Castos
Free Podcast Tool

Free Online Microphone Test

Check your mic in seconds. See your levels, hear how you sound, and find out if your room is quiet enough to record.

Click below and allow microphone access when your browser asks.

The test runs entirely in your browser. Your audio is never uploaded or stored.

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How To Test Your Microphone

  1. Start The Test

    Click Test My Mic and allow microphone access when your browser asks. Your audio stays in your browser the entire time.

  2. Speak Normally

    Watch the waveform and level meter respond as you talk. The status readout tells you if your level is good, too quiet, or clipping, and measures your room's noise floor.

  3. Record And Listen Back

    Record a short test clip, read the sample script, and play it back to hear exactly what your listeners would hear. You'll get a simple report on your level, loudness, and background noise.

Test Your Mic Before You Hit Record

Nothing ruins a recording session faster than discovering afterward that your levels were too hot, your USB mic wasn't the selected input, or your air conditioner was humming underneath the whole conversation. A thirty-second check before you record catches all of it. This tool shows you what your microphone is actually capturing, not what you assume it is, so you can fix problems while they're still free to fix.

What A Good Podcast Signal Looks Like

The specs professionals record to are public. ACX, the audiobook standard, wants peaks no higher than -3 dB and a noise floor at or below -60 dB. Apple Podcasts targets an overall loudness of -16 LUFS and Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS. This tool measures your clip the same way, using the ITU BS.1770 loudness standard those targets are defined in, and tells you in plain language where you land against each one.

Your Audio Never Leaves Your Browser

This test runs entirely on your device using your browser's built-in audio tools. Nothing is uploaded, recorded clips exist only on your machine, and everything is discarded the moment you leave the page. Test unreleased episode ideas, sensitive interviews, or just your own voice without anything touching a server.

Mic Sounds Good? Start Your Podcast In 3 Steps

  1. Record Your First Episode

    Use the mic you just tested to record your first episode with any recording tool you like, or capture it directly in your browser with Castos Studio.

  2. Upload It To Castos

    Create your show in Castos, upload your audio, and we generate your podcast RSS feed, transcripts, and a podcast website automatically.

  3. Publish Everywhere

    Submit your feed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and every other directory once. New episodes are distributed to all of them automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test my microphone online?
Click Test My Mic above and allow microphone access when your browser asks. You'll see a live waveform and level meter as you speak. Record a short clip to hear exactly how you sound to others. The whole test takes under a minute.
Is my audio uploaded or stored anywhere?
No. The test runs entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API. Your audio never leaves your device, and nothing is uploaded, stored, or shared. Recorded test clips are discarded when you leave the page.
What level should my microphone be for a podcast?
Keep your loudest moments under -3 dB, the ceiling both ACX and Apple Podcasts specs allow, and aim around -6 dB for safe headroom. If you hit 0 dB the signal clips and distorts permanently. For overall loudness, podcast platforms target -16 LUFS (Apple) to -14 LUFS (Spotify); this tool measures your test clip against those numbers. If peaks stay below -20 dB the recording is too quiet, and raising the volume in editing will boost your background noise along with your voice.
Why is my microphone not working in my browser?
The most common causes are blocked browser permissions, the wrong input device selected, or another app holding onto the microphone. Click the mic icon in your browser's address bar to allow access, pick the right device in the dropdown above, and close apps like Zoom or Teams that may be using the mic. On macOS also check System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone.
What is a noise floor and why does it matter?
The noise floor is the sound your room and gear make when you're silent: fans, traffic, refrigerator hum, computer noise. Professional spoken-word specs like ACX require -60 dB or lower. Above -50 dB, listeners will hear the noise in quiet moments, and removing it in editing tends to hurt your voice too. Recording in a smaller room with soft furnishings usually helps more than any software fix.
Does this work with USB and XLR microphones?
Yes. Any microphone your computer recognizes as an input device will show up in the device picker, including USB mics, XLR mics connected through an audio interface, headset mics, and your laptop's built-in mic. Testing is the fastest way to confirm your interface is actually passing signal.

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