Built-in Mic barely works when join meeting or chat

Question

Level 1

11 points

Built-in Mic barely works when join meeting or chat

I have a 2021 MacBook Pro M1. Recently, when I join a meeting (teams, discord, zoom, etc...) the mic/input quits working, kind of. If I talk really loud I can barely be heard but when I go into Settings > Sound and watch the input level bars, they barely move at all. If I tap on the mic it will shoot up to 8 bars but it will only go to 1 bar when talking loudly.

For each application where the mic quits working, I have tried to turn off noise suppression and check all the settings in each app to ensure the input level is up. Also, the input volume is maxed out in the Mac sound settings.

The weird part is, if I restart my MacBook and check the input level it works perfectly, jumping up to 8 bars when I talk normally. As soon as I join any software which uses the mic, the input level will only go up to 1 or 2 bars when talking loudly. I then have to restart the Mac to get input level to register words normally again but as soon as I join any meeting it barely works.

The mic used to work perfectly fine and it seems to be still functioning, it's as if something in the macOS is causing this to happen cause it happens with ever application I join which uses the mic.

MacBook Pro (2021)

Posted on May 8, 2024 10:09 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

zabooombafoo Author

Level 1

11 points

May 8, 2024 1:04 PM in response to SniperJo12

Looks like im on Sonoma 14.4.1

I don't see any Mac updates available and I have Beta turned off.

I thought the same thing, doesn't appear to be a hardware issue but kinda weird how it goes from perfect to barely registering after joining a meeting. Even closing the apps after leaving the session does not get the input to start acting normal again until I restart it, I haven't tried messing with anything in the activity monitor though. Ive just been using AirPods in the mean time but would love to get this resolved for the longer meetings.

Reply

Answer 2

May 8, 2024 10:15 AM in response to zabooombafoo

That’s strange. You’ve done a great job of troubleshooting. It would make sense for it to be a software issue, which makes me wonder which MacOS version your machine is running. If you check that and reply with the software version, we might be able to help you further. Either way, make sure to check for any available software updates, and if you’re running the MacOS Beta, keep in mind that glitches like that happen. It’s one of the risks of running the Beta.

Reply

Answer 3

May 8, 2024 7:52 PM in response to zabooombafoo

The only advice I have based on that information, is for you to check for any available updates for your video meeting client of choice, and if the issue only occurs on their application, to possibly reinstall, update or contact the support services for said client. If the problem is still present when tested for on multiple different video call applications, this very well could also be a problem with your system. If you have Apple Care on the device I would definitely advise you to contact Apple support directly to have your problem resolved. I am under the impression that this is a problem very few devices have suffered from, based on the lack of documentation on instances of this issue. If you don’t have Apple Care for your MacBook Pro, or you wouldn’t like to have your device inspected/repaired by Apple, I think the best plan of action would be to wait for the next available software update, (MacOS 15 will be announced next month) in which the problem should be fixed. If it persists, contact Apple’s Support Team. I hope this helps!

Have a good day!

Reply