Getting audio feedback on FaceTime

Hi Roy Bradshaw

Re: Getting audio feedback on FaceTime:

Apple support have an article online (link below) that may help you solve your issues:

See how to: Change audio options for FaceTime calls on Mac - Apple Support

Eg: says:

"On a Mac with Apple silicon, Spatial Audio makes it sound like your friends are in the room with you.

With audio options, you can mute the call, adjust the volume, or adjust microphone settings to filter out background sounds or capture the sounds around you."

NB: If you want to control the Volume: you can

• "Change the volume of your microphone: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Sound  in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Go to Output & Input on the right, click Input, then drag the “Input volume” slider.
• Change the volume you hear: Click  in the menu bar or Control Centre, then drag the slider to adjust the volume. See Turn your Mac volume up or down."

__________________________________________________________________

Re: " ... I hear myself coming back louder than the person I am talking to ... "

If changing the microphone volume to suit is not enough:

FaceTime may be set to include the sounds from the environment you are in, including your voice ?

Above linked article says:

"Filter out background sounds

When you want your voice to be heard clearly on a FaceTime call, you can turn on Voice Isolation (available on Mac models 2018 and later). Voice Isolation prioritises your voice on a FaceTime call and blocks out the ambient noise.

• Use Voice Isolation during a video call: Click  in the menu bar, click  next to Mic Mode, then select Voice Isolation.
• Use Voice Isolation during an audio call: Click  in the menu bar, then select Voice Isolation."

___________________________

Include the sounds around you

When you want your voice and all the sounds around you to be heard on a FaceTime call, you can turn on Wide Spectrum (available on Mac models 2018 and later).

Do any of the following:

• Use Wide Spectrum during a video call: Click  in the menu bar, click  next to Mic Mode, then select Wide Spectrum.
• Use Wide Spectrum during an audio call: Click  in the menu bar, then select Wide Spectrum.

_________________________________________________________________________

Re: " ... the person I am talking to hears an echo of themselves when talking to me."

Depending on the computer or device model and software that the person is using, they may be able to turn on Voice Isolation too. Some devices may use other settings instead, eg: noise cancellation

_________________________________

Resource:

FaceTime User Guide for macOS Tahoe : FaceTime User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

Roy Bradshaw wrote:

I am using Tahoe 26.4.1 on a Mac MINI M4. with a Logitech wb cam and microphone , and sound stick speakers.

We use a lot of Logitech webcams at work, and I'll offer only that I have seen (or rather heard) similar symptoms to what you're describing. Normally, however, it's going the other direction--the person on the other end gets severe feedback because the camera fails to filter out the sound from the speakers.

Separately, but also possibly relevant, I and others I've run into online have had issues with older Logitech webcams displaying visual glitches on recent Macs, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if there were audio glitches that accompanied this--most users at work use headsets with the camera rather than its microphone.

If you haven't already, two things you could try:

1. If the webcam is plugged into a USB hub, try plugging it directly into the computer; I can't confirm but have read hubs exacerbate the glitch issue. (Since you have an M4 mini, assuming it's an older camera with a USB-A plug you'd need to get your hands on a USB-C to USB-A adapter dongle to try this, if you don't have one already.)
2. Apparently installing the Logi Tune software and fiddling with the settings there has resolved it for some people. Again, if you haven't already, you might try downloading and installing that, and see if it has any options you could try turning on or off.

...I have now done tests with another person and found, that although there can be some loudspeaker/microphone feedback, this is nothing like the feedback that I get which appears to be triggered off by. TSSS. Sounds which can be variable. It is not occurring all the time and sometimes it's quite loud. In my day there were things called noise gates and it is similar to a badly set noise gate...

Something I didn't see you mention that would be relevant:

What's the speaker and microphone setup on your end? You mentioned Tahoe, so I'm assuming it's a recent Mac, but just to confirm are you using the Mac's built-in microphone rather than AirPods/headset/etc or an external speaker and/or microphone?

Also, do you know what the person on the other end is using for audio (particularly if it's much worse with a particular contact)? Are they using a Mac with the built in speaker and mic (and if so, laptop or iMac), or some other setup?

I ask, because I have seen feedback similar to what you're describing be quite dependent on the microphone and speaker configuration on one end or the other. Apple's built-in feedback filtering is very good, but in particular I've run into some setups where someone is, for example, using an external speaker but the built-in microphone, and the speaker is positioned too close to the microphone, where you can get some extreme feedback that's so loud and clear it could easily be mistaken for coming from the sender's end and is louder than the person talking. That you sometimes only hear the start or end of a word kinda points in that direction, too, since it would indicate the automatic feedback filter is failing intermittently.

On the other hand, if the feedback were indeed coming from their end I don't see how it would lead to them hearing an echo of their own voice from your end, unless there are two things going on at once.

Thank you for your reply. Seems your audio expertise is well beyond mine! I'm grateful Apple carefully documents all the FaceTime features, "how-to's" and various possibilities. Below are three more suggestions toward finding the source of your audio issues in order to solve them.

Re: "What is not consistent is that at times I will only hear the start of word and sometimes I only hear the end of the sentence".

(1) If experimenting with turning on / off Voice Isolation and / or Wide Spectrum hasn't helped improve what you and your recipient hear:

Apple Support's article: If FaceTime isn't working on your Mac - Apple Support eg: says:

"If you need help with your connection or call quality

A slow or busy Wi-Fi network may cause issues with your FaceTime call. If you experience connection alerts, or low-quality audio or video, or an exclamation mark over a video tile:

• • Make sure you and your recipient have a fast Wi-Fi or mobile connection. FaceTime calls over Wi-Fi require a broadband connection.
  • Check for issues that may be slowing down your connection, such as someone streaming content over your network.
  • If you have any questions about your internet speed, contact your internet service provider."

(2) To help determine the source of any interference that may be occurring, you might want to browse through the article below

Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference - Apple Support

(3) Many Mac users have also found that unnecessary third-party (non-Apple) apps such as virus-checkers, ad-blockers, cleaners and the like, even VPN (if not provided by an employer) can cause troublesome interference. If installed, try turning them off, or better yet, use un-installers from their developers to get rid of them and any associated files.

Any third-party apps found necessary need to be kept updated so they do not cause compatibility issues.

Roy Bradshaw wrote:

Thanks for the postings, but I suspect we should have to hope there is someone scanning these posts to see if there are any other problems because most of the answers are a matter of sending or changing the routing of the sound without dealing with the specific acoustic quality .

Apple engineers and developers don't scan the forum to see if there are issues. If there is a known issue, they may look in the forums to find examples and, in rare cases, even reach out to people. I suspect than an issue experienced by very few people is not going to be high on their list. However, if everyone who has this problem gives feedback directly to Apple, that will increase the likelihood they will work on this issue.

Submit your feedback here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Can understand your efforts to solve the situation by examining the distortion effects in detail.

The only way I've seen videos shared here is by posting them online somewhere, (such as YouTube), and then posting a link to the video to the community.

Am no sound expert. Seems to me that directing effort towards ruling out some of the various possible causes of the situation you are experiencing, may prove more fruitful than in listening to the effects. I could be wrong.

OK. Thank you kindly for taking the time to reply and let us know :-)