microphone Problem OS 13.1

Hello Skipb,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with Dictation on your Mac. Try the steps listed here to see if they resolve the issue: If Dictation on Mac doesn’t work as expected

"If you’re having trouble using Dictation on your Mac, something may not be set up correctly. Here are some solutions to try:

• Be sure Dictation is turned on in the Keyboard settings.
• Note: If you can’t turn on Dictation, Screen Time Content & Privacy Restrictions may be preventing you from using it. A family organizer for a Family Sharing group can set up Screen Time for a child and restrict access to Siri & Dictation. See Change App Restrictions settings in Screen Time. Also, when Voice Control is on, you can’t use Dictation.
• Choose the correct language and dialect. See Dictate messages and documents.
• Be sure you’re using the correct dictation keyboard shortcut.
• Be sure your system has a valid internet connection—choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Network  in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
• Tip: If you need to dictate text when you’re offline, use Voice Control. See Control your Mac and apps using Voice Control.
• On a Mac with Apple silicon, dictation requests are processed on your device in many languages—no internet connection is required. When dictating in a search box, dictated text may be sent to the search provider in order to process the search."

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

Hi Skipb,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities.

With Dictation not working correctly in any of your apps, restart your computer in safe mode. Safe mode will limit the startup items allowed to run while running a health check on your disk. Once in safe mode, you may notice that some items are taking longer to load, but that is normal. Try replicating the same behavior with Dictation.

"How to use safe mode:

Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.
3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”
4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

Intel processor

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.
2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 
3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window."

Find these and additional steps in How to use safe mode on your Mac.

Regards.