Voice Mentors: Getting Started with Voice

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Getting Started with Voice

Getting the Voice-enabled Viewer

• Connect a microphone or headset to your computer and make sure it works as expected. See this Knowledge Base article for detailed instructions on how to set up your headset or microphone.

• Download and install the latest (voice-enabled) Second Life Viewer.

• Note for Windows platform users: Don't double-click on on the executable (secondlife.exe) to start any Second Life Viewer that connects to the Beta Grid — make sure you use one of the provided shortcuts instead (they pass command line arguments to the executable that are required to access the beta grid).

• Launch the (voice-enabled) Viewer and wait for the login screen to come up. Don't log in just yet.

• Click on the Preferences button and navigate to the new Voice tab. Check Enable voice chat and Use Push-to-Talk mode.

• Push-to-Talk trigger designates a customizable key that triggers (or toggles) your microphone. Press and hold this key whenever you want to talk. To use this key as a toggle, check Push-to-Talk acts as a toggle (leave it unchecked for now). To change the key, click Set Key and then press the desired key or mouse button.

• Quit and re-launch the (voice-enabled) Viewer. If all goes well, you're ready to login. Just walk up to people near you (in a voice-enabled region) and start talking!

I've logged in — now what?

Control your Headset/Mic

Once you've successfully configured your system and logged in, there are several ways to use voice chat:

Locked Talk Button and Master Volume

Push-to-Talk trigger

1. Note the Voice tab at the bottom of your screen. Click and hold the blue Talk button when you speak into the microphone. The button 'glows' yellow when pressed. The small green indicator next to it lights up when you speak into your microphone.
2. If you have enabled Push-to-Talk in the Voice Chat preferences, use the appropriate key or mouse button to trigger your microphone. When you press the key/button, the Talk button will 'glow' yellow when the mic is open and the little green indicator will light up when you speak.
3. If you have enabled Push-to-Talk acts as a toggle in the Voice Chat preferences, you can use the key or button as a mic toggle. The Talk button will glow yellow until you press the key/button again.
4. The left portion of the Talk button has a small lock icon; click on it to use your mic hands-free (i.e. to toggle the mic's open state). The button will 'glow' yellow when your mic is switched on. Click the lock again to turn your mic off.

Note: When you first log in or when you select Push-to-Talk acts as a toggle, your microphone may be switched on permanently. This can have two undesirable effects: if you use a loudspeaker-microphone combination instead of a headset, your open mic will create feedback ("echo") in the voice channel; what's more, any ambient sounds near you (radio, tv, other people, street noise) will be broadcast to everyone near you in Second Life. Check the Talk button at the bottom of your screen; if it "glows" yellow, your mic is switched on. Press the button to turn it off.

The Spatial Channel

The "spatial voice channel" enables you to talk to persons near you (within a radius of about 20m). Other avatars using the spatial voice channel with you have a voice indicator (a green dot) over their heads — or where their heads would be :)

Group Voice Chat

(to be added)

One-to-One Voice Chat

(to be added)

How do I fine-tune my SL voice experience?

Ask people around you if your speaking volume is alright with them. If you're too loud or too quiet, adjust your microphone volume. Observe the brackets that surround the voice dot over your head. If you talk at a normal volume, they should stay green most of the time. It's okay if they turn red once in a while but if they do so frequently, consider lowering your mic's volume:

1. Ensure that SL is using the right microphone and headset or speakers for input and output. You can check and set your device settings in the Voice Chat Preferences.
2. Navgiate to your operating System's Sound Settings and adjust the microphone's volume slider until you rarely see red brackets in-world.

Setting the mic volume in Windows XP:

1. Navigate to Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio Tab
2. Click the "Volume..." button under "Voice Recording"
3. Adjust the mic's volume slider

• screencast with slightly different instuctions

Setting the mic volume in Windows Vista:

1. Navigate to Control Panel > Sound > Recording Tab
2. Select your microphone, then click the "Properties" button and the "Levels" Tab
3. Adjust the mic level

• screencast

Setting the mic volume in Mac OS X:

1. Navigate to System Preferences > Sound

The Speakers button

(to be added)

Whee, now you're talkin! Have fun!

Troubleshooting

I can't hear other people and they can't hear me!

If you can't use voice at all, visit testmyvoip.com and test your connection. If you fail these tests, you won't be able to use voice in Second Life: this could be due to firewall restrictions or problems with your router's configuration.

Your Voice Mentors Group

See also

• Voice Portal
• Voice Mentors Group
• Voice Beta Testing: Technical FAQ (SL Knowledge Base)
• Second Life Community: Voice Beta