Troubleshooting audio problems

Follow these steps to review your microphone input settings. For the most up-to-date steps regarding sound management for your Windows system, refer to Window’s documentation on setting up a microphone or fixing a microphone issue. The following reflects Windows 11:

1. Click on the Windows Start Icon.
   
2. Search or navigate to Settings > System > Sound.
   
3. Review your Input settings.
   
4. Search or navigate to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Review the permissions for each application.
   
5. Make sure the microphone permission is toggled On for the browser you’ll be recording Otter with.
   

Audio problems in Microsoft Windows 11 and 10

Issues with your audio drivers or settings in Microsoft Windows 11 and 10 may be preventing Otter from transcribing audio playback. Microsoft created a list of troubleshooting steps to fix sound problems. The tips are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.

Follow these steps to review your microphone input settings. For the most up-to-date steps regarding sound management for your macOS system, refer to Apple’s documentation.

1. Open Systems Settings.
   
2. Search or navigate to Sound.
    
3. Under the Output & Input section, make sure the microphone device you want to use is selected.
   
   Note: While Otter needs your microphone to record audio, make sure your speaker output level is set as well to ensure your microphone will pick up audio from your speakers.
   
   
4. ✅ Make sure your input volume is not set at zero and your input level has activity.
   
5. Next, navigate to Privacy & Security. Select Microphone.
   
6. Make sure the microphone permission is toggled ON for the browser you’ll be recording Otter with.
   

Now that you have checked your system’s microphone settings, you will want to review your browser settings as well. Browser settings may vary. Apply the same steps to your current browser.

• Chrome microphone settings
• Firefox microphone settings
• Safari microphone settings

Review your browser’s microphone settings. We’ll be using Chrome as an example.

1. At the top right, click the 3 dot menu in the upper right corner and select Settings.
   
2. Select Privacy & Security and then select Site settings.
   
3. Under the Permissions section, select Microphone.
   
4. Make sure your microphone input is set to the correct device. Under Allowed to use your microphone, ensure Otter.ai is allowed.
   
   Note: If you have never recorded or recently cleared your cache, Otter may not show under Allowed to use your microphone. Once you start a recording, Otter should appear there if you have allowed it to use your microphone.
   
   
5. Test a recording. 

If the above troubleshooting steps did not resolve the issue, follow these steps below to narrow down if the issue is affecting your device, browser, or just Otter.ai. 

Audio Suppression Settings

Any noise cancellation software or features on your computer, mobile device, or headset may prevent Otter from picking up audio playing from your speakers. Noise-canceling software or features will filter out a person's voice because it identifies it as background noise. To record audio from your speakers, temporarily disable any noise cancellation apps or features.

There are various names for these settings depending on your device, operating system, or application: noise suppression, echo cancellation, reduced background noise, etc.  Noise suppression settings can cause playback audio and input audio to not be recorded properly. The following are known to have audio suppression settings:

• Dell computers
• HP computers
• Krisp.ai application
• Microsoft Teams application

Isolate the root issue

1) Test your device

Try using a local voice recorder application that comes with your operating system. If your local recording is not able to pick up audio, then we recommend reaching out to your device manufacturer support for more troubleshooting steps. 

• Record in Windows Voice Recorder
• Record in MacOS Voice Memos

2) Test your browser

Try recording using a different service in your browser to test if the audio issue is affecting just Otter or all web applications. If the issue is affecting other applications in your web browser, we recommend doing a complete re-install of your browser or try using a different browser.

• Record in Online Voice Recorder

If audio is successful in both of the above tests and you have determined that the audio is only affecting Otter, please contact our Otter Support Team. 

There may be multiple reasons why Otter is only recording your voice. Review the following troubleshooting steps to resolve your issue. 

Headphones

Recording manually in Otter requires the use of your microphone and speaker. As audio is played through your device’s speaker, the microphone will pick it up, and be recorded in Otter within the browser. Wearing headphones (e.g. Airpods, wired headphones, headsets, external microphone/speakers) can affect audio recording, as the microphone may not be picking up the audio coming out of the device speaker. 

Example: Wearing Airpods during an online meeting

• The meeting audio is only coming through your AirPods speaker into your ear.
• When you speak, your AirPods microphone is only able to pick up your voice. 
• Your AirPods microphone is not able to pick up the audio from the meeting participants, as that audio is only being heard by your ear and not the microphone. 

Safari recording issues

Apple prevents recording any audio playback (e.g. audio coming out of the device speaker) in the Safari browser. Meeting participant voices coming out of the speaker will not be picked up by the microphone, as Apple prevents it from being recorded. This is a limitation set by Apple. 

Our recommendation is to record in Chrome or Firefox if you are recording manually in Otter. 

Noise cancellation software or features

Any noise cancellation software or features on your computer, mobile device, or headset may prevent Otter from picking up audio playing from your speakers. Noise-canceling software or features will filter out a person's voice because it identifies it as background noise. To record audio from your speakers, temporarily disable any noise cancellation apps or features.

Audio Suppression Settings

There are various names for these settings depending on your device, operating system, or application: noise suppression, echo cancellation, reduced background noise, etc.  Noise suppression settings can cause playback audio and input audio to not be recorded properly. The following are known to have audio suppression settings:

• Dell computers
• HP computers
• Krisp.ai application
• Microsoft Teams application

Headphones

Recording manually in Otter requires the use of your microphone and speaker. As audio is played through your device’s speaker, the microphone will pick it up, and be recorded in Otter within the browser. Wearing headphones (e.g. Airpods, wired headphones, headsets, external microphone/speakers) can affect audio recording, as the microphone may not be picking up the audio coming out of the device speaker. 

Example: Playing a video on YouTube while wearing headphones and transcribing in Otter.

• The YouTube video audio is only coming through your headphones into your ear.
• Your headphones or device’s microphone is not able to pick up the audio from the YouTube video, as the audio is only playing through your headphones.  

If you have a video or audio file you want Otter to transcribe, we recommend importing the file directly into Otter.

For videos or audio streams that cannot be downloaded, record without headphones. 

Safari recording issues

Apple prevents recording any audio playback (e.g. audio coming out of the device speaker) in the Safari browser. Meeting participant voices coming out of the speaker will not be picked up by the microphone, as Apple prevents it from being recorded. This is a limitation set by Apple. 

Our recommendation is to record in Chrome or Firefox if you are recording manually in Otter. 

Noise cancellation software or features

Any noise cancellation software or features on your computer, mobile device, or headset may prevent Otter from picking up audio playing from your speakers. Noise-canceling software or features will filter out a person's voice because it identifies it as background noise. To record audio from your speakers, temporarily disable any noise cancellation apps or features.

Audio Suppression Settings

There are various names for these settings depending on your device, operating system, or application: noise suppression, echo cancellation, reduced background noise, etc.  Noise suppression settings can cause playback audio and input audio to not be recorded properly. The following are known to have audio suppression settings:

• Dell computers
• HP computers
• Krisp.ai application
• Microsoft Teams application

• Try to minimize background noise. Background noise is generally the biggest factor in inaccurate transcriptions or missing audio. If Otter cannot distinguish what is being said because of too much background noise, it may misspell what that person is saying or ignore it entirely if our AI prediction level is too low.
• Use an external microphone, rather than your computer or device's built-in microphone.
  
  Note: There are limitations when using an external microphone or headset.
• Place the microphone within three feet of the person speaking and refrain from moving or touching the device to avoid any unnecessary background noise.
• Avoid overlapping dialog where speakers talk over one another. Again, if Otter cannot distinguish what is being said, it may misspell what that person is saying or ignore it entirely if the prediction level is too low.
• Speak clearly and naturally, at your normal conversational tone and pace.
• Teach Otter jargon, names, and other vocabulary words to increase the accuracy of these terms.
• Train Otter to recognize your voice and automatically tag your name within the transcript.

If you're still experiencing problems, contact our Otter Support Team for additional assistance.