Sounn

Troubleshooting

No Microphone Signal

If Sounn shows no input signal or doesn't detect your microphone, follow these steps to diagnose and fix the issue.

5 min readLast updated: January 2025

Quick Fixes

Try these first—they solve most microphone issues:

1

Restart Sounn

Quit Sounn completely (Cmd+Q) and reopen. This refreshes the audio device list.

2

Reconnect the Microphone

Unplug your USB microphone, wait 5 seconds, and plug it back in.

3

Check Device Selection

Go to Settings > Devices and verify your microphone is selected as the Input Device.

Detailed Troubleshooting

Sounn needs microphone permission to access audio input. If permission was denied or never granted:

  1. Open System Settings (Apple menu > System Settings)
  2. Go to Privacy & Security
  3. Click Microphone in the sidebar
  4. Find Sounn in the list and ensure the toggle is ON
  5. If Sounn isn't listed, you may need to delete and reinstall it

macOS Privacy settings showing microphone permissions

Enable microphone access for Sounn in System Settings

Restart Required

After changing permissions, you must restart Sounn for the change to take effect.

Specific Microphone Issues

miniDSP UMIK-1 / UMIK-2

  • These are USB Audio Class devices and should work without drivers on macOS
  • Try a different USB port (USB-A directly, avoid USB-C hubs)
  • Check the LED indicator on the mic—should be lit when connected
  • If using a USB-C Mac, try a powered USB hub or quality USB-C to USB-A adapter

Dayton EMM-6 (via Audio Interface)

  • Verify XLR cable is fully seated
  • Enable 48V phantom power on your interface (required for condenser mics)
  • Check interface gain—start at 50% and adjust from there

Built-in Mac Microphone

  • Not recommended for room measurement (poor frequency response)
  • But useful for testing: if it works but your external mic doesn't, the issue is with the external mic or connection

Still Not Working?

If none of the above helps:

  • Check Console: Open Console.app and look for audio-related errors when connecting your mic
  • Reset Core Audio: Run sudo killall coreaudiod in Terminal (audio will briefly stop)
  • Test in another app: Try recording in QuickTime or GarageBand to rule out Sounn-specific issues
  • Contact support: Reach out to us with details about your microphone, Mac model, and macOS version

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