Fraze help

Fraze is listening, but no text appears

If Fraze is listening but no words appear, it almost always can't hear the audio you want captioned, or the spoken language is set wrong. Go through these checks in order.

Which computer are you using?

Check what Fraze is listening to

  1. Look at the dark pill next to the language pill. It shows what Fraze hears: System (sound playing on your computer), Mic (only your microphone), or Mix (both).

    Look at the dark pill next to the language pill. It shows what Fraze hears: System (sound playing on your computer), Mic (only your microphone), or Mix (both).

If you're captioning a video, class, or call that plays on your computer and the pill says Mic, that's the problem. Fraze is listening to your microphone, not to your computer. This is very common with headphones, because the microphone can't hear them.

Turn on System audio

  1. If Fraze is listening, click the round button in the pill to stop first.

  2. Click the word on the left of the dark pill (System, Mic, or Mix) to open the Audio source menu.

    Click the word on the left of the dark pill (System, Mic, or Mix) to open the Audio source menu.

  3. Click System audio so it has a check mark. Leave Microphone on only if you also want your own voice captioned.

    Click System audio so it has a check mark. Leave Microphone on only if you also want your own voice captioned.

  4. Click the round record button.

    Click the round record button.

  5. The first time, Fraze shows Before Fraze listens to this computer. Click Continue.

    The first time, Fraze shows Before Fraze listens to this computer. Click Continue.

  6. The first time, macOS asks whether Fraze can record system audio. Allow it. Fraze hears all sound playing on your Mac, so there is no window to pick.

  7. Fraze hears all sound playing on this PC, so there is no window to pick. Make sure the sound plays through speakers or headphones that are turned on in Windows.

  8. Play the audio. The words appear a moment after each pause, with the translation under them.

    Play the audio. The words appear a moment after each pause, with the translation under them.

Check the spoken language

Fraze transcribes the language set under Spoken language. If people speak Portuguese and it's set to English, you get little or nothing. For a class in Portuguese that you want to read in Spanish, pick Portuguese and Spanish.

  1. Click the language pill in the top left corner.

    Click the language pill in the top left corner.

  2. Under Spoken language, pick the language people speak. Under Translate to, pick the language you want to read, or No translation for captions only. You can type to search.

    Under Spoken language, pick the language people speak. Under Translate to, pick the language you want to read, or No translation for captions only. You can type to search.

Mac: allow System Audio Recording

If you clicked Don't Allow when macOS asked, Fraze hears silence from your Mac.

  1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording.

  2. Turn on Fraze. If you see a section called System Audio Recording Only, turn it on there.

  3. Quit Fraze and open it again, then press record.

Windows: if Fraze hears no system audio

If you see System audio capture produced no audio, Windows didn't give Fraze the computer's sound.

  1. Check that a sound output is turned on: click the speaker icon in the taskbar and make sure you can hear sound.

  2. Close other apps that may be using your speakers or headphones.

  3. Restart Fraze and press record again.

Captioning people in the room?

Then Fraze needs your microphone, not System audio. If the pill says Mic and still nothing appears, follow the microphone guide below.

Still stuck?

Email us from the support page, or send feedback from the app. Tell us whether you use Windows or a Mac and what you see on screen, and we'll help you sort it out.

Contact support

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