“Why do you keep cutting out?”
“I can hear your keyboard clicking!”
If your friends are complaining about your audio, your Input Sensitivity is likely the culprit. This is the single most important setting for determining when Discord turns your microphone on and off.
The short answer: Input Sensitivity acts as a “Gate.” If you are too quiet, it blocks the sound. If you are loud enough, it lets the sound through. Setting this correctly ensures your voice is heard clearly while background noise stays muted.
Here is how to master the Green and Yellow bars to get studio-quality voice activation.
⚙️ How to Find Input Sensitivity
First, let’s get to the control panel.
- Open Discord and click the User Settings (Gear Icon ⚙️) in the bottom left.
- Select Voice & Video from the left menu.
- Scroll down to the section labeled Input Sensitivity.
🎚️ Automatic vs. Manual: Which is Better?
You have two choices here. Knowing which one to pick depends on your environment.
1. Automatically Determine Input Sensitivity (The Default)
- How it works: Discord listens to your environment and tries to guess when you are speaking.
- Verdict: Good for beginners, but often unreliable. It tends to cut off the beginning or end of sentences if you speak softly, or it might accidentally broadcast your fan noise.
2. Manual Adjustment (Recommended)
- How it works: You uncheck the “Automatically determine” toggle. This gives you a slider to set a manual threshold.
- Verdict: Best for gamers. This gives you full control over exactly how loud a sound needs to be to activate your mic.
🛠️ How to Tune Manual Sensitivity (The “Green Bar” Trick)
Setting this manually is easy if you understand the colors on the bar:
- 🟧 Yellow Zone: Sounds here are BLOCKED (Muted).
- 🟩 Green Zone: Sounds here are BROADCAST (Live).
- ⬜ The White Marker: This is the “Gate.” Any sound louder than this marker goes Green (Live).
The Calibration Steps:
- Toggle OFF “Automatically determine input sensitivity.”
- Stop talking. Watch the gray bar bounce. This is your background noise (keyboard, fan, AC).
- Move the White Marker just to the right of that bouncing noise. (Now your background noise is in the Yellow zone).
- Start talking normally. Your voice should push the bar way past the marker into the Green zone.
- Test it: If the bar flashes green when you type, move the marker to the right. If the bar stays yellow when you whisper, move the marker to the left.
🔊 Pro Tips for Crystal Clear Audio
Sensitivity is just one part of the puzzle. Combine it with these features for the best results.
- Enable Noise Suppression:Scroll down to “Advanced” and turn on Krisp. This AI filter removes background noise before it hits the sensitivity gate. It is a miracle worker for mechanical keyboards.
- Mic Position Matters:No amount of software settings can fix a bad physical setup. Ensure your mic is close to your mouth but not directly in front of your breath stream (to avoid “popping” sounds).
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: My friends say my voice is cutting in and out.
A: Your sensitivity is too high (too far right).
Discord thinks your quiet words are background noise and blocks them. Move the slider to the left (towards -90dB) until your normal speaking voice consistently hits the Green zone.
Q: They can hear my keyboard/mouse clicks.
A: Your sensitivity is too low (too far left).
The gate is too open. Move the slider to the right until your typing sounds stay in the Yellow zone. Also, enable Krisp Noise Suppression.
Q: Should I just use Push-to-Talk instead?
A: If you have a noisy room, Yes.
If you have family talking in the background or a very loud keyboard that sensitivity settings can’t hide, Push-to-Talk is the most polite option for your friends.
Q: How do I fix an echo?
A: This is usually not a sensitivity issue.
Echo happens when your mic hears the sound coming from your speakers.
- Use Headphones (Best fix).
- Enable Echo Cancellation in the Voice & Video settings.
🌟 Summary: Master the Gate
Perfect Discord audio is all about the “Gate.”
- Yellow = Silence.
- Green = Live.
- The Goal: Keep your background noise in the Yellow, and your voice in the Green.
Next Step: Go to your Voice & Video settings right now, turn off “Automatic,” and spend 30 seconds manually adjusting that slider. Your friends will thank you!