Echo in Talkback | Sessionwire Help

Why do I hear an echo in Talkback?

If you or the other person hear your own voice coming back with a short delay, there are two usual causes. Check them in this order.

Open headphones or speakers feeding HQ Audio

HQ Audio sends exactly what it's given, with no echo cancellation, because it's built for music. If a microphone that feeds your HQ Audio can hear your speakers or open-back headphones, the other person's voice goes into that mic and straight back to them.

  • Wear closed-back headphones while you work.
  • Keep microphones out of the HQ Audio path unless you're recording through them.
  • If you need to talk over your speakers, mute your HQ Audio while you talk.

If the echo stops when everyone wears closed-back headphones, this was the cause.

Some Universal Audio interfaces

Some Universal Audio Apollo interfaces add a tiny delay to their outputs. That delay is enough to stop Talkback's echo cancellation from working, so the other person hears themselves back. It only affects some units, and only on Macs. Universal Audio know about it but aren't working on a fix, so the workarounds below are the way to deal with it.

Workaround on a Mac

The workaround is to send Talkback to your monitors through a virtual device made with Loopback, an app from Rogue Amoeba. Loopback reaches the Universal Audio outputs without the added delay.

  1. Install Loopback and create a new virtual device called Sessionwire Talkback Out.
  2. Connect its Output Channels 1 & 2 to the Universal Audio outputs that feed your monitors or headphones.
  3. In your Studio, click the arrow next to Talkback and choose Sessionwire Talkback Out as your speaker.

Another option: route Talkback through your DAW

You can run Talkback through your DAW with the Sessionwire Talkback Send and Talkback Receive plugins instead. This also avoids the delay, but your talkback mic has to come through your DAW.

Using a hardware mixer

If your interface is a mixer with USB, the echo usually means the whole mix is going back into Sessionwire. Build a separate mix with only your microphone in it and send that to USB channels 1 and 2. Sessionwire listens to the first two channels, so only your voice goes out.

If none of this fixes it, email support@sessionwire.com with your interface model, your computer and operating system, and whether the echo is on Talkback or HQ Audio.