Why Does My Mic Sound Bad?

"Your mic sounds weird" is the least helpful thing a friend can say on a call, because it could mean five different problems. The good news: each one leaves a clear trace on a level meter, and you can check yours in a browser tab without installing anything.

How do you check what's wrong with your mic?

1. 01

   Open a mic test

   Open our Mic Test, press Start mic and allow the microphone. Pick the mic you use for calls in the Microphone list.

2. 02

   Talk normally for 10 seconds

   Use your normal call voice, at your normal distance. The tool waits for at least 4 seconds of sound before it judges.

3. 03

   Read the four numbers

   Peak (your loudest moment), average level, background noise, and distortion. The checks under them tell you what to fix.

4. 04

   Record and play back

   Record 10 seconds and listen with headphones. Your ears catch muffled or echoey sound that numbers don't.

What does a good mic level look like?

Here's our speech sample at normal volume. Peak -4.7 dB, average -15.1 dB, background noise -81 dB. Every check passes. As a rule of thumb, your loudest words should get close to the top without touching it.

Why does my mic sound too quiet?

Your input volume is too low or you're too far from the mic. Our Mic Test flags a voice as quiet when your speaking level stays under -42 dB. At 3% volume our sample peaked at -35 dB and averaged -46 dB: audible, but people would keep asking you to repeat yourself.

• Move closer. A hand's width from the mic is about right for most USB and headset mics.
• Raise the input volume: Windows Sound settings, then Input, then your mic's volume. On a Mac it's System Settings, then Sound, then Input.
• Check the mic's own gain knob or mute switch, if it has one.

Why does my mic crackle or distort?

The level is too high, so your loudest sounds hit the ceiling and get chopped off. That's the crackly, blown-out sound. At 12× volume our sample distorted 19 times in a few seconds of speech, and the test failed it. Lowering the level is the only fix: software can't rebuild a clipped sound afterwards.

• Turn the input volume or gain knob down until your loudest laugh stays below the top.
• Move back a little, especially if you get louder when you're excited.
• Turn off any "mic boost" option in your sound settings.

Why does my mic pick up background noise?

Fans, keyboards, traffic and computer hum all go in with your voice. The test warns when the noise between your words is louder than -45 dB, or when your voice isn't at least 15 dB louder than the noise. In plain terms: your voice should be much louder than the room.

• Turn on noise suppression in your call app. Discord, Meet and Zoom all have it.
• If you use a voice changer, fix noise first: it changes the fan along with your voice. Our voice changer explainer shows why.
• Point the mic at your mouth and away from the fan or the keyboard.
• Get closer to the mic, then lower its gain. Your voice stays the same; the room gets quieter.

Why does my mic sound muffled or robotic?

A level meter won't show these, so listen to your playback:

• Talking into the wrong side. Many USB condenser mics pick up from the front, where the logo is, not from the top. Speak into the top of one of those and you sound distant and dull.
• Bluetooth headsets. Many Bluetooth headphones switch to a low-quality call mode when their mic is in use, which sounds thin and robotic to everyone else. A wired headset or a USB mic fixes it.
• The wrong mic is selected. Your laptop's built-in mic picks up the whole room and sounds distant. Pick your headset or USB mic in the call app's settings, not just in the system settings.
• Noise suppression set too high can make your voice sound underwater. Try a lower setting.
• Too close to the mic. Most mics add extra bass when your mouth is a few centimetres away, so you sound boomy and every P pops. A hand's width is the sweet spot.
• A blocked mic hole. If a headset or laptop mic has slowly got more muffled, dust or a case may be covering the port. Clean it gently and check nothing sits over it.

Why does my mic crackle when the level is fine?

If the meter stays well below the top and you still hear clicks or crackles, it isn't clipping. That's the audio dropping bits on its way into the computer, and a level meter can't see it. Our clipping counter only counts sounds that hit the ceiling. Common causes:

• A USB hub or a loose cable. Plug a USB mic straight into the computer, and try another port.
• Mismatched sample rates. On Windows, open Sound settings, pick your mic, and set its format to 48,000 Hz, the rate most call apps use. Do the same for your headphones.
• A busy computer. Crackles that come and go with a game or a render are the computer falling behind. Close what you don't need.
• A steady hum or buzz isn't crackle but is often electrical: try another USB port or wall socket, unplug a laptop charger, or move the mic cable away from power leads.

What can't a mic test tell you?

A browser mic test hears what the browser hears. Call apps add their own processing on top: noise suppression, echo cancellation, automatic volume. So a mic that passes here can still sound different in Discord if one of those is set strangely. Our tests used a recorded voice at three volumes, not a real room, so room echo and fan noise were out of the picture. Use the test to fix your level first; then listen to a recording from the call app itself.