The Audio Conference feature allows admin level users (staff, moderators, and instructors) to communicate orally with each other within the Unity classroom. It also provides the ability for one person on the Audio Conference to broadcast to everyone within the Unity classroom.
Before participating in an Audio Conference, users must configure their PC default audio playback and recording devices. See Setup Microphone Configuration.
For tips on setting up and using Audio Conference during a Real Time Session, see Audio Presentation Tips.
Content
Standard Audio Conference Features
The AUDIO CONFERENCING window has the following standard features:
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Last Action Message
The last action from the list of actions in the Advanced Pane is displayed in the Standard Pane. In the following example the action is indicated by a purple box.
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Connected User List
The AUDIO CONFERENCING window includes a list of connected users. This list pane can be closed by selecting the small diamond to the right of the connected users list. It can be opened by selecting the small diamond again.
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Microphone Indicator
There is an indicator (a small colored dot) next to the Microphone label. The indicator is green until the microphone picks up sound, at which time the indicator will turn red. If the indicator shows red when you are not speaking then your microphone is picking up excessive background noise. As a courtesy to the other people on the Audio Conference, you will want to use the Audio Conference MUTE MIC button to mute the background noise when you are not speaking. Select the UNMUTE button whenever you choose to speak in the Audio Conference.
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Microphone Gain
The Microphone Gain control is used to adjust the amplification applied to the sound input from the microphone. The Microphone Gain control is adjusted in the same manner as the Speaker Volume, by clicking and dragging the dark area of the control.
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Microphone Level
The Microphone Level displays the current intensity of sound being sent to the Unity FlashCom server. The sound intensity is the result of applying the Microphone Gain to the sound input from the microphone.
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Speaker Volume
The Speaker Volume control is used to adjust the volume of your speakers (or headphones). The Speaker Volume control is adjusted by clicking and dragging the dark area (filled black) of the control.
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MUTE MIC
The MUTE MIC control is used to mute the microphone. It prevents the microphone input from being sent to the Unity FlashCom server. Once selected, the MUTE MIC button becomes an UNMUTE button and the name of the person who is muted is displayed with parenthesis surrounding it. In this manner all the participants in the Audio Conference will be able to see when someone on the Audio Conference is muted.
Selecting the UNMUTE button will resume sending input from the microphone to the Unity FlashCom server and remove the parenthesis surrounding the user's name.
Note: The Microphone Level display works with the microphone muted so you can adjust the Microphone Gain without disturbing others.
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Suppress Echo
Suppress Echo is implemented in the Flash Player. The Audio Conference window displays the Suppress Echo state and allows the user to change that state, but it appears to have a minimal effect.
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SPEAK TO CLASS Button
The SPEAK TO CLASS button provides the ability for a single Audio Conference participant to send his/her voice to the entire class.
To learn more, go to the section entitled Speak to the Class.
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Advanced Features Button
The Advanced Features Button has a toggle function. When the Advanced Features pane is closed, selecting the button will open it. When the Advanced Features pane is open, selecting the button will close it.
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Advanced Features Pane
When the Advanced Features Pane is open, the following additional items are available on the AUDIO CONFERENCING window:
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Sidetone
When you hear the input from YOUR microphone coming from YOUR speakers, it is called Sidetone. The purpose of sidetone is to let you know that your speech is getting through. However, if the level of the sidetone is too high, you may react by speaking too softly. The purpose of the control is to allow the user to select a comfortable sidetone level - soft enough so it is not distracting, but loud enough to let the user know his/her voice is getting through.
The Sidetone control allows the user to adjust the volume of the Sidetone. The Sidetone control is adjusted in the same manner as the Speaker Volume control.
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Action List
The Action List provides a history of Audio Conference actions; it is included for debugging purposes.
Possible action messages are:
name has joined the conference,
name has left the conference,
name has stopped speaking,
name is speaking (channel number),
name is trying to speak,
Where name is the name of a participant in the Audio Conference and channel number is the logical channel being used by the participant at that particular moment. Caution: there are only three logical channels available. This means only three people can speak simultaneously. If a fourth person attempts to speak when all three channels are in use, the fourth person will not be heard by the other participants on the Audio Conference.
The action message "name is trying to speak," displays when all three logical channels are in use and a fourth person was temporarily blocked from speaking.
The Action List displays not only the action history of the current participant, but the action history of every participant in the Audio Conference.
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Channel Usage
The Audio Conference has three separate audio channels that allow up to three people to speak simultaneously. The channel usage is displayed in real-time on the Advanced Features pane (see the purple brackets).
The channel usage display shows the name of the user who is speaking and which audio channel they are using. In the example above, Peggy Hall is speaking on channel 1 and Vincent Guiermo is speaking on channel 2.
These channels should switch back and forth as people speak. If a person is shown to hold a channel when they are not speaking, there is a pretty good chance that person's microphone is picking up background noise. The person holding onto the channel should lower their Gain setting in an attempt to lower the sensitivity of their microphone. If that doesn't take care of the problem, then they need to mute their headset when they are not speaking so the audio channels remain available to the other people in the Audio Conference.
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Start/Join an Audio Conference
To initiate or join an Audio Conference, select AUDIO CONFERENCE from the ADMIN TOOLS menu.
If your PC has more than one microphone device, you will be prompted to select which microphone you wish to use. If there is only one microphone device, Audio Conference will use the default microphone device and you will not see this window.
Next, Adobe Flash Player will prompt for access to your system microphone and camera. Select "Allow."
The complete Audio Conference window will appear. Now you can proceed to Configure Audio Conference Settings.
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Configure Audio Conference Settings
If you are using a headset with a volume control, turn the volume up. If you are using a headset with a mute button, make sure the headset microphone is not muted.
You will want to adjust the Microphone Gain control such that when you speak in a normal tone into the microphone, the Microphone Level has occasional peaks where the control bars are almost completely filled/black. If the Microphone Level remains too low, even when the Microphone Gain is at the highest setting, you should adjust the Flash microphone settings.
To adjust the Flash microphone settings:
- Right click on the blue background of the main Unity window and select "Settings...."
- An Adobe Flash Player Settings window will open. At the bottom of this window, select the tab with the microphone icon.
- While speaking into the microphone, adjust the record volume slider such that the level indicator goes into the yellow, but rarely moves into the red.
If the highest setting of the slider doesn't produce a high enough level (the level indicator sometimes displays a yellow band), then the user should go back to the computer system microphone control and increase the volume.
Next, open the Audio Conference Advanced Features pane and adjust the Sidetone setting until the echo of your voice back through the speakers is loud enough you can hear yourself speaking but low enough that the sound isn't distracting.
You are now ready to participate in an Audio Conference.
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Speak to the Class
First you need to start or join an Audio Conference. Only admin level users (Staff, Instructor, or Moderator) can participate in an Audio Conference. At this point, any sound input to your microphone will be heard only by the Audio Conference participants.
To speak to the class, you simply select the SPEAK TO CLASS button from the standard Audio Conference pane.
- Now all the sound input to your microphone will be sent to every participant in the classroom.
- Green text of the form "Peggy Hall will be speaking to the class shortly" will be displayed to all the participants in the Unity classroom. This lets them know that the user Peggy Hall will be speaking soon and they should be prepared to listen.
In addition, text of the form "Peggy Hall: AUDIO@ Peggy Hall is speaking to the class" will be sent to the FlashComm server for insertion into the transcript log marking the location in the transcript text where the matching audio recording will be inserted later.
- Once selected, the SPEAK TO CLASS button is renamed to GO OFF THE AIR followed on the right by a slowly blinking "ON THE AIR" banner.
If you are "on the air" and have not spoken for at least a minute, a large blinking red banner will display to remind you that anything you say will be heard by the entire class.
- While you are speaking to the class, the other Audio Conference participants will be able to speak to each other but you will not be able to hear them. Their SPEAK TO CLASS button will be renamed to IN USE BY with your name to the right of the button.
If an Audio Conference participant selects the INCLUDE SPEAKER button, you will be able to hear the other Audio Conference participants talking but you will still be speaking to the class. So be careful what you say.
The INCLUDE SPEAKER button will change to ISOLATE SPEAKER when selected for everyone on the Audio Conference with the exception of the person speaking to the class.
If an Audio Conference participant selects the ISOLATE SPEAKER button, you will no longer be able to hear the other Audio Conference participants talking, but you will still be speaking to the class.
- You can release the class and return to the standard Audio Conference by selecting the GO OFF THE AIR button.
The GO OFF THE AIR button will display FINISHING UP and then revert to SPEAK TO CLASS.
While the button displays FINISHING UP, the other Audio Conference participants buttons will be inactive and they will not be able to either ISOLATE SPEAKER or INCLUDE SPEAKER.
When your button reverts to SPEAK TO CLASS, the buttons for all the Audio Conference participants will also revert to SPEAK TO CLASS.
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Getting Help
If you have trouble joining or configuring the settings for an Audio Conference, please contact VIN support at support@vin.com or 1.800.846.0028 x127.
VIN encourages instructors and moderators to set their microphone and Audio Conference settings well in advance of any planned, Real Time Session. Your Unity briefing session provides a good opportunity for checking your Audio Conference set-up.
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