using zoom, spotify and earbuds together

[kpnfit]

I teach zoom yoga classes and have a strange issue.  When using my hp laptop, spotify and my jlab wireless earbuds together everything is great for 5 minutes, I can hear the music and my participants.  Then all sound is muted only for me for 1 minute (the participants can still hear the music)  After 1 minute the music returns in my earbuds and the 5 minutes on, 1 minute off continues over and over.  I have timed it and it's always 5/1.   I've read that since I'm using 2 things  -spotify and my wireless earbuds - zoom does not support 2.  I've researched this for  many hours and found that I can use an app called Loopback (costs $99) to merge the 2 sources but it's only Mac compatible.  Any suggestions?

[kpnfit]

Well, I solved it!  I tested everything the same using a different (very inexpensive) set of earbuds and it worked!  Who knows what that was all about but I'm thrilled that everything works together! 

[jhonmu689]

Hi kpnfit,

It sounds incredibly frustrating to have your audio drop out in the middle of teaching, especially with such a specific 5-minute-on, 1-minute-off pattern. From your description, it seems like Zoom, Spotify, and your Bluetooth earbuds may be conflicting, likely due to how your HP laptop handles audio output with Bluetooth in combination with active microphone use. Bluetooth can be quirky when handling multiple audio streams—especially when one (Zoom) needs both input and output while another (Spotify) plays media.

One workaround to try—without spending $99—is using a wired headset instead of wireless earbuds to see if the issue is related to Bluetooth bandwidth limitations. Another option is checking your sound settings in Zoom: go to Audio Settings > Advanced, and try toggling "Signal processing by Windows audio device drivers" or disabling "Automatically adjust microphone volume." Also, make sure your Windows sound settings aren’t switching devices automatically. If all else fails, a low-cost audio mixer app like VB-Audio VoiceMeeter (free or donationware) could let you route both Spotify and Zoom into one output channel without needing a Mac or Loopback.

Regards