Bye-Bye Hollow Sound: 7 Steps to Perfect Zoom Audio with Your Universal Audio Interface

If you’re a voice actor using a Universal Audio Apollo (or a similar interface), you’ve probably noticed a hollow, phase-y sound when working over Zoom. It’s subtle, and you won’t hear it in your headphones, but your listeners will—and it’s caused by your mic signal being double-bussed (sent twice) to Zoom.

Thankfully, this is a quick fix! Here’s a step-by-step guide to get clean, professional audio out of your UA interface and into Zoom.

Step 1: Update Zoom

Make sure you’re on the latest version of Zoom. Zoom tends to auto-update (sometimes at the worst possible times), so you’re likely up to date, but it’s worth checking.

• Open Zoom → click your profile picture → Check for Updates.

Step 2: Open Audio Settings

1. Click your profile picture → Settings

2. Select Audio from the menu on the left (third option down)

Step 3: Set Your Output

• Under Speaker, select the output of your UA interface.

  
  

  • This ensures what you hear in your headphones matches the signal Zoom is sending.

  
  

Step 4: Configure Your Microphone

1. Under Microphone, select your UA interface from the dropdown. My interface is a Scarlett 18i20- so that's what your'e seeing here. You'll see YOUR interface!

2. Important Settings:

   
   

   • Turn Automatically Adjust Microphone Level OFF

   • Turn Use Specific Audio Input Channels ON

   
   

3. Click Manage next to Audio Input Channels

   
   

   • If multiple channels are selected, click Clear Selection

   • Then select only the channel your mic is plugged into (likely Channel 1)

   
   

✅ This is the key step to eliminate the “double-bussed” sound. Zoom will now only receive your microphone once, rather than a duplicate signal.

Whether you need professional ears on your sound or help designing your home studio- just click and book!

Step 5: Save Changes

• Click Save to confirm.

• You’ve now removed that hollow, phase-y sound. Your listeners will hear a clean, direct mic feed.

Step 6: Optimize Zoom for Voice Actors

For the best possible audio quality:

1. Scroll down to Audio Profile

2. Enable:

   
   

   • Original Sound for Musicians

   • High-Fidelity Music Mode

   
   

3. For safety:

   
   

   • Echo Cancellation ON

   • Stereo Mode OFF (single mic only)

   
   

Step 7: Activate Original Sound in a Meeting

• Once in a Zoom session, look in the upper right corner: it should say Original Sound for Musicians: Off

• Click it so it says ON

✅ Now your Zoom audio isn’t just clean—it’s the highest quality your setup allows.

Tips for Voice Actors

• Always use a single input channel per mic for Zoom sessions.

• If you use multiple mics, route them to separate mono channels before sending to Zoom.

• Double-check Original Sound each session, because Zoom sometimes resets it.

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Frank Verderosa is an award-winning audio engineer and voiceover casting director with decades of industry experience. As the owner of POV Audio, he casts, sound-designs, and mixes television, radio, and promo campaigns for leading ad agencies and networks. Outside the studio, Frank supports the voice actor community through coaching, consulting, and demo production for talent at every level. To connect or learn more, visit www.frankverderosa.com and use the chat tab or explore the Voice Actor Services section.