How to Sabotage Your Zoom Call to Subdue the Effect
After a year of telecommuting, spending hours at Zoom attending countless email meetings has become just a lifestyle. That’s why you need Zoom Escaper , a plugin that allows you to sabotage your audio stream, giving you a good excuse to disconnect from time-wasting video chats without making it obvious that you neglect them.
The creator of Zoom Escaper promises that this tool “will make your presence [in the meeting] unbearable for others,” and after listening to the various interventions he offers, we believe him.
Here’s how to use it.
How to install Zoom Escaper
First, go to the Zoom Escaper page and click the Enable Microphone button. Then download and install VB-CABLE for your operating system. Once this is complete, update the Zoom Escaper website.
You will now have the option to toggle microphone and output. Select VB-Cable (Virtual) from the Output drop-down list and click Start, leaving the page open when you start a Zoom meeting.
How to use Zoom Escaper
In order for the tool to actually work in Zoom, you need to adjust a few parameters. Go to Zoom Settings> Audio and select VB-Cable as your microphone.
Select “Low” under “Reduce Background Noise” and enable the “Show during meeting to unmute original microphone sound” option. All other parameters nested here should be unchecked. (This YouTube video walks you through the entire process.)
Once you’ve joined the meeting, you can add sound effects from the Zoom Escaper page. Turn on the effect of your choice (or several at once if you want to really annoy the other participants) and adjust their volume. Please note that you will not be able to hear the effects from your side.
While some background sound options, such as Bad Connection and Echo, are expected, others can tell your coworkers how you are playing. The sounds “Man crying” and “Peeing” are annoying, of course, but they are less useful if your goal is to find a compelling reason to leave the meeting while maintaining your dignity. But you can also upload your own effects – this option appears at the bottom of the page when Zoom Escaper is running.
To turn off the Zoom Escaper, press the Stop button and in Zoom switch the microphone back to whatever you normally use.