Test your microphone.
Hear what they hear.
It all runs right here in this tab — your audio never leaves your Mac, and nothing is recorded until you ask.
Say a few words…
Talk in your normal voice for a few seconds — the verdict appears once there’s enough to judge.
- Input level waiting…
- Clipping waiting…
- Background noise waiting…
- Stream stability waiting…
Test complete
Record and edit a longer clip or transcribe speech to text — both stay in your browser.
- Speech level
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- Room noise
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- Tone balance
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- Reliability
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Working isn’t the same as sounding good.
Record a few seconds and listen back the way other people hear you.
The clip you recorded during the test — how you actually sound to other people. The mic is off now; play it back or download it.
Kept in memory only — gone when you close the tab. Never uploaded.
Mic working? Record a clip or transcribe to text.
Want to keep a take? Record and trim one in the voice recorder — it stays in your browser too.
Recording isn’t supported in this browser — the live meters above still work.
- Duration
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- Level avg
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- Level peak
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- Noise floor
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- Signal-to-noise
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- Dynamic range
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- Headroom
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- Clipping
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- Dropouts
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- Mains hum
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- Low rumble
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- Presence (2–5 kHz)
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Under the hood — the raw numbers
- Device
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- Sample rate
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- Channels
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- Reported latency
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- Echo cancellation
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- Noise suppression
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- Auto gain control
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- Noise floor (measured)
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- Peak level (measured)
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- Mains hum 50/60 Hz
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We ask the browser for the raw feed — echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto-gain off — so these numbers describe your microphone, not the browser’s cleanup. What was actually granted is reported above.
Your mic works. Now let it type for you.
Clabrate turns your voice into clean, finished text in any Mac app — transcribed on your Mac, enhanced privately, landing wherever your cursor is. Free to try, no account.
What your mic test actually checks
The result isn’t just “working” or “not working.” The test looks at what makes calls and recordings sound good — voice level, room noise, clipping, hum, rumble, and clarity.
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Capture the raw signal
Measure level and peaks directly in your browser, with the browser’s own cleanup turned off so the numbers describe your microphone.
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Separate voice from noise
Compare your speaking level against the room’s noise floor to judge clarity, not just loudness.
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Turn numbers into fixes
Specific suggestions — move closer, lower the gain, chase a hum — not generic advice.
Why is my microphone not working?
Start with the symptom you see in the test. Most mic failures are one of six checkpoints: permission, source, mute, connection, app lock, or system driver.
- Allow access
- Select mic
- Speak
- Check result
No permission
The browser was blocked from the mic.
Fix: open site permissions and set Microphone to Allow; on macOS also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
Wrong input
It may be listening to a laptop, webcam, or old headset mic.
Fix: pick the correct device in the dropdown above and test again.
Muted or too low
A hardware switch, system mute, or low input gain can look like a dead mic.
Fix: check the headset mute switch and raise the input volume.
Loose connection
USB, 3.5mm, and headset cables can look plugged in but not seat fully.
Fix: reconnect firmly, try another port, and remove hubs.
Another app owns it
Zoom, Discord, Teams, or OBS can hold the microphone exclusively.
Fix: fully quit other audio apps, then refresh this page.
System driver issue
If every app fails, the OS may not see the mic at all.
Fix: update audio drivers, restart Bluetooth, or run a system update.
Mic test FAQ
The meter isn’t moving — what do I check?
Three layers, in order: pick the right input in the device menu above the meter; check the site permission via the mic icon in your browser’s address bar; then open macOS System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure your browser itself is allowed. Hardware last — many headsets have a physical mute switch.
What’s a good input level?
Aim for the good zone on the meter: speech averaging roughly −25 to −15 dB, with peaks staying under −6 dB. Much below −40 dB and you’ll be hard to hear; hitting 0 dB means clipping, which no software can fully undo.
My mic works here but not in Clabrate or Discord — why?
On macOS every app needs its own microphone permission, and each app picks its own input device. If the test works here, your mic and your Mac are fine — check that app’s input setting, and make sure it’s allowed in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. (Same fix if Clabrate itself can’t hear you.)
New to Clabrate? It turns your speech into text in any Mac app, on your device. See Clabrate →
Is anything recorded or uploaded?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser with the Web Audio API — nothing is sent anywhere, ever. The record button keeps a short clip in memory so you can listen back and download it; it’s gone when you close the tab.
Why does the waveform move when I’m silent?
That’s your room’s noise floor — fans, traffic, the hum of the house. A quiet room sits below about −55 dB. If the floor is high, the fix is usually physical: move the mic away from the fan, or closer to your mouth so your voice wins.