Getting the best sound for your video meetings

Part of the Focus on Sound blog series: Any video meeting is only as good as its sound. Natural and noise-free audio is key for good communication. In this video series, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to get the best sound out of your Webex meetings.

Room acoustics and your video meetings

In developing our Webex Devices, we work hard to give you the best possible sound experience. We combine high-quality loudspeakers and microphones with cutting-edge audio features, such as Spatial Audio and BabbleLabs’ AI-based noise removal.  

But, we have no control over what happens to the sound after it’s played by the loudspeaker – or before it reaches the microphone. Here the acoustic conditions of your workspace are an all too often overlooked factor, and sometimes the weakest link in the chain. With a little understanding of how room acoustics affect your working environment and your video meetings, however, you can optimize your sonic surroundings to hear others and be heard more clearly, and stay focused throughout your day.  

Room acoustics describes the way sound behaves in a space. We all know that different spaces sound different. With your eyes closed, you’d be able to tell whether you were in a stone church or out in the open because the acoustic conditions of your surroundings shape the sound you hear. And suppose you have ever been to a sparsely furnished restaurant with many hard surfaces, such as concrete walls and ceilings and large windows. In that case, you may have experienced how reverberation combined with background noise can make it almost impossible to understand what a person sitting right opposite you is saying. Bad room acoustics can have equally detrimental effects on your video meetings.  

New ‘Focus on Sound’ video series

Our new Focus on Sound video series explains the basics of room acoustics and sound in video conferencing to help you sound your best and get your message across. Being aware of the video system’s microphones and loudspeakers, and noise sources in the room, allows you to optimize your setup. The series will cover room acoustics, loudspeakers, mics and audio features, tips for the home office and an acoustic safari of Oslo! 

Head over to projectworkplace.cisco.com and check out our Best Practices Guide in the Learn section for more information. You also find great examples of acoustic room treatment in the Workspaces section and an overview of audio features for all our Devices. 

Watch the video:

Want to learn more?

For more information, head over to Project Workplace and check out our Best Practices Guide in the Learn section. You also find great examples of acoustic room treatment in the Workspaces section and an overview of audio features for all our Devices.

Learn more

• Sound matters: The role of audio quality in video conferencing
• 3 Tips to Improve Audio Quality During a Meeting
• Visual collaboration in the era of hybrid work
• How a school used Webex Video Devices to drive inclusion and success during the pandemic