Why is my Discord Audio Quality muffled and distorted? If you find yourself wondering this, your Discord audio settings need a review. But Discord has so many voice settings and features that it becomes confusing to some. Let us help you fix your Discord Audio Quality problems and improve the Discord Audio Quality with this guide.
Causes of Bad Discord Audio Quality
- Too high or low audio bitrate set for the channel
- Headset or mic issue
- Discord voice service outage
- Incorrect audio settings on Discord
- Poor internet speed
- Out of date Discord app
How To Fix Discord Audio Quality on Windows and Mac?
If you want your Discord stream audio to be clear, apply these methods for the Discord application on your Windows or Mac computer:
- Change the Audio Quality Bitrate on Discord/Discord Nitro
- Turn on Noise Suppression from Discord Sound Settings
- Adjust the Advanced Voice Processing Settings
- Enable Push to talk to improve Discord Audio Quality
- Check the ‘Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority’ Setting
- Change the Attenuation Discord Settings
- Change Your Voice Server’s Location
- Check Your Internet Speed
- Reset Your Discord Voice Settings
- Get a Better Microphone for Improved Discord Calling Sound
1: Change the Audio Quality Bitrate on Discord/Discord Nitro
Audio bitrate, simply, tells you the audio quality. Higher audio bitrates mean better audio quality. But there is a catch. The higher you go with audio bitrate, the more internet bandwidth it will consume. So, 96 kbps will use more internet speed than 64 kbps.
This information is critical for streaming and voice chats because you would want to choose the highest audio bitrate for the best available voice quality, but doing so will require the viewers to have speedy internet connections. Anyone with slow internet wouldn’t be able to listen because the audio will keep buffering.
On the flip side, you also wouldn’t want to use too low audio bitrate because this will make your voice sound hissy and distorted.
So, what’s the solution? The solution is to set an audio bitrate that is not too low or high. By default, Discord sets it at 64 kbps, which is a balanced choice. But if your mic sounds bad on Discord, change it a bit lower or higher.
- Open your Discord application and go to your Discord server.
- Hover your mouse cursor to the channel with voice problems and click the cogwheel to edit your channel settings.
- Use the slider to adjust the server audio bitrate. Move it a bit higher. The highest for a regular channel is 96 kbps.
- Experiment with different bitrates to find the right one for you. For Discord Nitro users or voice channels that get Nitro Boosts, they can get the audio bitrate of 128 kbps and higher.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
2: Turn on Noise Suppression from Discord Sound Settings
Noise Suppression is a feature on Discord that dampens unnecessary noises in your surroundings, for example, your fan’s noise. With reduced noise, your voice appears clearer. If you’re wondering why does my microphone sounds bad on Discord, enable Noise Suppression after perfecting your audio bitrate.
- Open the Discord application.
- Click the settings icon next to the headset and mic icons.
- Choose ‘Voice & Audio’ from the side pane.
- Scroll down to find the ‘Advanced’ section. Toggle on ‘Noise Suppression’.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
3: Adjust the Advanced Voice Processing Settings
Discord is all about streaming so you would expect advanced audio features. Discord’s advanced voice processing settings can magically make an average mic sound like those expert-level microphones. Here’s how to improve your microphone quality on Discord with this setting.
- On your Discord application, click the settings icon at the bottom near your avatar.
- Select ‘Voice & Video’.
- Scroll down to the ‘Voice Processing’ section. Now, make sure these three options are enabled: Echo Cancellation, Advanced Voice Activity, and Automatic Gain Control.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
If the Discord Noise Reduction option is blurred, then it means you have ‘Noise Suppression’ turned on. Keep it as it is.
4: Enable Push to talk to improve Discord Server Audio Quality
While streaming, people would love to hear what you say, but they sure don’t need to hear the sound of you eating something, adjusting your mic, typing on the keyboard, and other similar things. You can use the Push to Talk feature to eliminate all sounds and allow your mic to hear you only when you want. Every streamer on Discord needs to use this feature.
Cut off unwanted sounds to improve your stream quality with these steps:
- Open Discord on your laptop and click the settings icon.
- Navigate to ‘Voice & Video’.
- Look for ‘Input Mode’ and select ‘Push to Talk’.
- Click ‘Record Keybind’ and press the key on your keyboard that you want to select for Push to Talk.
- When it’s set up, press and hold the dedicated key to speak and release it when done.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
5: Check the ‘Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority’ Setting
Quality of packet of what? Let us explain what it means in simpler words. With this voice setting on Discord, you can tell your router to prioritize the bandwidth Discord requires for voice streaming.
The results of this setting are debatable. If you are only doing voice chat, then enabling this may help. But for streaming, turning it on may improve your audio quality, but in turn, the gameplay streaming might suffer. We recommend checking your streaming after enabling it. If streaming starts lagging or any other issue arises, turn it off.
Moreover, if your audio quality is bad and you find that this setting was already enabled, then turn it off and try again.
- Go to Discord settings by clicking the cogwheel next to the headset and mic icons at the bottom of the screen.
- Choose ‘Voice & Video’.
- Find the ‘Quality of Service’ section and enable or disable this option: ‘Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority’.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
6: Change the Attenuation Discord Settings
This is a smart feature that can improve your gaming and streaming experience. Attenuation settings can lower the audio of other applications when anyone speaks. So, the voice of people will always be clear to you.
Ask your viewers/friends to set this feature on their side as well so they can also hear your voice more clearly when you speak.
- Navigate to Discord settings by clicking the cogwheel near your avatar.
- Go to ‘Voice & Video’.
- Look for the ‘Attenuation’ section. The bar will be at 0% if you’ve never set it. This means it’s not lowering the audio of people when they speak. Move it to 50% or any other level of your liking.
7: Change Your Voice Server’s Location
Discord automatically connects you to the location closest to you when you create a server. For fixing bad audio quality on Discord, you can experiment with different voice server locations.
- Click your server’s name that has a down arrow next to it.
- Choose ‘Server Settings’.
- Under Server Region, select ‘Change’.
- Choose a location and save changes.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
If it worsens your audio quality, switch back to the earlier location.
8: Check Your Internet Speed
Poor internet speed directly impacts your Discord server streaming. When the internet speed is slow, your voice will sound distorted and the stream will lag. Perform these things for better internet speed:
- Move your computer closer to the router or vice versa.
- Restart your router.
- Use a signal booster.
- Disconnect other Wi-Fi devices.
- Connect to the internet with an ethernet cable.
9: Reset Your Discord Voice Settings
Tweaking Discord settings can help you fix and improve Discord stream quality, but choosing incorrect settings can backfire and degrade your voice quality. If you recently tried to change voice settings, reset your Discord audio settings and start from.
- Click the cogwheel next to your avatar for Discord user settings.
- Select ‘Voice & Video’.
- Scroll all the way down, click ‘Reset Voice Settings’, and confirm.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
10: Get a Better Microphone for Improved Discord Calling Sound
Tell you the truth, you can sound only as good as your microphone. If you have tweaked the Discord settings with the above methods and the results are not satisfying, invest in a better microphone. Go to YouTube and watch some videos on how to choose a microphone.
How To Fix Discord Audio Quality on iOS and Android Phones
- Adjust the Audio Bitrate
- Check Noise Suppression and Other Voice Settings for Better Sound Quality
- Check the Enable Hardware Scaling Option
- Change Your Voice Channel’s Region
- Optimize Your Internet Connection
- Update Your Discord App
1: Adjust the Audio Bitrate (64 kbps audio is recommended)
Audio bitrate is directly proportional to audio quality. Try different audio bitrates on your Discord app to find the right one. The default is 64 kbps. Try 48 kbps and 80 kbps.
- Open your Discord app and go to your server.
- Long-tap your voice channel.
- Move the slider to increase or decrease the audio bitrate.
2: Check Noise Suppression and Other Voice Settings for Better Sound Quality
Noise Suppression reduces consistent noises in your surroundings. By default, it’s enabled. You can turn it off and on to check the difference in audio quality. Do the same for Echo Cancellation, Automatic Gain Control, and Advanced Voice Activity.
- Tap your avatar at the bottom-left corner.
- Select ‘Voice & Video’.
- Turn on and off different features under ‘Voice Processing’.
3: Check the Enable Hardware Scaling Option
This option is for improving video quality. You can enable and disable it to check which setting improves your audio.
- Go to settings by tapping your avatar on the Discord app.
- Navigate to ‘Voice & Video’.
- Find ‘Enable Hardware Scaling’ and toggle it on or off.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
4: Change Your Voice Channel’s Region
Your channel’s region impacts your audio quality. Try other locations and see if you find any good results.
- Long-tap your channel on the Discord app.
- Choose ‘Region Override’.
- Select a location.
- Now check Discord Audio Quality.
If the audio quality deteriorates further, go back to the ‘Automatic’ option.
5: Optimize Your Internet Connection
Is your internet speed decent enough? Switch from Wi-Fi to data and vice versa to check any difference in your stream audio quality. Moreover, move near to the router, close other apps on your mobile, and disconnect other Wi-Fi devices.
6: Update Your Discord App
Updates bring new features and bug fixes. Your Discord poor voice quality problem might be fixed by performing the app update.
- Go to Google Play Store or App Store.
- Search for Discord and select it.
- Update the app.
Conclusion
If you’re unsatisfied with your voice quality on Discord, you can try the methods mentioned above to fix it. Changing the audio bitrate alone helps many users.
