Good transcription starts with good audio. Most clinicians can get excellent results using the equipment they already have, provided the microphone is positioned well and configured correctly.
In this article:
- Before You Start
- Testing Your Microphone Before a Consult
- Choosing a Microphone
- Positioning Your Microphone
- Adjusting Your Recording Settings
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Start
A few things to check before your first consultation:
- Microphone access – Chairside needs permission to use your device's microphone. You'll be prompted the first time you start a session.
- Choose your microphone – You can use your laptop's built-in microphone, a tablet microphone, or an external microphone.
- Test it first – See Testing Your Microphone Before a Consult below. It's much easier to run a quick check now than to troubleshoot during a consultation.
Testing Your Microphone Before a Consult
The quickest way to know your microphone is set up correctly is to run a short test before your first patient, rather than finding out partway through a real consult.
- Start a session as you normally would.
- Say a sentence or two out loud - anything close to how you'd speak with a patient.
- Click Stop to end the test session.
- Open that session's transcript and check that what you said appears correctly.
If your test sentence shows up in the transcript, Chairside is picking up your microphone correctly and you're ready to continue with real consultations. If the transcript is blank or clearly wrong, work through Choosing a Microphone and Troubleshooting below before your next patient.
It's worth repeating this quick test any time you change rooms, devices, or browsers - not just when something seems wrong. It takes a few seconds and confirms everything's ready before your first patient of the day.
Choosing a Microphone
We suggest a clip-on or lapel microphone where possible. Worn on clothing and positioned close to the conversation, it tends to give the most consistent audio quality - particularly if you move around the room during a consult. Other microphones can work well too, depending on your room and workflow:
Desktop or Conference Microphones
Placed on the desk or treatment room workstation, these pick up everything said in the room. Positioning matters here - placed centrally between the clinician and patient, they work well.
Built-in Device Microphones
The simplest option, with no additional setup required - often a perfectly good starting point if it's well positioned relative to both dentist and patient. If the device ends up positioned away from either speaker, though, sound and transcription quality can suffer.
Start with whatever you already have. If transcription quality isn't where you'd like it to be, it's usually worth adjusting microphone placement before investing in new equipment
Positioning Your Microphone
Position the microphone somewhere between yourself and the patient where possible. Try to keep it away from:
- Suction units
- Compressors
- Air conditioning vents
- Background music sources
Chairside performs best when important findings are discussed clearly and specifically. For example, instead of saying "This one needs treatment," say "Tooth 36 has decay and will require a restoration." The more clearly findings are discussed, the more useful the generated notes tend to be.
Adjusting Your Recording Settings
Open Settings → Audio to manage your recording preferences. From here you can select your default microphone, test that Chairside can hear you, and adjust a few optional settings that tailor recording behaviour to your environment. For most users, the defaults work well and don't need to be changed.
Silence Sensitivity
Controls how Chairside handles pauses in conversation.
- Relaxed – better for consultations with longer pauses.
- Default – recommended for most users.
- Sensitive – more responsive to short pauses in speech.
Music Filtering
Reduces background music and environmental noise.
- Off – captures all audio.
- Default – recommended for most practices.
- Strong – more aggressive filtering of background sounds.
Note: Strong filtering may occasionally remove quiet speech along with background noise.
Chunk Length
Determines how audio is processed during recording. For most clinicians, the default setting provides the best balance.
Troubleshooting
If something's not working the way you'd expect, find the section below that matches what you're seeing.
It Records Fine in Other Apps, But Not in Chairside
Browsers grant microphone permission separately for each website, and Chairside has its own microphone selection as well - so both are worth checking on their own.
- Click the arrow next to the microphone icon in Chairside's message bar to open the device list, and confirm the right device is selected - if you've plugged in a headset or external microphone, make sure that's the one chosen rather than your device's built-in microphone.
- Click the site information icon at the left of your browser's address bar, open Microphone, and confirm access is switched on for Chairside specifically. A permission you've granted to another site or app doesn't carry over.
- Run the quick test from Testing Your Microphone Before a Consult above.
If the test transcript comes through correctly, you're all set. If it's still blank, work through Chairside Isn't Picking Up Any Audio below.
Chairside Isn't Picking Up Any Audio
Check Browser Permissions
Your browser must be allowed to access the microphone.
Chrome / Edge
- Select the site information icon beside the website address.
- Locate Microphone permissions.
- Make sure access is allowed.
- Refresh the page.
Safari
- Open Safari Settings.
- Select Websites.
- Open Microphone.
- Allow microphone access for Chairside.
Transcript Quality Is Poor or Inconsistent
Before adjusting any settings, confirm Chairside is using the microphone you expect.
If you're using headphones, a headset, or an external microphone, check that it is selected under Settings → Audio → Default Microphone. Connecting a new device does not always automatically switch the active recording source.
Also check for:
- Background conversations
- Music playing nearby
- Air conditioning or other environmental noise
- Multiple microphones connected at the same time
If you're working in a noisy environment (eg. shared workspace), transcription quality may be affected. Adjusting Music Filtering may help, but a quieter environment will generally produce better results.
The Patient's Voice Is Missing
This is usually a microphone positioning issue.
Try moving the microphone closer to where the patient sits, or repositioning it so both speakers are equally audible. A centrally positioned desktop microphone or lapel microphone often improves consistency.
The Transcript Seems Incomplete
If generated notes, summaries, or letters appear incomplete, the transcript may still be processing.
Wait until transcription has finished before generating outputs such as:
- Clinical Notes
- Patient Letters
- Transcript Summaries
- Feedback
Generating outputs too early may result in incomplete content because Chairside hasn't yet processed the full consultation.
Regenerating Doesn't Improve the Output
Regenerating notes or letters can improve formatting and phrasing, but it cannot recover audio that was never captured.
If parts of the consultation are missing from the transcript, review your microphone setup and recording quality before regenerating outputs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Background Music, a TV, or a Radio Affect the Transcript?
Chairside is built to filter out background noise like music, a TV, or a radio playing nearby, and to tell the dentist's and patient's voices apart from each other - so you don't need a silent room for an accurate transcript. If you're working somewhere particularly noisy, turning up Music Filtering (see Adjusting Your Recording Settings above) can help further.
What Happens Next?
Once your microphone is configured correctly, you're ready to record consultations, generate clinical notes and create Care Packs with confidence.
A few minutes spent checking your setup can make a significant difference to every transcript that follows.
Follow this article to start your first session: Completing Your First Session