Clips Using Noise Cancelling Even When Disabled

Use Case:

I am a student musician. I need to record myself playing instruments over backing tracks that are provided by the instructor. PC audio is piped into the aux channel of an amplifier that the instrument is also plugged into. The combined signal is recorded through a high quality studio microphone positioned in front of the amplifier, close to the grille. 

Zoom Version Number: 7.1.8

Steps Taken:

I have double checked all of the settings. I’ve check the input level of the mic, the output level of the amp. When I record in Clips, it sounds completely useless, with the majority of the signal dropping out. I have ensured that:

1. Original sound for musicians is enabled in settings.
2. High-Fidelity Music Mode is enabled in settings.
3. Echo Cancellation is disabled in settings
4. Under the Advanced tab:
   1. Echo cancellation is set to Auto (it cannot be turned off on this screen)
   2. Windows System Audio Enhancements is disabled
   3. Signal processing by Windows audio device drivers is disabled
5. When starting a Clips recording, I have confirmed that:
   1. The correct microphone and speaker are selected
   2. Under Advanced Settings, Noise Suppression is disabled

Why I believe this is a new problem with Clips:

1. I used Clips earlier this year extensively for the same purpose without issue. This is a new problem.
2. When I record from the full meeting window with all the same hardware and settings, the audio recording is fine. The issue is in Clips.

Why I believe this is an issue for me:

1. The literal ENTIRE reason I upgraded to Premium is for Clips, to make extemporaneous recordings with effectively a one-click interface. Its purpose was to replace Dolby ON.
2. Clips worked for months for my use case. I never had a problem through May 2026. It’s a new semester.
3. Clips has an option to disable noise suppression, and it is not working as advertised.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Set up Clips as describe above, both in the main Settings screen, and the settings of the individual recording popup for a new Clip.
2. Position a microphone in front of your PC speakers.
3. Play an audio clip, a song, a beat, whatever you like.
4. Notice on playback that you hear roughly a tenth of what’s being played.
5. Delete the clip and start a new meeting.
6. Do nothing else, but go into the More (...) button and press Record.
7. Play an audio clip, a song, whatever, through the same PC speakers.
8. Stop the meeting and wait for it to process.
9. Go into your recorded meetings location and play the video and/or audio. Notice that there is no dropout, no noise cancelling.