The short answer
If Windows recording also cuts out, inspect the microphone/Windows path. If recording works but Discord’s test loses words, inspect input mode and processing. If the test works but calls fail, compare listeners, connection and game load. Voice Activity sensitivity and Push-to-Talk release need different checks.
Different symptom or still not fixed? Find the next check →Key facts
- Use one repeated phrase
- For example: “Today I am checking how my voice sounds”
- Keep the same input
- Same mic, speaking level and mouth-to-mic distance
- Finish with a real call
- Stop Mic Test before asking a caller to listen
Find your symptom
Start with your symptom. Skip steps that do not apply to your setup.
| What you see | What to check | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Words disappear in Windows recording too | Compare connection, another port and an available second microphone. | Step 2 |
| Recording works; Voice Activity loses quiet endings | Compare the input-sensitivity threshold. | Step 3 |
| Recording works; Discord loses irregular parts of speech | Compare one noise-processing setting. | Step 4 |
| Push-to-Talk loses endings when the key is released | Hold through the ending, then compare release delay. | Step 3 |
| Recording/test work; calls or games alone cut out | Compare one listener versus everyone, then network/load. | Step 5 |
Fixes, in order
Continue this issue
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Step 1｜Compare recording, Mic Test and a call
This guide concerns your outgoing speech; align the input device before judging results.
Time: Compare one change at a time
- Inspect Windows Settings → System → Sound → Input and choose that same named mic under Discord Voice & Video.
- Open Sound Recorder from Start (Voice Recorder on Windows 10), confirm its mic and record the example phrase three times at your normal speaking level.
- Stop and play the recording. Check its first and final words. If they disappear here, use Step 2.
- Start Discord Mic Test in Voice & Video’s voice controls, repeat the same phrase at the same distance, then Stop Testing.
- Repeat it in a real call and ask which words disappear. Record each result separately: normal, endings only or intermittent throughout.
Discord automatically mutes/deafens you in the call during Mic Test. End the test before judging what a caller hears.
Results that did not fix the problem help the next reader too.
Step 2｜For broken recordings, inspect input and connection
A recording failure is not limited to Discord; compare the device, Windows path and load.
Time: Compare one change at a time
- For a USB mic, compare a direct PC port without the hub. For a headset, inspect a loose connector and physical mute.
- Confirm the input name again and make a new recording of the same phrase. If it improves, compare the Discord call on that connection.
- If another mic is available, repeat the recording. Only the original failing prioritizes its device/connection/software; both failing prioritizes shared Windows/load conditions.
- Inspect the device manufacturer’s update guidance. If closing a game/recorder makes recording work, use Step 5’s load comparison.
Results that did not fix the problem help the next reader too.
Step 3｜For missing endings, use the correct input-mode control
Voice Activity uses a threshold; Push-to-Talk transmits while its key is held.
Time: Compare one change at a time
- For Voice Activity, record the original settings and disable Automatically determine input sensitivity to expose manual adjustment.
- Compare background sound while silent with softly spoken sentence endings. Place the threshold so silence does not transmit but quiet speech does.
- Move toward lower sound levels in small increments if endings are lost. Where dB values appear, −50 to −60 dB admits quieter sounds; these are directional examples, not a universal setting.
- For Push-to-Talk, hold the key from before speaking through the final word. If audio stops only immediately after release, slightly increase Push to Talk Release Delay and compare.
- After each change, repeat the phrase in the call. If endings return but room sound transmits continuously, restore/raise the threshold and compare a closer microphone position.
Sensitivity controls transmission, not overall loudness. For uniformly quiet speech use the microphone-volume guide instead.
Results that did not fix the problem help the next reader too.
Step 4｜For Discord-only gaps, compare processing
Change only one processing control so you can identify its effect.
Time: Compare one change at a time
- Under Voice & Video’s voice settings, record Noise Suppression and temporarily turn it off.
- Repeat the phrase in Mic Test, stop the test and ask the caller to listen. If improved, verify a longer conversation with only that change.
- If unchanged, restore suppression. If Echo Cancellation or Automatic Gain Control is offered, compare each separately in the same way.
- If voice-processing software supplies a virtual input, compare the physical microphone directly in Discord. Success there prioritizes that software’s processing path.
Use headphones when comparing Echo Cancellation off and restore it if the caller hears feedback/echo.
Results that did not fix the problem help the next reader too.
Step 5｜For call/game-only gaps, compare listener and load
Mic Test does not test the entire internet call or another person’s reception.
Time: Compare one change at a time
- Ask another willing participant to hear the same phrase if possible. If only one listener hears gaps, ask them to compare rejoining, restarting Discord and another permitted connection.
- If everyone hears gaps, pause your downloads/cloud sync and compare. If available, compare wired networking or another permitted connection separately, accounting for data limits.
- For game-only failure, compare a call with the game closed and running. Ctrl+Shift+Esc → Performance helps inspect sustained CPU activity during the game.
- Save work and close an unneeded recorder/app one at a time. Judge whether speech also improves; CPU percentage alone does not establish the cause.
- If only game-focused Push-to-Talk fails, inspect key conflicts and use the System Helper guide’s conditional checks. If you leave the voice channel entirely, use the call-disconnection guide.
Results that did not fix the problem help the next reader too.
Avoid
- Do not treat input sensitivity as a loudness booster or use one dB value for every microphone.
- Do not compare a live caller while Mic Test is active or disable several processors at once.
Important cautions
- Record recording/test/call results, missing words, input mode, mic, game state and each change. A single normal recording does not rule out intermittent connection trouble.
- Before an optional Reset Voice and Video Settings, record input/output devices, levels and keybinds. Reselect them afterward and repeat the same phrase; this is a later comparison, not a required first step.
FAQ
What dB sensitivity should I use?
There is no common ideal for every mic. Silence should not transmit while your quiet speech does. Too low a threshold can continuously send keyboard/room sound.
Why does Mic Test work while a call cuts out?
It does not verify the full path to listeners. Compare another participant: everyone affected prioritizes your shared path, one affected listener also needs reception/load checks.
Should Push-to-Talk lower the Voice Activity threshold?
First check how long the key is held. Hold through the ending and compare release delay when audio stops just after release; this differs from Voice Activity sensitivity.
Does one normal recording rule out a faulty microphone?
No. Repeat under the actual connection, distance and game conditions that produce the problem; another port/mic can help narrow intermittent issues.
Sources
English adaptation preserving the original diagnostic branches, step IDs, actions, precautions and official sources. Compare the same person, device and phrase. Numerical examples are not measured results or universal settings.
Discord: voice and video troubleshootingDiscord: Mic Test and temporary call mute/deafenDiscord: Voice Activity, sensitivity and Push-to-Talk release delayMicrosoft: Windows Sound RecorderDiscordJapanese version of this page