Configuring professional audio settings for Zoom Meetings

By default, the Zoom client will utilize noise suppression and echo cancellation to improve the quality of the audio received by your microphone, but these audio filters can interfere with situations that warrant the full range of audio captured by the microphone. In these situations, users can disable these audio filters and improve their sample rates to improve their in-meeting sound quality. This may include musicians with their instruments, capturing high-quality audio for podcasts, or healthcare professionals who are making a medical diagnosis based on sound.

Users can also utilize personalized audio isolation, which creates an audio profile to improve isolation and suppression of background noise. 

This article covers:

Prerequisites for adjusting audio settings

Background noise suppression, original sound, and high fidelity music mode

Live performance audio mode

How to adjust background noise suppression for Zoom meetings

By default, Zoom’s standard optimized audio is used for processing your mic audio. This includes some background noise suppression and is best for most situations, but the level of background noise suppression can be adjusted to suit your situation. Working in a loud office environment may require higher noise suppression, while working from a quiet studio may require less noise suppression.

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
  2. Click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. Click the Audio audio-button.png tab.
  4. Under the Audio Profile section, select Zoom optimized audio.
    Different levels of Background noise suppression are displayed below.
  5. Select the level of suppression you wish to use:
    • Auto: This is the default setting, and will apply moderate background noise reduction when needed. It will auto adjust the aggressiveness for blocking background noise based on what it detects in the background. This option is recommended for most users and situations.
    • Low: Noise reduction will be minimal. It will block low levels of persistent background noise.
      Note: This setting is best for casually playing music, as it will preserve as much of the original sound as possible. For highest fidelity when playing music, consider using the Enable Original Audio setting in your advanced audio settings or share device audio (with or without sharing your screen).
    • Medium: Best for reducing and eliminating background noise in standard environments, including fans, pen tapping, etc.
    • High: Noise reduction will be at its most aggressive, and eliminate noise such as background speech from others.
      Note: Enabling this option may increase CPU utilization.

How to enable and configure original sound for musicians

While Zoom’s standard noise suppression is great for most situations, removing the audio filters and increasing the audio codec quality may sometimes be necessary and more useful. This could be due to you using a higher quality microphone with built-in audio filters, or just wanting to capture the full range of sound produced by your instrument.

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
  2. Click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. Click the Audio audio-button.png tab.
  4. Under the Audio Profile section, select Original sound for musicians.
    Additional audio options are displayed below.
  5. Select the audio options you wish to use:
    • High-fidelity music mode: This disables echo cancellation & post-processing, while raising audio codec quality to 48Khz, 96Kbps mono/192kbps stereo. Professional audio interface, microphone, and headphones required.
    • Echo cancellation: Prevents the creation of echoes between mic and speakers. Disable only recommended when using headphones to isolate audio or when playing instruments.
    • Stereo audio: Encodes mic audio in stereo. Requires a stereo-capable microphone or audio interface.

Once enabled in Settings, this can be toggled on and off during live meetings as needed.

How to enable and configure live performance audio mode

When performing live music in coordination with others in a meeting, it's important to have an accurate sense of timing and harmony with your fellow musicians. To support this, the live performance music mode aims to reduce the audio latency between all participants to ~30-50 ms.

Note: Use of this audio setting has higher requirements than other audio settings.

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
  2. Click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. Click the Audio audio-button.png tab.
  4. Under the Audio Profile section, select Live performance audio.
    This audio profile will be available in live meetings.

Once enabled in Settings, this can be toggled on and off during live meetings as needed.

Linux

How to adjust background noise suppression for Zoom meetings

By default, Zoom’s standard optimized audio is used for processing your mic audio. This includes some background noise suppression and is best for most situations, but the level of background noise suppression can be adjusted to suit your situations. Working in a loud office environment may require higher noise suppression, while a solo recording may necessitate less noise suppression.

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
  2. Click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. Click the Audio audio-button.png tab.
  4. Next to Suppress background noise, click the dropdown menu to select the level of suppression you wish to use:
    • Auto: This is the default setting, and will apply moderate background noise reduction when needed. It will auto adjust the aggressiveness for blocking background noise based on what it detects in the background. If music is detected, it will not treat the music as background noise.
    • Low: Noise reduction will be minimal. It will block low levels of persistent background noise.
      Note: This setting is best for casually playing music, as it will preserve as much of the original sound as possible. For highest fidelity when playing music, consider using the Enable Original Audio setting in your advanced audio settings or share device audio (with or without sharing your screen).
    • Medium: Best for reducing and eliminating background noise in standard environments, including fans, pen tapping, etc.
    • High: Noise reduction will be at its most aggressive, and eliminate noise such as crunching of paper or wrappers, keyboard typing, etc.
      Note: Enabling this option may increase CPU utilization.

Android | iOS

How to enable original sound

While Zoom’s standard noise suppression is great for most situations, removing the audio filters and increasing the audio codec quality may sometimes be necessary and more useful. Before turning it on in a Zoom meeting, you must enable it from within the settings on the Zoom mobile app.

  1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
  2. In the bottom-right corner, tap More .
  3. Under Settings, tap Meetings.
  4. Under Audio, tap the toggle next to Use Original Audio.

Once enabled in settings, this can be toggled on and off during live meetings as needed.

Zoom Web App

How to adjust background noise suppression for Zoom meetings

By default, Zoom’s standard optimized audio is used for processing your mic audio. This includes background noise suppression, which is suitable for most situations. However, unlike the desktop client, the Zoom Web App version only support full on/off options for background noise suppression.

  1. Join a meeting or webinar with the Zoom Web App or web client. 
  2. In the control toolbar, click Settings . 
  3. Click the Audio audio-button.png tab.
  4. Under the Audio Profile section, select Zoom optimized audio.
  5. Select On or Off if you wish to turn on or off Background Noise Suppression.