Play Music in Yahoo! Chat

Many chat rooms on Yahoo have sound and music playing as you enter. Some use the talk button for conversation, but others use the talk button to play their favorite tunes. Here's how.

Steps

  1. Get a good quality sound card, such as either a Creative Sound Blaster Live! or the newer version, Sound Blaster Audigy series. If you want to talk while playing, you will also need a headset or microphone.
  2. Install or plug in the sound card. Remember to disable any other onboard or integrated sound in your settings.
  3. Install the driver disk and software. Windows should recognize your card and help to guide you.
  4. Run an audio wizard or audio setup. This will test your sound, mic, and connection to the voice server.
  5. Enter. When all settings are working correctly, enter a Yahoo chat room. Click on the 'voice' icon at the top of the chat screen. Next to your screen name, there will be a smiley icon with headphones. If someone is playing or talking, you will see their screen name and a color bar indicating the volume or strength of their sound next to the 'talk' button.
  6. Get a mic locker program. This will keep the 'talk' button held down for continuous broadcasting of music or sound to the chat room and anyone who has the voice or sound feature enabled. The 'hands free' feature does not work very well. Some programs that work with Yahoo are equipped with a mic locker. You can download these on the internet, but always run a virus checker on them, since these programs are not supported by Yahoo.
  7. Wait. When the 'mic' or talk button is not in use, go to start> programs> creative> sound blaster> surround mixer.
  8. Tweak your settings to get the sound you like. (more bass, treble, etc.) You will see a setting on the mixer with REC or a mic icon with a plus sign. There should be an arrow to choose another setting. Click the arrow and choose 'What you hear'. The mic icon will change to an ear icon. Adjust your volume and mic settings, and select your speakers, usually 2, 4, 5.1, 7.1, or headphones.
  9. Download and install a media player such as Winamp, Music Match, or use Windows Media Player. Open a folder where the music you want to play is located. Select the file.
  10. Follow the directions on your mic locker program. Usually you will need to use your mouse to drag a box, icon, or arrow over to the talk button. Some programs have a 'lock mic' box, which will replace the hands free box. Click on it. The talk button should press down and turn bright green. You will now be broadcasting to the chat room.
  11. Double click or play your music file. You will see your nickname and a color bar on the chat screen next to the talk button. It will move to the beat or strength of your music or voice. Keep the levels below the red lines on the color bar for best sound. Ask other chatters how your sound is coming through, and make any changes. The number next to your screen name while playing indicates how many listeners you have.
  12. Stop. To stop broadcasting using the mic or talk button, click unlock or the mic lock box to release the talk button. It should turn dark green, and your name will not be showing next to the color bars.



Tips

  • Sometimes Yahoo voice servers stop responding and your sound cuts off unexpectedly. When this happens, exit the chat room and come back. Your sound will be restored, but you will need to again click the mic icon and change the setting back to 'what you hear' on the surround mixer.
  • If you do not like the music being played in the room by a user, you can click 'mute' on the side of the screen.
  • You may want to test broadcast in an empty chat room before playing for others. When the 'talk' button is locked down, you will see a red box beside your nickname with a zero, and hear a loud beep. Click 'mute' to silence the continuous beeping tone.
  • Get the best quality sound equipment you can afford. (sound card, speakers, microphone) You will immediately hear the difference. The clarity and features are worth the cost.

Warnings

  • Some chat rooms have an order or 'rules' for using the talk or mic feature, such as 1 or 2 songs per person, and then they move down the chat users list, letting each chatter have a turn using the talk feature. Failure to follow the room's rules or rude behavior can result in booting or being reported to Yahoo.
  • Beware of 'booter' or 'hacker' programs which will force your screen name out of the chat room and can cause other computer problems. Booters may overload your chat screen with codes or send multiple im, pm, or invite boxes to confuse your computer and use up your memory, causing screen freezing, errors, and will cut off your voice.
  • Do not attempt to 'step on' or play over someone who is already using the voice feature to play tunes or talk. This is rude and may anger the person who was playing or talking first. Wait until the person is done playing or ask to use the mic or talk button.

Things You'll Need

  • Creative sound card, speakers, microphone or headset
  • a Yahoo companion program: Y!Tunnel Pro, Yazak, YahElite,YTK Pro,YTK Pro Enhanced
  • a media player: Winamp, Music Match, Windows Media Player
  • a mic locker program: snoop_lock.exe, mic_lock.exe; j
  • anti-virus software

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Play_Music_in_Yahoo!_Chat&oldid=361040"