Google Meet features an incredibly powerful, AI-driven “Noise Cancellation” audio filter that is enabled by default for most Workspace and premium accounts. This filter analyses your microphone input in real-time and aggressively strips out any sound that does not resemble a human speaking voice. It is fantastic for blocking out barking dogs, typing on a mechanical keyboard, or the hum of an air conditioner during a standard business meeting.
However, if you are a music teacher using Google Meet to conduct piano or guitar lessons, this feature is an absolute disaster. The AI filter interprets the sound of a musical instrument as “background noise” and instantly mutes it. Your students will see you playing the guitar, but they will hear absolute silence, interspersed with occasional glitchy audio artifacts. To successfully transmit music over Google Meet, you must completely disable the noise cancellation.
Disabling Noise Cancellation Before a Meeting
If you want to ensure your audio is clean before your students join the call, you can disable the filter in the pre-join “Green Room.”
- Click the Google Meet link to open the pre-join screen (where you can check your hair and microphone before officially entering).
- Click the More options button (the three vertical dots) located near the bottom of your video preview.
- Select Settings from the menu.
- In the Settings window, click on Audio in the left-hand sidebar.
- Scroll down to the section labelled Noise cancellation.
- Click the toggle switch next to Leave on to turn it Off.
- Close the Settings window and click Join now.
Disabling Noise Cancellation During an Active Meeting
If you have already started the lesson and realise your student cannot hear you play, you can toggle the setting live without leaving the call.
- While in the active Google Meet call, look at the control bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Click the More options button (the three vertical dots).
- Select Settings from the pop-up menu.
- Click on Audio in the left sidebar.
- Find the Noise cancellation toggle and switch it Off.
The moment you disable this setting, Google Meet will begin transmitting the raw, unfiltered audio from your microphone, allowing the full dynamic range of your musical instrument to be heard clearly by the other participants.