hotComm User Guide

User Guide
Document number: hc.70
© 2024 1stWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Audio is described in these topics:

     Audio
     Before you Begin
     Hearing
     Microphone
     Audio in Multiple Rooms
     VoIP Settings Window      Voice-quality Music or Radio
     HiFi Audio (WAVeMix)
     Sounds button
     Windows Sound Events
     Text-to-Speech
     Speech Recognition Software

           Also see: Recording Audio and Playback Audio

VoIP Settings window

Use the VoIP Settings window to adjust settings for audio you present (see Recording Properties) and hear (see Playback Properties). Change settings as you wish, then click Apply, and then click Ok when you're ready to close the window. If the settings don't seem to take effect immediately, exit hotComm, wait 20 seconds, and restart it.

VoIP Settings

Recording Properties Playback Properties Top

Recording Properties

These settings control the voice and recording audio you present:

Setting

Description

Volume

To change your output volume, move the slider up for louder, down for softer.

Audio Record Controls

Use this button to open your Windows Sounds and Audio Devices Properties. When you are setting up hotComm, make sure that the things you plan to use are displayed:

Click the Audio Record Controls button.
Select Options, then Properties.
In the Properties window, make sure that Microphone is checked. If you plan to play sound files, also make sure that Wave Out or Wave Out Mix is checked.
Click OK.

Note that you can also open Sounds and Audio Devices Properties through your Windows Control Panel.

Balance

If your recording device has left and right inputs, you can adjust the balance. Note that this is grayed out for many microphones, because they have only one input channel.

Mic. Threshold

To change the volume level at which the sound transmission is triggered, select a Threshold level. A lower threshold means that hotComm will start sending audio when it detects quieter sounds than it would with a higher threshold setting.

If the presenter's audio seems to come and go, the presenter might try lowering their threshold level.

MIC Boost

If your audio card supports a microphone boost option, you can check the MIC Boost checkbox to enable it. MIC boost enabled may increase volume, but may also cause audio problems for your listeners. Experiment to find the best solution for you.

MIC Pre-Boost

This option increases your mic output. Use this to improve audio if necessary. Uncheck this if your audio output sounds garbled and bad. Experiment to find the best solution for you.

Noise Filter

To filter out background sounds and other unnecessary noise, check this option.

Input Peak Meter

Display a colored input meter when your mic is on. You can use this to confirm that hotComm is receiving audio through your mic. The Input Peak Meter appears on the bottom line of your hotComm window, and looks like this:

Device

Device

Select which input device you want to use as a microphone. If your computer is set up for multiple input devices (such as a USB mic and a sound card), you can select which one to use.

hotComm attempts to use the device defined as your Windows system default.

As a general rule, use the same device defined to Windows. To see which device is defined to Windows:

Click the Audio Record Controls button.
Select Options, then Properties.
In the Properties window, it is the device shown as Mixer device.

Source

Source

Select an audio source

Microphone	Speak into a microphone.
WAVe Mix	Input through a WAV channel, such as an audio player, CD player, Windows Media Player. See HiFi Sound.
Intro WAV	Play a recorded WAV file at the beginning of the session. Enter the name and location of the WAV file in Intro WAV file, or click the browse button [...] to find the file. Presenters may choose to start a session with an Intro WAV file, so that attendees can test and adjust their audio. When the Presenter is ready to speak, the Presenter changes the Source from Intro WAV to Microphone.

Note: the microphone icon changes according to your source selection:

Microphone	WAVemix	Intro WAV

Note:

Audio recording is disabled if your Source is set to WAVemix.

If you try to record WAVemix audio, you see a message telling you that audio portion of the recording is disabled. When the WAVemix audio is turned off, the message is closed and regular audio recording resumes automatically. You can click OK to close the message.

Auto-Select

While your hotComm mic is on, your Source selection becomes your default Windows input device. This affects all applications that are running.

When you turn your hotComm mic off:

If Auto-Select is checked, hotComm restores your previous Windows input device setting.
If Auto-Select is not checked, then your hotComm selection becomes the default Windows input device.

Quality

Quality

Select an audio compression level, to control the clarity and resolution of the sound itself. Level 1 has the lowest compression, and therefore the lowest quality. Choose the highest level that provides good audio for your listeners.

Levels 1-5: audio is sent at 8kHz, with increasingly higher compression and resolution.
Level 6: audio is sent at 16kHz.
Level 7: audio is sent at 32kHz.

You can pre-set these levels on your hotComm startup command line, with the /p option.

Although any level can be used for voice or recordings, the following are recommended:

Levels	Recommended for ...
1-4	Dial-up	Presenting to dial-up listeners.
1-5	Voice	Ordinary voice presentations.
4-7	Broadband	Presenting to listeners with broadband.
6-7	HiFi	Music or recordings, or HiFi voice.

Note on Quality:

Quality is determined automatically based on the room setting and the levels set by the speakers.

The room setting on the server is a maximum quality (usually 3 for Voice-quality rooms and 5 for rooms that allow some HiFi audio). That becomes the highest quality that works in that room, regardless of what your personal quality setting is.

The actual quality at any time is the lowest quality setting of anyone who has their mic on at the same time, but not exceeding the room maximum.

Recording Properties Playback Properties Top

Playback Properties

These settings control what you hear:

Setting	Description
Volume	To change your playback volume, move the slider up for louder, down for softer.
Balance	Move the slider on the Left-Right horizontal scale until the sound is balanced correctly between your left and right speakers.
Pre-Buffer	This setting controls how many sound packets are grouped together before they are played. If parts of words or phrases are being cut off, or the sound seems choppy, increase the pre-buffer setting. There is no rule about what setting will be right for you. You may need to change the Pre-Buffer setting for different situations. The best setting is the lowest one that still gives you smooth, uninterrupted sound.
Audio Play Controls	Use this button to open your Windows Volume Control. When you are setting up hotComm, set the microphone to mute, to avoid echoing: Click the Audio Playback Controls button. Select Options, then Properties. In the Properties window, make sure that Microphone is checked, and click Ok. In the Volume Control window, in the Microphone column, click Mute. Note that this affects playback only; it does not affect your ability to speak through the microphone. Note that you can also open Volume Control through your Windows Control Panel.
Device
Device	Select which device you want to use for playing back audio. If your computer is set up for multiple playback devices, you can select which one to use. hotComm attempts to use the device defined as your Windows system default. As a general rule, use the same device defined to Windows. To see which device is defined to Windows: Click the Audio Playback Controls button. Select Options, then Properties. In the Properties window, it is the device shown as Mixer device.

Recording Properties Playback Properties Top