Hold music audio quality: why so bad?

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2122 posts

Uber Geek

#1509976 9-Mar-2016 16:06

PolicyGuy:

xpd:

Our hold music is just an MP3 player connected directly in, so sound isnt bad :)

Interesting ... and exactly how are you monitoring, measuring and paying APRA AMCOS (www.apraamcos.co.nz, an amazingly slow website) for the public performance of music?

Unless of course it's music you wrote and performed and have donated free and gratis to your employer.

Just sayin

This was an issue at my old job actually. Same thing, just some ripped MP3's until someone pointed out it wasn't allowed and could be quite costly.

ubergeeknz

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Vocus

#1509978 9-Mar-2016 16:07

mudguard:

PolicyGuy:

xpd:

Our hold music is just an MP3 player connected directly in, so sound isnt bad :)

Interesting ... and exactly how are you monitoring, measuring and paying APRA AMCOS (www.apraamcos.co.nz, an amazingly slow website) for the public performance of music?

Unless of course it's music you wrote and performed and have donated free and gratis to your employer.

Just sayin

This was an issue at my old job actually. Same thing, just some ripped MP3's until someone pointed out it wasn't allowed and could be quite costly.

It *is* allowed, you just have to pay for the appropriate license.

JaseNZ

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#1509998 9-Mar-2016 16:44

Would have to agree most places are crap, Worst I have come across has been Spark, At first I thought it was the music but after finally talking to somebody their voice was just as bad. So I guess sometimes the line is the issue as well. I mean bloody hell I could do better with a couple of baked bean tins and a piece of string.

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Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1510011 9-Mar-2016 16:53

A local school just had a radio plugged into theirs

JWR

821 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1510013 9-Mar-2016 16:58

Brumfondl:

So it isn't just so people will hang up?

I am sure that is often the case.

Some organizations will also play it so loud it distorts phone speakers.

A good example is of this is EQC.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#1510016 9-Mar-2016 17:02

JWR:

Brumfondl:

So it isn't just so people will hang up?

I am sure that is often the case.

Some organizations will also play it so loud it distorts phone speakers.

A good example is of this is EQC.

EQC? It gets even worse if/when you get to talk to a "real person" - unintelligible garbage scripts much of the time.

rphenix

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#1510032 9-Mar-2016 17:39

To be honest - the worst ones go in and out to play a promo or fake ring but then go back to hold makes you stop for a second if your on speakerphone in particular (as you cant hear properly) thinking your about to talk to someone only to go back to hold. Unless its midi music I can generally tune out as long as its continuous.

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richms

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#1510080 9-Mar-2016 18:43

Usual cause is because your call is going thru a cellphone on 2degrees network which seems to have something in their audio path to make things sound aweful. Much worse than the same handset on vodafone. But voice quality is aweful on mobile which I why I try to avoid using it.

Richard rich.ms

michaelmurfy

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#1510127 9-Mar-2016 20:42

I used to have the Cisco Callmanager default hold music on a flash drive in my bag. When I was setting up phone systems I'd set that as their hold music - was a great decision.

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blakamin

4431 posts

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#1510149 9-Mar-2016 21:09

Many years ago a company I worked for supplied hold music. TelstraClear was one of our customers.

The music was the same quality that was put on jukeboxes.

We dealt with the rights BS.

Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1510208 9-Mar-2016 22:44

blakamin:

Many years ago a company I worked for supplied hold music. TelstraClear was one of our customers.

The music was the same quality that was put on jukeboxes.

We dealt with the rights BS.

TelstraClear music was flute solos

MadEngineer

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#1510223 9-Mar-2016 23:40

Chillisoft would have the best on hold music :p

They even have it as an option in their phone menu so you can listen to it

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Geektastic

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#1510229 10-Mar-2016 00:03

I questioned this because I was on the phone to Garmin and the quality of the sound was truly awful.

The choice was not so great either but that is a whole other kettle of fish.

There is a certain telco in NZ who seem to have a 'stuck record' approach to this subject (and since allegedly people spend a long time on hold there...) as every time I phone up it is the same stuff over and over again - truly I have come close to going postal just because of that!

BTR

1527 posts

Uber Geek

#1510279 10-Mar-2016 08:26

As well as the quality being bad most of the time the actual music is awful as well.

andrew027

1286 posts

Uber Geek

#1510280 10-Mar-2016 08:28

Mspec: Would have to agree most places are crap, Worst I have come across has been Spark, At first I thought it was the music but after finally talking to somebody their voice was just as bad. So I guess sometimes the line is the issue as well. I mean bloody hell I could do better with a couple of baked bean tins and a piece of string.

Pretty long piece of string, from here to the Philippines...

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