Voice FAQ

The below is somewhat out-of-date. Be sure to see the updated Voice FAQ in the Knowledge Base.

SL Voice FAQ

Setting Up Voice

Where do I get the Voice viewer?

As of August 2, 2007 and viewer version 1.18.1.2, Voice is part of the main SL viewer. It can be downloaded at: http://secondlife.com/community/downloads.php

What do I need to use Voice?

To use Voice you will need:

A computer that fulfills the system requirements
A broadband (DSL or cable) connection to the Internet.
A headset for your computer (strongly recommended), or a microphone and speakers on your computer. A headset gives the best sound quality and avoids annoying echoes of your own voice on a call.

I don't want voice. Is it optional?

Yes. Voice is an optional feature. Though Voice is part of the main viewer now, it is turned off by default. You must explicitly choose to enable voice in order to use it, and can turn it on and off as you wish.

Voice can be enabled and disabled in Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat. A voice set-up wizard will also appear once, during "first use" or "first Resident login to a voice viewer." You can use it to set-up voice if you wish.

I don't seem to have voice when I go through the Voice Set-Up Wizard. Is something wrong?

Others will not be able to hear you, and you will not be able to hear them, when you go through the voice set-up wizard. This is expected behavior, and it allows you to hear how you sound without hearing other voices.

You will see the voice set-up wizard once, during "first use" or "first Resident login to a voice viewer." You can also open it on an as-needed basis in Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat.

How do I plug in my headset?

Voice over IP (VoIP) headsets come in two flavors: They either have two plugs (one for the microphone and one for the earphones), or they have a single USB (Universal Serial Bus) type connector. The connectors on the two-plug variety are usually color coded:

Green for the speaker connector
Pink or orange for the microphone connector

If your headset connectors are color coded, match them to the like colors of the receiving sockets on your computer.

If your connectors aren't color coded, look for the microphone and speaker symbols on the connectors themselves and match them to the like symbols on your computer.

If your headset has a USB connector, simply connect it to any available USB socket. On some Windows systems, you'll need to have the USB headset plugged in when you start the operating system.

How do I plug in an external microphone and speakers?

Audio connectors are usually color coded:

Green for the speaker connector
Pink or orange for the microphone connector

If your connectors are color coded, match them to the like colors of the receiving sockets on your computer.

If your connectors aren't color coded, look for the microphone and speaker symbols on the connectors themselves and match them to the like symbols on your computer.

How do I select which microphone and speakers to use for voice?

If your volume works initially, but some Residents complain they can't hear you, it may be that:

You're too far from your microphone
Your microphone isn't working properly
Your microphone settings are incorrect or have changed for some reason.

On a computer running Windows: You can also tune your microphone and speaker settings using the Sounds and Audio Devices function within your Windows Control Panel on Windows:

Open the Windows Control Panel.
Open the Sounds and Audio Devices function.
Look in the Volume tab to make sure that the Mute box is not checked and device volume is set where you want it.
In the Audio tab, select the primary input and output audio devices from the drop down list.

If you're using a USB audio device, make sure it's been recognized by Windows, and appears in the drop down list.

On a Mac:

Go to System Preferences and select Sound.
For Output, select the desired device to hear the audio on and make any changes to volume.
For Input, select the desired device to speak into and adjust the volume.

You should see the speaking indicator and volume waves (white dot and green and red waves) move when you talk.

I Don't Have Voice

I don't have voice. What should I do?

There are a few key things you should check:

Make sure you've downloaded and are using a Second Life Viewer that has voice. Many people have multiple viewers and not all of them include voice. Right now, the Voice First Look is available for download at: secondlife.com/community/firstlook.php. In early August, voice will be part of the standard Second Life Viewer.
Make sure Skype is not running. Even if you are not engaged in a Skype call, Skype being open can affect your audio settings.
If you are using the Voice First Look viewer, make sure voice is actually enabled. Voice is not enabled by default; you need to explicitly choose whether or not to turn voice on. You can turn voice on by going to Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat and ensuring the "Enable Voice" box is checked.
If the "Enable Voice" box is checked and voice is turned on, make sure the land you're standing on is also voice-enabled. The voice map (out world at www.secondlife.com/voicemap) and icons (in world) will tell you whether or not you are currently standing on voice-enabled land. Not all regions of the grid will have voice enabled right away - to see which ones do, please visit www.secondlife.com/voicemap. This map is updated daily. We have also added voice-enabled land icons to the viewer, in the top bar near the "About Land" dialog. The headphone icon indicates that land is voice enabled, and the headphone icon with a red circle over it indicates that land is not voice enabled.

If you've taken all of these steps and voice is still not enabled, make sure your headset and/or microphone are set up properly (see the first question, above).

I know voice is enabled (because I went through all of the steps above) and I still can't hear anything at all and/or no one can hear me. What should I do?

There are a few things you should check if you're sure voice is already enabled in your Viewer (in Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat):

Ensure that you're holding the "Push To Talk" key if this mode is enabled. You can find out if Push to Talk is enabled in Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat. Push to Talk is enabled by default, which means your mic is closed by default (to prevent others from hearing things you may not have intended).
Verify that Second Life is using the correct microphone and speakers for voice.
- Under Windows use Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Voice.
- Under Mac use System Preferences and select Sound.
Check that your headset is properly plugged in. On most analog headsets the speaker connector is green and the microphone connector is orange or pink.
Make sure that the external volume control on the headset is turned up and is not muted.
Make sure Skype is not running, even if you're not currently engaged in a Skype call. Just having Skype open can "pull" your audio preferences/headset to that application.

If this doesn't fix the problem, check the audio controls on your computer.

In Windows XP, go to the Start menu and select Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices to ensure that the audio is not muted and the audio level is turned up.
On a Mac, go to Apple > System Preferences > Sound and check both Output and Input settings.

I've never been able to join in a conversation, what should I do?

If you have never been able to join a conversation, please check the following:

Is Voice Chat enabled in the Preferences window?
Are your microphone and speakers set up properly, and is everything plugged in?
Is Push to Talk on (meaning your mic is closed by default)? You can check in Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat. In addition, when the "Talk" button in the lower right corner of the viewer is orange, it means your mic is open. If the button looks "normal", your mic is closed.
Make sure you are not using (i.e., are not logged into) Skype. Even if you're not currently in a Skype call, just being logged in can pull your settings to that app.

If you do not see any speaking indicators for yourself or anyone else that you know is speaking (i.e. you can see speaking gestures) then you are not correctly connected.

I have voice and don't want it right now. What should I do?

You can turn voice off by going to Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat and unchecking the box next to "Enable Voice". Voice should be turned off (disabled) immediately.

Voice and Land

I own land. When will my region/estate/parcel be voice enabled?

The entire grid has voice available since voice was released as part of the main viewer (beginning with the optional viewer 1.18.1.2 released on August 2, 2007). All regions are voice enabled, and region owners may disable voice if they choose.

Is voice available on the Teen Grid?

Yes. The entire Teen Grid is currently voice enabled.

I own land and it is voice enabled. How do I control the voice settings for my region/estate/parcel?

Parcel settings for voice are available in the About Land > Media tab > Voice Settings section.

Estate settings are available in World > Region/Estate > Estate tab > Allow Voice Chat.

Region-level settings will be available in the future.

How to Use Voice

Can all SL Residents use voice?

Yes. Any SL Resident who wants to use voice can use voice simply by enabling it in Edit > Preferences > Voice Chat.

Voice is an optional feature that is part of the standard viewer.

Can I use voice from behind a firewall?

The Voice implementation, like Second Life itself, is designed to work with "zero configuration" and should work with most firewalls. A few other things may be helpful to know:

Your firewall sofware may request permission to let "SLVoice.exe" and "SLVoiceAgent.exe" access the internet on their first execution, and that access should be allowed. This is a legitimate request.

The following ports need to be reachable through any firewall infrastructure.
- Port 21002 - TCP - for voice control signals
- Ports 12000-13000 - UDP - for voice media
- Port 80/443 - TCP - for Web server
- Ports 5060 or 5062 - UDP - for voice control signals

SL also has voice servers at the following IPs. This list will grow over time.
- 64.127.123.194 to 64.127.123.254
- 64.147.180.130 to 64.147.180.142
- 69.80.215.226
- 64.127.112.106
- 70.42.62.21-25

It's also true that if the SIP connection on the default port 5062 fails (as it might if the router is designed to provide VoIP services of its own) our software will automatically retry and fall back on port 5060. This means that port 5060 may need to be opened on some restrictive firewalls in rare instances.

You can verify if your firewall is configured for voice by visiting the website http://www.testyourvoip.com/ to identify common problems.

Does it cost anything to use voice?

Voice does not cost anything for individual residents. It is included as an optional feature in the main viewer.

Island Owners will have voice for their land at no cost until the end of the 2007 calendar year. After this, Island Owners will be asked to pay a monthly fee for voice if they are not already at new pricing that includes voice.

Formal SL Groups will be asked to pay a L$10 annual group fee (non-refundable) for Groups. This L$10 fee will be waived for the first 60 days after the main voice launch, which will take place in the first week of August 2007.

Personal, one-to-one chat will *always* (or at least until the end of the century) be free between Residents when they're both in-world. This is also the case for in world, ad hoc group chats between one or more SL Friends.

We will also waive fees for non-profit and educational use of voice.

What exactly is that thing above everybody's heads?

It is the voice intensity indicator, and it'll let you know when someone is talking and how loud they are.When you're looking at a voice-enabled Resident, you'll see a white dot floating above their head. This white dot tells you that another avatar has voice enabled and that you can talk to them, and they can hear you.

You will also see green and red waves radiating out from the white dot. These indicate that someone is actively speaking. Green waves let you know the speaker is within normal volume range, and red waves indicate the person is speaking too loudly.

How do I start a group voice chat for an SL group I belong to?

Click on the Communicate button to open the Communicate window. On the Contacts tab, select the Groups tab, click on one of the groups in your list, and click the IM/Call button.

How do I use the Communicate window?

Resident Benja Kepler has created a helpful video on using the Communicate window. It is available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2sEkDuGIMQc

No, we didn't pay Benja, but we are grateful. Thank you, Benja!

How do I start a conversation with a group of avatars near me?

If your avatar is standing on voice-enabled land (in world, voice-enabled land is identified in the tool bar by a blue icon with white headphones) and other avatars also have voice enabled in their viewers, you should be able to strike up conversation with them.

Other avatars must have voice enabled in their viewers in order to hear you. If they do have voice enabled, you should see white dots and, if they're speaking, volume waves (the speaking indicator) above their heads.

How do I start a group voice chat with a few friends (from my SL Friends list)?

To start a voice conversation with people on your Friends list:

Click on the "Communicate" button in the bottom left corner of the viewer window.
The "Communicate" box opens and the Friends tab is open.
Multi-select the friends you'd like to call by holding "Ctrl" and clicking on each person's name.
When you've selected everyone you wish to call, click the IM/Call button.
A "Friends Conference" tab will open.
Click the "Call" button at the top of the "Friends Conference" window to begin the conference with your group of friends.

How do I start a direct call with just one other person?

To start a voice conversation with one other person:

Click on the "Communicate" button in the bottom left corner of the viewer window.
A "Communicate" box opens and the Friends tab is open.
Click on the person's name in Friends list.
Click IM/Call > Call.

When your conversation is finished, click End Call to... well, end the call.

Can other Residents hear my one-to-one voice calls?

No. One-to-one voice calls are created via peer-to-peer channels and other Residents cannot be party to them, and cannot hear your one-to-one voice calls.

How do I mute someone I don't want to hear?

There are a few different ways to mute someone you don't wish to hear.

You can right-click on the avatar you wish to mute and click "Mute" in the pie menu.
You can also click on a speaker's name in the Participants List in the Communicate window (the Participants List shows the speakers in your current conversation) or in the Active Speakers window, which is opened by clicking on the button with speech bubbles on the Voice tab (immediately to the left of the "Talk" button in the bottom right corner of the viewer window).

How do I control the volume of another avatar?

To adjust the volume of another avatar or speaker, you can:

Click on the speaker's name in the Participants List in the Communicate window (the Participants List shows the speakers in your current conversation)

or

Click on the speaker's name in the Active Speakers window, which is opened by clicking on the button with speech bubbles on the Voice tab (immediately to the left of the "Talk" button in the bottom right corner of the viewer window).

There are a lot of people talking at the same time. How do I know who's talking?

When others speak, you'll see their speaking indicators and hear their voices as they hear yours. Walk around someone who's speaking to you to hear the voice move around in 3D based on where you are relative to their avatar. If you turn toward someone and move closer, for example, their voice will be louder. If you speak while walking around someone else, they'll hear your voice tracking your position.

The Active Speakers window shows you a list of the Residents around you with voice enabled who are speaking in a particular channel (the speakers near you is the default voice channel, or voice conversation). You can open the Active Speakers window it by clicking button with speech bubbles on it, immediately to the left of the Talk button in the bottom right corner of the Second Life window.

The Participants list in the Communicate window also functions in the same way (for your active voice conversation, in an active tab). A dot appears beside each speaker's name in the Participants list, indicating who's speaking. The dot mimics the speaker's voice intensity indicator: A green dot shows active speakers within normal volume range, while a red dot shows an active speaker who's spoken a little too loudly.

In addition, the name of the Resident who spoke most recently appears at the top of the Active Speakers and Participants lists. As the time since a speaker's last utterance increases, the speaker's name moves down the list and the dot next to the speaker's name fades to increasingly lighter shades of gray.

Resident names can also be sorted alphabetically in the Active Speakers and Participants lists.

To control the volume and mute settings for a particular speaker, just click on the speaker's name in the list and then use the volume control in the window to make adjustments.

Are there any gestures to use with voice, to make my speaking look more natural?

In real life, very few people stand still as statues while they talk. The Voice viewer gives you the ability to wear an initial set of "speech gestures".

These speech gestures are randomly selected from nine different animations based on the intensity of your voice. These gestures are located in your Library's Gesture folder (under "Speech Gestures"). There are three gesture sets containing three gestures each for low, medium, and high-intensity volumes.

To enable speech gestures, simply drag the folder labeled "Speech Gestures" from your Library on to your avatar.
To disable them, right-click the Speech Gestures folder and select Take Off Items.

Additional Voice Questions

Does Voice affect grid performance and health?

No. Voice is hosted on separate servers. Many Residents have expressed concern and confusion as to why voice would be released when Second Life periodically has performance issues. Voice is intentionally designed to run on systems completely independent from Second Life as not to impair performance.

====Is Voice open source> Yes. The tarball for voice viewer code is available here:

I think I found a voice bug or problem. How can I get help and/or file a bug report?

We have created a Public JIRA task for the main viewer Voice release and ask all Residents to be sure to use the "1.18.1.2" Version and the “Voice” component in the Second Life Viewer Section (VWR) of the Issue Tracker.