USB Webcam echoing after update

[mewtenantworf]

Hey, folks. I am using a macbook air connected to a  tv monitor with a usb webcam parked on top. I am a therapist and use zoom primarily for one on one zooms. I never had problems with echoing but ever since I updated a few days ago everyone on the other side of my calls is hearing bad echoing. I even had a new Logitech webcam overnighted last night to see if it was just a hardware issue and that doesn't seem to be the problem. I have echo cancellation set to aggressive. In my one on one sessions my clients say it only echoes if I am too close to the webcam, but I just had to mute myself in a small group meeting bc of the echoing.

Any ideas? I can't really move my webcam further away from the tv speakers and wearing headphones all day is too painful. Thanks!

[jeremyjustin]

Hi @mewtenantworf thanks for your post on the Zoom Community! Ok, if this has happed due to a recent update do you know what version you updated to? It could be coincidental but I can check the version to see if there are any known issues. In your Zoom client, just click your picture in the upper right and select "Check for Updates." It will tell you your current version and update the client if you are not on the latest. 

Next, why don't we try to isolate the issue to which audio source you are using and which one is causing echo.  In your Zoom client if you click on the "Home" icon at the top

Then click the Settings "wheel" in the upper right, this will take you into your Zoom client settings. Click "Audio" on the left. 

You will see a screen like this, and you can see the Microphone Zoom is using. You can choose a different Microphone here, you can also click the "Test Mic" button which will let you speak, pause briefly, then play your voice back to you

These are the settings we will typically tweak when having echo issues. 

You may also want to make sure on that same screen that if you have the "Music and Professional Audio" setting enabled, where you can see an option to enable "Original Sound" in meetings, if this is enabled you will want to make sure you are NOT turning this on in meetings

Enabling Original Sound will basically attempt to send sound to the far end with the least amount of processing possible, in order to maintain the original sound. This is great if you are playing music and people on the far end are all muted but it can cause issues with normal conversation. 

Changing some of these settings should help. If you are able to use the  internal microphone and speakers on your computer, that is also a good test to see if maybe your external camera is the culprit. You can use an external camera but choose a different microphone if that works better. 

One last thing, if you are speaking and you hear yourself echo back, often times that means echo cancellation needs to be checked with someone on the far end of your meeting. If people speak to you and hear themselves, often times that means it's your end that needs to be checked for proper echo cancellation. 

If this has answered your question to your satisfaction, please click the "Accept as Solution" button below but if not please reply and we can continue the  discussion. Thank you!

[mewtenantworf]

Thanks so much for your quick response! I'm using version 5.9.1. I was enabling original sound so maybe that was the culprit. I had to switch to my laptop last night bc it was so bad and my clients said that fixed it on their end so I am guessing it is some kind of interaction between the webcam and tv speakers. I'll disable the original sound setting and report back. 

[jeremyjustin]

Ok @mewtenantworf thanks for letting me know, yes I bet the original sound setting being on is the issue. Please let us know and we can hopefully close this one out soon 🙂

[mewtenantworf]

Hey,  Jeremy. Unfortunately disabling original sound didn't work. My client said that there was a significant lag between the video and audio and they could hear their own voice echoing back to them whenever they talked. I ended up having to disconnect my laptop from the display and webcam and use the built in one. Just to reiterate, this was not a problem until I updated the app Friday morning, and the echo doesn't show up when I test the mic on my end. I tried adjusting the mic input slider down and that didn't fix it, and I have all the noise/echo cancellation set to the highest level. This is super frustrating because I am in zoom for upwards of 6 hours a day and do NOT want to have to use my laptop all day without a monitor and I am not interested in using headphones because I live alone and they hurt my ears. 

Is there a way to revert to the previous version?

[jeremyjustin]

Hi @mewtenantworf we could try going with an older version of the client just to see if that helps. Please use this link for version 5.8.6 on Mac which is the latest version before the 5.9.x versions were released. I am not sure if this will fix the issue but would appreciate if you could let us know? 

https://zoom.us/client/5.8.6.2879/Zoom.pkg

[mewtenantworf]

Great, thank you! I assume I'd need to uninstall the current version first. I'll try that and report back Thursday next time I work. 

[jeremyjustin]

Typically for updates, going from an older version to a newer, you can just run the installer without uninstalling the previous version. But in this case it might be a good idea. 

[mewtenantworf]

Reverting back fixed the echo, so it was definitely the update that borked my webcam. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your update is the culprit!

[jeremyjustin]

@mewtenantworf ok glad to hear that worked and you are stable for now. To be sure we collect more information on this issue, our tech support group will be opening a ticket for you and reaching out. We would really appreciate if you are able to respond back and help us dig a little deeper so we can fix the issue in future software! 

If this has answered your question to your satisfaction, please click the "Accept as Solution" button below but if not please reply and we can continue the  discussion. Thank you!

[mewtenantworf]

Actually, I think I spoke too soon. I just finished a session and had to switch to my headphones because the client was hearing echoing again. I'm so frustrated! I never had this problem before. So please do have tech support set up a ticket for me. 

[mewtenantworf]

I still haven't heard anything regarding my support ticket- do I just wait? 

[jeremyjustin]

I am reaching out to support to check on status @mewtenantworf thanks for your patience! 

[mewtenantworf]

Thanks!

[mewtenantworf · Accepted solution]

Your great tech support guy Brandon helped me determine that I needed to update my OS.  So if anyone else has this issue in the future, make sure your OS is current and that will hopefully fix it. Thanks for your help, Jeremy!