Optimizing Your Zoom Settings for Online Music Lessons

At Nutley School of Music, we offer flexible lesson options—including online lessons—so students never have to miss out on their musical progress. To ensure the best experience, it's important that Zoom is set up correctly to capture high-quality audio for music instruction.

This guide will walk you through the ideal Zoom settings for music lessons, especially when using a microphone and playing an instrument.

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What You’ll Need:

• A stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or ethernet strongly recommended)
• A device with a microphone and camera (laptop, tablet, or smartphone)
• The Zoom app (make sure it's updated to the latest version)

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Why Zoom Audio Settings Matter for Music

Zoom is optimized for speech, not music. That means it uses noise suppression, echo cancellation, and audio compression—all of which can interfere with how music sounds. Fortunately, Zoom provides options designed specifically for musicians.

To preserve the full sound of your voice or instrument, we recommend enabling the Original Sound for Musicians. These settings bypass Zoom’s default audio filters, allowing for more natural, high-fidelity sound.

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Mobile Device Example

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Desktop Example

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In-Meeting Example

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If you have any questions or need help setting this up, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher before your next online lesson. We're happy to walk you through it!

For detailed instructions on each device (desktop, tablet, mobile), please refer to Zoom’s official guide here: Zoom: Original Sound for Musicians