The Revolution of Sound, Volume and VOIP Control for Enhanced 3D Experiences

The age of 3D adoption is upon us: virtual platforms are smarter, and users now have more control and heightened access than ever before. 3D environments can be incredibly engaging, interactive and cost effective when supported by the right technology and functionality.

Innovative businesses can improve the delivery of information by correctly utilizing VOIP and sound to augment attendees’ experiences. Here are some helpful tools that have been created to ensure a successful meeting:

1. Individual Microphone Mute and Volume Control: Each attendee is able to customize the volume for other speakers to suit their preferences. In other words, if Bill’s volume is too low, I should be able to click on Bill’s avatar and increase his volume but only for me (i.e. this will not affect how others hear Bill).

2. Open Microphone and Echo Cancellation: A participant without a headset creates an open microphone, which rebroadcasts and echoes the sound, ruining your virtual training class or meeting. The resolution lies in a feature that provides the host control to force only the attendees with open microphones into “push to talk” mode and leaves everyone else as is.

3. Positional Sound: It allows virtual attendees to hear others speaking predominately through their left or right speaker based on the relative location of others to them in the virtual space. It also reduces the volume of others proportionately to how far away they are from the listener. This significantly increases the sense of presence and immersion in virtual environments.

4. Multi-Channel VoIP and Proximity Zones: A single VoIP channel works OK for smaller virtual gatherings but for larger classes, a multi-channel solution is required. A two-channel VoIP technology allows you hear everyone in the room and the presenter simultaneously.

5. Dial-in Capabilities: Dial-in refers to the ability to dial a telephone number that connects the caller to a VoIP channel within a virtual environment where firewalls or lack of headsets hinders the caller. The best solution is one that turns the attendee’s telephone receiver into a VoIP headset. This capability alone dramatically increases the attendees who can participate where they wouldn’t have been able to previously.

Sound is incredibly important in our interactions with others. Being able to hear a speaker clearly makes a huge difference in the message being broadcasted. One lost word and the message could be altered for better or worse. Thus it’s crucial that 3D worlds are able to selectively focus on a particular individual, just as we would outside of the immersive world.