Original Sound by Default

[PRM-KS]

Hello - just updated zoom today (11.02.22) and it seems like Original Sound needs to be turned on manually every time now.

For the last few months it was already always on once I did it initially ... and this was so amazing. No more messing up meetings where I share audio or workshops where we're working on music things and I just know its going to sound amazing from the beginning without the extra awkward "wait let me turn on original sound".

Is there a way for me to turn original sound on and let it be that way forever on the newest version? If not...can this become a thing please?

[doremiteacher]

Discovered this yesterday!

Open Audio Settings

Select "Zoom Background Noise Removal" (in other words de-select "Original Sound For Musicians")

Under "Background Noise Suppression," change it from AUTO to LOW

WORKS BETTER THAN ORIGINAL SOUND (at least for my students and for me) and you do not have to do it every time you start a meeting!

[Rayco]

That might be handy for some (very few) people, will do some test with this. 

 Bottom line is Zoom should never have BROKEN their pwn software, and should now be listening to they paying customers telling them they got it wrong. 

[doremiteacher]

I AGREE wholeheartedly.  However, I am tired of WAITING for them to fix it - and (given that I have over 180 students - all of whom will occasionally participate online), I do not wish to switch platforms (argh, it took several years to get everyone set up with Zoom 😕  )  

This is a nice "patch" until Zoom DOES fix it....and NO ONE HAS TO REMEMBER to click a button to make it work in the meeting.

I was doing online testing yesterday and the students who had it set to Original Sound ON sounded more broken and spotty than the students who tried this new way.  IN ADDITION, the students who had it set to the NEW settings did not have to remember to RE-CLICK "Original Sound" after they were put in the waiting room and then returned to the meeting (part of my online testing process.)

I'm gonna go with it and keep checking in for Zoom's solution to the problem that they created. 

I hope that this works for YOU!  🙂

[doremiteacher]

OK.  After some more research, the option of setting "noise suppression" to LOW is only available on laptops and desktops.  If you are using a tablet or phone to join zoom, you will still need to fight with Original Sound. Bummer!

[doremiteacher]

One of my students did some research on microphone settings for iPhone.  apparently, changing your iphone microphone setting to "wide spectrum" is the alternative to "Use Original Sound."  The drawback that I can see is after the meeting, you will have to change it back to the default or your phone calls will sound terrible.  My student doesn't seem to mind and this seems to be working very well for him:

1. Swipe down from the top-left corner of the screen (or up from the bottom if you have an iPhone with a Home button) to open Control Center.
2. Tap the Mic Mode button.
3. Select Wide Spectrum.

[Rayco]

Is is much easier to just put Original Sound on, what is needed here is not work-arounds but pressure on the Zoom bosses to fix the problem that THEY caused in V.5.12 

[doremiteacher]

Yes. I am using original sound on my end. It works best for a group music lesson situation. 

However, several of my students (who join the group online) have found this "workaround" to be much easier (as it is a one time setting) and now we are not spending 10s of minutes (while the rest of the group waits) doing the "did you enable original sound" dance. 

I absolutely agree that zoom needs to fix it. In the meantime, I need a workaround for my students.  This new way is not ideal but it makes things smoother (for some) until the zoom team gets their act together. 

[YaBoiB]

Hi @doremiteacher, 

 The Zoom team has some information about this topic that should be available in January. Not the topic that you mentioned above, but the topic of Original Sound. Please continue to review this thread for upcoming updates in January. I typically check this thread two to three times a week depending on my workload. 

[doremiteacher]

Hi Brandon

 I check this thread weekly and I check Zoom for updates every day.  You said (on 12/18/23) that the zoom team had information upcoming in January.

It is now March.

Nothing.

[YaBoiB]

Hello @doremiteacher, 

 I have been checking on this every week myself. This thread is about something other than the internal progress with our team. I was told that we are in the approval stage of new functionality, and I should have heard back on March 4th, which is today. I will check again with the team and see where we are at. Last I heard all of the support documentation and videos were approved, and they are just waiting for approval from the Marketplace team. I'll check on that progress and reply as soon as possible. 

Thanks for your patience,

[doremiteacher]

Thank you, Brandon.

I know that this is not YOUR fault (personally) and appreciate that you keep coming back and letting us know what is happening. It is good to hear that SOMETHING is happening.  I just hope that it is something that students can use.  Just yesterday in class, a student (joining the group on Zoom) tried to perform and we heard.....nothing.  I stopped her and asked her if she had selected "original sound." She said, "I looked everywhere and I could not find it."  Since we needed to keep moving (it's a group lesson) I asked her to send me a video after class.  I feel bad for the students when they work so hard and then can not show the class how wonderfully they play.

Looking forward to good news!

Thanks again, Brandon

[Music_Teach_JK]

@doremiteacher  

Thank you for sharing your firsthand experience from this week.   It's unfortunate that this issue is *STILL* persistently a problem even though it's been brought to the attention of the Zoom developers.   And it's not a new issue, it's been a source of complaint for years.  

What are music educators to do about this?  Zoom offers no support on the matter, and never implements anything to help fix the problem.   We music educators are consistently ignored.  

I really like Zoom, and I want to keep paying for it.   But I'm growing increasingly impatient as months and years go by with no attempt to help address the concerns of music educators. 

If I'm forced to, I'll have to end my pro subscription to Zoom, and choose another program to rely on for music teaching.

[Rayco]

By all means kick me out if you want, is there any point in being here if it takes you over a year and lots of broken promises to do NOTHING. 

Not what I would call being PROFESSIONAL, you are the ones charging good money for a dud product. 

[YaBoiB]

Hello All, 

For those working through workflow challenges surrounding Zoom’s audio profiles, such as Original Sound, we wanted to provide updated guidance on how to utilize our existing tools and share some insight into new solutions we’ve recently introduced. 

The audio product team at Zoom previously introduced a change to Original Sound that makes the in-meeting toggle revert to OFF between meetings. The motivation for the change was to address the issue where users were activating original sound in situations where they shouldn’t have been using that setting, causing poor meeting audio experiences as a result. For example, a music student turns on Original Sound for music class, but then goes to history class and disrupts the entire meeting with echo problems that derail the conversation. Unintentionally, a bug was also introduced as part of this change that also caused the in-session toggle for Original Sound to reset to OFF when joining or leaving breakout rooms.

As you have noted in this thread, the above change made a significant impact to music teachers, podcast producers, and event professionals who use Original Sound as part of their daily activities. We have found that these customers generally fall into two categories:

1. They themselves wish to use original sound (such as those with pro setups / mics). Changing this setting every time they change between meetings or breakout rooms is frustrating, and if they forget to do it, it could significantly degrade their audio without them realizing. 

2. They need to coach other people to turn on Original Sound (music teacher needs to explain to students how to set this up). This process has become more difficult to explain to people as the settings have become increasingly complex and are no longer persistent in all cases.

We would now like to share how we are addressing these concerns:

1) The bug that caused the Original Sound in-session toggle to revert to OFF when moving between Breakout Rooms has been resolved as of Zoom Client Release 5.15.10. Please update to the latest version of Zoom to solve this issue. 

2) Only for customers in Category 1 (you want to use Original Sound all the time for yourself), please watch these video tutorials and resources detailing how to take advantage of an advanced setting for the Zoom installer, which allows you to change Original Sound to always be on. The selected Audio Profile and the in-session toggle will be enabled after this tutorial. This solution is most helpful in situations where Zoom is installed in a location and on a computer that is always suited to use Original Sound for all meetings. We do not recommend this approach for coaching others (Category 2) or if you frequently need to toggle the state of Original Sound (such as on a laptop, where at home you may want it ON but on-the-go you may want it OFF). 

3) For customers in Category 2 (you need to coach others on enabling Original Sound for your meetings), Zoom has just released a new Zoom App called Remote Settings Control, which allows the Zoom host to set a variety of settings, including Original Sound, on behalf of other participants in the Zoom Meeting or Webinar. This tool will, for example, allow a teacher to obtain control of the audio profile for all of their students on Zoom, and enable Original Sound for all of them at once, or individually. To install this tool, please visit the Zoom App Marketplace listing for the Remote Settings Control App and for more information, check out the support article. 

We thank you for your feedback and look forward to continuing to serve the many diverse use cases powered by Zoom.

[bpmusic]

Thank you Brandon - looking at the app, there are two options "install for others" and "install for myself" - this terminology is confusing.  Which option should I be choosing if I am the teacher and I want to be able to manage students' settings?

[YaBoiB]

@bpmusic, 

 If you are talking about on the Marketplace, that just means that you are installing the remote control app on your account or on every one of your users on your account. Since you are the owner or admin of your account, it asks you that question. If you have other users on your account and you share your main zoom account with other people, then you would be allowing anyone on your account to use the remote control. 

If it is just you, then it is safe to select either option. 

Thanks,

[doremiteacher]

Hi Brandon

I am so excited to try out the Remote Settings App later this afternoon!

Bit confused tho......the explanation above makes it sound like we can do one or the other:

1. Set Teacher computer to be "original sound always on"

OR

2. Control Student settings

Can we do both?

Regarding Option 1

The tutorial instructs us to "right click the installer to open a "Powershell" window," but that option is not there.  

For people who have the same problem, here is a tutorial on how to install Powershell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba4ZPsc2h4M

Powershell installed, computer restarted....but.....

After the right-click, Powershell is still not there.  I tried "open with" Powershell, but that does not work.  Powershell opens and then immediately closes.

So, for today, I'll try Option 2 and we'll see how it goes!

So glad that things are happening!!!

Thank you, Brandon!

[Music_Teach_JK]

@YaBoiB 

Thanks, this is fantastic news!   For the first time I feel like Zoom has listened and taken our concerns seriously.   I feel heard, and validated!

I'll install the Remote app and begin testing it.   Will it also change the audio settings for my iOS students?   They have the hardest time. 

[doremiteacher]

OK

Yesterday, I tried Option 2.  I got the "remote settings control" app.  I opened it. My student showed in the "Request Remote Control" window - all good so far! Then things went wrong. I clicked "Invite" to invite her to grant permission.  Her name changed color and said "Pending."   

BUT

She never saw anything.  No request to download an app. No request to grant permission.  Nothing. 

SO

We [again] could not hear her performance. 

Please help.

Thank you

[chantelleflx]

Thank you Brandon! I am in Category 1 and was able to update our studio laptops this morning to force Original Sound on. (It didn't work quite the way the video showed with accessing the PowerShell, but I figured it out.) It works great now. We have had so many problems since the "original sound default on" setting was taken away, so it is a huge relief to finally have a solution. My only thought is that this is a pretty complicated solution for the average person in my position. The old way was better in that it could all happen through the standard user interface. Again, I'm very glad to have a solution but wish it were a little more straightforward.

One question--when a new version of Zoom is released and the software updates, will this setting stay? Or will I have to go through a manual installation process again?

[doremiteacher]

Good question, Chantellefix!

I have not figured out option 1 ( I agree that the old way was a LOT better).

If we have to go through this with every update, it is not really a solution.....

[OC1st]

chantelleflx, the answer to your question about the impact of future program updates is found on the following page, but I've copied the relevant statement, just below the link.

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060716 

Note: If the desktop client was installed with the MSI installer by you or your IT team, AutoUpdate is disabled by default and the Check for Updates button is also removed. Please contact your IT team or Zoom account admin for help with updating.

[OC1st]

---

@YaBoiB wrote:

2) Only for customers in Category 1 (you want to use Original Sound all the time for yourself), please watch these video tutorials and resources detailing how to take advantage of an advanced setting for the Zoom installer, which allows you to change Original Sound to always be on. The selected Audio Profile and the in-session toggle will be enabled after this tutorial. This solution is most helpful in situations where Zoom is installed in a location and on a computer that is always suited to use Original Sound for all meetings.

---

I have followed the instructions, using the MSI installation method, with the specified command line options on two different computers. After doing the installation, the first time I sign in and start a meeting, OSFM is already enabled and toggled on, as desired and expected. However, once I sign out, after this first time, every time I sign in again, when I start a meeting, it no longer has OSFM enabled. If I go into the audio settings and enable it, it at least is automatically toggled on.

So in summary, we still have to remember to enable OSFM, but at least we no longer have to toggle it on after enabling it.

Very disappointing...

[Rayco]

Already people asking questions and we have not even tried it.  What was wrong with the option thatwas ALREADY there in Zoom V. 5.11 ????? 

Your developers have no idea at all.