How to troubleshoot and fix distorted or echoing audio in meeting room AV equipment

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to troubleshoot and fix distorted or echoing audio in meeting room AV equipment. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Audio distortion and echoing can disrupt the flow of professional meetings and hinder communication. These issues are typically caused by incorrect input/output routing, excessive gain levels, or physical placement of hardware. This guide will help you identify the source of the audio interference and resolve it using standard AV configurations.

Quick Fix Steps

Before diving into deep configuration changes, try these immediate solutions to rule out simple errors:

• Check for multiple active microphones: Ensure only one device in the room is unmuted. If multiple laptops are joined to the same meeting in one room, mute the microphones and speakers on all devices except the primary room system.
• Lower the volume: If the speakers are too loud, they may bleed into the microphone, creating a feedback loop. Lower the volume to 50-70% and test again.
• Physical distance: Ensure the microphone is not placed directly in front of a speaker or subwoofer.
• Check connections: Ensure all XLR, USB, or HDMI cables are seated firmly in their ports. If you are experiencing intermittent crackling, refer to our guide on Sound not working.

Detailed Instructions for Audio Optimisation

Adjusting Input and Output Levels (Windows)

1. Right-click the Speaker icon in the system tray (bottom right corner) and select Sound settings.
2. Under the Input section, ensure the correct meeting room microphone is selected.
3. Click on Device properties (or More sound settings in Windows 11) to open the Sound Control Panel.
4. Go to the Recording tab, right-click your microphone, and select Properties.
5. Navigate to the Levels tab. If the level is set to 100% and you hear distortion, lower the slider to between 70% and 80%.
6. If available, check the Advanced tab and ensure Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device is checked to allow meeting software to manage echo cancellation.

Configuring Meeting Software (Teams, Zoom, Google Meet)

Most modern conferencing tools have built-in AI to handle echo cancellation, but these settings can sometimes be misconfigured.

• Microsoft Teams: Go to Settings > Devices. Ensure Noise suppression is set to Auto or High.
• Zoom: Go to Settings > Audio. Under Echo Cancellation, ensure it is set to Auto.
• Google Meet: Click the three dots (More options) > Settings > Audio and toggle Noise cancellation to On.

Troubleshooting Persistent Issues

Identifying Audio Feedback Loops

Audio feedback occurs when the sound from the speakers is picked up by the microphone and re-amplified. This creates a high-pitched squeal or a repeating echo.

• The "One-Mic" Rule: In a hybrid meeting, only one person in the physical room should have their microphone active. Everyone else must be muted.
• Speaker Placement: Move the microphone further away from the speakers or reposition the speakers so they face away from the microphone.
• Gain vs. Volume: If your AV system has a physical Gain knob, turn it down. High gain increases the sensitivity of the microphone, making it more likely to pick up background noise and cause echoes.

Resolving Sound Distortion (Crackling or Clipping)

Distortion usually happens when the audio signal is "clipping" (too loud for the hardware to process) or due to interference.

1. Check for Interference: Ensure power cables are not bundled tightly with audio cables, as electromagnetic interference can cause humming or buzzing.
2. Update Drivers: Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager. Expand Sound, video and game controllers, right-click your audio device, and select Update driver.
3. Test with Different Hardware: To determine if the issue is the cable or the device, try connecting the microphone to a different laptop.

If these steps do not resolve the distortion or echoing, please Open a Ticket so our technicians can analyse your hardware configuration remotely.

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