Instrument 02 · microphone
Mic test
One click, speak, and watch the meter answer. Analysis happens on your machine; nothing is recorded.
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level: -∞ dB device: …
Test the rest of your setup
How to read your results
Speak at your normal call volume from your normal position. A healthy setup keeps ordinary speech between roughly -20 and -8 dB on the meter with the waveform clearly moving. A meter that only twitches when you are loud means the input gain is set too low; a bar that slams the right edge and a clipped, squared-off waveform means it is too high.
Common fixes
- Meter dead, permission granted: the wrong device is selected. Check the device name shown above; laptops often default to an internal array while your headset waits unused.
- Works here, silent on calls: the call app has its own input picker and it disagrees with the system default. Fix it in the app.
- Very low level on a USB or XLR mic: raise input gain in system sound settings or on the interface itself; and check the mic's mute switch, which has embarrassed everyone at least once.
- Distortion when loud: lower the gain and increase distance to the mic; clipping happens at capture and cannot be repaired downstream.
- Hum or hiss: on USB mics try another port, away from a charging phone; on analog, check the cable seating first.