MurkyMerk

How to Set Up Mumble

Here is my tutorial on how to get Mumble ready for use. It also includes recommended UI tweaks and audio quality setup. Mac and Linux versions may be different, but the prompts should be identical.

~~Before we begin, I invite you to read why I prefer Mumble over Skype, TeamSpeak, and Ventrilo. You don’t have to though.~~ (in progress)

1. Download and Install

Download the software at http://mumble.sourceforge.net/. Mumble is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android!

2. Audio Wizard, Push-to-Talk, and Certificate Wizard

After installing, RUN THE AUDIO WIZARD. There should be a prompt asking you to do so when you first run Mumble. I cannot stress this part enough so please pay attention and take your time with each step, especially with the Volume tuning part of the Audio Wizard. From there you can select the the audio devices you want to use for Mumble, optimize your sound and connection quality, and set a push-to-talk (PTT) key. I recommend using the wheel click or a thumb/side button on your mouse as your PTT key.

If you absolutely prefer using automatic transmit (use Signal-To-Noise ratio option instead of PTT), only do so if your mic will not go off every two seconds especially when something makes the slightest noise (ie. you breathing or typing, speakers being used), so adjust the Signal-To-Noise ratio slider in Audio Wizard for Mumble to recognize your speaking voice. Please be in a quiet room and use headphones/headset with this option to avoid annoying other users.

In the next part of the first-time setup, I think you’ll be asked to create a certificate or something, just make one. Click yes/next or whatever, you can do that part hastily, lol.

3. Adding a Server

Open up the server list by clicking Server on the menu bar then Connect.

Click Add New.

In the Edit Server window, fill these details in:

Address: mjp.murmur.nfoservers.com

Port: 6390

Name the server whatever you want, and enter in your desired name (you can’t copy mine, teehee).

4. Connecting to a Server

Click on the new server you just added and CONNECT! Or you can just double click on the server name. I believe a notification about certificates will show up if it is your first time connecting so click yes/okay if it does appear.

Then you should be inside the server and ready to use Mumble! (I took a screenshot of the default look for this guide, but I generally have my Mumble customized to have “Users above Channels” and the chat/log on the right side which is shown in the next step.)

5. Tweaking Mumble UI

This part is optional, but I recommend doing this to make your Mumble server look more pleasing and look like Ventrilo/TeamSpeak (I’m used to it and it just makes more sense) like in the previous screenshot. (The following setting will be default in Mumble 1.2.4.) On the menu bar, click on Configure then Settings. Check Advanced on the bottom left corner and click on the User Interface tab/section. Change your layout if you want but I recommend setting Expand to All on and check the two boxes below it. YOU NEED TO RESTART MUMBLE FOR THESE CHANGES TO APPLY.

Before: Stormy and I are not in the Study Hall channel, they are in the main lobby named Mumble Crew’s Server. Oppa also looks like he is under the Guild Wars 2 channel but he is actually under the Gaming channel.

After: With the “Users above Channels” option, the channels and the users contained in them make more sense now, right?

6. Overlay and other settings

From this point, feel free to change other options to your liking, especially Overlay, Messages, audio and network quality, and custom skins. I recommend customizing the Overlay feature instead of turning it off completely. I find it helpful having it enabled while gaming since I will know who is in the channel with me and who is speaking especially if someone I do not recognize joins my channel. This is particularly useful if you are new to a server/community and want to learn other users’ names and voices while playing games. I will not go over customizing the Overlay since it is fairly simple, but I advise you look into it.

7. Improve mic quality under Windows

This part is also optional and recommended. On Windows Vista and 7 (should be possible on W8 too?) you can change the input and output quality of your devices. In the screenshot below I have my mic quality set to the max. You should too by going into your system sound settings and change the format for your mic (and speakers if you want). Your max quality may be different from mine because I have a high-end sound card and the choices you have available are dependent on your hardware. (This can also be done for your speakers/headphones under the Playback tab.)

I hope this helps! If you have any questions or need any extra help, feel free to message me on Tumblr or on other networks like Steam.

tl;dr - Download, install, run audio wizard, and connect to mjp.murmur.nfoservers.com (port 6390). Edit or remove overlay before you rage about it in a game. Change the UI to make Mumble look like Ventrilo/TeamSpeak as mentioned in steps 5-7 because Mumble looks stupid without the changes I mention until version 1.2.4 is released.

(Originally written on December 13, 2010 with Mumble version 1.2.2. Last edited on January 22, 2013.)