Interview Signal audio troubleshooting: fixes by symptom

Most Interview Signal audio problems are one of three things. An empty transcript is almost always the microphone: the wrong device, muted, or refused access. If you are transcribed but the candidate is not, the app is not capturing your computer's sound: on a Mac that is the Screen & System Audio Recording permission plus a relaunch, and on Windows it is usually a virtual machine or remote desktop with no audio device. If the candidate's words also appear under your name, your speakers are feeding your microphone. The fixes below match the messages the app shows in version 0.9.10, the current release as of October 2026.

Which side is missing?

Start with the audio check on the pre-interview screen. "Record 5 seconds" records both sides and reports each one, so you know which lane to fix.

Why is the transcript empty?

1. Open "Mic & language" at the top of the live screen and choose the right device under "Microphone". It switches straight away and keeps everything already said.
2. Check the microphone is not muted in your operating system's sound settings, or on the headset itself.
3. Before the next call, run the audio check and play back your five seconds.

If the microphone will not open, the app says why. Each message has its own fix:

• "No microphone was found. Plug one in or enable it in your sound settings, then try again. On a virtual machine or remote desktop, check that an audio input device is passed through."
• "Microphone access was refused. Allow it for Interview Signal in your system privacy settings, then try again." On a Mac the app also shows "Microphone access is not granted. Interview Signal cannot hear anything until it is." with an "Open settings" button.
• "The microphone is in use by another application. Close it, or pick a different device, then try again."
• "That microphone is no longer available. Choose a different one, or plug it back in and try again."

If the microphone you used last time has been unplugged, the app falls back to the default one and tells you: "That microphone is no longer available, so the default one is being used instead."

Why can I hear the candidate but the app cannot?

The Candidate lane is your computer's sound output. When it cannot be captured, the live screen keeps a banner up: "System audio is not available — recording your microphone only. The candidate will not be transcribed."

On a Mac:

1. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Screen & System Audio Recording. The "Open settings" button on the app's message goes straight there.
2. Turn on Interview Signal.
3. Quit and reopen the app. macOS applies this permission only at launch, so it will not work until you do.

The app needs this permission only to hear the computer's sound; nothing from your screen is recorded or saved.

On Windows: the usual cause is a virtual machine or remote desktop session with no audio device passed through.

On either: the call has to play on this computer. A meeting open on another device, or a phone screen on a separate handset, never reaches this computer's sound output. During the five-second check, the hint for a silent Candidate lane is "Play something in your meeting app while it records. Nothing was coming out of this computer."

Why do the candidate's words also appear under my name?

Your microphone is hearing the candidate through your speakers, so both lanes transcribe the same sentence. The app removes the duplicate from the transcript automatically and says so once: "Your microphone is picking up the candidate through your speakers. The duplicate is being removed — headphones would give a cleaner transcript." Headphones fix it at the source, and it matters because your lane is what ticks the guide.

Why did a line appear that nobody said?

Two causes. The Candidate lane is everything your computer plays, not just the meeting, so a video in another tab or a notification with speech is transcribed as the candidate; mute anything else before you start. The other is the speech recognizer inventing a stock phrase over silence, such as "thank you for watching"; the app does not send near-silent audio, which is what caused it. If you still see an invented line, delete it from the transcript before it reaches a submittal, and tell support what it said. General habits that keep any interview transcript clean are in how to transcribe a job interview.

What if audio drops in the middle of an interview?

The app checks both lanes every five seconds and repairs what it can without stopping the interview. What you may see:

• "Reconnecting audio…" or "Audio dropped — reconnecting…", followed by "Audio reconnected. Nothing already captured was lost." This covers a recorder that stopped or a microphone that disappeared, such as a Bluetooth headset handing over to the laptop. If you had muted yourself, you stay muted.
• "System audio stopped — still recording your microphone. Restart the interview to capture the candidate again." The meeting app released the computer's sound; your side carries on.
• "Audio could not be reconnected. Check your microphone, then end and restart the interview — everything captured so far is saved."
• "Your microphone is not recording. Choose another under Mic & language." A switch to another microphone failed.
• "Transcription is catching up — retrying in …s. Audio is still being recorded." The transcription service is busy; nothing is lost.
• "A few seconds of audio could not be read. Recording continues."

Why did transcription stop?

• "Paused — nothing is being recorded." You pressed "Pause capture". Press "Resume capture".
• "You are muted — the candidate is still being transcribed and scored." "Mute me" or Ctrl+M (Cmd+M on a Mac) silenced your side only. Press "Unmute me".
• "Your 20 free minutes are used up." or "Your hours are used up. Buy more hours to keep transcribing." The account's minutes ran out. The interview keeps its transcript and scorecard; see how the free minutes and plans work.

How do I send diagnostics to support?

1. Press "Copy diagnostics" in Settings, or open the "?" help, choose the "Support" tab and press "Copy diagnostics".
2. Paste them into an email to [email protected] ("Write to support" opens a draft in your mail program) and say what you saw.

The diagnostics contain the app log, the version, your machine's details and the email you sign in with. There is no transcript, no candidate name and no interview content. Support answers within one business day. For what your computer needs in the first place, see the system requirements; for how the two lanes work, see how Interview Signal records without a bot.