What Microphone Gain Does in Ready or Not and How to Set It

Microphone gain in Ready or Not is how much your microphone signal is amplified before the game uses it for voice features such as multiplayer voice chat. Gain only affects your outgoing voice. It does not change how loud the game or your teammates sound to you. Higher gain makes you louder, but it also boosts background noise and can distort your voice. Lower gain sounds cleaner, but teammates may struggle to hear you.

Before you start

Make sure your microphone is connected and your operating system recognizes it. If you use a headset, remember that it shows up as two devices: an input device (the microphone) and an output device (the headphones). Many voice problems come from picking the wrong one.

Gain is adjusted on your own machine. Voice chat, however, sends your audio to other players during a multiplayer session. How that audio is routed or handled depends on the game and platform. Check their privacy information rather than assuming anything about it.

Your voice can be amplified at several points along the way. These include a hardware gain knob on the microphone or audio interface, headset or driver software, the operating system input level, and the in-game setting. Write down the current values at each point so you can undo your changes.

Step-by-step instructions

• Close or note the settings of other apps that use your microphone, such as chat or recording software, since they may apply their own processing.
• In your operating system's sound settings, select your microphone as the input device and check its input level. Speak at your normal volume and watch the level meter.
• If your microphone or interface software lets you choose a sample rate, keep a standard value the device supports. Sample rate does not change loudness, so treat it separately from gain.
• Launch Ready or Not and open its settings. Look in the audio or voice chat options for an input device selection and a microphone gain or input volume control. Labels and placement can vary between game versions.
• Change the gain in small steps. Lower it if teammates say you sound distorted. Raise it if they say you are too quiet.
• If the game offers push-to-talk, consider using it. Your microphone is then only sent while you hold the key, which limits how much background noise teammates hear.
• Let one gain stage do most of the work. Turning both hardware gain and in-game gain to maximum usually causes distortion and extra noise.

If you cannot find a gain control in your version of the game, it may rely on the operating system input level. In that case, make your adjustments in the system settings instead. If you play on a platform other than a Windows PC, the system-level microphone controls are in that platform's own settings. Game updates can change or reset voice options, so check them again after a patch.

Check the output

Speak at your normal volume and watch the operating system's input meter, or the in-game meter if your version has one. Normal speech should register clearly without staying at the top of the meter. Then test a loud callout. If the meter hits the top, the signal is probably clipping.

For a fuller check, record a short clip with your system's built-in recorder, using the same input device and level. Listen for crackling, harsh distortion, fan hum or keyboard noise. The best real-world test is to ask a trusted teammate in a private session how you sound.

A local recording shows what your microphone captures, not exactly what others hear. Voice chat may process or compress audio, and each listener sets their own playback volume. Treat teammate feedback as the final check.

Common problems and next steps

• Teammates cannot hear you at all: confirm the correct input device in both the system and the game, check any hardware mute switch, and make sure your operating system allows apps to access the microphone.
• Your voice sounds distorted or crackly: lower the gain at whichever stage is set too high, starting with hardware gain or any system boost before reducing the in-game setting.
• Teammates hear fans, typing or room noise: reduce gain, move the microphone closer to your mouth, use push-to-talk if available, and try noise suppression in your headset software if it has that feature.
• You are too quiet even at maximum in-game gain: raise the system input level or hardware gain, and check that the microphone is positioned and pointed correctly.
• Teammates hear an echo of the game: game audio from your speakers may be leaking into the microphone. Use headphones and confirm your output device is set to them.
• Settings changed after an update: recheck the voice options and restore your noted values.

If the problem continues after these checks, look at the game's official patch notes and support channels for known voice chat issues in your current version.