Voice Mentors: Getting Started with Voice

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Getting Started with Voice

Setting things up

• 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 Use Push-to-Talk in toggle mode (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?

Controlling 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/Toggle

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 checked Use Push-to-Talk in toggle mode 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 Use Push-to-Talk in toggle mode, 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)

Fine-tuning SL Voice

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 instructions)

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
2. Select your headset or loudspeakers for "Output" and adjust the volume
3. Select your headset or microphone for "Input" and adjust the volume (you should see the volume meter move when you talk.)

Adjusting the Voice and Master Volume

(to be added)

The Speakers button

(to be added)

Whee, now you're talkin! Have fun!

Your Voice Mentors Group

Troubleshooting

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

Input & Output device settings

• Check the Input and Output Device settings in the Voice Chat Preference Panel. If the "Default" setting does not work, try selecting the correct input (microphone) and output (speakers) devices from the drop-down list provided.

• 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.

Opening port 5060 for SL Voice Chat on a SpeedTouch modem

Many SL residents connecting from the Netherlands are using KPN ADSL Speedtouch modems. These modems may require a manual opening of port 5060 to enable SL voice functionality.

Instructions for Windows XP

• Click on "Start > Run"
• Type cmd into the box and click OK. (For Windows 95/98, type "command" instead of "cmd".)
• In the DOS window, type:

telnet 10.0.0.138
Username: your username for the modem (default: Administrator)
Password: your password for the modem (default: no password)

Now you are connected to the modem.

• For the SpeedTouch 716 modem, type:

connection unbind application = SIP port = 5060
saveall
system reboot

• For the SpeedTouch 510(i), 530(i), type:

nat unbind application=SIP port=5060
config save
system reboot

The connection will now be briefly interrupted while the system reboots.

See also

• Voice Portal
• Voice Mentors Group
• Voice Beta Testing: Technical FAQ (SL Knowledge Base)
• Second Life Community: Voice Beta
• Changing your Voice with GarageBand on a Mac