Microphone Test

How to use it

1. Press Start microphone and allow access.
2. Speak and watch the level bar move.
3. Record 5 seconds and play it back.

Good to know

Aim for peaks around 50 to 80%. If it hits 100% often, your voice will distort, so turn the input down or move back from the mic.

The clip stays in this tab and disappears when you leave.

Reading the level bar

Common problems

• Bar does not move: the wrong input is selected, or a hardware mute switch is on.
• Bar moves here but nobody hears you on a call: the calling app is using a different microphone. Check its own audio settings.
• Sound is thin on a Bluetooth headset: when the mic is active, many headsets switch to a lower-quality call mode.
• Access blocked: click the icon next to the address bar and allow the microphone, then check the privacy settings in your system.

What the 5-second clip tells you

Listen for hiss, room echo, or a muffled voice. The recording goes through the same processing browsers normally apply to calls, which often includes noise suppression and automatic gain, so it gives a fair idea of how you will sound in a web meeting. It is not the raw signal, which is what recording software would capture.

The peak figure holds the loudest moment since you started, so stop and start the microphone to reset it. The test uses your default input, so change that in your system or browser settings to try another device.

Sounding better without new equipment

• Keep the mic about a hand-span from your mouth, and slightly to one side to reduce breath noise.
• Soft furnishings cut echo, so a room with curtains and a sofa sounds better than a bare kitchen.
• Turn off nearby fans, and move your laptop away if its fan is loud.

Questions