Push-to-talk is a mic control available to Producers in the Control Room. It lets a Producer briefly speak to participants during a Room session without appearing on camera or being recorded.
This article covers:
Push-to-talk is only available to Producers in the Control Room. Learn more about roles in Descript Rooms
How push-to-talk works
Producers can choose who hears them when they use push-to-talk:
- Everyone — Speak to all participants in the Recording Room
- Specific participant — Speak privately to one individual in the Recording Room
While push-to-talk is active, participants see a visual indicator that someone is speaking. When push-to-talk is turned off, the audio stops. Producers are never recorded, even while using push-to-talk.
If a participant isn't wearing headphones and Echo Cancellation is turned off, their microphone may pick up audio from their speakers when a Producer uses push-to-talk. This can result in unintended audio being captured in the final recording.
To avoid echo and mic bleed, we recommend all participants wear headphones. If headphones aren't available, select "No" when prompted with "Are you wearing headphones?" before joining the Room. Learn more about adjusting your settings
Silence push-to-talk
When a producer uses Push-to-talk to speak to an individual, the individual can temporarily silence the incoming audio by clicking the red hand button on the right side of the talking notification.
When a participant clicks the red hand to silence push-to-talk, the incoming audio immediately stops. The Producer can resume push-to-talk with that participant after a brief cooldown.
Push-to-talk is a live audio feature—it's not the same as sending a private chat message (DM). When a Producer uses push-to-talk, they're speaking to someone in real time, not sending a written message.