Online Music Lessons: Zoom or FaceTime
My Set up
I have been teaching online music lessons for over two years now. It has been a challenge to have consistently good audio and video quality over various platforms. It becomes a real struggle to teach students who are difficult to hear or see.
Currently for my online students I use an over the piano mounted iPhone 6. It is sending a video feed to my MacBook. The iPhone 6 allows for a wired video feed to the laptop and a separate audio “in/out” through the 3.5mm audio connector. I have connected an external microphone (Rode VideoMicro) and a pair of speakers. Apple’s IOS 12 or older allows mirroring your phone on your laptop via QuickTime.
I use two software programs for my online lessons – FaceTime and Zoom. Skype and Google Duo was giving me too much trouble with the sound quality.
Zoom vs FaceTime
Zoom’s “original sound” setting gives the best audio quality but FaceTime provides superior video quality. FaceTime’s sound quality is pretty good “out of the box”. Zoom on the other hand by default has terrible audio quality for musing. The “Original Sound” is a must for music lessons. Some of my students have a hard time adjusting Zoom settings and we use FaceTime instead. It is good enough for beginner and intermediate students.
Zoom and FaceTime are great in many ways regarding audio quality. Do keep in mind that you cannot judge the overall loudness of your student’s playing. I have started asking my students to tell me what dynamic level they play. That is helpful to determine if they have enough sound overall.
Below you can listen to comparison tests between Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype to find out what is the best online music lessons software and hardware for you to use.
The Hardware Used in the Test
For this comparison test I used an iPhone 11, an iPad 5th generation, a Mac Book Pro 2012 with an external Rode Camcorder microphone, and a Pixel 3. Initially I also included an iPhone 6 and a Mac Book Pro 2012 without the EXTERNAL microphone but they produced much lower sound quality. The sound test does not include iPhone 6 with the EXTERNAL microphone but the Mac Book Pro 2012 with the EXTERNAL Rode Camcorder microphone produces similar results. In my current set up I use iPhone 6 with the External microphone.
Zoom vs FaceTime vs Skype with iPhone 11
Listen to a comparison test below of Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime using an iPhone11 with it’s INTERNAL microphone.
Zoom vs FaceTime vs Skype with iPad 5th generation
Listen to a comparison test below of Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime using an iPad 5th generation with it’s INTERNAL microphone.
Zoom vs FaceTime vs Skype with MacBook 2012 and an EXTERNAL microphone
Listen to a comparison test below of Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime using a Mac Book Pro 2012 with an EXTERNAL Rode Camcorder microphone.
Which device to use with ZOOM – iPhone, iPad, or MacBook with an external mic?
If you are undecided between which Apple device to use with your favorite software, watch these videos. Here is a comparison test of ZOOM on an iPhone 11, an iPad 5th generation, a Mac Book Pro 2012 with an external Rode Camcorder microphone, and a Pixel 3.
Which device to use with Facetime – iPhone, iPad, or MacBook with an external mic?
Here is a comparison test of FACETIME on an iPhone 11, an iPad 5th generation, and a Mac Book Pro 2012 with an external Rode Camcorder microphone.
Rudolf Ozolins
Rudolf holds a DMA in piano performance from Michigan State University. He has a well-established piano studio in Detroit Metro Area. Rudolf still performs regularly chamber music including musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
In 2017 he started a Real Estate investing company and has multiple rental properties. Rudolf also launched an educational blog for classical musicians – MusicMasterLab.com and two successful YouTube channels with thousands of views in the last year alone.
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