Better mic selection logic | Voters

Better mic selection logic

planned

sal james

I want to select a microphone to use, and not use System Default.

However, When that microphone isn't available, I want it to default back to the system input. But the current behavior is that nothing will record because it's trying to use the microphone that isn't currently available.

March 13, 2024

Bailey

MacWhisper has a 'Priority List' microphone selection feature, and it is incredibly effective.

It would be incredible to have this available in superwhisper.

Oli Sturm

I was going to report my own issue, but then I found this and I thought I would add my comment to the discussion since it's a bit unclear to me which scenarios are already covered by comments below.

What I see right now is this:

I have my external mic configured and the app remembers this after restarting.
If the mic is ever not available, it reverts to the system default.
When the mic is available again, it is still stuck on system default.

What I want to see instead:

When the mic is available again, it should be activated automatically instead of sticking to the system default. Other apps do it this way, seems to be quite standard in fact.

Btw, I using "Recording window enabled", which I find helpful because at least I notice immediately if I'm once more on the wrong mic (and the wave shape doesn't do anything when I talk). I still find that annoying, obviously, but I thought I'd mention it because others seem to have the problem that they record long text and find out about the wrong mic afterwards. Hope it helps.

Leon Bennetts

I'd be fine if the Mic option just appeared in the pop-up - similar to how Loom confirms it first.

Regardless of if the logic is improved - I always want to double check before starting that it's correct.

sal james

For my personal use case, adding it to the menu wouldn't really solve anything. I just want a one time "set it and forget it" microphone to use, and if it's not available, use system default.

For context, I want to minimize the amount of times my AirPods mic is used, because when AirPods have to switch Bluetooth usage to two-way I/O (vs just output), it makes output quality shitty -- but only temporarily, while I'm recording.

So in a super ideal world, I could set a hierarchy of microphones to use, going to the next if the current one is not available. i.e.

MacBook internal mic
Webcam mic
System default

Neil Chudleigh

Thoughts on adding this capability to switch to the menu?

Neil Chudleigh

marked this post as

planned

Brandon

Neil Chudleigh- glad this is marked planned. This is my biggest frustration currently. Nothing like doing a long dictation and realizing that you used AirPods and the input is garbage.

j conf

Brandon i agree.

Bailey

Brandon I agree as well. This is my only gripe with superwhisper!

Steven Skoczen

This, so so this. It is the single most annoying thing about using superwhisper. I hit the keyboard shortcut, wait for it to load... and then nothing. Then have to find the icon, go to settings, choose the SAME MIC every time, and then re-start. Hopefully I haven't forgotten the thought I was trying to capture in the process. Please fix this, or, related to https://superwhisper.canny.io/feature-requests/p/easierautomatic-way-to-change-mic-input - just give us an easier way to switch inputs.