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Thursday, December 15, 2011

2013 1stHELP: V3.2 Voice: Summary

Voice
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Voice button
Click image to enlarge
Speak
If you hear other  people speak, you can speak youself.  You just need a microphone.  My recommendation is a set of headphones with a boom microphone attached.   A set like that will sell for about $20 USD at electronics stores in USA.
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CAUTION --------------------------CAUTION
If you leave your microphone on, you are bringing everyone near you into your room.  They hear your private conversions. They could even record your conversations.  
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These instructions apply to Viewer 3.2 and later.  Some details may not apply to other viewers.
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Vocabulary - voice specific
See notes for more detail
  • Voice system: system that lets you hear people talk and speak to them
  • Sound and media panel:  Set options. V3.2 Preferences button (gears)
  • Speak button: Toggles your voice on, off. V3.2 Speak button (Microphone)
  • Nearby voice list:  Shows people in range with voice on.  Shows who is speaking
  • People window:   Shows information about people. V3.2 People button  (2 heads)
  • Local Voice: Voice when people (avatars) are near each other. Open to all people nearby
  • Private Voice call:  Like a private phone call.  
  • Mute: Turn off communication (voice, text, im) from a person/avatar.  Right click on the avatar, click block.
  • Echo back: Microphone picking up sound from loudspeakers.  Turn speak button off when not talking,
Voice system
  • White dot overhead:  Marks avatars connected to local voice.
  • Green waves overhead:  Avatars speaking. 
  • Red waves overhead: Avatar overloading the sound system.  Speech will be blurred. Move the mic farther from the mouth. Point it under the chin or toward the nose.
  • Zoom in: To increase the volume of specific avatar. See, Zoom, roam, and tag
Notes 
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Red waves
If the waves over your head sometimes turn red, you are talking too loud for the setting and position of the microphone.  Talk more softly or move the microphone farther from your mouth.  Below your chin or pointing at your nose is probably a good position.   Think of the microphone as a person's ear.    If your voice system produces annoying sounds,  other people will mute you.
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Check or adjust the volume of your microphone in  Second Life 
Preferences--Sound and Media--input/output devices.  Follow the instructions. (NOTE This will temporarily break your connection with voice.)    V3.2 Preferences button (gears)
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Loudspeakers
If you are using loudspeakers you will have to turn off your microphone when other people are talking.  Otherwise, they will hear their own voices as picked up by your microphone.  That will bother them a lot.
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Volume
To adjust the volume of a person, zoom in on the avatar.  The volume will go up as you get close. Hover the cursor over the person and a green info button will appear.  Click on the info button , use the volume slider to adjust the volume as needed.  
OR: V3.2 Voice settings button (headphones)
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Private voice call in IM 
You can make a prvate call, much like a phone call.    Click on the avatar, select call.  
  • Or find person's profile in search, 
  • Or on your friends list  (People button).
  • Or on the nearby people list  (People button).
Mute
To mute a person who annoys you: right click on the avatar, select block.
Or
Find the name in the voice settings list, click the name, click green Info button, click gear, select block
V3.2 Voice settings button 
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Parcels with voice off
In some parcels, voice may be turned off.  Voice is often turned off for a musical perforrmance to keep open mics from interferring with the performance.   The owner of the parcel can turn voice on and off in that parcel, with an option in the About land panel.
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Other sounds.   
You have 6 sound channels that you can set independently.  So when you hear sounds, don't assume they are coming in on the voice channel:
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Minor matters
Turn off typing sounds --
 Preferences button -- Chat-- uncheck Play typing anim when chatting.
V3.2 Preferences button (gears)
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Speech gestures
Inventory-Search bar--enter gestures.  Find speech gestures medium.
V3.2 Inventory button (suitcase)

If the gestures are in your library, copy/paste the ones you want to use into your your main inventory. Then right click on a speech gesture and  select activate. 
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Lips moving with talking (so you see all avatar lips move when they talk)
Preferences--Sound and media-- Move avatar lips when speaking, check.
V3.2 Preferences button (gears)
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Problems

Hearing
I don't hear any sounds 
If other audio sources are working on your computer:
Check the loudspeaker symbol (upper right).  Red slashed circle means off.  
Check Me-preferences-sounds & media.  Be sure all channels are on with good volume.
See if Speak button works.
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I don't have a speak button or it does not activate when clicked:
See that you have voice turned on.  Check Me-preferences-sounds & media.
If not fixed, go to Plan A. above.
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I hear sounds, but not voices.
Check the Active Speakers list.  Is anybody talking?
Raise the volume on people who are talking.
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People around say they are talking, but they are not on my Active Speakers list.
TP somewhere else, them come back. Or turn voice off. Wait 10 seconds. Turn voice back on.
If not fixed, go to Plan A. above.

Extraneous sounds are annoying.  Me-Preferences- sounds and media.  Slide up voice. Slide down sound effects and ambient.
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Speaking
To check or adjust the volume of your microphone:
Me-Preferences - Sounds and Media -  input/output device - input
Follow the instructions. (NOTE This will temporarily break your connection with voice.)  
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Your voice is breaking up, or you are preparing for a performance in voice:
Toggle voice.  That is, turn it off. wait 5 seconds turn it back on,  
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Red waves, your voice is blurred, you are over-modulating.
You are speaking too loud for the position of the microphone.
  • Point the microphone at your nose or under your chin.
  • Think of the microphone as someone's ear. 
  • Me-Preferences-Voice >  input/output device > input
Echos repeat what somebody just said
These echos are caused by someone with an open microphone.  That usually happens when the person is using a speaker, but can happen with  a headphone.  
Actions: 
  • In text or voice, say "Someone has an open microphone that is echoing.  Please turn off your microphone if you are not speaking."
  • To find the open mike, open the Active Speakers list.  Look for green waves from dot next to person not supposed to be speaking.  
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