Strange drumming sound on Google Meet

[localzuk]

2 of our teachers are now experiencing an issue whereby when they use Google Meet, their sound is ruined by a rhythmic drumming. (Download here).

 

It varies a bit in intensity, but it is all the way through every Meet they are in.

 

Both teachers have switched computers, they've switched rooms, one has unplugged everything in a room except the Chromebook, but the drumming is still there.

 

Any ideas?

[psydii]

Have you considered that they maybe renegade Timelords?

[Steve21]

Take it nothing stupid like their phones/tablets interfering? (You know like if you put it near a speaker etc)

 

Would explain why it follows them around but no-one else

 

Steve

[localzuk]

They tried that one - they turned off everything in the room - including their phones. Still happened.

[LeMarchand]

At home or school? Any other programs running? Worth trying an external mike (or a different mike)?

[Chaniel]

Some computers have audio enhancements on the microphone, have you tried checking that and disabling anything? We had major issues with microphones on some older laptops before disabling this

 

Right click Volume Icon > Sounds > Recording > Properties on Mic > (here is where it differs per mic) > Advanced tab > Disable sound enhancements OR perhaps Enhancements tab > Disable all sound effects

 

Possible screw up with noise cancellation in Google meet too (if enabled?).

 

https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9919960?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en&oco=0

[Koldov]

Jumanji...?

 

[paulkerton]

Are they using the built-in sound card? SSD or HDD?

I used to get tons of interference with sound cards and HDDs when they really started spinning up.

 

Tried a USB headset?

[psydii]

Do they hear it or just the other participants?

 

I wonder if they are on a misbehaving server? I've had similar happen in Teams, which because of its heritage offers quite a lot of telemetry and we've seen problems disappear as a user is moved off one server/cluster and onto another. Not that we have any control, as is the way with cloud services.

[MrEprise]

This reminds me of a similar phenomenon that I noticed once in my Parents old Vauxhall Cavalier where by the radio when tuned to Medium or Long Wave would pick up the rotations of the engine through similar static beats. That I think was caused by a bad ground from the speakers and I wonder if this is a similar scenario with the chromebook where it too had a bad ground within it's audio system and picking up something like a fan in a nearby convector heater or somesuch.

 

I know Lenovo for example are notorious for not adding grounds where they're actually needed like the many millions of B50 Essentials notebooks where a missing ground on the touchpad means that the mouse cursor jumps around the screen a lot. Is it possible to try another chromebook or even another laptop of a different type in the same location?

[localzuk]

At home or school? Any other programs running? Worth trying an external mike (or a different mike)?

 

Both at home and in school. Other programs running sure, as they are presenting them to the children. One teacher tried several different mics/headsets.

Some computers have audio enhancements on the microphone, have you tried checking that and disabling anything? We had major issues with microphones on some older laptops before disabling this

Right click Volume Icon > Sounds > Recording > Properties on Mic > (here is where it differs per mic) > Advanced tab > Disable sound enhancements OR perhaps Enhancements tab > Disable all sound effects

Possible screw up with noise cancellation in Google meet too (if enabled?).

https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9919960?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en&oco=0

 

It happens on Chromebooks as well as Windows PCs.

Are they using the built-in sound card? SSD or HDD?

I used to get tons of interference with sound cards and HDDs when they really started spinning up.

Tried a USB headset?

 

All SSD. All built in sound card. Headset has been tried by one of the teachers. The other hasn't, as they are hybrid teaching sometimes.

Do they hear it or just the other participants?

I wonder if they are on a misbehaving server? I've had similar happen in Teams, which because of its heritage offers quite a lot of telemetry and we've seen problems disappear as a user is moved off one server/cluster and onto another. Not that we have any control, as is the way with cloud services.

 

Just the other participants hear it.

 

It does seem to be sporadic. I did a load of test Meets with them and have been unable to reproduce. Google advised to clear cache and cookies and try again, and so far the one teacher has not experienced it again. So your "misbehaving server" might well be the problem somewhere!