My piano sounds faint or cuts out
Your voice comes through fine but the piano is quiet, muffled, or drops out on long notes. Here’s why it happens and how to fix it.
Calls are built for speech. Most devices "clean up" your sound by turning down anything that isn't a voice, and a piano is exactly what they turn down. The fix depends on what you're using.
1. Check Music mode is on
Music mode sends your sound unfiltered. It's on unless you've turned it off.
- Before you join: it's a switch on the setup screen.
- In the call: open A/V (Call settings on an iPhone) and check Music mode is on.
With Music mode off, background-noise filtering is on, and it treats sustained piano notes as noise.
2. On an iPad or iPhone, use the app, not the browser
On an iPad or iPhone, every browser (Safari included) puts your microphone through Apple's phone-call processing, and it can't be switched off from a web page. The tell-tale sign: your voice is loud and clear, but the piano is very faint. Moving the iPad closer doesn't help, because your voice gets louder too.
The Piano Gather app for iPad and iPhone doesn't have this problem. It isn't in the App Store yet; email us and we'll help you install it. Or use a computer.
3. On an Android phone, use a computer if you can
Android phones also process sound like a phone call, especially on speakerphone. Quiet playing can drop out, and when two people play at once one of them may disappear. For playing, a laptop or desktop computer works much better.
4. Don't use a Bluetooth microphone for playing
Bluetooth earbuds and headsets, such as AirPods, send their microphone's sound at telephone quality. While their microphone is in use, what you hear through them drops to telephone quality too.
Web browser
If you see …is a Bluetooth mic — fine for talking, not for playing, keep the Bluetooth headphones for listening if you like, but in A/V set the Microphone to your computer's built-in mic or a USB/wired mic. Better still, use wired headphones.
Mac or Windows app
The app does this for you: when Bluetooth headphones are connected it uses your computer's built-in microphone instead, and tells you so. If you've chosen the headset's own microphone on purpose, switch back in A/V.
iPad or iPhone app
The app can't use a different microphone while Bluetooth headphones are connected. For playing, disconnect them (or use wired headphones) so the iPad's own microphone is used.
5. Some laptops filter sound themselves
Many Windows laptops have built-in "voice" or "noise cancellation" processing for their microphones that a web page can't turn off. If the piano still sounds muffled with Music mode on:
- Plug in a USB microphone. This is the surest fix.
- Or try the Piano Gather Windows app. See Which browser or app to use.
- Or turn off the microphone effects in your laptop's audio settings. Look for "Audio enhancements", "Voice clarity" or the manufacturer's audio app.
6. Test it
On the setup screen, choose Hear yourself, play a few bars, and listen. It plays back exactly what others will hear. If it sounds right there, it will sound right in the call.
Note: A good USB microphone is the biggest single improvement you can make to how your piano sounds.