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mic booster software cover mic booster software cover

Best Mic Booster Software

I have found Equalizer APO to be the optimal microphone amplifier software, as it
provides a high level of customization without demanding a lot of system resources.
With it, our FixThePhoto team quickly and efficiently improves the quality of our podcasts.
Moreover, this tool comes with a wide range of filters and can be easily integrated with
VST plugins.

I discovered that the best way to ensure my voice is heard loud and clear is to use the best microphone volume booster software. When I was recently making a podcast episode on photography for beginners with my FixThePhoto colleagues, we noticed that the sound wasn’t as loud as we needed.

We decided to find a way to improve the quality of our microphones without distorting the audio. My team and I tested 20+ mic boost software until we narrowed down our selection to the options presented below.

Top 5 Mic Booster Software

equalizer apo logo
Equalizer APO
Our Choice
  • Free

voicemeeter logo
VoiceMeeter
Multi-Source
  • Donationware

audacity logo
Audacity
Analytic Tools
  • Free

kazi sound recorder logo
Kazi Sound Recorder
Real-Time
  • Free trial
  • $24.95

expstudio logo
Expstudio
Stabilization
  • Free

Whether you have issues with the volume of your mic during business calls, recording a podcast, or streaming, and changing the mic settings didn’t give you the desired effect, microphone booster software can help you easily amplify your mic’s input without having to invest in more expensive gear.

1. Equalizer APO

equalizer apo mic booster software
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Customizable filters
  • Real-time mic volume tweaking
  • Free and open-source
  • Supports a lot of audio devices
Cons
  • Needs to be configured manually

Equalizer APO is the most useful mic amplifier software I’ve tested, as it impressed me with its lightweight yet robust audio functionality. When applying it to our podcast, we chose the pre-amplification filter to increase microphone volume while preserving quality. Since I haven’t used APO in the past, learning its features took a bit of time.

This virtual surround sound software comes with a long list of filters, several channels, and plenty of VST plugins to improve your sound quality. When setting up this tool, we got rid of the default settings and designed personalized tabs for amplifying our microphone inputs and adjusting the volume level for each device separately.

Tweaking the gain slider in real time allowed us to remove background noise without any distortions. Equalizer APO is also compatible with a wide range of other audio gear, and while configuring it can be a bit challenging, the functionality and versatility you receive more than make up for it.

2. VoiceMeeter

voicemeeter mic booster software
Pros
  • Combine several audio sources
  • Adjust mic volume & EQ
  • For different audio interfaces
  • Real-time audio processing
Cons
  • Too complex for beginners
  • Cluttered and dated UI

VoiceMeeter is a robust mic booster app that is highly recommended by our technical and hardware expert. This solution is a fantastic digital sound mixer, allowing me to configure several inputs and outputs at the same time. It’s a particularly great find for podcasters, live streamers, and people handling elaborate audio setups.

VoiceMeeter helped us conveniently mix 3 mics and set the volume and tone of each device in real-time. It’s compatible with ASIO and MME interfaces and runs perfectly on Windows 10. The fact that it allows boosting microphone inputs made it a great fit for our photography podcast.

While this mic volume booster app comes with several disadvantages, as it can feel too daunting for beginners to learn, it’s still a fantastic amplifier and microphone testing software if you want to enhance your sound quality without breaking the bank.

3. Audacity

audacity mic booster software
Pros
  • Free and open-source
  • Supports a lot of audio formats
  • Robust audio analytics
  • Diverse set of plugins
  • Cross-platform
Cons
  • Dated UI
  • Restrictive real-time processing

I often rely on Audacity to improve the audio quality of our podcasts, so I wanted to add it to this list of the best microphone software for PC. This free, open-source audio editing software comes with robust functionality to boost microphone inputs.

We leveraged the provided Spectrogram mode to adjust the sound frequencies and used the microphone boost feature to balance our voices. Thanks to the Amplify tool, we could conveniently tweak gain levels and get rid of any background noise. While its UI feels dated and unintuitive, its feature set more than makes up for it.

4. Kazi Sound Recorder

kazi sound recorder mic booster software
Pros
  • Real-time sound monitoring
  • Compatible with many formats
  • High-quality results
  • Built-in audio converter
Cons
  • Possible compatibility problems
  • Sound effects lack customization options

Kazi is more than a regular microphone boost program, as it’s also a useful digital voice recorder that supports MP3, WAV, and OGG formats. This multifunctional solution is great for podcasters interested in receiving pro-quality sound.

When testing this software, I leveraged the sound monitoring tool to examine the audio in real time and tweak the volume on individual mics as needed. The integrated recording functionality helped me save several takes straight onto my PC, making the whole process a lot more efficient.

My team also enjoyed Kazi’s real-time monitoring and wide range of supported formats. Although, one of our experts noticed the absence of advanced post-production features that might dissuade professional audio producers from trying this tool.

5. Expstudio

expstudio mic booster software
Pros
  • Efficient input stabilization
  • Fast audio edits
  • Pitch shift
  • Bandpass and low-pass filter
Cons
  • Docs omits a lot of relevant information
  • Several tools are rather dated

Expstudio has proven to be not only handy microphone booster software but also a fantastic solution for capturing clear, uninterrupted audio from unstable mic signals. Additionally, it allows you to cut, copy, mix, and mute audio portions, which is everything you need for tackling basic audio projects.

During our testing, we noticed that Expstudio is great for enhancing the clarity of softer voices, ensuring they don’t get lost in the shuffle. We also tried applying various effects like shifting and vibrato to make certain podcast segments more engaging.

The biggest drawback of this mic booster for PC is the lack of advanced editing tools like multitrack editing or waveform analytics, which makes it less useful to professional sound producers.

FAQ

  • • Can a microphone boost app improve the quality of a cheap mic?

Yes, they can improve the audio output as well as its clarity, but they can’t magically turn your microphone into a premium product. If you want to enjoy professional sound quality, you need to get a specialized microphone for podcasting.

  • • If I boost the microphone volume using software, will it damage my mic?

No, since the software doesn’t directly interact with the microphone, as it processes the signal it receives digitally. I haven’t noticed any changes with my microphone, regardless of which software I used.

  • • Is it hard to set up a microphone boost app?

Even though some options like Equalizer APO might be a bit challenging to learn because of their expansive feature sets, other solutions, such as Expstudio, are very easy to configure. I dedicated the time necessary to master Equalizer APO, and it has proven to be worth it despite the extra effort.

  • • Does a microphone volume booster also increase background noise?

Certain tools can boost not only the speaker’s voice, but the background noise as well. Thankfully, more robust solutions like Equalizer APO come with adjustable filters that allow you to efficiently deal with this problem. This was particularly handy when I tried to minimize the amount of hums and clicks in our podcast.

How We Test Microphone Booster Software

Our FixThePhoto team has tested 23 options to find the optimal app to boost microphone volume for both industry experts and complete beginners.

We analyzed each software’s capability to boost and improve mic sound quality. We also experimented with equalization and accounted for various challenging circumstances, like background noise, and how they can be dealt with if you’re not a technical expert.

User-friendliness is another important aspect we’ve considered when testing different software. We looked at the UI, configuration options, and whether the specific option is available across several platforms. Applications with intuitive navigation and a straightforward workflow earned the most points in this category.

Lastly, we evaluated the performance and dependability. The last thing you want during a podcast is for your software to crash. We made sure all tools featured above offer stable performance and can be reliably used by podcasters, streamers, and YouTubers regardless of what they’re doing.

Eva Williams

Writer & Gear Reviewer

Eva Williams is a talented family photographer and software expert who is in charge of mobile software and apps testing and overviewing in the FixThePhoto team. Eva earned her Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from NYU and work 5+ years assisting some of the city’s popular wedding photographers. She doesn't trust Google search results and always tests everything herself, especially, much-hyped programs and apps.

Read Eva's full bio

Kate Debela

Hardware & Software Testing Specialist

Kate is a travel blogger with rich experience who specializes in videography. She’s spent many years trying out apps, software, and photography gear. She focuses on gear with an excellent price-performance ratio, enabling photographers to save costs while taking advantage of the advanced functionality. She has a love-hate relationship with Apple, preferring customizable and accessible Android devices and Windows PCs over Apple's ecosystem, despite regularly testing their products.

Read Kate's full bio

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