Live-streaming: Is this a Windows problem - or something else?

[Mike Stranks]

New Dell Inspiron Laptop - Windows 11.

Problem with miked music in Zoom and OBS/YouTube.

My set-up is:



I'm very happy with the streaming quality (1280 x 720 at 30 fps): no glitches, good video definition and spoken-word sound is crystal-clear.

BUT as soon as live music - picked up on-mic - starts, the sound mutes. NB this is in both Zoom and OBS/YouTube.

I've tried it this afternoon with one mic connected direct to the camera. Spoken word: fine; music through speaker with the same mic directly in front: nothing.

NB. For this test I hadn't established a link with YouTube - I wasn't streaming - so it's not a YouTube 'feature' or artefact.

As it's happening in both Zoom and OBS the only conclusion I can reach is that it's something in Windows...

... any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Drew Stephenson]

Obvious thing first, have you got Original Sound switched on in Zoom? If not it will cancel it very quickly and effectively.

[Mike Stranks]

Obvious thing first, have you got Original Sound switched on in Zoom? If not it will cancel it very quickly and effectively.

Yup!

Tests have shown it makes no difference to the viewer/listener whether it's on or off... but then I did pick-up from Chris's magazine article that those at both ends need to have Original Sound engaged. That's not realistic for my audience...

And the issue is exactly the same in Zoom and OBS... I'll try and dig a little deeper tomorrow concentrating on OBS settings and swapping-out the HDMI/USB converter...

... thanks for the thought... 'twas the first thing I tried. I thought OBS would sort it; the problem's exactly the same... which points to laptop hardware, software or something between the source and the laptop - the HDMI/USB converter.

[Drew Stephenson]

Hmm. I suspect you still have some kind of noise-cancellation or dialogue-enhancement function turned on somewhere.
I'll have to have a shufti tomorrow though as i don't have W11 on this machine.

[BWC]

A setting in the laptop's audio drivers would be my guess.

[Drew Stephenson]

If I go to control panel > sound > recording > double-click the built-in soundcard > Custom
Then I have two check boxes under that tab*, loudness and AGC (I assume that's Automatic Gain Control). Do you have these (or more?) and are any of them selected?

* I don't have this tab if I select my focusrite soundcard.

[Mike Stranks]

Thanks Drew; that's useful. I'll check that out later when I power-up the laptop... I'm on the desktop at the mo.

I think the pointers are swinging towards Win 11. I've been told by others who used to stream (the church services) via Zoom in a very simple way on a Win 10 machine that they never had that problem. I think I used that machine once to Zoom-stream using my config and no-one commented...

I think my next step will be to use the same set hardware/software setup on this Win 10 machine. That will help narrow the field.

Watch this space!

[Humf]

Did you invest in a video switcher Mike? Seem to remember a thread along those lines?

Maybe you’re using this config for a specific reason though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mike Stranks]

Code: Select all

Did you invest in a video switcher Mike? Seem to remember a thread along those lines?

Maybe you’re using this config for a specific reason though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup! But I'm not using it in this config... just one camera with multi-mics through an HDMi-USB adapter. Windows 'sees' it as an external webcam.

[BWC]

...control panel > sound > recording > double-click the built-in soundcard > Custom...

This is what I meant by driver settings.

Windows 'sees' it as an external webcam.

Are there any similar webcam driver settings in the CP?

[Mike Stranks]

Drew Stephenson: You are a prince among men!

It was as you (and others) suggested.

Exhibit A:


As soon as I unticked the 'enhanced audio' box at the foot of the screen, all was well.

But... I'm ashamed to say I did go a-huntin' around there yesterday, but without having the HDMI-USB converter connected... Duh!

Anyways; all is well.

Thanks for the steer... getting someone else involved always helps when you can't see wood for trees...

[Drew Stephenson]

Happy to help. Thought it had to be something like that based on the symptoms.