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• Skype Sound Problems - quality •
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Improve the quality of your Skype calls by changing the way you speak and by setting your equipment up correctly
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• Change the way you speak
Skype calls use internet bandwidth.
Everytime you make a call, a certain amount
of bandwidth is allocated to the call. The
amount of bandwidth is determined by the
speed of the internet connection at both
sides of the call and how busy the networks
are when the call is made. During a Skype
call, sound travels two ways - there and
back. Voices are digitised at both sides and
forwarded to the other party. When
bandwidth is plentiful, voices can travel in
both directions simultaneously, in other
words, you can talk over each other (full
duplex). Sometimes however, bandwidth is
in short supply and there is only enough to
allow sound in one direction at any time.
Speak over each other and one of you won't
hear what the other one is saying. Say what
you want to say and then wait silently for
the other callers response.
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• Setting your equipment up correctly
If you are using a Skype telephone of some
sorts, chances are, it is set up correctly and
not giving you any problems. If you are
using a separate microphone and speakers
to make your Skype calls, position the
speakers away from the microphone
otherwise, the sound from the speakers will
re-transmit through the microphone and
cause feedback and distortion.
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When making a Skype call, sound is digitised, any sound picked up by the microphone uses resources so, make sure that there is no background noise.
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• Skype sound problems - symptoms and causes •
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Skype sound problems - it may not be a problem with Skype
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First things, first! It may not be a problem with Skype at all - this may just be a symptom not the cause of the problem, but let's quickly eliminate the possible causes of common Skype sound problems. The first thing to do is to simply close down and restart the computer and try again. You may be pleasantly surprised. If that doesn't work, check the sound settings in Skype - open Skype and from the menu at the top, click "Tools" and "Options" and then, "Audio Settings" from the menu on the left hand side. You are presented with three important settings - "Microphone," "Speakers" and "Ringing."
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The "Microphone" audio settings relate to the microphone in whatever audio device you are using with Skype so, it could be a 'simple' microphone or, it could be the microphone in a 'fandangled' wireless Skype phone.
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Look at the "Volume" slide selector and say something out loud - if your microphone is working properly, you should see the green bar move as you speak. If it doesn't, there may be a problem with the microphone.
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If you are using a 'simple' microphone, the first thing to try is to unplug and re-plug it back into the computer and test again.
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If you are using a USB telephone, a web cam or, some other device with a built in microphone, there may be a problem with the sound driver for the device (we will come to this later) and it may not be as simple as unplugging and then, plugging back in. In fact, this course of action is not recommended with certain devices.
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Skype sound problems - sound driver settings
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Before we take any further, more drastic measures, let's look at the sound driver settings that we are using in Skype. Click on the down pointing arrow to reveal the contents of the drop down menu and look at the available devices. If you are using a 'simple' plug-in microphone, it uses your computer's sound driver to work so, make sure that your computer's sound driver is selected in the "Microphone" drop down menu. There are many different sound drivers, but look for something like "Realtek HD Audio Input" or, Soundmax or, SIS or, something similar. Make your selection and test the microphone again whilst observing the "Volume slide selector."
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If you are using a webcam with a built in microphone, it usually has its own driver and if so, it will be listed in the drop down menu and this is the one that should be selected in this field so, for example, if you are using a 'Logitech' webcam with its own built-in microphone, select Logitech (Quickcam) in this section.
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Similarly, if you are using a plug-in USB phone, it usually has its own driver and if so, it will be listed in the drop down menu and this is the one that should be selected in this field so, for example, if you are using a Linksys CIT200, select Linksys. If you are using a simple USB phone, the driver may just be called USB telephone or even, USB device.
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If you are unsure, make a note of the settings as they are, and then go ahead and make some changes before testing the device, to see if it is working.
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The same rules apply for the "Speakers" and "Ringing settings so, work through each of them, making sure that the selected device is correct or, choosing the correct device, if it isn't.
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Of course, the appropriate sound driver for the device that you are using may not be installed at all and if this is the case, you will not be able to get your device working. Check what make of device you are using and look for it specifically in the list. If it doesn't appear, it has to be installed.
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If the driver that you need isn't there, before you can install it, you need to locate it.
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Skype sound problems - your internet connection
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Before I go any further, some readers may not have a problem with their Skype sound settings or, sound device configuration, but nevertheless, are still experiencing intermittent sound problems when they make a Skype call, something which the end-user typically labels, "bad reception" - this usually means, one or, the other, of the parties to a call, cannot hear the other party because segments of the conversation (words/sentences) are broken, garbled or, completely missing. This is something that English readers may refer to as "sounding like Norman Collier."
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Usually, this means that somewhere along the line, there is either: data packet loss on one of the internet connections being used to make the Skype call or, that one or, the other of the internet connections being used, has not got enough bandwidth availabilty to carry the call. At this moment, some of you maybe thinking - "it can't be, I have an 8 Megabit internet connection," but please read on and let me explain.
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Something else that can affect the quality of a Skype call, is the amount of time that the data packets take to travel to and from the two parties to a call. This problem is usually referred to as delay.
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If your internet connection is delivered to you by cable (either copper or, fiber) it is unlikely that there will be any packet loss beyond the modem or, device that is fitted in your home.
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Use the form on the left hand side to contact us to ask questions about any problems that you may be experiencing with Skype, your computer's sound settings, your speakers, microphone or, Skype phone. It doesn't cost anything and it makes writing this article a worthwhile endeavour.
...............................................................................................................to be continued
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