Just installed Ventrilo last night. Finally got to know my Guild mates outside of typing. Turns out most of them are pretty much like myself - Married w/kids. THAT pretty much rocks.

My only complaint is that I do find it a little distracting from the game. Although, I think that will pass the more I get used to it.

Anyway, for those of you using Vent, what did you choose as your bind key for speaking? I've used the left control button (my 4th choice), and I'm still not certain I like it.

I use the left control button. The only time it gets dicey is when I'm trying on RP clothes (dressing room is also bound to the control key) while singing along with iTunes. Oops.

I've heard the ` key (the one left of the number 1) is commonly used, but I didn't like it myself. Too much reaching when I'm doing other things, but I use the keyboard for turning/strafing a lot while I'm playing.

<alt> FTW. I hit it with my thumb and it's not used for hardly anything else.

You're right, you'll get used to being on Vent (or TS) as you do more of it. It seems that talking to people on Vent and developing relationships with your guildmates does a lot to enhance enjoyment of the game. I think it's one of the best burnout preventers around (see thread re: burned out). It's no wonder Blizz is incorporating it in a patch soon. I've made several RL friends within my guild; we even had a guild beach weekend in May. What a blast. A dozen of us in a beach cabin learning how to kite Grand Master Vorpil while drinking beer and eating pizza. Good times.

I use my thumb button on my mouse. Sometimes I find myself clicking the button while talking to someone in the room with me. Sort of sad, really.

If you have a multi-button mouse, I know people that bind it to one of those many buttons.

I use Left Alt ( Left Control for a whisper channel to a select few people ) and it works out pretty well.

My Guildies tell me that, when I am connected, they can hear their own voices echo back to them when they are speaking. Apparently, it's quite disorienting :ohwell:

I've been tinkering around with it, and it's improved a little, but still happening.

Can't seem to pinpoint this problem under the troubleshooting section of vent. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

If you are using external speakers and a mic instead of headphones, the mic will pick up both your voice and the delayed (echo) voices of your teammates.

I've had it happen an few times with guildies who use speakers rather than headphones while on TS. And Vent. and Skype. and...

The headphones direct the sound to your ears where the mic can't pick it up for feedback to the players.

And if you've got a 5 button mouse (or even 3 button) I'd recc setting one to the speak button. Unless of course you don't use the mouse much.

I've heard the ` key (the one left of the number 1) is commonly used

That's what I do. It's easier for me as it's right there next to my hotkeys, so I can do whatever needs doing, while talking.

:boohoo: momma say vent is the DEVIL!!! :boohoo:

coms is fun and all till people get outta hand.

i stopped using it cause 10 people on one channel and something goes wrong and you can hear them cussing 2 streets away..

that and hear many a arguement from the spouses in the background..

coms eviiiiiiilll....

Vent Normalization makes everybodies voice the exact same volume. In essence, you won't blow your ear's out or have difficulty hearing people.

Here's how:
Go to Setup

Enable Direct Sound
Select the SFX Button
Select Compressor and click Add.

Under Compressor Properties use the following settings
Gain = Adjust for how loud you want people to be. (I use 9)
Attack = 0.01
Release = Around 500
Threshold = Around -30
Ratio = 100
Pre delay = 4.0

i dont use any button.
it's voice activation for me! Never had problems with it.

I use left alt, I have had the trouble of missing it a few times and hitting the windows key, minimizing WoW, but thts only when im tired or just not 'on the ball'

Vent Normalization makes everybodies voice the exact same volume. In essence, you won't blow your ear's out or have difficulty hearing people.

Here's how:
Go to Setup

Enable Direct Sound
Select the SFX Button
Select Compressor and click Add.

Under Compressor Properties use the following settings
Gain = Adjust for how loud you want people to be. (I use 9)
Attack = 0.01
Release = Around 500
Threshold = Around -30
Ratio = 100
Pre delay = 4.0

What I've found amusing is that...

Half my guild picked up vent normalization 1-2 months ago, due to a few guildies saying how great it was. However, around the same time, I started "dissolving into static" on vent when I talked, according to a good portion of the guild--which was odd, as my mic had worked fine the day before and some people could still hear me. Weeks later (no one noticed the parallel changes; and now, I was needed to talk on Vashj for Tainted Cores, so they couldn't have me without a mic [I had resigned myself to typing in raid chat]), they figured out that if they turned it off, they could hear me.

Really strange.

Vent Normalization makes everybodies voice the exact same volume. In essence, you won't blow your ear's out or have difficulty hearing people.


Thanks! Gonna give that a try. Hopefully it will work. And if what happened to Veriden happens to me, I will just undo it.

Left Control here!

Oh yeah...I use my left thumb button on my mouse as well to talk.

I had to unbind auto-run to the right thumb button.

Although my on-board soundcard is hooped right now so I can't talk...it's really getting annoying.

Luckily I type very quickly.

Middle Mouse Button is the way to go.

Ventrilo might seem a bit of a distraction at first but pretty soon you'll come to appreciate the advantages it has over typing...especially in many PvE encounters and group/organized PvP.