The Marratech Client, Advanced Audio Options

Marratech offers a wide variety of options, enabling users to tune their setup to their preference.

These options are available from the Tools -> Options menu (Marratech - > Preferences on Mac OS X) and selecting the Audio tab.

OUTPUT VOLUME

The Output Volume section controls the volume that you hear from your speakers. The slider to the right has the same function as the one in the main interface; it controls the volume of what you hear.

Windows and Linux
Choose which Output Device (i.e. audio card) you want to hear the audio from. If you have many such devices, select the one to which your headset is connected.

You may then choose an Output Channel from this device. These devices may have more than one output channel that tend to use different names depending on the brand, but the most common Output Device is often called Wave or Speaker.

Mac OS X
Choose which Output Device (i.e. audio card) you want to hear the audio from. If you have many output devices, select the one to which your head set is connected.

If you are using a USB headset, be sure to connect it before starting the client software. Always connect your USB audio device to your computer. Avoid using powered or unpowered USB hubs.

The Input Volume section controls the volume that you hear. The Marratech client software has automatic volume control for the microphone. For information on how to turn this off, please read further in this section.

Windows and Linux
Choose which Input Device you which to use when sending audio. If you have many Input Devices, select the one to which your headset is connected.

You may then choose an Input Channel from this device. Input Devices may have more than one Input Channel and while they are named differently from one brand to another, the proper one is usually called "Microphone".

Avoid using your web camera's built in microphone. The quality of those microphones is usually poor and may make you hard to understand.

Mac OS X
Choose which Input Device (i.e. audio card) you want to hear the audio from. If you have many Input Devices, select the one to which your head set is connected.

When using the Mac's built-in microphone or the iSight's microphone, be sure to use normal headphones as well, to avoid echo. iPod headphones work fine.

If you are using a USB headset, be sure to connect it before starting Marratech. Always connect your USB audio device directly to your computer. Avoid using powered or unpowered USB hubs.

The Right Mouse Button to Talk function will make your right mouse button (Or CTRL-click on Mac OS X) activate the microphone over any region belonging to Marratech. This is good for giving short, quick comments during a meeting.

Walkie-Talkie Mode forces the user to keep the mouse button pressed down on the microphone to talk. This can be bypassed by CTRL clicking the microphone button to keep it pressed in, or by disabling it altogether by unchecking the Walkie Talkie Mode box. The benefits of using Walkie-Talkie Mode are two-fold, bandwidth savings are significant and the Video Follows Audio option will work as it should.

The Audio Loopback feature will playback (i.e. make you hear) all the audio you send from your microphone. This feature is useful when making a recording and wanting to be sure your audio levels are correct. This feature is disabled every time you restart the application.

The Audio Options panel offers the possibility to test your audio playback and recording. The test button, situated in the Options/Preferences, will bring up a window that lets you do the following:

Record button - The red circle button will let you speak a short sentence and record it

Play button - The green arrow button will let you hear what you have just recorded and repeat it until you press stop.

Marratech button - The Marratech button will playback a test voice in a loop, enabling you to test your output volume without testing.

Output Volume slider will let you adjust the output volume accordingly during your tests.

Advanced Settings
The advanced settings should only be used in troubleshooting or in special cases that require fine tuning. In this extra window, you can:

Silence Suppression - It enables Video Follows Audio and saves bandwidth by detecting what is voice and what is silence. Marratech's silence suppression fills silences with white noise, offering a more comfortable silence.

AGC (Automatic Gain Control) - AGC let's Marratech adjust the volume to a level that is right for you. If you wish to disable this feature, un check the AGC box. When doing this, you may control the volume levels at an OS level without the influence of Marratech.