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Live Detection

Microphone Gain & AGC Monitor

Automatic gain control keeps your level consistent by constantly adjusting sensitivity — but an aggressive AGC can audibly raise your background noise right after you stop talking, a "pumping" or "breathing" effect some listeners find distracting. This watches your real captured level for exactly that pattern, using the browser's actual autoGainControl toggle.

Live

Level

Current: —

Click Start, then speak normally with natural pauses in between — repeat a few times so pumping has a chance to show up.

Result

0
Pumping Events Detected
  • Verdict:—

—

How to Interpret Your Results

What your pumping event count actually means

This tool counts real pumping events — moments where your noise floor measurably rose right after speech stopped, then settled back down. It needs several speech/pause cycles to build a reliable count, so keep talking with natural pauses rather than judging from a single sentence.

0 eventsNo pumping detected. AGC is compensating smoothly, or your levels are already consistent enough that it barely has to work.
1–2 eventsMild pumping. Usually not distracting to listeners, but toggle AGC off above to hear whether it's cleaner for your specific voice and setup.
3+ eventsAggressive, consistent pumping — the audible "breathing" background noise effect. Worth actually toggling AGC off or checking for a fixed-gain option in your mic's own software.

Benchmark Reference

Pumping Frequency at a Glance

GradeEvents observedRecommendation
Clean0Leave AGC on — it's working without a noticeable artifact.
Mild1–2Compare AGC on vs off; either may sound fine.
Aggressive3+Toggle AGC off, or look for a fixed-gain mic setting.

Counted directly from your live session — not an estimate, and it resets each time you restart the test.

Step-by-Step

How to Run the Test

  1. Click "Start" and allow microphone access when prompted.
  2. Speak normally, pause, speak again — repeat this cycle several times so the tool has enough speech/silence transitions to count from.
  3. Watch the pumping event counter and read the verdict once it stabilizes.
  4. Toggle AGC off using the button above and repeat, to hear the difference directly rather than just see a number.

Notes

What counts as pumping here

After your level drops from speech back to quiet, this watches whether the noise floor briefly rises before settling back down — the audible signature of AGC compensating aggressively for the sudden drop in signal. A single mild event is normal; a consistent pattern across multiple speech/pause cycles is what the verdict above is actually built on.

AGC on vs off

AGC on, no pumpingIdeal — consistent levels without the artifact. Leave it on.
AGC on, pumping detectedToggle it off above and compare. If your natural speaking level is already fairly consistent, AGC off may sound cleaner.
AGC off, inconsistent levelsIf your volume varies a lot naturally, AGC off can mean quiet moments become hard to hear — the tradeoff runs both ways.

Common Issues

Troubleshooting & Fixes

Microphone access blockedClick the camera/mic icon in your browser's address bar to confirm this site is allowed, or check your OS's microphone privacy settings if the browser already shows it as granted.
Event count stays at 0 even with obvious pumping audibleThe detection needs a clear speech-to-silence transition — try pausing more sharply and completely between sentences rather than trailing off gradually.
Toggling AGC doesn't seem to change anythingSome devices apply their own hardware-level gain control that a browser constraint can't reach — if on/off sound identical, your mic may be handling this upstream already.
Want a permanent fix instead of toggling per-callCheck your microphone's own manufacturer software for a fixed-gain or "manual level" mode, which bypasses AGC entirely at the hardware level.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AGC pumping?
Automatic gain control constantly adjusts your microphone's sensitivity to keep levels consistent. When it reacts aggressively, background noise can audibly rise for a moment right after you stop speaking, before settling back down — often described as the mic "breathing." That rise-then-settle pattern is exactly what this tool detects.
Should I turn AGC off?
Only if you notice real pumping and have a way to keep your levels consistent without it — AGC exists because manual level management is hard, and turning it off with an inconsistent voice level can sound worse, not better. Use the toggle here to compare both conditions on your own setup before deciding.
Is this the same as noise suppression?
No — they are separate, independently controllable settings. Noise suppression tries to remove background sound; automatic gain control adjusts overall volume. A microphone can have either, both, or neither active.
Why does my count keep increasing the longer I talk?
More speech/pause cycles give the detector more opportunities to catch a pumping event — a higher count from a longer session isn't necessarily worse than a lower count from a shorter one. Compare results from sessions of similar length.
How does the detector distinguish real pumping from normal pauses?
It watches the noise floor specifically in the 800 milliseconds right after you stop speaking, comparing the early and late readings within that window — a genuine pumping event shows a noise floor that starts elevated and then audibly settles, not just background noise that was there the whole time.