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Old 05-11-2020, 12:25 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Default AGF OPEN MIC ON ZOOM!

We conducted a mini open mic test on Zoom last night and it was fantastic! 5 of us showed up and there was almost no lag and it was great to actually see peoples faces. It's a pretty slick program for sure. More good news - those that have dialed in external signal paths that connect through your computer (like me), those will also work on Zoom. Just like Facebook, you just need to select the audio settings and in the audio input will drop down to show your interface. At least the iRig Pro showed up and worked well.

To participate (perform) in an AGF Open Mic using the ZOOM app: For open mics on the ZOOM platform first install the ZOOM app. If you do not do this in advance then when you first get an invite from a host and click on the link it will allow you to download and install the ZOOM app at that time.

Audio setup: It is helpful to test your system using the ZOOM app to make sure you can get good audio. The easiest way to do this is from within the ZOOM app, in the lower left corner you'll see a little mic or headphone icon for audio - click on the little up arrow then select Audio Settings. From this pop-up box select Advanced in the lower right corner. Over to the right there are three statements. The middle one says Suppress intermittent Background Noise - click on the box to the right of that and select Disable. Now close this box. In the upper left hand corner of the Audio Settings box it will either say Turn On Original Sound or Turn Off Original Sound. You want to use you Original Sound so click on the box until it says Turn Off Original Sound at which point you'll be using Original Sound (a little confusing). This will give you the best sound from either the internal mic or any external mic you've selected to use. Most internal mobile phone or iPad mics work very well. Laptops tend to sound just okay at best.

After that you should be set to go. Since ZOOM uses a real-time connection it's much easier for the host to direct the open mic. Here are a few tips to help things run smoothly:

1.) Be ready! Know your place on the list (assuming there is one) and be ready to play. This is not as important as in Facebook Live due to the nature of direct communication but you should still be ready to play.

2.) Mute yourself when someone else is playing! This is very important. The ZOOM app will 'showcase' whomever is playing or even speaking. So if you do not mute your mic when someone else is playing and a loud noise happens where you are it could temporarily disrupt the performance of the current player. You can unmute after each song to give applause but then mute again for the next song. Muting and unmuting yourself is easy by clicking on the little mic button in the lower left corner.

3.) Have fun with Background Settings! If you computer supports it (depends on a few things - it will tell you if it doesn't) you can select to use different fun virtual backgrounds. In the lower left corner click on the up arrow next to the Video button and select Choose Virtual Background...

4.) Stream your Live performance to Facebook or YouTube. Some people like to stream their performance to their Facebook timeline for friends and family to see. This can be done but takes a few minutes to get going so you should have already set it up in advance and be ready to hit the Go Live button when it's your turn to play. To do this click on the More button in the lower right corner and select either the Live on Facebook or Live on YouTube button and follow the prompts. Please only stream your performance! Remember to turn off the stream when you are finished.

5.) Watch on Facebook Live if you are not performing. If you are not performing but just watching, consider watching the open mic performance over on Facebook Live if it is being streamed over there (is usually will be). This will keep the number of active ZOOM windows to a more manageable amount for the host. You will also not need to worry about setting up a new app and muting yourself.

That's about it. I wanted to post this since we'll be doing mostly ZOOM open mics from here on out.

For those that don't want to go on Zoom and would rather stay on Facebook, that is fine as well. There's no reason why we can't do both. But give Zoom a try and I think you'll agree it's WAY better. I know there is a way to stream a Zoom 'meeting' (open mic) to Facebook so we'll figure that out as well and for those that just watch anyway and don't want to participate on Zoom can still enjoy the show.

Last edited by Methos1979; 05-25-2020 at 07:56 AM.
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Old 05-11-2020, 05:24 PM
Maryc-k Maryc-k is offline
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Zoom will be improving it’s technology too. They bought an encryption company las week and are dead set on keeping out those pesky hackers.
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Old 05-11-2020, 06:11 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Originally Posted by Maryc-k View Post
Zoom will be improving it’s technology too. They bought an encryption company las week and are dead set on keeping out those pesky hackers.
Yes, they actually have already updated their software recently to make it more secure, so for those worried about those stories it's improved.
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Old 05-13-2020, 04:35 PM
CASD57 CASD57 is offline
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Count me in for May 17th
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Old 05-17-2020, 07:00 PM
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We had an incredible open mic tonight on Zoom!
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Old 05-17-2020, 08:01 PM
CASD57 CASD57 is offline
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It was a lot more personal...and it was nice to see people ...A lot Better on Zoom...
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Old 05-18-2020, 12:57 PM
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Post ZOOM Open Mic night summary: Last night's open mic on the ZOOM platform worked awesome! Being able to see and talk to each other in real-time was a true joy and made for a much better experience for everyone, including and especially the host, me! The sound quality was on part with FB Live, meaning if you've got your signal tweaked well enough for FB Live it will work with ZOOM. Here are some takeaways:

1.) ZOOM is very intuitive - easy to use for all including hosting. While being a very powerful program for meetings it's also quite intuitive with easy to see and understand buttons that allow you to turn on and off your audio and video. You can use cool custom backgrounds which is a neat and fun feature. Check out the Live FB stream below to see some. And speaking of that...

2.) Streamed to FB Live - I was able to stream the entire open mic to FB Live at the same time. So those that can't or don't want to do ZOOM can still watch the open mic here on the AGF OMG FB page.

3.) AGF OMG member involvement - this was an important discussion from both a participation and viewing standpoint. We have well over 130 members but we typically have same 5-6 performers and maybe 10-12 watchers (including performers). We are wondering how to get more people involved in participation? Is it a matter of day or time of day? Please respond below if you would like to perform or watch but need to do so on a different day. Please let me know what it would take to get YOU to perform or at least come and watch a future open mic. Feel free to private message me your thoughts if you prefer.

4.) AGF OMG FB page private vs. public - we discussed at length at the end (another great feature of ZOOM) the merits taking the AGF OMG FB group public or leaving it private. The only reason for taking it public is so people can share the streamed live performance with friends and family but it was pointed out that some might prefer for their performances to remain private to just our group, a valid point. Also, throwing open the doors to the group by making it public (even with Admin approval to join required) means opening the door to possibly nefarious intentions. Group to remain private.

5.) Live streaming individual ZOOM performances - this is possible and it is enabled but each person that is performing will need to initiate their (and only theirs) live performance before they begin and then turn it off when they finish which takes a few minutes to do. While I understand why people want to share their performances with their friends and family on FB it would likely be easier to just perform solo Live FB shows for your friends privately so as to best keep the flow of our ZOOM open mics going smoothly.

6.) Other ZOOM-like platforms - both Facebook and Google have recently enabled live ZOOM-like features. We will look into those just to see how they work but since most are likely to be variations on a theme we plan to stick with ZOOM for now so as at the very least save our members and participants from new-app fatigue by constantly having to learn new programs. That said, if we find something is that much better or easier than ZOOM then we'll consider a changeover then.

That's about it off the top of my head. Please comment below with any thoughts about anything above, especially number 3 - AGF OMG member involvement. I'm very interested to hear why you signed up for this group but do not perform or attend/watch. Feel free to private message me your thoughts on this as well. Thanks!
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Old 05-19-2020, 01:18 PM
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Toby Walker Toby Walker is offline
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When is the next session?
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Old 05-19-2020, 04:45 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby Walker View Post
When is the next session?
Hi Toby,

I approved your request to join - great to have you onboard!

I've got a thread here and one of the FB page looking for input from the masses to see which day would work best for the most. Assuming I get enough of a consensus, I'll schedule one and post on both threads.
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Old 05-24-2020, 02:38 PM
Danz567 Danz567 is offline
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Is there going to be a zoom open mic this weekend? Also, is there any way to view past sessions if not on Facebook.
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Old 08-11-2020, 10:47 PM
Mnahopkins Mnahopkins is offline
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Is the open mic still happening?
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