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Audio and Video

The Copera Virtual Office uses spatial audio and video so who you hear and see depends on where your avatar stands on the map. Two mechanisms control sound: strict room isolation when you are inside a bounded room (only people in the same room are audible) and proximity falloff when you are in the open lobby (voices fade with distance). Video feeds follow the same rules. This means a meeting in Room A is completely private from a chat in Room B, and a quiet group in one corner of the lobby will not hear a loud group across the map.

How audio works​

Copera's Virtual Office uses two mechanisms to match audio to where you are: room isolation when you are inside a room, and proximity falloff when you are in the open lobby.

Room isolation​

When you walk into a bounded room, you hear only the people who are in that same room. As soon as you cross the threshold into a room:

  • Voices from people in other rooms go completely silent, even if those people are just a few pixels away on the map.
  • Voices from people in the open lobby outside the room also go silent.
  • You hear everyone in your room at full volume.

This isolation works the other way too -- people outside your room cannot hear what is said inside. A meeting in Room A is audibly invisible to anyone sitting in Room B or in the lobby.

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Room isolation means you can have several simultaneous conversations happening in different rooms without any of them bleeding into each other. A planning meeting in one room will not disturb a casual chat in another.

Proximity audio in the open lobby​

When you are in the open lobby (outside any room), audio works like a real room: the closer someone is to your avatar, the louder you hear them. As you move further apart, their voice gradually fades.

This creates natural behavior:

  • Walk toward a colleague's avatar and their voice gets louder.
  • Step away and their voice gets quieter.
  • Form a small group in one corner and the people far away will not hear your conversation.

If you are in the open lobby and someone is inside a room, you will not hear them at all -- room isolation always takes priority over proximity.

How video works​

Video follows the same room rules as audio. You can only see someone's camera feed if you are in the same location as them:

  • Same room -- You see each other's camera tiles at full quality.
  • Same open lobby -- You see each other's cameras as you wander the canvas.
  • Different rooms, or one in a room and one outside -- Camera feeds are hidden.

This means video calls that happen inside rooms remain visually private to the people in that room. You can confidently turn on your camera during a meeting room discussion without worrying about your feed showing up on someone's screen across the office.

Camera and microphone controls​

Your camera and microphone are controlled from the top-right of the screen while you are in the Virtual Office. The same controls appear in the conference view when you zoom into a room.

Toggle microphone​

Click the microphone icon to mute or unmute yourself.

  • Unmuted -- Shows a regular microphone icon. Your voice is broadcast to people in your current location.
  • Muted -- Shows a crossed-out microphone in red. Others can see you are muted (a muted badge appears on your avatar) but will not hear you.

Toggle camera​

Click the camera icon to turn your camera on or off.

  • On -- Shows a video icon in blue. Your avatar shows your live camera feed in a small circle.
  • Off -- Shows a crossed-out camera icon. Your avatar shows your profile picture or initials instead of video.

Share your screen​

From conference mode, you can click the screen share icon to share your screen with everyone in the room. This only works while you are inside a room -- screen sharing is not available from the open lobby. When you leave the room, screen sharing stops automatically.

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Muting your microphone when you are not actively speaking reduces background noise and helps your team focus on the person who is talking. This is especially useful in rooms with several participants.

Active speaker indicators​

When someone in your current location is speaking, Copera gives you a clear visual cue:

  • Speaking ring -- A colored ring pulses around the speaker's avatar (on the map) or tile (in conference mode).
  • Your own speaking ring -- Appears on your avatar too, so you can confirm that others are hearing you when you talk.
  • Muted badge -- A small crossed-out microphone icon appears on the avatar of anyone who has muted their mic.

These indicators make it easy to follow who is talking, even in a busy room with many participants.

Ambient room music​

Some rooms include background music that plays only for the people inside them. When you enter a room with music:

  1. The music fades in at a comfortable volume.
  2. A music player bar appears at the bottom of the screen with the room name and volume controls.
  3. Click the plus (+) or minus (-) buttons to adjust the volume.
  4. The current volume is shown as a percentage.

The music is heard by everyone in the room, so you share the ambience together. When you leave the room, the music fades out.

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Music settings are local to you -- lowering the volume only affects what you hear, not what your colleagues hear. Each person can control their own music volume independently.

Deafened mode​

You can temporarily silence all audio from the office without leaving. This is useful when you need to focus without disconnecting:

  • Deafened -- No one in the office can be heard, regardless of distance or room.
  • Undeafen -- Audio resumes from everyone in your current location.

Deafening is local to you -- nobody else knows you cannot hear them. When you undeafen, you will not hear anything that happened while you were deafened.

Frequently asked questions​

Can people in other rooms hear me talk?​

No. When you are inside a bounded room, your voice is only transmitted to people in that same room. People in other rooms or in the open lobby cannot hear you.

What happens to screen sharing when I leave a room?​

Screen sharing automatically stops when you leave a room. If you want to continue sharing your screen with the same group, you need to all move together to another room and start the share again from conference mode.

Does my camera stay on when I move between rooms?​

Your camera setting stays on as you move around, but your camera feed is only shown to people who can see you according to the room rules. If you walk out of a room, the people inside can no longer see your camera, and vice versa.

Can I listen without being seen or heard?​

Yes. Mute your microphone and turn off your camera to enter a room as an observer. You will still see and hear others, but you will not appear on camera or broadcast any audio.