Zoom Settings

Owned by Gina Persichini
Last updated: Mar 12, 2024 by eCampus Knowledge Management
5 min read

https://boisestate.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/LTS/pages/42106931 will bring you up to speed before using this article.

Once you have your Zoom desktop app open and you’re signed in, it’s time to adjust some settings. The Zoom app has default settings that will allow you to quickly join a call, but spending just a few minutes configuring the advanced settings will help you improve your recordings. Get started by clicking the gear icon ⚙️ in the top right corner of the Zoom app.

Video Settings

Zoom Video Settings panel screenshot

Under the Video settings tab, the most important thing is to select your external USB webcam if you are using a laptop with a built-in webcam. Next, enable HD and select the option to turn off your video when joining a meeting. It’s common to join a Zoom meeting where nobody has video-enabled, and it’s a little awkward to pop in with your camera on and then quickly shut it off after joining the meeting.

The video preview dialog option is like a little green room that allows you to check your video and camera settings before you turn on your video. This is an extra precautionary step that lets you join a call smoothly after fixing your hair and adjusting your lighting to look your best.

Advanced settings

At the bottom of the video settings tab is a link to Advanced settings to make additional enhancements

Zoom Advanced Video Settings panel screenshot

 

Audio Settings

We recommend using earbuds with a built-in mic or headphones and an external mic for the best quality sound. Test and play to determine what sounds best to you and others on a Zoom call. Verify that your microphone appears in the list of available mics, select it, and then tap the Test Mic button to record some test audio and play it back.

Do the same for the Speaker setting: select your headphones and run a quick test by tapping Test Speaker. You should hear the Zoom ringtone in your headphones. We recommend that you enable the Press and hold spacebar unmute shortcut. Zoom calls work best when everyone except for the speaker is muted, but the participants can rapidly unmute without having to click around to find the mute button.

 

Audio Settings (Recommended For Most Users)

Under Audio Profile, select Zoom optimized audio and under Background noise suppression select Auto.

Audio Settings (Recommended for Studio Environments)

Further down the Audio tab, you will see an option for Original sound for musicians.

This is a setting you will want to test out and play with prior to recording. Some recordings need Zoom audio processing such as echo cancellation and background noise suppression. But if you are working with the eCampus Multimedia Team or editing yourself, it is better to have the original sound from your recording equipment for any post-processing.

You can also choose which tools to toggle on and off when the original sound is active, such as High fidelity Music Mode. This feature will require more CPU but will improve the quality of audio by disabling compression and Zoom’s post-processing and raising the audio codec quality.

Once you select this option to enable original sound in a meeting, the final step is to click on Turn On Original Sound whenever you are in an active Zoom call.

 

Advanced Audio Settings

Under the Advanced Audio Settings, you can choose the intensity level of your Echo cancellation, if you choose to use that feature. The two echo-cancellation options are auto and aggressive. Again, in some cases, echo-cancellation may be helpful, but we typically recommend turning this feature off in order to capture the best audio for editing in post-production.

Recording Settings

Cloud recording is the easiest way to manage your video recordings. All recordings will automatically be stored in your Panopto account under the ‘Meeting Recordings’ folder indefinitely.

Step 1
We recommend the following settings for Zoom recordings:

  • Store my recordings at: Set location and check that you have at least 16GB of space remaining, if not be sure to free up space before starting.

  • Record a separate audio file of each participant. This will allow you to mix your audio properly.

  • Optimize for 3rd party video editor. This records in file formats that are best for editing.

  • Add a timestamp to the recording. Recommend turning it off to eliminate the need to edit it out.

  • Record video during screen sharing. This will record your self-view and place it in the upper-right corner of the shared screen recording. Optional but recommended to better engage the audience.

    • Place video next to the shared screen in the recording. This eliminates the chance for hidden content below your self-view video by placing it next to the shared screen in the upper right.

  • Keep temporary recording files. If something happens to your computer during the call, this may help you recover the audio and not lose a valuable interview.

Step 2

You can access the Cloud Recording settings using the Manage on web… button found under Zoom settings > Recording tab.

 

It’s recommended the following settings are checked for Zoom Cloud recording (uncheck those unmentioned):

  • Record active speaker with shared screen

  • Record active speaker, gallery view and shared screen separately

    • Active speaker

    • Gallery view

    • Shared screen

  • Record audio-only files

    • Record a separate audio file for each participant

  • Save chat messages from the meeting / webinar (optional)

 

Advanced Cloud Recording settings

  • Record thumbnails when sharing

  • Optimize the recording for 3rd party editor

  • Create audio transcript

  • Save panelist chat to the recording (optional)

  • Save closed caption as a VTT file

 


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