# Audio Setup

Configure Audion for optimal audio quality and performance.

## Selecting an Audio Input

### Built-in Microphone

**Best for:** Testing, small meetings, simple setups

**How to use:**
1. Select "Built-in Microphone" from the Audio Input dropdown
2. Position your Mac near the main speakers
3. Adjust Mac position to avoid feedback

**Pros:**
- No additional equipment needed
- Quick setup
- Great for testing

**Cons:**
- May pick up ambient noise
- Limited audio quality
- Potential for feedback

### USB Audio Interface

**Best for:** Professional audio, soundboard connections

**How to use:**
1. Connect your USB audio interface to your Mac
2. Wait a moment for macOS to recognize the device
3. Select your interface from the Audio Input dropdown
4. Connect your soundboard's output to the interface input

**Recommended connections:**
- Main mix output from soundboard
- Aux send with custom mix
- Direct output from audio console

**Pros:**
- Professional audio quality
- Direct connection to soundboard
- Isolated from room noise
- Multiple input options

**Cons:**
- Requires additional hardware
- May need adapters or cables

### Aggregate Devices

**Best for:** Combining multiple audio sources, advanced setups

**How to create:**
1. Open **Audio MIDI Setup** (in Applications → Utilities)
2. Click the **+** button and select "Create Aggregate Device"
3. Check the boxes for devices you want to combine
4. Name your aggregate device
5. Select it in Audion

**Use cases:**
- Combining soundboard and room microphone
- Multi-channel audio capture
- Redundant audio sources

## Understanding the Level Meter

The level meter shows your audio input strength in real-time.

### What the Colors Mean

🟢 **Green (0-70%)** - Perfect! Healthy audio levels  
🟡 **Yellow (70-90%)** - Good, approaching maximum  
🔴 **Red (90-100%)** - Too loud! Risk of distortion

### Peak Indicator

The white line shows the recent peak level. This helps you see if you're hitting maximum levels even briefly.

### Ideal Levels

**Target range:** Green bars that occasionally touch yellow

**Too quiet:** Barely visible green bars
- Listeners will need to turn volume way up
- More susceptible to background noise
- Solution: Increase gain at the source

**Too loud:** Frequently in red
- Audio will sound distorted
- Clipping and crackling
- Solution: Reduce gain at the source or use Auto Gain

## Auto Gain Feature

Auto Gain automatically normalizes audio levels for consistent volume.

### When to Use Auto Gain

✅ **Good for:**
- Services with varied audio (quiet sermons + loud worship)
- Inexperienced audio operators
- Situations where you can't actively monitor levels
- Guest speakers with unpredictable volume

❌ **Not ideal for:**
- Professional broadcasts where you control source levels
- Situations requiring dynamic range (concerts, performances)
- When you need absolute audio fidelity

### How It Works

1. Audion analyzes incoming audio in real-time
2. Calculates the necessary gain adjustment
3. Smoothly adjusts volume to maintain consistent levels
4. Applies soft limiting to prevent clipping

**Technical details:**
- Target level: -16dB RMS
- Gain range: 0.5x to 4.0x
- Smoothing prevents pumping effect
- Soft limiter at -0.4dB

### Enabling Auto Gain

1. Check the **"Auto Gain"** checkbox below the Stream button
2. Your preference is automatically saved
3. Monitor the level meter to ensure it's working

> **Note:** Auto Gain works best with consistent audio sources. Extremely quiet passages may take a moment to adjust.

## Audio Quality Settings

### Sample Rate

Audion automatically detects and uses your audio device's sample rate:

- **44.1 kHz** - CD quality (most common)
- **48 kHz** - Professional video standard

**You don't need to change anything** - Audion handles this automatically.

### Channel Configuration

**Mono sources:** Audion streams as mono  
**Stereo sources:** Audion mixes to mono for optimal mobile listening

Why mono? 
- Better compatibility with phone speakers
- Smaller data usage
- More consistent experience
- Sufficient for speech and general audio

## Latency

**Typical latency:** 80-150 milliseconds (0.08-0.15 seconds)

This is the delay between sound happening in the room and listeners hearing it through Audion.

**Factors affecting latency:**
- WiFi network congestion
- Distance from WiFi router
- Device processing power
- Browser performance

**Is this noticeable?**
- Not typically an issue for listening
- May matter for interactive services (Q&A, call-and-response)
- Consider for live translation feeds

## Recommended Audio Setup

### Basic Setup

```
Soundboard → USB Audio Interface → Mac running Audion
                                         ↓
                                   WiFi Network
                                         ↓
                              Listener smartphones
```

### Advanced Setup with Aux Send

```
Soundboard Aux Send → USB Interface → Mac running Audion
                                           ↓
                    Custom mix for hearing assistance
```

**Benefits:**
- Create a specialized mix for listeners
- Reduce music volume, increase speaking
- Add clarity enhancements
- Independent from main house mix

## Monitoring Your Stream

### Active Listeners Count

Shows how many people are currently connected:

```
👥 Active Listeners: 3
```

**Also displayed:**
- In the app window
- As a dock badge (number on app icon)
- Updates in real-time

### Status Indicator

**"Status: Monitoring"** (Orange)
- Audio engine is running
- Level meter is active
- Not currently broadcasting

**"Status: Streaming"** (Green)
- Actively broadcasting
- Listeners can connect
- Audio is being sent to connected devices

**"Status: Stopped"** (Gray)
- Audio engine not running
- Not monitoring or streaming

## Troubleshooting Audio Issues

### No audio showing on meter

**Check:**
1. Is the correct device selected?
2. Is audio actually playing through that device?
3. Are cables connected properly?
4. Is the device active in Audio MIDI Setup?

**Try:**
- Unplug and reconnect the device
- Restart Audion
- Check soundboard levels
- Test with built-in mic to isolate issue

### Audio is too quiet

**Solutions:**
1. Enable Auto Gain feature
2. Increase gain at the source (soundboard, interface)
3. Check that input levels on the interface aren't too low
4. Verify soundboard aux send levels

### Audio is distorted

**Solutions:**
1. Reduce gain at the source
2. Check for red levels in the meter
3. Disable Auto Gain if it's causing issues
4. Verify cables are properly connected
5. Check for ground loop issues

### Audio drops out intermittently

**Check:**
1. WiFi network stability
2. Mac isn't going to sleep
3. USB connections are secure
4. Audio interface has adequate power
5. No other apps competing for audio device

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Need more help? Check [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) or contact [support](mailto:me@josiaho.com?subject=Re:Audion).