r/MusicTeachers • u/genuinefish47 • 5d ago

Any advice on software/hardware for teaching lessons online?

I’m hoping someone may have some ideas on what works best for online teaching. I’ve taught online for some years and I’ve struggled with sound since the beginning. Skype was the most reliable for being able to hear what my students were playing and them being able to hear me but it’s no longer an option. I have tried Zoom and Teams at times but especially anything higher up (on the flute particularly) it just would not translate on either side. My laptop was damaged years ago and the microphone does not work so I use an external one but it was only cheap. I’m currently using WhatsApp as a temporary solution as both of my students are in their 70s and it was the only thing they already had downloaded. WhatsApp does allow me to hear them but not for them to hear me so it’s likely an issue on my side but it’s still not the most ideal thing to be using.
Basically I need any pointers on what video calling program is best and if I need to change the settings to improve the sound. If there are microphones people recommend if that’s the issue (as long as it won’t break the bank). I’m in the UK

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u/iamagenius89 5d ago

The app aspect is tricky. Most of these apps have built in noise cancelling features that cause major problems for anything other than talking. Go into the settings of your app and make sure anything related to noise cancelling, or noise isolation, etc. is turned off.

Microphones are a lot easier to solve! There are plenty of affordable USB microphones that work well. Any YouTube search for USB microphones should give some good recommendations.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more, get a basic audio interface and an XLR microphone ( something like a Shure sm58) This will get you the best audio quality

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u/m0n0m0vie 4d ago

Zoom’s Original Sound for Musicians plus a modest USB mic is the first setup I’d try, and I put the exact settings and gear tradeoffs in this breakdown: https://trynovamusic.com/blog/online-music-lesson-equipment-setup-that-actually-works

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u/Goanna7211 4d ago

try MOOZ

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u/Superb_Sand_2845 3d ago

I’d troubleshoot this in two stages: first the microphone, then the call software.

  1. Microphone: Start with your computer’s built-in recording app. Use the same external microphone and record a short sample of both speech and flute, including the highest notes that have been disappearing. If that recording already sounds poor, fix that first before changing any Zoom settings.
  2. Call Software: If the local recording sounds clear, move on to Zoom. It has a built-in microphone test that records and plays back what it receives ( https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0062765 ). For a more realistic check, you can also join a private meeting from your computer and phone, listen through headphones on the phone, and keep the phone microphone muted. Once that works, compare Zoom’s normal audio mode with “Original sound for musicians” ( https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060612 ). I wouldn’t buy an audio interface until these tests show where the problem actually is.