Click the Talk button to turn on the microphone. A microphone icon will appear in the Participants panel, the Talk button will display with a visual indicator and the microphone level slider will move up and down as the volume of your speech changes.
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How do I adjust my microphone and speaker levels?
The microphone level indicator (microphone icon) shows the volume levels when you are speaking and the speaker level indicator (speaker icon) shows the volume levels when someone else is speaking.
Tip: When all talkers have their microphones set properly, listeners won’t need to keep adjusting their speakers to accommodate changes in volume.
The best way to ensure proper microphone and speaker levels is to run the Audio Setup Wizard at the beginning of the session.
Microphone Level
There are four ways to adjust your microphone level:
Audio & Video panel: Grab the microphone level slider in the Audio & Video panel and drag it to the right to increase the volume and to the left to decrease the volume.
Options menu: From Audio & Video Options menu, select either Adjust Microphone
Level Up (to increase the volume) or Adjust Microphone Level Down (to decrease the volume).
Tools menu: From the Tools menu, select Audio and then select either Adjust Microphone
Level Up (to increase the volume) or Adjust Microphone Level Down (to decrease the volume). 40 The Audio Feature
Keyboard Shortcuts: Enter Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow (Shift-Command-Up Arrow on Mac) to increase the volume or Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow (Shift-Command-Down Arrow on Mac) to decrease the volume.
Speaker Level
There are four ways to adjust your speaker level:
Audio & Video panel: Grab the speaker level slider in the Audio & Video panel and drag it to the right to increase the volume and to the left to decrease the volume.
Options menu: From Audio & Video Options menu, select either Adjust Speaker Level Up (to increase the volume) or Adjust Speaker Level Down (to decrease the volume).
Tools menu: From the Tools menu, select Audio and then select either Adjust Speaker Level Up (to increase the volume) or Adjust Speaker Level Down (to decrease the volume).
Keyboard Shortcuts: Enter Ctrl+Up Arrow (Command-Up Arrow on Mac) to increase the volume or Ctrl+Down Arrow (Command-Down Arrow on Mac) to decrease the volume.
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How do I run the audio setup wizard on my Mac?
The Audio Setup Wizard is accessible from the Audio menu which is located in the Audio & Video panel.
Steps for Configuring Your Audio
- Open the Audio Setup Wizard by clicking the Audio & Video menu and clicking Audio Setup Wizard.
- From the Select Audio Output Device dialog, choose the device that will play the session audio e.g. speakers.
- Click OK
4. Click the Play button and adjust the volume slider so that you can clearly hear the pre-recorded message. Click Stop and then Yes to confirm you were able to hear the audio. If you were not able to hear the audio, click No and repeat the previous step.
5. Select the device you will use to send your audio during the session e.g. microphone.
6. Click OK
7. If you are using a headset or microphone just for you, select Single Talker. If you are using a single microphone to pick up multiple talkers in the same physical space, select Multiple Talkers.
8. Click Record and speak into the microphone using your normal speaking voice. Adjust the microphone slide bar so that it displays green bars with an occasional yellow bar. Red indicates that your audio is too loud or you microphone is too close to your mouth.
9. Click Play and confirm you can hear your recorded voice. You are now ready to participate in the audio portion of the session.
Please Note - If you want to use a different device, click the 
to Open the Sound Preferences panel.
The Sound preferences panel has a screen for audio output or how you will hear the session audio and a screen for input or microphone for sending audio.
Select the desired device for both Output and Input. Then close Sound preferences.
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What is the audio feature and how can I use it?
The Audio feature enables you participate in conversations during an Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing session using a microphone and speakers (or headset) via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Audio shares a panel with Video in the Blackboard Collaborate interface. It the following components:
You will know someone has their microphone turned on (has activated the Talk button) when
the blue Audio activity indicator appears next to their name in the Participants list. In the
example below, Vivian and Lisa have their microphones turned on.
In the table below, a checkmark indicates which functions can be performed by Moderators and
which can be performed by Participants.
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Can I configure additional Video settings and preferences?
Additional settings and preferences for Video can be configured in the following location:
· Go to Edit > Preferences
· Select Audio / Video
· Select Camera Settings…
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How do I run the audio setup wizard on my PC?
The Audio Setup Wizard is accessible from the Audio menu which is located in the Audio & Video panel.
Steps for Configuring Your Audio
Open the Audio Setup Wizard by clicking the Audio & Video menu and clicking Audio Setup Wizard.
From the Select Audio Output Device dialog, choose the device that will play the session audio e.g. speakers.
Click OK
4. Click the Play button and adjust the volume slider so that you can clearly hear the pre-recorded message. Click Stop and then Yes to confirm you were able to hear the audio. If you were not able to hear the audio, click No and repeat the previous step.
5. Select the device you will use to send your audio during the session e.g. microphone.
6. Click OK
7. If you are using a headset or microphone just for you, select Single Talker. If you are using a single microphone to pick up multiple talkers in the same physical space, select Multiple Talkers.
8. Click Record and speak into the microphone using your normal speaking voice. Adjust the microphone slide bar so that it displays green bars with an occasional yellow bar. Red indicates that your audio is too loud or you microphone is too close to your mouth.
9. Click Play and confirm you can hear your recorded voice. You are now ready to participate in the audio portion of the session.
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How do I choose my audio output device within my Blackboard Collaborate session?
Selecting an Audio Output Device
The first time you use Blackboard Collaborate it will use the audio output device that is the system default at the time your session is launched. You can select a different device using the Audio Wizard or through Tools>Audio>Speaker Settings…
The next time you join a Blackboard Collaborate session, the audio input device will be the one you used in your previous session – provided it is available when you launch.
To change the output device, do so in one of two ways:
- through Speaker Settings (Tools > Audio > Speaker Settings…); or
- using the Audio Setup Wizard.
To change your output device, do the following:
· From the Tools menu , select Audio > Speaker Settings…
· Speaker Settings dialog box appears.
· From the list, select the audio output line you would like to use.
· Click on Apply
· Click on OK to save your change and close the dialog box.
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How do I configure multiple simultaneous talkers?
The Moderator can enable up to 6 simultaneous talkers in a session. Participants should use headsets with microphones or an echo-cancelling audio device to avoid unwanted echoing of the audio during the session.
1. Click Tools > Audio > Maximum Simultaneous Talkers or select it from the Audio & Video Options menu.
2. Set the slider to the desired number.
3. Click OK
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How do I choose my audio input device within a session?
Selecting an Audio Input Device
The first time you use Blackboard Collaborate it will use the audio input device that is the system default at the time your session is launched. You can select a different device using the Audio Wizard or through Tools>Audio>Microphone Settings…
The next time you join a Blackboard Collaborate session, the audio input device will be the one you used in your previous session – provided it is available when you launch.
To change the input device, do so in one of two ways:
Devices (such as a sound card) may have a number of different input ports from which to choose, such as Line-In, Phone and Microphone. Generally, whichever port you select will be used in all future sessions, until you explicitly select a different port.
To change your Microphone device, do the following:
· From the Tools menu , select Audio > Microphone Settings…
· Microphone Settings dialog box appears.
From the list, select the audio input line you would like to use.
Click on Apply
Click on OK to save your change and close the dialog box.
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Can I configure additional Microphone settings and preferences?
To configure your Microphone with additional preferences and settings, do the following:
· Go to Edit > Preferences
· Select Audio / Video
· Select Microphone Settings…
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Can I configure additional Speaker settings and preferences?
To configure your Speakers with additional preferences and settings, do the following:
· Go to Edit > Preferences
· Select Audio / Video
· Select Speaker Settings…
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How do I know who is talking?
When the session is enabled for simultaneous talkers, it is important to open the Audio & Video panel so you can identify who is talking. The name of the person who is speaking along with their Profile picture (if they have one) will appear in the panel. The panel automatically switches to follow who is talking.
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How do I select which video device I want to use?
If you only have one video input device installed on your computer, that device is automatically used by Blackboard Collaborate to preview and transmit video. However, if you have more than one video input device on your computer, you can select which device you want to use.
To change your Video device, do the following:
· From the Tools menu , select Video > Camera Settings…
· Camera Settings dialog box appears.
· From the list, select the camera to use.
· Click on Apply
· Click on OK to save your change and close the dialog box.
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How do I stop my video transmission?
To stop the video transmission, click the Video button.
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