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Voice Controls

Status: Complete

A guide to all the audio controls available during a voice call in Chatalot.

Call Controls Bar

When you are in a voice call, a control bar appears with the following buttons (from left to right):

Button Function
Microphone Toggle mute/unmute
Shield (with badge) Cycle noise suppression level
Camera Toggle video on/off
Monitor Toggle screen sharing
Phone (red) Leave call

Tip: The noise suppression and screen sharing buttons are hidden on small screens to save space. Access these features from Settings > Voice on mobile.

Mute / Unmute Microphone

Click the microphone button to toggle your microphone on or off.

  • When muted, your microphone icon shows a red slash and your audio track is disabled (no audio data is sent to other participants).
  • Other participants see "(muted)" next to your name in the voice grid.
  • Muting is instant and does not require renegotiating the peer connection.

Per-User Volume Control

You can adjust the playback volume of any other participant independently:

  1. Right-click on a participant's tile in the voice grid.
  2. A volume slider appears with a range of 0% to 500%.
  3. Drag the slider to adjust their volume.
  4. Click Reset to 100% to restore the default.

The volume percentage is displayed next to the participant's name when it differs from 100%.

Tip: Boosting above 100% amplifies quiet speakers. Use this if someone's microphone is too quiet even at full volume.

Microphone Volume (Self)

Right-clicking your own tile opens the Mic Volume control:

  • This adjusts your input gain (what others hear from you), from 0% to 200%.
  • The default is 100% (no amplification).
  • Changes are reflected in real time and saved to your preferences.

Noise Suppression

Chatalot includes built-in noise suppression that runs entirely on your device using WebAssembly. There are four levels:

Level Technology CPU Usage Description
Off None -- No noise processing
Noise Gate Volume threshold Minimal Silences audio below a set volume level. Good for eliminating constant low-level hum.
Standard Speex DSP Low Traditional DSP-based noise reduction. Removes steady-state noise like fans and air conditioning.
Maximum RNNoise ML Moderate Machine-learning-powered noise removal. Handles variable noise like keyboard typing and background chatter.

Changing Noise Suppression During a Call

  • From the call controls: Click the shield icon to cycle through levels (Off, Noise Gate, Standard, Maximum). A badge on the icon shows the current level (G, S, or M).
  • From Settings: Go to Settings > Voice > Noise Suppression and select a level. If you are in an active call, the change applies immediately without needing to rejoin.

Tip: Start with "Standard" for most situations. Switch to "Maximum" if you are in a noisy environment, but note it uses more CPU.

Voice Settings Page

The full set of audio options is available under Settings > Voice. This includes:

Input Device

  • Microphone selection -- Choose from detected input devices, or use "System Default."
  • Mic Test -- Click "Test Microphone" to see a real-time level meter showing your input volume. The meter turns yellow when levels are very high.
  • Input Volume -- Slider from 0% to 200%. Controls your microphone gain (what others hear).

Output Device

  • Speaker selection -- Choose from detected output devices (requires browser support for setSinkId). If your browser does not support output device selection, use your operating system's audio settings instead.
  • Output Volume -- Slider from 0% to 200%.

Advanced Settings

Setting Default Description
Echo Cancellation On Removes echo from speakers feeding back into your microphone
Auto Gain Control On Automatically adjusts microphone sensitivity

These settings take effect on your next call or when switching input devices mid-call.

Stream Focus

Setting Default Description
Auto-focus streams Off Automatically hides participant tiles when someone shares their screen, showing only the shared content

Speaking Indicator

Chatalot monitors audio levels in real time. When a participant is speaking, their tile in the voice grid shows a green glowing ring. This uses local audio analysis -- no speaking data is sent to the server.

Keyboard Reference

There are currently no dedicated keyboard shortcuts for voice controls. All interactions use the on-screen buttons.