The microphone isn't detected
When exercises can't hear your voice — grant microphone permission, choose the right input device and run the calibration cleanly.
Web + app
cori doesn't react to your voice in the exercises, or you're seeing a note saying the microphone is blocked? Almost always cori is missing permission to use your microphone — or your device is listening on the wrong input. This guide works through both in turn.
cori doesn't record anything secretly. The microphone is only used where your voice is involved: in the exercises, in the vocal range test, in the audio analysis and in the latency calibration. The pitch detection runs directly on your device.
Granting microphone permission
Without permission cori gets no signal. How you grant it depends on the platform.
The first time round, your browser asks for microphone access — confirm the prompt. If you blocked it by accident, you can allow cori the microphone afterwards via the small icon at the left of the address bar or under your browser's site settings. Reload the page afterwards.
The first time round, your operating system shows a prompt — confirm access. If you declined it, cori later reports “Microphone blocked” with the note: “Please allow access to the microphone in your device settings to use this feature.” In that case, open your device's system settings, find cori and switch the microphone on.
If this message appears, trying again in cori won't help — permission has been denied permanently and can only be switched back on in your device's system settings. After that, switch back to cori and restart the exercise.
The right input device
cori uses your system's default microphone. If the default input is set to a device with no signal (a webcam standing somewhere else, say, or a muted headset), cori hears nothing. Set the microphone you want as the default input device in your operating system's sound settings and then reload cori.
- A headset connected by cable or Bluetooth is usually preferred automatically. Check that the microphone you want is active if your voice isn't coming through.
- Make sure the microphone isn't covered by your hand or a case.
cori hears you, but too quietly
If a signal does arrive but cori barely detects any notes, your surroundings are often the answer:
- Sing a bit more strongly and move closer to the microphone. After an exercise, cori points it out when notes were missing: “Some notes were not picked up at all — either not sung or too quiet for the microphone.”
- Reduce background noise (fans, an open window, other voices). cori deliberately processes the microphone signal unfiltered so that the pitch is accurate — which is why a loud environment noticeably disturbs the detection.
The latency calibration fails
The latency calibration plays short clicks and records them again through the microphone. If cori reports “Couldn't detect the clicks. Turn up your volume, move closer to the microphone, and try again.”, then:
- Use the device's internal speakers, not headphones — cori has to hear its own test tone back through the microphone.
- Turn the volume up and keep still for those few seconds.
How to run calibrations again is described under Setting up and calibrating exercises.
When you need support
If the microphone works in other apps, permission has been granted and the right input device is selected — and cori still can't hear you — get in touch with support. Tell them your device, whether you're on the web or in the app, and whether a headset is involved.
What's next?
- How exercises work: Exercises — an overview
- Repeating calibrations: Setting up and calibrating exercises
- Determining your vocal range: The vocal range test
- No sound rather than no microphone? I can't hear anything
Still need help?
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Contact support