Audio Management

Evmux provides comprehensive audio management including sound effects, background music, per-layer volume controls, and audio device configuration.

Audio System Overview

Who your viewers actually hear

Only the participants on the current scene are heard by viewers. A participant who is in the studio but not on the scene is offstage: inaudible to the broadcast and to the recording, even with their microphone unmuted and their level at 100.

There is therefore no way to add someone “for sound only” — to be heard they must be on the scene. To keep such a contributor off camera, add them and then make their layer small, move it outside the visible frame, or cover it with another layer.

Listen Offstage Feeds is a producer-monitoring control only. It decides whether YOU hear offstage people while you work; it has no effect on what viewers hear, and offstage audio never reaches the broadcast either way.

The audio system is divided into:

Sound Effects (FX) - Quick-trigger audio pads for transitions and effects
Background Music - Playlist-based music player with looping
Layer Audio - Per-source volume control for participants and media
Audio Settings - Device selection and processing options

Sound Effects (Sound FX)

Sound effects are organized into 6 trigger pads accessible from the Sound tab.

Sound FX Features

Feature	Description
6 Pads	Six pads available
Custom Names	Rename via context menu
Replace Sound	Assign audio from gallery
Volume Bar	Optional per-pad volume control
Progress Animation	Visual playback indicator
Duration Display	Shows audio duration (mm:ss)

Right-click a sound FX item to access:

Replace Sound - Choose new audio from gallery
Rename - Change display name
Volume Bar - Toggle volume slider visibility

Click a pad to play its sound. The sound goes out to the broadcast.

Background Music

The music playlist lives in the Sound tab. Each track has a name, its own volume, and a loop setting. There is one master music volume (0-100) and a playlist mode toggle.

Playlist Mode vs Loop

Playlist Mode ON: Plays tracks sequentially, loops disabled
Playlist Mode OFF: Individual tracks can loop
Conflict: Enabling playlist mode disables all track loops; enabling loop disables playlist mode

Music Controls

Action	Method
Play/Pause	Click play button on track
Seek	Drag progress bar on active track
Loop Toggle	Click loop icon on track
Reorder	Drag tracks using drag handle
Rename	Click edit icon next to name
Edit List	“Edit list” button opens gallery

See Background Music for details.

Volume Sliders

Volume controls throughout the studio use the same slider with a mute toggle.

Range: 0-100
Mute Toggle: Click the speaker icon to mute or unmute
Last Value Memory: Unmuting restores the volume you had before muting

Volume Icon States

Volume	Icon State
0	Muted (red line through speaker)
1-33	Low (single wave)
34-66	Medium (two waves)
67-100	High (three waves)

Audio Settings

Audio settings are accessible through the Settings popup.

Audio Input and Output

Microphone: Choose from the list of available microphones.
Speakers: Choose the output device. This option is only available in browsers that support changing the audio output.

Audio Processing Options

Option	Default	Description
AI Noise Reduction (Studio Sound)	varies	AI-powered noise cancellation and studio processing. See studio-sound
Background Noise Reduction (browser built-in)	varies	The browser’s own noise suppression. Shown instead of AI noise reduction when the AI option is not available on your account
Echo Cancellation	varies	Reduces echo. Disable when using headphones
Auto Gain Control	on	Normalizes volume automatically
Stereo Input	off	Enables stereo microphone (downmixed to mono when AI noise reduction is on — see warning below)
320kbps Audio	off	High-resolution audio (cannot be changed while live)

AI Noise Reduction conflict warnings

When AI noise reduction is enabled, the audio settings panel shows live warnings when conflicting options are also enabled:

AI + Echo Cancellation: ”⚠ Echo cancellation may cause audio scrambling when used with AI noise reduction.” — both filters compete for the same audio. Leave echo cancellation off when AI noise reduction is on (which matches the headphones recommendation).
AI + Stereo Input: ”⚠ Stereo is not supported with AI noise reduction. Audio will be processed as mono.” — the signal is downmixed before processing and stays mono through the broadcast.

See studio-sound for the full concept, including what happens when it is turned off.

Stereo Requirements (when AI noise reduction is OFF)

Without AI noise reduction, stereo audio input still requires:

Echo cancellation OFF
(Browser built-in) Noise suppression OFF

Mic test panel (“Test audio”)

Below the audio device selectors, the audio settings page includes a “Test audio” panel with two controls:

“Hear yourself” — toggles live loopback so you hear your own mic through the selected output (use headphones).
“Record & Listen” — captures a 5-second sample at the current volume, then plays it back. Useful for evaluating how you’ll sound to participants without the real-time loop.

See test-microphone for the full procedure.

Audio Processing Notes

AI Noise Reduction: Fully bypassed when disabled — see studio-sound
Echo Cancellation: Not recommended while using headphones; conflicts with AI noise reduction (see warning)
Auto Gain Control: Recommended for most users
Stereo Input: Conflicts with AI noise reduction (mono downmix)
320kbps: Cannot be changed during live broadcast

Listen Offstage Feeds (Backstage Sound)

The Listen Offstage Feeds toggle lets you mute/unmute ALL participants who are NOT currently visible on the live scene. This is a local monitoring control - it does NOT affect the broadcast output.

How It Works

Off → offstage feeds are muted for you; On → you hear offstage feeds at full volume
The setting is remembered per browser
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+B

Location

Desktop: Fast Access Bar (bottom bar), toggle labeled “Listen Offstage Feeds”
Mobile: Mobile menu bar, toggle labeled “Listen Offstage feeds”

Interaction with Exclusive Talk

When Exclusive Talk is active, Listen Offstage Feeds is automatically disabled. The toggle becomes greyed out with the message “Disabled due to Exclusive Talk”.

Per-Layer Audio

Each layer has its own volume control. A participant’s sources each have a separate volume:

Main camera
Media share
Screen share
2nd camera
3rd camera

AI Audio Commands

You can control audio through the AI assistant. It can:

Play, pause, or toggle music
Set the music volume (0-100)
Enable or disable playlist mode
Skip to the next or previous track
Add a track to or remove a track from the playlist
Tell you what is in the playlist
Trigger a sound FX pad
Tell you which sound effects are available

Best Practices

Test audio before live: Verify all sources work correctly
Balance volumes: Keep background music lower than voices
Use headphones: Prevents echo when using speakers
Enable noise suppression: Unless using professional gear
Organize sound effects: Name pads clearly for quick access
Use playlist mode: For continuous background music
Check 320kbps: Enable before going live for high-quality audio