StompLink
Guide
Online guitar lesson setup for Zoom and FaceTime
A good online guitar lesson comes down to three things: the other side hears your guitar and voice clearly, you hear them without echo, and nobody fights the settings mid-lesson. Here’s a setup that works for teachers and students.
The setup in one sentence
Guitar and mic go into StompLink, StompLink is the call app’s microphone and speaker, and the call comes back to your headphones or your Stomp device, each source on its own fader.
Gear checklist
- An audio interface or Stomp device. Any device that shows up on your Mac as a USB audio interface, class-compliant or with its maker’s driver, like the HX Stomp. It gets your guitar into the Mac cleanly. An analog pedal with no USB audio needs an audio interface in between.
- A mic for talking, either plugged into the interface or the Mac’s built-in mic.
- Wired headphones for playing along. AirPods are fine for listening but add some delay.
- A camera angle that shows your fretting hand. A second camera or a tilted laptop helps.
- A wired internet connection if you can. It cuts dropouts more than any setting.
For teachers
Your guitar, your voice and a backing track from GarageBand, YouTube or Music can all go into the call, each with its own fader, so you can turn the track down while you explain and up while the student plays along. The student’s audio comes back to your headphones or your Stomp device. StompLink remembers each app’s level for the next lesson.
For students
Your teacher hears your guitar straight from your interface instead of through the laptop mic, and you hear them in the same headphones as your guitar. Turn the teacher up or down without touching your amp sim.
Zoom settings
- In Zoom’s settings, under Audio, choose StompLink as the microphone and the speaker.
- Turn on Zoom’s original sound for musicians option, then switch it on in the meeting. If your version offers them, high-fidelity music mode and stereo audio help too. Zoom renames these options from time to time, so look for “original sound” in the Audio settings.
- Turn off automatic microphone volume adjustment if you see that option, so Zoom doesn’t pump your levels.
FaceTime settings
From FaceTime’s Video menu, choose StompLink as the Microphone and Output. If a Mic Mode setting is offered during the call, avoid Voice Isolation for music. See the video call guide for details.
Recording the lesson
Switch on StompLink’s Recording destination to save both sides with video of the call window, or as audio only, so the student can review it later. Recordings stay on your Mac. Always ask before you record. More on recording.
Troubleshooting
My guitar cuts in and out on Zoom
That’s usually Zoom’s noise suppression. Make sure the original sound option is turned on in settings and switched on in the meeting.
The other person hears an echo of themselves
Check that the call’s own source isn’t switched on for the Call destination. It’s off by default. Also check that your call app’s speaker is set to StompLink, not straight to your Mac speakers, where your mic could pick it up again.
AirPods feel late when I play
Bluetooth adds delay. AirPods are fine for listening to the call, but for playing along use wired headphones or your Stomp device’s headphone jack. You can keep both as destinations and switch either one off.
Try StompLink
$24 one-time for one Mac at a time. Launch price: $19 for the first 60 days. For macOS 26 Tahoe or later.