Teamspeak Tips: #1 - Controlling Your Mic!

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Mic control is very important, especially in a public channel with over 50 people, but transmitting keyboard smashing, loud breathing, coughing or random conversations can be annoying even in smaller groups! Rather than automatically muting everyone and having people request talk power, we assume our community members are able to take care of their own mics . But it can be tricky, especially if you're not used to it, so here are some useful tips on how to avoid leaking those noises of coughing, eating, or good old darth vader breathing!

 

In this post, we'll be looking at some easy ways to set your microphone settings so you have an easy time controlling it. To find the microphone options, open your Teamspeak window and click on "Tools" -> "Options" (or press Alt+P), and then click on the "Capture" tab. Alternatively, you can also use the shortcut "Alt+P" to reach the options menu.

We're going to be looking at 2 options anyone can use, as well as the 3rd option which is available with a lot of microphones, plus there's some quick tips at the end that anyone can use

 

1. Push-To-Talk
2. Voice Detection with Mute Toggle Key
3. Voice Detection with On-mic Mute Button

• Quick Tips

 

#1 - Push-To-Talk

 

Pros: Simple & easy, complete control

Cons: Finding a free key can be hard, occupies a finger while talking

 

Using the Push-To-Talk setting is the simplest way to be in control of your microphone - you'll only be transmitting when you hold down the key you've specified! All you'll need for this is a key you generally don't use otherwise, and there you have it!

Step 1:

Open the Capture tab in the options panel.

Step 2:

Set your microphone setting to "Push-To-Talk", and specify a key. Note that this should be a key you wont be pressing accidentally, such as a function key or an extra key on a mouse.

And there you go! It's as simple as that, and you're in control of your mic!

Sometimes, it's difficult to find a button that you don't already use and is easily accessible so you can use it in action, so some people prefer option number 2:

 

 

#2 - Voice Detection with Mute Toggle Key

 

Pros: Easy to use once set up, voice detection doesn't occupy a finger to use, only to mute / unmute, and the key can be more remote than the Push-To-Talk key

Cons: Users can sometimes mute/unmute themselves by accident, still requires a key

 

This option, sometimes called "Push-To-Mute" is the preferred option for many commanders who often need to type while talking, so Push-To-Talk can be ineffective, but they still want to be in control of their microphones. With Push-To-Mute, you use automatic voice detection, and instead use a button to mute/unmute your microphone on Teamspeak - meaning you don't have to hold the button to speak, only tap it once to activate, and tap again to deactivate.

Step 1:

Open the Capture tab in the options panel.

Step 2:

Set your capture settings to "Voice Activation Detection". At this point you can play with the test option and select the threshold that suits you best.

Step 3:

Now go to the Hotkeys tab in the options, and click on "Add". Then select a key, under the "Action" list, open the "Microphone" option and click on "Toggle Microphone Mute", and it should become bold. Click OK and apply the changes.

Now you can freely use Voice Detection while having a key that mutes you whenever you're not speaking, or are caught in a coughing fit or train driveby.

 

 

#3 - Voice Detection with On-mic Mute Button

 

Pros: Does not take up an extra key

Cons: Requires hardware with the option, some can produce clicks when toggling on / off, some microphones can still leak sounds when "off"

 

Some users have microphones which feature a mute button on the microphone itself. This makes using voice detection easy without any setup, but some microphones can still leak very loud sounds, even when turned "off", or in rare cases transmit sounds from your PC. When using this option for the first time, keep a close eye to whether your microphone is transmitting even when it's turned off. Otherwise, this is a very easy solution to hands-free speaking while still being able to mute yourself, without using a key on your keyboard.

 

 

 

Quick Tips:

• When using Voice Detection, it is suggested to enable mic clicks, meaning your Teamspeak will make a faint sound whenever you begin and stop transmitting. You can find this option under "Tools" -> "Options" -> "Playback" -> "Own client plays mic clicks".
• It's also useful to have your Teamspeak sounds on, so you get the "Microphone Muted" and "Microphone Activated" messages.
• Using the Scroll Lock key can be useful as a mic toggle key, as it has no functionality in most environments and a light on your keyboard that lets you know whether it's activated or not. You can also set it to make a sound when pressed in your windows settings.
• You can set separate Capture profiles that you can easily switch between in the "Capture" tab in the options, for example setting a Push-To-Talk and a Voice Detection profile - one for relaxed chatting and one for more extreme situations like raids. You can then easily switch between them under "Self" -> "Capture Profile".
• Accidentally pushing your Push-To-Talk key? Try combining a mute toggle key with Push-To-Talk