[AG-TECH] Echo Control?

[Andrew Patrick]

It is very difficult to control echo in this situation without using an echo 
canceller. Here are some things to try:

- use RAT in push-to-talk mode, where you only transmit when your side is 
speaking. Turning off the "talk" toggle on the upper right of the RAT interface 
and then clicking the right mouse button inside the RAT frame works like a 
button on a microphone of a walkie-talkie

- RAT does have an Echo Supression option in the Options->Audio settings. You 
could give this a try

- if echo suddenly gets worse, you could try re-starting RAT at both ends

- try to physically separate your microphone and speakers to make them as far 
apart as possible, and not facing each other

- if the group is small, considering getting a headphone duplicator box and have 
everyone wear a set of headphones. They can still share the same microphone

- adjust your speaker loudness so it is the minimum possible but you can still 
hear the other end. This will reduce the audio going into the microphone.

- remember, your setup determines the echo that the other side will hear, and 
vice versa.



kathy gill wrote:
> At the University of Washington, we are conferencing weekly with China. 
> Both Universities are, I believe, using Windows machines. Both of us 
> have less-than-optimal configurations -- basically a workstation that we 
> are using for small groups.
> 
> Until this week, our echo was tolerable. In the middle of the conference 
> Tuesday, however, suddenly the echo was never-ending. Neither of us 
> changed our configurations.
> 
> My question for the masses:
> 
> What should the sound properties panels for playback and record *look 
> like* in Windows? We're both using an external mike and external speakers.
> 
> Any suggestions on managing the echo appreciated.
> 
> 
> TIA,
> Kathy
> 
> 

-- 
Andrew Patrick, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Information Security Group, Institute for Information Technology
National Research Council (NRC), Ottawa, Canada
E-mail: Andrew.Patrick at nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
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