Syncspace Success!

Fixing setup issues

When there are set up or configuration issues, the problem almost always is a fundamental connectivity or audio configuration issue that has nothing to do with our service.

Here are the top issues we encounter:

• Computer is still connected by Wi-Fi: Ensure you are absolutely only using your Ethernet connection. Even if you have your Ethernet cable plugged in, you may still be using Wi-Fi, depending on the your configuration. The best way to ensure this is to temporarily switch off the Wi-Fi setting on your computer. This is usually just a quick toggle in the menu or task bar.
• Audio is not being sent to the server: When you make a sound into your microphone, first check that the audio levels on your interface are moving into a healthy range and then check that the audio levels in the Jamulus mixing panel are also doing the same. Ensure the audio interface is selected as the input device in Jamulus. Even if you used the service previously, this can happen if you forget to plug in your interface before you start Jamulus.
• The computer’s built-in microphone is being used instead of the audio interface: This should be obvious if you check the device settings in Jamulus but a quick way to test is to gently tap the microphone plugged into the audio interface and see if the audio levels on the interface and Jamulus respond.
• Not receiving any audio: Make sure your headphones are plugged into your audio interface and the output device in Jamulus is set to the audio interface.

Audio, video, and network connectivity all have a signal path so it’s usually a matter of following things through the chain and identifying the source of the problem.

Getting a group up and running

1. Start with a small group

If you are already planning to have a large ensemble on our service and everyone will be using it for the first time, we strongly recommend first starting with a small group and then working up from there.

Things will move very quickly once you get beyond the initial small group, but it’s always helpful to start small.

If everyone is purchasing equipment to use the service, it can often be advantageous if everyone is using the same or similar equipment, especially if some members of the group are less tech-savvy.

2. Have each person successfully set up individually before getting together as a group

If you have a session booked to test together as a group, it’s best to have people individually join your syncspace over the course of a few days before this session, to verify that their audio and video works.

It’s not really necessary to schedule these setup sessions to avoid one another and in fact it can be fun if someone is trying to set up and they bump into one other person there at the same time. But during these times we recommend having no more than two people in the syncspace.

If you have a group of people all try to use the service for the first time at the same time it will very likely lead to some frustration and some wasted time as there are almost always one or more people in any group who will have technical problems getting their setup working or may even be missing some equipment.

As part of the individual set up, each person should:

• Get the gear: Ensure they have equipment as described on our Get Started page, including an Ethernet cable and, ideally, an external audio interface, decent-quality headphones, and microphone.
• Get configured: Connect to the syncspace and verify that they can send sound to the server and hear their sound back.
• Get familiar with adjusting audio settings: If you will be using Jamulus, it’s important that everyone reads the Set Up Jamulus for Audio instructions in your syncspace so that they know how to adjust the local and server jitter buffers and how to monitor their sound. After initially confirming that they can receive sound back from the server, most people will mute their channel on the Jamulus mixing panel so that they don’t hear their sound coming back from the server.