Mimic Party mic not working?
The game is played entirely with your voice, so a microphone it cannot hear stops you cold. Work through the checks below in order; the first three are about Windows blocking the mic, picking the wrong one or letting another app take it.
| What you see | Start with |
|---|---|
| The lobby does not pick up your voice | Checks 1 and 2 |
| Your take sounds unclear or cuts out | Checks 3, 4 and 5 |
| The game's own sounds end up in your take | Check 6 |
| The start of your take is missing | See the recording delay note below |
- 1
Let desktop apps use the microphone
Windows 11: Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone. Turn on Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Windows 10 has the same switches under Settings, Privacy, Microphone.
- 2
Pick the right input device
Settings, System, Sound, Input. Choose the microphone you actually speak into and watch the level bar move while you talk. A webcam or monitor mic is often selected by default.
- 3
Stop other apps taking the mic
Control Panel, Sound, Recording tab, your microphone, Properties, Advanced. Untick Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device, so another app cannot lock it.
- 4
Check the input level
In the same Properties window, open Levels. A level near zero records a whisper the game cannot score.
- 5
Close other voice apps and restart the game
Quit anything else that uses the mic, then launch Mimic Party again so it picks up the device fresh.
- 6
Wear headphones
Headphones are strongly recommended to keep the game audio out of your microphone.
What players have reported
- The mic not working in the lobby at all, but being picked up once a performance starts, with the audio unclear and cutting out.
- Recording that seems to start about a second late, so a fast imitation loses its beginning.
- Two separate discussion threads titled simply “microphone”.
These come from Steam reviews and discussions; FoliesApp has not published a fix for them. A late start is not something a Windows setting can change, and it is also why scores can feel random.
Still broken?
Report it with your Windows version, your microphone model and what you hear, in the official Discord or the Steam discussions.
Questions
- Does Mimic Party need a microphone?
- Yes. The whole game is played with your voice, and the Steam requirements say a microphone is required to play.
- My mic works in Discord but not in Mimic Party. Why?
- Players report exactly this in the Steam discussions. Check the input device and exclusive-control settings first: they are the most common reason one app hears a mic and another does not.
- Why does the game hear its own sounds in my take?
- Without headphones, the speakers play into the mic. FoliesApp strongly recommends headphones for this reason.
Keep going
Sources: Steam system requirements · Steam discussions · FoliesApp's FAQ · How this site sources facts