How to get the best audio and video quality in ZOOM music lessons

[@larstenfaelt1859]

Thanks Alistair. I think you have done a video that will help a lot of music teachers and musicians. I have shared it with my friends who are music teachers... Some of them are probably very advanced in the technology but it's always great to get hints and ideas from others. Great work Alistair!

[@isax.academy]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@sabinaelsaastolfi]

such an amazing video Alistair! Thank you

[@isax.academy]

Thanks 🙏

[@ricardocobo7378]

Thank you Mr. Parnell, for an engaging and informative video. So much fun to listen to your personal musicianship and excellent technical advice!

[@isax.academy]

Thanks for listening

[@xfskptf]

it is one of the most helpful video tutorials! Thanks a lot!

[@isax.academy]

You're welcome!

[@geoffdawsonstudio]

Great video, thanks Alistair.

[@isax.academy]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@JulianLambert]

Hi Alistair, really useful content here, thanks. Q: when at the keyboard using midi to show the highlighted keyboard display (Chordie app) is the audio coming into the room and being picked up by the mic or is it going straight to Zoom (via the Focusrite)...or perhaps we need to wear headphones. My badly phrased question shows my slight confusion!

[@isax.academy]

I don't think the Chordie app makes any sounds itself so the sound comes from the keyboard directly. There is another similar app called Midiculous that does similar things and more and has its own sounds too. My set up send the keyboard through the Focusrite then into ZOOM.

[@泣き虫ムウンくん]

iSax - Alistair Parnell l

[@pianolesson8955]

great video they have been really helpful. i have a 2nd camera to get the drop down view of the piano keys but how do you get both my image and the piano keys image along the bottom of the screen at the same time.

[@isax.academy]

Hi. I use OBS software. This allows you to mix camera views and screen shots in whatever order and combination you like.

[@LisaSaso]

Thank you very much for your videos on Zoom Online teaching. I would like to share my experiences. I am teaching remote piano lessons for 9 weeks now, with the beginning of the shutdown in Germany. I started with the staff i had at home: a 10 year old laptop, a LAN cable, an external Hd webcam which i luckely could buy second hand on the first day of the shutdown and which i use for the side view , my Smartphone camera for the keyboard view from above. I made a stand which I could fix at my piano Diy. The internal mic was replaced by a quiet cheap samson portable usb micro after 2 weeks. I recorded myself with Zoom. It sounds much better with the new mic. However the students side is suboptimal because they are using mostly I pads or other devices with internal mics and cameras. Also the WLAN is quiet fragile sometimes. In summery for me the main think is a good Internet connection. Best whishes from Germany. Lisa

[@isax.academy]

Many thanks for sharing that useful information. All the best.

[@joannaysh]

I am planning to get the webcam for my lesson. Should I use the webcam for side view or for the keyboard view from above? I am now using iphone with the stand but the keyboard seems show in a opposite way and its hard for student to understand the key.

[@CrimsonCrackur]

Please tell me you plan on reviewing the YDS-150?!?!

[@isax.academy]

I've not heard anything from Yamaha about them wanting to me to review it. Looks like a good instrument though.

[@zenarobinson3851]

thank you yet again for another excellent video! one little niggle, if i may .... the M50 (which is my main camera) is not a DSLR! it's a rather nice mirrorless camera! :-)

[@isax.academy]

Thanks for the correction.

[@marggriffith6112]

Thank you for the great videos. I didn't quite get using a backing track. I have mic and Steinberg UR22C, similar to smaller focusrite. My question is do I use share audio screen to play a backing track for vocals or would i play that on my ipad and have it either as input to the Steinberg channel 2 or just through the mic with my voice?

[@RomanBirnbaum]

Thank you so much!

[@isax.academy]

You're welcome!

[@user-ey7pp2fz5j]

Alex, hi As always, your advice is wonderful and generous, so thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights. Please would you be able to help with a technical question relating to using an external mic and an iPhone? Forgive me if you have covered this before, but whilst I am experimenting with the different platforms (Zoom etc) and set-ups. I’ve been trying to work out how to get a mic to enhance the quality of sound for my student when using FaceTime and Zoom on my phone. Perhaps it won’t work with FaceTime, but when my mic is connected to the headphone socket on my phone I cannot seem to hear my student or get the mic to work when the headphones are connected as well. The mic I have is a Boya BYM1DM, which has the TRRS (4-pin plug), but maybe I need an adaptor to make it work? Any advice much appreciated. Take care All best Tim

[@isax.academy]

Hi and thanks. Yes that's a tricky one. What I think is happening is when you plug something into your phone it assumes is a headphone and mic combination like the AirPods do. So if you connect just headphones it may well override the internal mic and vice versa. It may well be to do with that TRRS connector. I'm sorry its not something I've played with very much.

[@user-ey7pp2fz5j]

Hi Alex, Many thanks for coming back to me. I think that’s exactly the issue and so I shall do a bit more research. Thanks again. All best Tim

[@robuptonmusic]

Awesome, as per! How do you get your C920 to work with your Mac? I’ve found no reasonable way of getting it to work effectively beyond the settings it comes with 🤔

[@isax.academy]

I have had problems with it. I have it on a stand above the keyboard. Have you tried the G Hub software from Logitech? I found that was better.

[@robuptonmusic]

I found the Logitech software so frustrating I gave up and sold my C920 (for £50 more than I bought it for!) Going to look into DSLRs though - got a GoPro running mine at the moment and it’s ok, but not amazing. Keep up the excellent work!

[@subbbass]

great video, thanks. but the M50 is a mirrorless, (not a DSLR).

[@isax.academy]

Ooh. Good point. Thanks for that and thanks for watching.

[@improving-audio]

Great stuff! Loopback: the secret weapon :)

[@isax.academy]

Yes indeed.

[@improving-audio]

@@isax.academy interesting that you mention a suspicion that it's improving the audio quality, not just the routing. I thought that too.

[@improving-audio]

Ecamm looks great - you can achieve some similar things in OBS, but trickier to set up.

[@DrDaab]

Another terrifically helpful lesson from Alistair Parnell. How nice to have people who are willing to share what they have learned and know how to explain it clearly. Thanks a lot ! Something else to think about, if you like most musicians already have a good XLR microphone, but would like to use as a USB microphone, perhaps on another computer which does not have a DAW to provide XLR inputs consider the Shure XLR to USB adapter that has excellent reviews: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/598406-REG/Shure_X2U_X2u_XLR_to.html