Where do I change the gain?

This page only measures. Adjust gain in your OS sound/input settings (microphone level), an interface's gain knob, or a mixer, while watching the meter, then re-check your peaks.

Clipping shows but my voice sounds fine — why?

Clipping is brief and easy to miss by ear, especially on consonants and plosives. Even a few clips degrade a recording. Lower gain until the clip counter stays at zero through your loudest moments, then leave headroom.

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Mic Gain Level Meter

A broadcast-style meter for setting your microphone gain. Watch the responsive peak bar, the falling peak-hold marker, and the VU average, and adjust your input gain until your loudest speech peaks land in the green target zone (−18 to −6 dBFS). Live guidance tells you to raise or lower the gain, and a clip counter flags any overloads.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser. No audio is recorded, uploaded, or stored.

Microphone

Idle — press Start, then speak at your normal level.

Start the meter to set your gain

-48-36-24-120 dBFS

Peak (bar) VU average Peak hold Target −18…−6

Peak

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Max peak

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VU average

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Clips

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Level history — peak over the last ~10 seconds

How to Set Your Mic Gain

"Gain" is how much your system amplifies the microphone signal before it’s digitized. Set it too low and your recording is quiet and noisy; set it too high and loud moments clip (distort) and can’t be fixed. The sweet spot is gain high enough for a strong, clean signal but with enough headroom that your loudest peaks never hit 0 dBFS. This meter helps you find it.

The recommended workflow: start the meter, speak (or play) at your loudest realistic level, and adjust your input gain — in your operating-system sound settings or your interface’s gain knob — until the peak-hold marker settles in the green target zone, roughly −18 to −6 dBFS. The live guidance above the meter tells you which way to turn. Leave a little headroom: aiming peaks around −12 to −9 dBFS is comfortable for voice.

Reading the meter

Peak bar — the fast-moving fill shows the instantaneous peak level. This is what gets you close to clipping.
Peak hold — the marker jumps to each new peak and falls slowly, so you can see your loudest recent moments without staring.
VU average — a slow-moving marker tracking perceived loudness; useful for consistent speaking level.
Clips — counts how many times the signal hit digital full scale. For a clean recording this should stay at zero.

How is this different from the Microphone Test?

The Microphone Test is a quick "does my mic work" check with a waveform and spectrum. This tool is a dedicated gain-setting meter with proper peak-hold ballistics, a target zone, a VU average, and live raise/lower guidance — the meter you keep open while turning the gain knob. For a one-time sensitivity profile (noise floor, dynamic range), see the Mic Sensitivity Analyzer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level should my mic peak at?

For spoken voice, aim for your loudest peaks around −12 to −6 dBFS — comfortably inside the green target zone with headroom to spare. Music or dynamic sources often target a little lower (more headroom). The key rule: peaks should never reach 0 dBFS, or you’ll clip.

Why is the target −18 to −6 dBFS and not 0?

0 dBFS is the absolute ceiling — touch it and you clip. Professional practice leaves headroom below it so unexpected loud moments don’t distort. −18 dBFS is a common alignment reference; −6 dBFS is a safe upper bound for peaks. Keeping peaks in that band gives you a strong signal with room to breathe.

Peak vs VU — what’s the difference?

The peak bar reacts instantly to the loudest sample and is what determines clipping. The VU average is smoothed over a few hundred milliseconds and tracks perceived loudness — better for judging a consistent speaking level. Set gain by the peaks (to avoid clipping); judge consistency by the VU.

Where do I actually change the gain?

This page only measures — it can’t change your gain. Adjust it where your system exposes it: your operating-system sound/input settings (microphone level), an audio interface’s gain knob, or your mixer. Change it there while watching this meter, then re-check your peaks.

The meter shows clipping but my voice sounds fine — why?

Clipping is brief and easy to miss by ear, especially on consonants and plosives. Even a few clips degrade a recording. Lower your gain until the clip counter stays at zero through your loudest moments, then leave a few dB of headroom.

Why won’t the meter move much / sit very low?

Your gain is probably too low, you’re far from the mic, or the wrong input device is selected. Pick the correct device in the dropdown, move closer, and raise your input gain. If raising gain mostly raises the noise floor, your mic or preamp may be the limit.

Does it disable auto-gain?

It requests the raw signal with auto-gain, noise suppression, and echo cancellation off, so the meter reflects your true gain setting. If your OS forces auto-gain that can’t be disabled, the level may drift on its own — turn off microphone "enhancements" in your system settings for an accurate reading.

Is any audio recorded?

No. The signal is metered in real time only; nothing is recorded, saved, or sent anywhere. The microphone is released when you press Stop or close the tab.

Related Tools

← All Microphone Diagnostics Tools