Mic Test for OBS — Free Online Setup, Monitor & Fix Your Audio

Use this free online mic test tool — no download or registration required. Click "Start Mic Test", grant browser microphone permission, and instantly see your live input levels, waveform, dBFS reading, noise floor, and frequency response. The data shown matches exactly what OBS would receive from your microphone, so you can diagnose issues and set gain levels before even opening OBS Studio.

For streaming, your microphone should peak between -18 dBFS and -12 dBFS during normal speech, with absolute peaks no higher than -6 dBFS. In the OBS mixer, the green zone is your target — the bar should dance in the lower-to-middle green area while talking and never consistently hit yellow or red. If you're consistently in the red, reduce your gain. If the bar barely moves, increase your input gain or add a Gain filter.

A robotic or pitch-shifted voice in OBS is almost always caused by a sample rate mismatch. Your operating system and OBS need to use the same sample rate — usually 48000 Hz. On Windows, right-click your mic in Sound Settings → Properties → Advanced and set it to 48000 Hz (studio quality). Then in OBS, go to Settings → Audio and also set it to 48 kHz. Mismatched rates of 44.1 kHz vs 48 kHz cause the robotic effect.

The standard starting point for OBS Noise Gate is: Close Threshold: -32 dB, Open Threshold: -26 dB, Attack: 25ms, Hold: 200ms, Release: 150ms. You'll need to adjust these based on your room noise. Use this tool's live noise gate simulator — speak and watch the Gate Status indicator. If your voice is cutting in and out, lower the close threshold by 3–5 dB. If room noise is still audible between sentences, raise the close threshold slightly.

RNNoise is the better choice for most streamers. It uses an AI/machine learning model to distinguish between speech and noise, producing much more natural results than Speex. It removes fans, keyboard noise, and HVAC without the metallic artifacts that Speex can introduce at high suppression levels. The downside is higher CPU usage — typically 3–5% extra. If you're on an older CPU or running a resource-heavy game, Speex at -30 dB suppression is a reliable fallback that sounds good without hurting performance.

There are several places to increase mic volume for OBS. First, check Windows Sound Settings and enable Microphone Boost (+10 or +20 dB) under the mic's Properties → Levels tab. Second, if using a USB mic, check any companion software (Blue Sherpa, HyperX NGENUITY) for gain controls. Third, add a Gain filter in OBS — right-click your mic source in the mixer, go to Filters, add Gain, and increase by +10 to +20 dB until your voice peaks in the -18 to -12 dBFS range. Avoid boosting more than +20 dB as it amplifies noise significantly.

To hear yourself without echo, you need to: (1) Use headphones, not speakers — speakers cause acoustic feedback loops. (2) In OBS Audio Mixer, click the gear icon on your mic track, select Advanced Audio Properties, and set Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output. (3) Set your monitoring device to your headphones in OBS Settings → Audio → Monitoring Device. You'll hear your processed voice (with all filters applied) in your headphones but without it feeding back into the mic.

No — your audio is processed entirely on your local device using the browser's Web Audio API. Nothing is transmitted to our servers or stored anywhere. The "Record Test" feature creates a temporary recording that only exists in your browser's memory during your session — it is deleted the moment you close or refresh the tab. We never collect, upload, or analyse your voice recordings. This is a fully private, client-side tool.

For under $50, the Fifine K669B USB mic or Samson Q2U are excellent starting points with good OBS compatibility. In the $100–150 range, the Blue Yeti Nano, HyperX QuadCast S, and Rode NT-USB Mini all deliver professional-sounding audio straight into OBS with minimal filter work needed. For the biggest quality leap, a Rode PodMic or Shure SM58 with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo interface at around $200 total gives broadcast-grade results that professional streamers use.

Go to OBS Settings → Output → Recording and switch to Advanced Output Mode. Set the recording format to MKV or MP4 and you'll see Audio Track options (1–6). In your Scene's Audio Mixer, right-click your mic and open Advanced Audio Properties. Assign your mic to Track 2 only (uncheck Track 1). Assign game/desktop audio to Track 1 only. When you record and import into DaVinci Resolve, Premiere, or Final Cut, your mic will appear on a separate audio track, making it easy to edit, EQ, and balance independently.