Please follow these steps in advance of the event to facilitate smooth running and to help you and the other participants get the most out of the session:
- Please provide us with some further information regarding your performance here. If possible, please use an edition with bar numbers (or write bar numbers in your score) so that we can quickly identify a bar in question.
- Ensure you have set-up Zoom for music making (further instructions and tips are provided below)
- You can either play live from within the Zoom meeting or share a recording you have recently made (further instructions are provided below)
Performance options
Please note that whether you play live or share a recording, you need to optimise the audio settings in Zoom for music making otherwise the piano sound will be distorted.
Live playing
The better the quality of your microphone, the more detail we will be able to hear. We can highly recommend the Blue Yeti USB microphone which is excellent for online lessons.
Sharing a recording
You can make a recording using your phone, tablet or computer using your preferred recording app. You can also make a recording by starting a meeting on Zoom then clicking the “record” button (when you are finished, you will have a link to the recording).
Before the workshop, make sure you have opened up the recording to your desktop. When you are invited to share it with the participants, click on the “screen share” button on the Zoom screen and make sure you have ticket the box which says “Share computer sound” (further instructions are available here) otherwise we won’t be able to hear what your computer is playing!
After you have finished playing your recording, the tutoring part will then take place, and you’ll need to be at your piano prepared to work on sections “live”. Please ensure that the sound / audio settings on their computer correct for music making.
Setting up Zoom for Music making
Desktop/Laptop
- Sign into Zoom as normal
- Start a meeting
- When the screen opens, look for the microphone icon in the bottom left hand corner. Just to the right of it, there will be an upturned V (^) – click on this.
- In the pop-up window click ‘Audio Settings’.
- Untick the box that says ‘Automatically adjust microphone volume’. You can now adjust the mic level manually – just over halfway should be about right.
- In the same window, click ‘Advanced’ in the bottom right of the window. A new window called ‘Settings’ will appear.
- Make sure there is a tick in the box near the top which says ‘ Show in-meeting to “Enable Original Sound” from microphone’.
- If you have Zoom version 5.2.2 or later, there will be two other boxes below this:
- Disable echo cancellation – check this box
- High Fidelity Music Mode – check this box
- Echo – just leave this on auto
- Close the Settings window.
Back in your meeting window, click the box in the top left-hand corner which says: ‘Turn on Original Sound’. It should now say ‘Turn off Original Sound’. If it already says ‘Turn off Original Sound’ leave it like that. You should only need to do this setting up once. Just check that at every new meeting the little box at the top left says: ‘Turn off Original Sound’ (which means that it’s now switched on).
Tablet/phone
- Open your Zoom app and click on “Settings” (looks like a wheel, bottom right hand corner)
- In Settings, select “Meetings”
- In Meetings, Enable “Use Original Sound”
- Start a new meeting (or join one), in the bottom right of your screen, select “more”
- Select “Enable Original Sound”