Conference Center, depending on
how your Internet Service Provider (ISP) handles heavy
traffic. For example, a 56k modem will often connect
at a speed below 56k. Unfortunately, many ISP's
significantly oversubscribe their capacity assuming
that there will always be times when various numbers
of them will not be logged on. You may want to try
placing calls at "off-peak" times to see if heavy
Internet traffic is causing your problem. Peak usage
is usually in the evening. Your ISP needs to have a
high quality connection to the Internet. If you
encounter problems with slow downloading or if you
have difficulty listening to real time streaming
audio, such as Real Audio, you may also encounter
break-up or gaps in your call.
4) Try to
minimize transferring other data over the Internet
while using The
VoiceWave Team™ Conference
Center.
Checking or sending E-mail, accessing
the Web or downloading files from the Internet can
also affect the quality of your call. Again, the
faster your Internet connection, the less likely these
activities are to affect your call.
Question: Some
areas of the screen are not displaying correctly. How
can I reset my screen?
To
reset The
VoiceWave Team™ Conference
Center to the original screen configuration,
click on the File menu located in the top left corner
of the screen, then select "Reset Screen to Default".
You will see a pop-up window telling you the screen
will return to default settings the next time you
enter the Conference Center. Click "Okay" on this
pop-up box, then exit the Conference Center, and
re-enter. The screen will then reset to the original
configuration when you enter again.
Hint: Do
not reduce the sections so small that you cannot
clearly see the edges, or it will become difficult to
grab them with your mouse and resize them.
And, if over time and use, the sections bleed
together or you find it difficult to grab the
section's edges, simply select "Reset Screen to
Default" in the File menu, and it will return to
The VoiceWave Team™
default setting the next time you
enter the Conference Center.
Also, you can not
grab and move an entire section, but you may "move" a
section to a different location by "creatively"
resizing each section until you get it in the desired
location.
Question: How do
I enter the Conference Center when I get an error
message of "Alias in Use"?
Sometimes, you may choose
a name that someone in the Conference Center is
currently using and you will receive an "Alias In Use"
Error Message. If you receive this message, simply
choose or modify your name to be somewhat different,
such as using your full name or adding an initial or a
number to the end.
It is also possible that
the Conference Center closed down and did
not completely release your alias. You can solve this
the same way, by modifying your name slightly and
re-entering the Conference Center. You may see a
"ghost" of your original alias for a while, then it
will disappear. The next time you enter the
Conference Center, it will be available.
Question: Can I use the Conference Center if
I have a Macintosh®, Linux®, WebTV™, or Unix® platform?
Unfortunately, not at
this time. However, while there are no current plans
to offer a Macintosh-specific version, you can try
running the "SoftPC" or "VirtualPC" products on your
Macintosh. Macintosh users report good results,
although we don't specifically support
it.
If your
question has not been answered
above, you may ask your question via E-mail
by contacting Support, and someone will get back to you as soon as
possible.
