BirdNet-Pi: streaming the microphone

This is about audio streaming from my system's mic.

I wanted to use AI to do all the thinking & lead me through the config.

But it didn't turn out to be so simple.

BirdNet-Pi: more thoughts on microphones & audio

There's a lot of talk on the Github Discussions page about microphone quality.

So naturally I have been giving the matter some consideration and have conducted a few simple checks.

Increasing the VOLUME in Linux

One annoying characteristic of Lubuntu in particular (and I suspect Linux in general) is that the playback volume is often too quiet, especially on laptops.

This problem is due to differences in audio recording levels, and is most noticeable when listening to audio via a web browser (e.g. watching a video).

Having put up with this for years, today is the day I feel I need to take some action.

The Adafruit USB Audio Adapter

This USB module is recommended for the Raspberry Pi, but one of the sales bullet points for this module says "Not recommended for Mic input"

Why would you buy it just for the audio output when the Pi already has an audio output?

Well I need it for the audio input, and for just £4.77 post free from The Pi Hut via Amazon, it was worth a punt.