Microphone & Audio Issues

Kalima needs your browser’s permission to access the microphone. Until that’s granted, device names and selection stay unavailable.

• In the audio settings, click Allow microphone access and accept the browser prompt.
• If you previously blocked the mic, re-enable microphone access for the Kalima site in your browser’s site settings, then reload the page.
• After reloading, your device should appear in the list with a live level meter.

This means no input device is connected or recognized by your computer.

• Connect a microphone, headset, or external mic, then reopen the device list.
• Confirm the device works in your operating system’s sound settings.
• Use the level meter next to each device to verify it’s picking up sound before you record.

If your transcript is silent or picking up the wrong sound, you may be recording from a different microphone than you expect (for example, the built-in laptop mic instead of your USB or headset mic).

• Open the device list and select the correct input device.
• Speak and confirm the level meter for that device moves.
• Your microphone choice is remembered for next time, so you only need to set it once per device.

• Make sure microphone permission is granted (see above) and the right device is selected.
• Check that the device isn’t muted at the operating-system level or by a hardware mute switch on a headset.
• Watch the level meter while speaking, if it stays flat, the issue is with the device or permission, not with Kalima.

Kalima includes a recording gain control to boost or cut your microphone level before recording, useful for quiet lapel mics, sitting far from the mic, or a hot input that needs trimming.

• Open the recording gain settings (the gear icon next to the audio source).
• Adjust the slider. The range is -12 dB to +12 dB in 1 dB steps, with a default of 0 dB.
• The setting is remembered for next time.

If your input is extremely quiet, even maximum gain may not be enough, move closer to the mic or switch to a better device.

Kalima offers two capture quality modes. Picking the right one for your environment makes a big difference:

• Enhanced mode turns on echo cancellation, noise suppression, and auto-gain. It’s the default, and the right pick for a laptop mic or any room with other people or background sound in it.
• Raw mode records raw, unprocessed audio (echo cancellation, noise suppression, and auto-gain are off). Reach for it when you have a good microphone in a quiet room and want the audio to reach the engine untouched.

Switch modes in the audio settings, and use Test modes to compare them on a sample before committing.

See Audio Sources & Quality for a full walkthrough.

A short lag is normal: confirmed text trails the live audio by up to about two seconds while the engine finalizes each phrase. A larger delay usually points to your network or device.

• Glance at the latency badge in the Studio while recording. Green means fast, yellow means moderate, and red means slow.
• If it’s yellow or red, switch to a stronger or wired network connection.
• If you’re on a Bluetooth headset or a virtual/loopback audio cable (such as VB-Audio, Voicemeeter, or BlackHole), the device is adding the delay. Kalima shows a non-blocking device latency advisory in this case. Switch to a wired or built-in microphone for the lowest delay.

Kalima captures audio from the moment you press record and buffers it, so the brief window before the connection finishes is minimized.

• If the very first word still feels clipped, pause for about half a second after pressing record before you start speaking.
• For longer interruptions mid-session, Kalima’s automatic gap recovery fills missed audio back in, see Connection & Recovery Issues.

• Switch the audio source to Desktop audio (called Device audio on mobile).
• When prompted to share, pick the correct tab, window, or screen, and make sure the share audio checkbox is enabled in the browser prompt.
• Browser support varies: some browsers only allow tab audio. For reliable system-wide capture, use a supported browser or the Kalima desktop app.

With Desktop audio selected, turn on the Include microphone toggle. Kalima blends your mic in with the captured system audio into a single transcript, ideal for calls, reactions, and voiceover tutorials.

This usually means your balance ran out. You’ll see a low-balance warning when you have under about two minutes of recording time remaining, then a short grace countdown, after which recording stops automatically.

• Add recording time or credits (or draw from a shared team/organization balance if available), then start a new take.
• Watch the balance indicator while recording so you can top up before it runs out.

See Billing & Balance Issues for more.

Bluetooth and wireless headsets, as well as virtual/loopback audio cables, add delay at the device level. Kalima detects this and shows an advisory notice, it never blocks recording, but the app can’t remove device-side delay.

• For the lowest latency, switch to a wired or built-in microphone.
• This is environmental, not a Kalima fault, so the advisory is informational only.