Reading the dB scale
The decibel scale used here is digital full-scale (dBFS): 0 dB is the loudest signal your microphone can capture without clipping, and quieter sounds sit at negative numbers. Casual silence in a typical home office reads around −55 to −45 dB. Normal speech at the mic peaks around −20 to −10 dB. The meter floors at −60 dB so the display doesn't flicker on near-silence.
The big number is a rolling 1-second average — that smooths out the natural ups and downs of speech and gives you a stable read of how quiet your room actually is. The smaller "Current" and "Peak" numbers reflect instantaneous levels and short-term peaks.
Why echo happens (and how to fix it)
Echo isn't a microphone problem. It's a room problem. Hard surfaces — bare walls, floors, monitors, windows — bounce sound back into the mic, and your call partner hears a delayed copy of your voice. Most modern conferencing tools use echo cancellation, but it works better when there's less echo to cancel.
The fixes, in order of effort:
- Wear headphones. Eliminates the speaker→mic feedback loop entirely. This single change solves echo for almost everyone.
- Move your mic closer. Closer to your mouth = louder voice relative to room reflections. Even 10 cm makes a difference.
- Lower your speaker volume. Less direct sound = less reflection.
- Add soft surfaces. Rugs, curtains, couches, even a stack of books absorbs reflections. You don't need a foam-treated studio — just break up the parallel hard walls.
Hum, hiss, and what they mean
The four-band frequency profile maps roughly to physical causes:
- Low (≤200 Hz) — fans, AC units, traffic rumble, refrigerator compressors. If this band dominates, look for something humming nearby.
- Low-mid (200–500 Hz) — voice fundamentals. This band tends to fill out when you're talking; it's not noise per se.
- Mid (500 Hz – 2 kHz) — voice clarity range. High energy here usually means you're speaking; high energy in silence can mean nearby conversations.
- High (≥2 kHz) — hiss, sibilance, keyboard clicks, appliance whine. Persistent high-band energy with no speech is the signature of a noisy mic or a buzzy power supply.
When you can't change rooms
Sometimes you can't fix the room — you're traveling, sharing a workspace, or stuck in a noisy coffee shop. Three practical fallbacks:
1. Use a headset mic. Headset and earbud mics are physically close to your mouth, so they pick up far less of the room. 2. Turn on noise suppression. Most modern conferencing tools (Zoom, Meet, Teams, Whereby, Daily, our app) have a noise-suppression toggle. It's usually off-by-default for the speaker side and on-by-default for your outgoing mic. 3. Record key sections in advance. If you're hosting a presentation in a noisy environment, pre-record sensitive segments in a quieter spot and play them during the call.
The goal isn't a silent room. It's a room quiet enough that listeners can focus on what you're saying instead of straining past your environment.