Drive webinar registrations with this webinar promotion Ebook.
You've planned, organized, and rehearsed. You're ready to host your webinar. But wait! There's one more thing you need to do before you go live: do a webcam test and a microphone test.
Technical issues can be a webinar host’s worst nightmare. If your microphone or camera doesn't work properly you may come off as unprofessional, your audience might miss key insights, and they might not stick for long.
To avoid any technical mishaps, we've put together a few quick and easy ways to test your camera and microphone for a smooth and successful webinar.
Everything you need to promote your webinars and increase attendance.
You may want to repurpose your webinar content and use it as a podcast or as training for remote employees. Using a good microphone and camera is key to delivering an evergreen webinar with high production value.
Here are a few methods you can use to test both your microphone and webcam in just a few minutes and avoid one of the number one boring webinar mistakes: poor audio and video quality.
Video conferencing platforms like Livestorm have a built-in test room that lets you quickly and easily check your camera and test your external or built-in microphone. To do this:
Alternatively, you can create your own test room by opening a new tab in your browser and going to your webinar platforms website. Then, start a new meeting or join an existing one.
An even easier way to test your setup is to use the tools in Livestorm's free webinar toolbox. There's no need to sign up or log in. Just follow the simple steps below.
Open our free microphone test tool. Click the "Start the test" button, and select "Allow" to let Livestorm access your microphone.
Then, speak into your mic. Pay attention to the on-screen feedback to confirm the sound quality and volume levels.
Open our free webcam test tool. Click the button to start the test, and click to allow the tool to access your webcam.
You'll see your camera feed instantly. Pay attention to the image quality. If necessary, adjust the lighting or room setup.
If you want to be extra sure that your microphone and webcam are working properly, ask a friend or colleague to help you test it out.
Schedule a quick video call, invite them to join your test room, and then start the call. Consider switching to different browsers or devices to test different audio and video settings.
Why not also prepare some ice breaker questions for your audience? Use this moment to practice your best lines with our online mirror.
If you'd rather test your audio and video independently, you can always record a short video clip.
To do this, open your webinar platform's website in your browser and start a new meeting. Once you're in the meeting, click the "Record" button and start recording your video.
Once you've recorded your video, watch it back to see if there are any issues with the audio or video quality. This will give you an idea of what your attendees will see and hear when they join your live webinar.
The devices you use to join a webinar or a virtual marketing event can affect the audio and video quality. In-app platforms may not work as well as web-based platforms due to different processing power.
But browser-based platforms like Livestorm are easily accessible, don’t require any downloads, and are compatible with any device.
Each platform has different system requirements, so make sure to check that your computer meets the minimum requirements before joining a meeting.
You can usually find this information on the platform's website or in their FAQ section. If you're still unsure, contact the platform's customer support team.
A slow or unreliable internet connection can prevent you from having high-quality audio and video. It's best to run a speed test to see if your connection is up to scratch.
Try a third-party speed test like Speedtest.net. Simply open the website in your browser and click to start the test. The test will then run and show you your current download and upload speeds. If your speeds are too slow, you may need to upgrade your internet package or switch to a different provider.
Most webcams come with HD video quality, but it's always best to double check. If you're using an external webcam, you can usually find the video quality specifications and frame rate on the product's packaging.
If you're using the built-in webcam on your laptop or computer, you can check the video quality in your webcam's settings. Alternatively, the platform you're using to host your webinar may have its own video quality settings.
You can also use a background tool to blur your background or even replace it with a virtual one. Some video conferencing platforms like Livestorm come with this feature built in.
You've invested in the best microphone and webcam for webinars. But how do you know if they're actually compatible with your computer? And what about the audio and video quality?
Depending on the device you have or the webinar platform you use, there may be some slight variations in how you test microphones for video conferencing.
Here's how to test webcam and microphone tech across various operating systems and software platforms.
If your computer runs on Windows 7 or 10, you can use the built-in camera and microphone apps to test your devices.
Also use our microphone test free tool.
If you're using a Mac, you can change the settings from system preferences to test both your microphone and use PhotoBooth to test your webcam.
Zoom offers a few options for testing your microphone and webcam right from its desktop and mobile app before and after you join a meeting.
After joining a meeting
Before joining a meeting
Google Hangouts has a dedicated testing tool that you can use to test both your microphone and webcam before joining a meeting.
Google Meet has a dedicated testing tool that you can use to test both your microphone and webcam before joining a meeting.
Microsoft Teams offers in-app testing for your microphone and webcam. Simply navigate to the Settings and more option next to your profile picture and follow these steps:
Chrome requires access to your webcam and microphone. You can find this permission option in the Settings menu after you click on the More Options icon (the three dots in the upper right-hand corner). Click on Privacy and Security and choose Site Settings.
Everything you need to promote your webinars and increase attendance.
Before you join that next meeting, take a few minutes to test your microphone and webcam to ensure that everything is working properly. This will help to ensure that your meeting goes off without a hitch and that you're able to be seen and heard by everyone in attendance.
And don’t forget, the video conferencing platform you're using will also have an impact on the quality of your audio and video. Using video engagement software like Livestorm keeps your audience engaged with easy registration, hassle-free access, automated workflows, and interactive in-video features.
You can test your laptop camera and microphone from the settings menu of your video conferencing platform. You can also record a test video or audio clip to check that the microphone is working properly.
You can either choose QuickTime player to record a test video or use the in-built Photo Booth application to test your MacBook Pro's webcam. For testing the microphone, you can check the input settings by clicking on the apple icon on the top-left corner > System Preferences > Sound.
You can test your webcam and microphone on Windows 10 by clicking on Start > Settings > System > Sound.
You can test your computer camera for Zoom by signing in and then clicking on your profile picture > settings > video tab.