Dictation or meetings record silence
Last updated Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0
If NoteOwl records silence, it almost always can't hear your microphone: the macOS Microphone permission is off, or your Mac is listening to a different input. Turn on NoteOwl in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, check the input in System Settings → Sound, then quit and reopen NoteOwl.
Why does NoteOwl record silence?
Because macOS gives an app silence, not an error, when it can't use the microphone. The same happens when your Mac is listening to a muted or unused microphone. NoteOwl checks the permission before it listens, and tells you when the sound it gets is silent.
If NoteOwl hears no sound at all in the first few seconds of a dictation, it stops listening rather than recording silence, and says what went wrong in the NoteOwl panel at the top of the screen.
What does NoteOwl show when it can't hear you?
The NoteOwl panel says what it found. Match what you see:
| NoteOwl says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone access is off. Enable NoteOwl in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, then try again. | The Microphone permission is off | Turn it on (below) |
| Allow microphone access to dictate… | macOS is asking for the permission for the first time | Allow NoteOwl in the macOS prompt |
| Couldn't access the microphone. | NoteOwl couldn't open your Mac's input | Check the input device, then quit and reopen NoteOwl |
| Didn't catch anything — try again., with No speech detected or Microphone unavailable at the top | No words came through: the input was silent, muted or not the one you're speaking into | Check the permission and the input device |
| Meeting capture needs Screen Recording & Microphone access. | A meeting couldn't open your microphone or your Mac's audio, so it didn't start | Turn on Microphone and Screen & System Audio Recording, then reopen NoteOwl |
To see where the permission stands, open NoteOwl's Settings and click General. Under Privacy & Access, Microphone says Granted when it's on.
Turn on the Microphone permission
- Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
- Click Privacy & Security, then Microphone.
- Turn on NoteOwl. If it's already on, turn it off and on again.
- Quit NoteOwl: click its menu bar icon and choose Quit NoteOwl.
- Open NoteOwl again, click into a text field and tap fn. Your words appear in the NoteOwl panel as you speak.
If NoteOwl isn't in the Microphone list, it hasn't asked yet. Tap fn once, or click Grant beside Microphone in NoteOwl's Settings → General, and allow NoteOwl when macOS asks.
If NoteOwl's settings say Restricted by policy, your Mac is managed, for example by your employer, and only the people who manage it can turn the microphone on for NoteOwl.
Check which microphone your Mac is using
NoteOwl listens through your Mac's current input, the same one other apps use. If that's a headset you've put away, a muted microphone or a display with no microphone, NoteOwl hears silence.
- Choose the input. Open System Settings → Sound and, under Input, click the microphone you speak into. Speak and watch the input level move.
- Check it isn't muted. Some headsets and microphones have a mute switch or button.
- Change it before you start. Choose the input before you begin a dictation or meeting, not during one.
What if my side of a meeting is silent?
Look at the You row while the meeting records. Open Meeting Scribe and find the Capture section: You (Microphone) should say Recorded and a time. If it says No audio on this channel or Stalled at and a time, your microphone isn't reaching NoteOwl.
Recorded means sound is arriving from your Mac's input, not that it's the right microphone. If You says Recorded but your words are missing from the transcript, the input may be muted or not the microphone you're speaking into.
Stop the meeting, fix the permission or the input, and start a new meeting. The first meeting keeps what it recorded. If it's the other people who are missing, see a meeting is missing other people's voices.
Still not working?
Email support@noteowl.ai with your macOS version, the microphone you're using, and what the NoteOwl panel said.
Common questions
Why does NoteOwl say Didn't catch anything?
NoteOwl heard no words. Usually the microphone gave NoteOwl silence, because the Microphone permission is off or your Mac is listening to a different or muted input. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, then the input in System Settings → Sound.
Can I choose which microphone NoteOwl uses?
Not in NoteOwl itself. NoteOwl listens through your Mac's current input, which you choose in System Settings → Sound, under Input. Choose the microphone there before you start a dictation or a meeting.
Do I need to quit and reopen NoteOwl after turning on Microphone?
Usually not, but it's the quickest way to be sure. If NoteOwl still hears nothing after you turn on its Microphone permission, quit NoteOwl from its menu bar icon with Quit NoteOwl, open it again and try once more.
Dictation hears you but no text appears
If NoteOwl hears your dictation but no words appear, turn on Accessibility and click into a text field first. Every dictation is also kept in Dictations.
A meeting is missing other people's voices
If a NoteOwl meeting has your words but not the other people's, check the Others channel, Screen & System Audio Recording, and where the call is playing.