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No Audio Recorded

Problem: No Audio Recorded

Symptom: Recording file is silent or shows flat waveform

Is this about your recording, or about the live call? Everything on this page is about what lands in the recording. If your problem is that callers say you sound muffled or distant while you're talking, that's a different signal path with different tests — see Callers Say I Sound Muffled or Distant.

Work through the diagnostic flowchart. These are checks, not a diagnosis from silence alone:

  1. Check the selected input and channel mode
  2. Run scanner: https://recapmycalls.com/audio/

  3. Confirm the actual external input and capture mode with the two-sided test. Consider an interface only if that input is confirmed insufficient; see input checks.

  4. Audio input gain too low/muted

  5. Windows: Right-click speaker icon → Recording devices → Microphone → Properties → Levels → Set to 100%
  6. Mac: System Preferences → Sound → Input → Drag slider all the way right

  7. Speak into headset - do you see level meter moving?

  8. Headset incompatible with phone

  9. Test headset directly with phone (no RECAP)

  10. Old headsets from drawers often don't work

  11. Connected to LINE IN instead of MIC IN

  12. Use the supported external stereo MIC mode, with plug-in power where supported; line-only operation is not validated

  13. Look for port with microphone icon or pink color

  14. Wrong input device selected in software

  15. Check recording software settings
  16. Select "RECAP" or "External Microphone"

Problem: Only Hear in One Ear (Headset)

Symptom: During a call with RECAP connected, you only hear the caller in one ear of your headset.

This is NOT the stereo split. The stereo split only applies to the recording output (the cable going to your computer). The headset pass-through is transparent — it forwards your phone's audio to your headset untouched, exactly like plugging the headset directly into your phone. You should hear in both ears. See How RECAP Works for details.

If you only hear in one ear, check these:

  1. Headset plugged into wrong jack
  2. RECAP has two output jacks: the headset pass-through and the MIC recording output
  3. If your headset is in the MIC jack, you'll hear the stereo split (one side per ear) instead of normal call audio

  4. Move the headset to the pass-through jack

  5. Cable not fully seated

  6. Push the headset plug firmly into RECAP until it clicks
  7. Do the same for the phone-to-RECAP connection

  8. A partial insert can drop a channel

  9. Headset problem

  10. Test the headset directly in your phone (no RECAP)

  11. If it's still one ear, the headset is the issue

  12. Phone adapter issue

  13. If using a Lightning or USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, try a different one
  14. Some cheap adapters don't pass all channels correctly
  15. Tested adapters: https://recapmycalls.com/compatible-adapters-for-recap/

Problem: Recording Only Has Audio on One Side

Symptom: You open your recording and only one channel has audio — the other is silent or very quiet.

If the caller is on the recording but your own voice is missing, check the recording input and the headset microphone path. This symptom alone does not identify a fault. Earlier guidance said recorder bias powers S2 and carries your voice; that mechanism is not supported by the reviewed v40 artwork. See the correction and pending validation. Keep these supported setup checks:

  • The recorder input is a stereo MIC input (not LINE IN) that supplies plug-in power. Your recorder's manual will say; see Recording Device Compatibility.
  • Your headset has a microphone on its cable. Without one, your phone uses its own mic and your voice never reaches RECAP. See Cause 1.
  • If your phone uses a Lightning or USB-C adapter, you connect the phone last. See connection order.

Also use the two-sided test to confirm actual external-input capture. On a computer, check the items below.

This is about the recording output, not headset playback. Check:

  1. Check the selected input and channel mode
  2. Many computers have mono microphone inputs; check the exact selected input rather than assuming from the brand
  3. A mono input can only capture one of RECAP's two channels
  4. Run the Audio Device Scanner to check

  5. The scan alone does not identify the cause. Use the two-sided test, and consider another input/interface only if the external input is confirmed unable to capture stereo.

  6. Echo cancellation or noise suppression enabled

  7. These features can merge or suppress one channel
  8. Run the scanner, expand your device, and disable Echo Cancellation and Noise Suppression

  9. See Device Scanner guide for details

  10. USB adapter swapping channels

  11. Some USB adapters reverse left and right
  12. Not a problem — just note which channel is you and which is the caller