Microphone Noise Test
Stay silent and measure the residual noise to judge whether the mic or environment floor is too high.
Noise floor test
Stay silent and watch the residual noise waveform — the smaller the swing, the better.
What noise floor is
Noise floor is the residual noise a mic records in a perfectly quiet room — the “hiss” or “hum”. It doesn’t mean the mic is broken, but a high floor pollutes recordings and team voice.
Common sources:
Mic boost / system enhancement too high, amplifying the cap’s own noise.
Plugged into a front-panel jack and picking up internal EMI.
A budget mic or old motherboard codec with a high native floor.
Room noise — fans, AC, typing — captured right along with your voice.
Lowering the noise floor
Suggestions:
Turn “Mic boost” down to minimum — noise drops, though volume may too.
Plug the mic into the rear motherboard jack to reduce EMI.
Use RTX Voice, Krisp or an OBS suppression plugin in a noisy room.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical noise reading?
Healthy mics sit very low in a quiet room. What matters is the ratio of your voice to the floor — if the floor is loud enough to compete, it’ll bury your voice.
Why is my noise floor high?
Mic boost or system enhancement turned up too high, a front-panel jack picking up EMI, a budget mic or old codec with a high native floor, or room noise bleeding in.
Can I reduce the hiss in software?
Yes — a noise gate and an expander help; RTX Voice, Krisp and OBS filters suppress it well. Loud clicks benefit from a gate set just above the floor.
Noise test is fine but my voice sounds muffled anyway?
Muffling usually isn’t noise — check the spectrum test for missing highs or over-aggressive suppression.