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Mic Sensitivity Analyzer

A guided 3-step test profiles your microphone: stay silent, then speak normally, then speak loudly. The tool measures your noise floor, typical speech level, loud peak, signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range (all in dBFS), then rates the mic’s sensitivity and suggests a gain adjustment.

🔒 Everything runs locally in your browser. No audio is recorded, uploaded, or stored — only level numbers are computed.

Microphone

Device names appear after you grant permission once.
Idle — press Start analysis.

Guided test

Press Start to begin
You’ll be guided through three short steps (~10 seconds total).
—

Live level

— dBFS

Sensitivity profile

Run the test to see your mic’s sensitivity profile
Noise floor
—
Speech level
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Loud peak
—
Signal-to-noise
—
Dynamic range
—
Headroom to clip
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Levels on the dBFS scale — floor (green) · speech (cyan) · loud peak (amber)

How the Sensitivity Analysis Works

Microphone "sensitivity" describes how much signal a mic produces for a given amount of sound. In a browser we can’t read calibrated sound-pressure levels, but we can measure the relative levels (in dBFS) your mic produces in three conditions and turn that into a practical profile. The tool guides you through silence, normal speech, and loud speech, sampling the input level many times per second in each phase.

From those three captures it derives the numbers that actually matter for setting up a mic: how quiet your background is (noise floor), how strong your voice comes through at a normal level (speech level), how loud it can get before trouble (loud peak), the gap between your voice and the noise (signal-to-noise ratio), the span from quietest to loudest (dynamic range), and how close the loud peak is to clipping (headroom).

What the numbers mean

  • Noise floor — the level with no one speaking. Lower (more negative dBFS) is better; a high floor means a hissy mic, high gain, or a noisy room.
  • Speech level — your normal voice. This drives the sensitivity rating: too hot risks clipping, too quiet means you need more gain.
  • Signal-to-noise ratio — speech minus noise floor. Bigger is better; under ~20 dB and your recordings will sound noisy.
  • Dynamic range — loud peak minus noise floor; how much range your mic + room usefully capture.
  • Headroom — how far your loud peak sits below 0 dBFS. Little headroom means you’ll clip when you get excited; aim for several dB.

Tips for a good measurement

  • Run it in your normal setup — same room, distance, and gain you actually use.
  • During silence, genuinely stay quiet so the noise floor is accurate.
  • Speak at a consistent, natural distance for the speech step; don’t lean in only for the loud step.
  • The tool requests the raw signal (auto-gain off), but some systems force processing that can flatten the results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this in dBFS and not a sensitivity spec like mV/Pa?
A manufacturer’s sensitivity spec (e.g. mV/Pa or dBV) is measured against a calibrated reference sound pressure, which a browser can’t provide. This tool measures relative levels in dBFS — decibels below digital full scale — which is exactly what you need to set gain and check your noise floor in practice, even though it isn’t a lab sensitivity figure.
How is this different from the Microphone Test?
The Microphone Test is a live meter to confirm your mic works. This analyzer runs a structured, timed test and turns it into a profile — noise floor, speech level, SNR, dynamic range — with a sensitivity rating and a gain recommendation. Use the test to check it’s working; use this to dial it in.
What’s a good noise floor and SNR?
For a decent setup, a noise floor below about -55 dBFS and a speech-to-noise ratio above ~25 dB is comfortable for voice. Cheaper mics or noisy rooms land higher (worse). The exact targets depend on your use, but a low floor and a wide gap to your speech level are always the goal.
My speech level says "very hot" — what do I do?
Your input gain is too high for your voice and distance, so you’re close to clipping. Lower the microphone level in your operating-system sound settings (or your interface’s gain knob), or back away from the mic a little, then re-run the test. Aim for a speech level around -24 to -18 dBFS with a few dB of headroom.
It says "low sensitivity / raise gain" — is my mic bad?
Not necessarily. Many mics (especially dynamic mics and some laptops) produce a quiet signal that needs more gain. Raise your input level in the OS or interface, or move closer. Only worry if raising gain also pushes the noise floor up sharply (poor signal-to-noise) — that points to a genuinely noisy mic or preamp.
Why might my results look flat or strange?
If your browser/OS forces auto-gain or noise suppression that the page can’t disable, quiet and loud levels get squashed together, shrinking your apparent dynamic range. Disable microphone "enhancements" in your OS sound settings for an honest measurement. Also make sure you actually spoke during the speech and loud steps.
Is any audio recorded?
No. The signal is analyzed in real time to compute level statistics only; nothing is recorded, saved, or transmitted. The microphone is released the moment the test finishes or you press Stop.
How long does the test take?
About 10 seconds: roughly 3 seconds of silence, 4 seconds of normal speech, and 3 seconds of loud speech. You can re-run it as many times as you like to compare distances, gain settings, or different microphones.

Related Tools

Microphone Test
Live meter to confirm your mic works: level, clipping, waveform.
Mic Gain Level Meter
Set your input gain with a peak-hold dBFS meter.
Background Noise Detector
Measure the noise in your room when you’re not speaking.
Noise Floor Analyzer
Detailed noise-floor measurement across the spectrum.
Mic Distortion Analyzer
Check your mic for distortion and harmonic artifacts.
Audio Spectrum Analyzer
Full FFT spectrum analyzer with weighting and peak hold.
← All Microphone Diagnostics Tools