Fact · Speech recognition
OpenAI says that a higher voice activity detection threshold requires louder audio to activate the detector, and so may work better in noisy environments.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“A higher threshold will require louder audio to activate the model, and thus might perform better in noisy environments.”
Voice activity detection (VAD), OpenAI Realtime API, OpenAI, OpenAI Developers, n.d., Section on voice activity detection, description of the threshold setting.
Open the original- What it measures
- The threshold is one of several settings the guide lists for tuning server voice activity detection, alongside the prefix padding and silence duration.
- What it does not show
- The guide says 'might', not 'will'. The right threshold depends on the microphone and the room, so test it on your own recordings.