Mic Record & Playback
Record a few seconds and hear yourself back, with the level graded rather than guessed at.
How this test works
A short recording is made with the browser's processing switched off where possible, and the peak level is tracked while it runs. Peak rather than average, because a microphone that sounds fine on average and clips on the loud words has produced a ruined recording, and clipping is the one fault that cannot be repaired afterwards — once the waveform is flattened at full scale, the information is gone. The clip is then played back in the page so you can hear what the microphone actually sounds like rather than what you assume it does, which is the whole point: most people have never heard their own microphone except through a video call that has already processed it heavily.
What the results mean
- Peak level
- The highest level reached, in dBFS. Around -6 is the usual headroom target.
- Clipping
- At or above -1 dBFS the loudest parts are flattened at the ceiling. Not repairable afterwards.
- Too quiet
- Below about -30 dBFS you will have to raise the level later, which raises the noise with it.
- Browser processing
- Noise suppression, automatic gain and echo cancellation. Asked to be off; some platforms refuse.
Common problems and fixes
- I sound quiet on calls but fine here
- This asks for automatic gain to be switched off; call software usually leaves it on and it compensates. The underlying level is what you see here.
- There is a constant hiss
- Run the noise floor test. Hiss that is present with nothing happening is the microphone or preamp rather than the room.
- It clips only when I laugh
- That is normal dynamics and exactly why headroom exists. Aim for peaks around -6 dBFS during normal speech so the loud moments have room.
Frequently asked questions
What level should I record at?
Peaks around -6 dBFS during normal speech. That leaves room for the loud moments without ever reaching the ceiling, and it is quiet enough that noise stays well below the signal.
Why does my voice sound wrong to me?
Because you normally hear yourself partly through the bones of your skull, which adds low frequencies a microphone never captures. The recording is closer to what everyone else hears than your own impression is.
Can I fix a clipped recording?
No. Clipping removes the peaks entirely — the samples are flat at full scale and there is nothing left to restore. It has to be prevented at the input.