Fixing static, hiss and quiet recordings

In the Mac app, open Settings and press Check my recording quality. It records ten seconds from your current microphone the same way a real recording is made — say a sentence, pause, then say another — and tells you in plain words if the level is good, too quiet, picking up hiss, clipping, crackling, or if it heard nothing. Nothing is uploaded and the test clip is deleted right away.

The Mac app also measures each recording after it’s saved and keeps the last twenty results on your Mac, in the same place, so you can see whether a bad one was a one-off.

• Filters low rumble below about 75 Hz, such as desk thumps and air-conditioning hum.
• Levels your volume so quiet speakers come up and loud peaks don’t distort.
• Higher-quality audio conversion and smoother handling of call audio, which removed a source of clicks and pops.

These arrive automatically; see How the Mac app updates.

• Run the quality check above and note what it says.
• Move away from fans and the keyboard. Hiss usually means the microphone is picking up the room, or its level is set very high.
• Try a different microphone, such as the built-in one, to see whether the problem follows the device.

Move closer to the microphone and speak at a normal level. Check that the right microphone is selected in your Mac or browser settings — “Didn’t hear anything” usually means the wrong input.

Bluetooth headsets commonly switch to a lower-quality call mode while their microphone is in use, which can sound thin or noisy. If a recording sounds worse with a headset, record with the built-in or a wired microphone instead and compare.

On a Mac, Noteary can capture a call’s audio together with your microphone. If the other person is missing or sounds odd, check that Noteary has the permissions it asks for in System Settings → Privacy & Security. If you still hear static, run the quality check and email support@noteary.app with what it reports.