cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Effective January 9th, 2026 through January 22nd, 2026: The Zoom Community is currently in read-only mode with login disabled, to deliver you a new and improved community experience!

The site is still accessible to view, however, the ability to login, create content, or access your community account is temporarily unavailable. We appreciate your patience during this time. If seeking support, please browse existing community content or ask our Zoom Virtual Agent.

External mic sounds distorted, like a robot when live and on recordings

erazmus
Newcomer
Newcomer

This started happening a couple of months ago. My high end podcasting microphone that connects to my MacBook Pro via USB stopped working well with Zoom. People told me I sound like a robot. I recorded myself and they are right. I sound fine when using Macbook's mic or my AirPods. I tried switching the USB ports, I switched from USB to USB-C. Still the problem persists. I updated the Zoom app the the latest. I restarted the MacBook. I've got strong Wi-Fi. 

 

This said, the podcasting mic works perfectly fine when I record to GarageBand or to PhotoBooth. But when I launch a Zoom meeting, then via the Zoom app I sound tinny. I go back to PhotoBooth and I sound amazing. I can't figure it out. What's up with Zoom? Any advice?

1 REPLY 1

bstrelko
Community Champion | Customer
Community Champion | Customer

Lots of information about what doesn't work with your mic without any reference to the exact mic model (and respective firmware version) you're using - mind providing this info?

 

Has the setup ever worked (on previous versions of Zoom, other laptops, etc)? You mention that the issue started a few months ago and I'm curious if we can drill down on what changed with the setup.