14 files changed, 1326 insertions, 11 deletions

diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index c8b388a..b5613d7 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -110,6 +110,10 @@ pica-client/nativeaudio.cpp \
 pica-client/nativeaudio.h \
 pica-client/nativeaudio_wasapi.cpp \
 pica-client/nativeaudio_coreaudio.cpp \
+pica-client/capturegain.cpp \
+pica-client/capturegain.h \
+pica-client/capturegain_wasapi.cpp \
+pica-client/capturegain_coreaudio.cpp \
 pica-client/videodevice.cpp \
 pica-client/videodevice.h \
 pica-client/videodshow.cpp \
diff --git a/pica-client/audiodevice.cpp b/pica-client/audiodevice.cpp
index f0238e4..e04aca9 100644
--- a/pica-client/audiodevice.cpp
+++ b/pica-client/audiodevice.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <QDebug>
 #include <QMutexLocker>
 #include <QVector>
+#include <cmath>
 #include <cstring>
 
 #ifdef Q_OS_LINUX
@@ -175,10 +176,47 @@ static AVSampleFormat chooseEncoderSampleFmt(const AVCodec *enc)
 
 AudioDevice::AudioDevice(QObject *parent)
 	: QObject(parent), m_sampleRate(48000), m_abort(0),
+	  m_clipCount(0), m_levelCount(0), m_levelPeak(0),
 	  m_lastPlayedSeq(0), m_havePlayedSeq(false)
 {
 }
 
+void AudioDevice::resetCaptureLevel()
+{
+	m_clipCount = 0;
+	m_levelCount = 0;
+	m_levelPeak = 0;
+}
+
+void AudioDevice::checkCaptureLevel(const qint16 *pcm, int nsamples)
+{
+	for (int i = 0; i < nsamples; i++)
+	{
+		// qint16 promotes to int, so negating -32768 is well defined here.
+		int v = pcm[i] < 0 ? -(int)pcm[i] : (int)pcm[i];
+
+		if (v > m_levelPeak)
+			m_levelPeak = v;
+		if (v >= kClipThreshold)
+			m_clipCount++;
+	}
+
+	m_levelCount += nsamples;
+
+	if (m_levelCount < qint64(m_sampleRate) * kLevelReportSec)
+		return;
+
+	double pinned = 100.0 * double(m_clipCount) / double(m_levelCount);
+
+	if (pinned >= kClipWarnPercent)
+	{
+		double peakDb = m_levelPeak > 0 ? 20.0 * log10(double(m_levelPeak) / 32768.0) : -120.0;
+		emit captureClipping(pinned, peakDb);
+	}
+
+	resetCaptureLevel();
+}
+
 AudioDevice::~AudioDevice()
 {
 	Close();
@@ -294,6 +332,7 @@ bool AudioDevice::nextPacket(QByteArray *out)
 void AudioDevice::Capture()
 {
 	m_abort.storeRelaxed(0);
+	resetCaptureLevel();
 
 	const QString driver = AudioDevice::PlatformDriverName(CAPTURE);
 
@@ -519,6 +558,12 @@ void AudioDevice::captureFFmpeg(const QString &driver)
 
 				av_audio_fifo_read(fifo, (void **)enc_frame->data, frame_size);
 
+				// Both of these want interleaved 16 bit. That is what libopus
+				// takes, so it is the normal path; the native "opus" encoder
+				// fallback runs in planar float and gets neither.
+				if (enc_ctx->sample_fmt == AV_SAMPLE_FMT_S16)
+					checkCaptureLevel((const qint16 *)enc_frame->data[0], frame_size);
+
 				// Take the echo of what the playback direction has been
 				// feeding the speaker back out of the microphone signal,
 				// before it is encoded and sent.
@@ -677,6 +722,10 @@ void AudioDevice::captureNative(const QString &api)
 			memcpy(block.data(), pending.constData() + consumed, frame_size * sizeof(qint16));
 			consumed += frame_size;
 
+			// The backend always delivers interleaved 16 bit, so unlike the
+			// FFmpeg path this needs no format check.
+			checkCaptureLevel(block.constData(), frame_size);
+
 			if (ec)
 				ec->processNearEnd(block.data(), frame_size);
 
@@ -841,8 +890,12 @@ void AudioDevice::playFFmpeg(const QString &driver)
 		return;
 	}
 
+	// A rate mismatch is not a reason to drop it any more - pushFarEnd()
+	// resamples. The two directions genuinely can disagree: we capture at the
+	// rate AudioVideoCallController picked, but play back at whatever the
+	// peer announced.
 	EchoCancellerPtr ec = m_echoCanceller;
-	if (ec && (!ec->isValid() || ec->sampleRate() != m_sampleRate))
+	if (ec && !ec->isValid())
 		ec.clear();
 
 	SwrContext *swr = nullptr;
@@ -923,7 +976,7 @@ void AudioDevice::playFFmpeg(const QString &driver)
 					// moment the sound card gets it, so the delay it has to
 					// model is only the device buffer plus the room.
 					if (ec)
-						ec->pushFarEnd((const qint16 *)out_frame->data[0], converted_samples);
+						ec->pushFarEnd((const qint16 *)out_frame->data[0], converted_samples, m_sampleRate);
 
 					if (avcodec_send_frame(out_ctx, out_frame) == 0)
 					{
@@ -999,9 +1052,10 @@ void AudioDevice::playNative(const QString &api)
 
 	// On a platform that cancels for us, the far end signal it needs is the
 	// one it is rendering itself - there is nothing to hand to ours, and
-	// nothing for ours to do.
+	// nothing for ours to do. A rate mismatch is handled by pushFarEnd()
+	// rather than by dropping the canceller, see playFFmpeg().
 	EchoCancellerPtr ec = m_echoCanceller;
-	if (ec && (!ec->isValid() || ec->sampleRate() != m_sampleRate))
+	if (ec && !ec->isValid())
 		ec.clear();
 
 	SwrContext *swr = nullptr;
@@ -1070,7 +1124,7 @@ void AudioDevice::playNative(const QString &api)
 				if (converted > 0)
 				{
 					if (ec)
-						ec->pushFarEnd(out.constData(), converted * kChannels);
+						ec->pushFarEnd(out.constData(), converted * kChannels, m_sampleRate);
 
 					if (backend->write(out.constData(), converted * kChannels, 100) < 0)
 					{
diff --git a/pica-client/audiodevice.h b/pica-client/audiodevice.h
index ef7e5b3..6b2db1c 100644
--- a/pica-client/audiodevice.h
+++ b/pica-client/audiodevice.h
@@ -99,6 +99,14 @@ signals:
 	// Counterpart of VideoDevice::accelerationInUse().
 	void deviceFormatInUse(QString description);
 
+	// The capture device is delivering samples pinned at full scale, with the
+	// share of them in the last window and the peak that was seen. Not an
+	// error in the errorOccurred() sense - the call carries on - but it wants
+	// acting on, because nothing downstream can undo it. Numbers rather than
+	// a message because the receiver drives the gain control with them; see
+	// AudioVideoCallController::capture_clipping().
+	void captureClipping(double pinnedPercent, double peakDb);
+
 public:
 	virtual QList<MediaDeviceInfo> Enumerate(enum MediaDeviceStreamDirection dir);
 
@@ -155,6 +163,34 @@ private:
 	// joining either thread.
 	EchoCancellerPtr m_echoCanceller;
 
+	// Watches the microphone for samples pinned at the rail and warns once
+	// every kLevelReportSec of audio if too many of them are.
+	//
+	// Detection only - there is deliberately no gain applied here. Clipping
+	// happens in the converter, before we see anything, and scaling a clipped
+	// buffer down just produces a quieter clipped buffer: the flattened peaks,
+	// the harmonics they generate and the non-linearity that stops the echo
+	// canceller converging are all still in it. The only fix is less gain
+	// ahead of the ADC, which means the capture device's own mixer control.
+	void resetCaptureLevel();
+	void checkCaptureLevel(const qint16 *pcm, int nsamples);
+
+	qint64 m_clipCount;
+	qint64 m_levelCount;
+	int m_levelPeak;
+
+	// |sample| at or above this counts as pinned. 32512 is -0.13 dBFS: low
+	// enough to catch a converter that rails slightly short of 0x7fff, high
+	// enough that ordinary loud speech does not trip it.
+	static const int kClipThreshold = 32512;
+
+	// Fraction of pinned samples in a window that is worth complaining about,
+	// in percent. A stray sample at full scale is normal; a twentieth of a
+	// percent of them is not.
+	static constexpr double kClipWarnPercent = 0.05;
+
+	static const int kLevelReportSec = 2;
+
 	// The FFmpeg and the native halves of each direction. Which one runs is
 	// decided by PlatformDriverName().
 	void captureFFmpeg(const QString &driver);
diff --git a/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.cpp b/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.cpp
index 1f6e5ce..763f1b1 100644
--- a/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.cpp
+++ b/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.cpp
@@ -28,9 +28,29 @@
 static const quint16 kVideoWidth = 640;
 static const quint16 kVideoHeight = 480;
 
+// Rate we capture and encode at, announced to the peer in the 0x74 message.
+//
+// 16kHz rather than 48kHz because of the echo canceller. speexdsp's MDF is
+// tuned for 8/16kHz, and its cost is counted in taps: a 150ms tail is 7200
+// taps at 48kHz but only 2400 at 16kHz. Convergence time and steady state
+// misadjustment both scale with that length, so the 48kHz filter spent every
+// call chasing and never settling - visible in the AEC log as ERLE climbing
+// towards 20dB and being knocked back to zero by each doubletalk burst.
+//
+// Costs nothing worth having for speech: Opus codes this as wideband, an 8kHz
+// audio bandwidth, which is well past telephone quality and past where voice
+// intelligibility stops improving.
+//
+// The playback direction is NOT this constant - it follows whatever the peer
+// announces (see incoming_audio_params()), so a call with an older build that
+// still sends 48kHz keeps working.
+static const int kCallSampleRate = 16000;
+
 
 AudioVideoCallController::AudioVideoCallController(QObject *parent)
- : QObject(parent), callwindow(0), ringdevice(0), is_active(false), m_audioSeq(0),
+ : QObject(parent), callwindow(0), ringdevice(0), is_active(false),
+   m_captureGain(nullptr), m_savedCaptureGain(0.0), m_haveSavedCaptureGain(false),
+   m_captureGainSteps(0), m_audioSeq(0),
    m_videoSeq(0), m_videoFrameTimestamp(0), m_videoFrameStarted(false)
 {
 	connect(skynet, SIGNAL(IncomingCall(QByteArray)), this, SLOT(call_from(QByteArray)));
@@ -66,6 +86,12 @@ AudioVideoCallController::AudioVideoCallController(QObject *parent)
 	microphone = new AudioDevice();
 	microphone->moveToThread(&microphone_thread);
 	connect(microphone, SIGNAL(packetReady(QByteArray)), this, SLOT(send_audio_packet(QByteArray)));
+
+	// Queued rather than direct: this crosses from the capture thread, and
+	// warn_capture_clipping() only logs today but is where a UI notice would
+	// go.
+	connect(microphone, SIGNAL(captureClipping(double,double)), this,
+	        SLOT(capture_clipping(double,double)), Qt::QueuedConnection);
 	microphone_thread.start();
 
 	output = new AudioDevice();
@@ -166,7 +192,7 @@ void AudioVideoCallController::startAudioPipeline()
 	// - see AudioDevice::captureNative(), which drops it once the backend
 	// says the platform has the job in hand.
 	if (st.loadValue("audio.echo_cancel", 1).toBool())
-		m_echoCanceller = EchoCancellerPtr(new EchoCanceller(48000));
+		m_echoCanceller = EchoCancellerPtr(new EchoCanceller(kCallSampleRate));
 	else
 		m_echoCanceller.clear();
 
@@ -178,14 +204,18 @@ void AudioVideoCallController::startAudioPipeline()
 	microphone->setEchoCanceller(m_echoCanceller);
 	output->setEchoCanceller(m_echoCanceller);
 
+	// Before Capture() starts, so the gain is already read and saved by the
+	// time the first clipping report can come back.
+	startCaptureGainControl(capDev);
+
 	// Declare our outgoing codec to the peer, then start capturing and
 	// encoding right away - the peer's decoder is only ready once it has
 	// processed this 0x74 message, but since the call is carried over TCP,
 	// packets sent immediately after are guaranteed to arrive after it.
-	skynet->SendAudioParams(m_peer_id, QStringLiteral("opus"), 48000);
+	skynet->SendAudioParams(m_peer_id, QStringLiteral("opus"), kCallSampleRate);
 
 	QMetaObject::invokeMethod(microphone, "configureCapture", Qt::QueuedConnection,
-	                           Q_ARG(QString, capDev), Q_ARG(QString, QStringLiteral("opus")), Q_ARG(int, 48000));
+	                           Q_ARG(QString, capDev), Q_ARG(QString, QStringLiteral("opus")), Q_ARG(int, kCallSampleRate));
 	QMetaObject::invokeMethod(microphone, "Capture", Qt::QueuedConnection);
 
 	// output is configured lazily, once the peer's own 0x74 (see
@@ -206,6 +236,12 @@ void AudioVideoCallController::stopAudioPipeline()
 	microphone->Close();
 	output->Close();
 
+	// Puts the user's gain back. Safe to do while the capture thread is still
+	// winding down: the control is only ever touched from this thread, and
+	// capture_clipping() finds m_captureGain null and does nothing if a last
+	// queued report arrives after this.
+	stopCaptureGainControl();
+
 	// Drop our reference. The two audio threads still hold theirs until they
 	// come out of Capture()/Play(), and the canceller goes away with the last
 	// of them.
@@ -430,6 +466,114 @@ void AudioVideoCallController::send_audio_packet(QByteArray data)
 	skynet->SendAudioPacket(m_peer_id, seq, timestamp, data);
 }
 
+// Rate limited by AudioDevice, which reports at most once every couple of
+// seconds of audio, so this can log and act unconditionally.
+void AudioVideoCallController::capture_clipping(double pinnedPercent, double peakDb)
+{
+	qWarning("Microphone is clipping: %.2f%% of samples at full scale, peak %.1f dBFS",
+	         pinnedPercent, peakDb);
+
+	// Either the setting is off, or nothing on this platform would let us at
+	// the control. The warning above is then all we can do - and it is still
+	// worth having, since the distortion cannot be undone anywhere else.
+	if (!m_captureGain)
+		return;
+
+	if (m_captureGainSteps >= kMaxCaptureGainSteps)
+		return;
+
+	double current = 0.0;
+	if (!m_captureGain->gain(&current))
+		return;
+
+	// Size the step to how badly it is clipping. A microphone left at maximum
+	// is 20-30dB too hot and wants covering quickly; one that only tips over
+	// on the loudest syllable wants nudging, not slamming.
+	double factor;
+	if (pinnedPercent >= 5.0)
+		factor = 0.70;
+	else if (pinnedPercent >= 0.5)
+		factor = 0.85;
+	else
+		factor = 0.95;
+
+	double next = current * factor;
+	if (next < kMinCaptureGain)
+		next = kMinCaptureGain;
+
+	if (next >= current)
+		return; // already at the floor, nothing left to give
+
+	if (!m_captureGain->setGain(next))
+	{
+		qWarning() << "Could not lower the capture gain - leaving it alone";
+		m_captureGainSteps = kMaxCaptureGainSteps;
+		return;
+	}
+
+	m_captureGainSteps++;
+	qDebug("Capture gain %.0f%% -> %.0f%% (step %d of %d)",
+	       current * 100.0, next * 100.0, m_captureGainSteps, kMaxCaptureGainSteps);
+}
+
+void AudioVideoCallController::startCaptureGainControl(const QString &captureDevice)
+{
+	m_captureGain = nullptr;
+	m_savedCaptureGain = 0.0;
+	m_haveSavedCaptureGain = false;
+	m_captureGainSteps = 0;
+
+	Settings st(config_dbname);
+	if (!st.loadValue("audio.auto_capture_gain", 1).toBool())
+		return;
+
+	// Whichever driver the capture side is about to open the device with -
+	// the mixer control has to be the one belonging to that device.
+	const QString driver = AudioDevice::PlatformDriverName(CAPTURE);
+
+	m_captureGain = CaptureGainControl::create(driver, captureDevice);
+	if (!m_captureGain)
+		return;
+
+	if (m_captureGain->gain(&m_savedCaptureGain))
+	{
+		m_haveSavedCaptureGain = true;
+		qDebug() << "Automatic microphone gain using" << m_captureGain->description()
+		         << "- currently at" << qRound(m_savedCaptureGain * 100.0) << "%";
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		// Without a reading there is nothing to put back afterwards, and
+		// moving a control we cannot restore is not a trade worth making.
+		qWarning() << "Could not read the capture gain - not taking it over";
+		delete m_captureGain;
+		m_captureGain = nullptr;
+	}
+}
+
+void AudioVideoCallController::stopCaptureGainControl()
+{
+	if (!m_captureGain)
+		return;
+
+	// Put the user's own setting back. Only bother if we actually moved it,
+	// so a call that never clipped cannot disturb a gain the user changed
+	// themselves while it was running.
+	if (m_haveSavedCaptureGain && m_captureGainSteps > 0)
+	{
+		if (m_captureGain->setGain(m_savedCaptureGain))
+			qDebug() << "Capture gain restored to" << qRound(m_savedCaptureGain * 100.0) << "%";
+		else
+			qWarning() << "Could not restore the capture gain to"
+			           << qRound(m_savedCaptureGain * 100.0) << "% - it has been left turned down";
+	}
+
+	delete m_captureGain;
+	m_captureGain = nullptr;
+	m_haveSavedCaptureGain = false;
+	m_captureGainSteps = 0;
+}
+
 void AudioVideoCallController::incoming_audio_params(QByteArray peer_id, QString codec, quint16 sample_rate)
 {
 	if (!is_active || peer_id != m_peer_id)
diff --git a/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.h b/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.h
index 1dd9f20..e30f4c1 100644
--- a/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.h
+++ b/pica-client/audiovideocallcontroller.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <QElapsedTimer>
 #include "callwindow.h"
 #include "audiodevice.h"
+#include "capturegain.h"
 #include "videodevice.h"
 #include "toneplayer/toneplayer.h"
 
@@ -78,6 +79,27 @@ private:
 	// speexdsp could not start one, or between calls.
 	EchoCancellerPtr m_echoCanceller;
 
+	// The capture device's mixer control, held for the duration of a call so
+	// a clipping microphone can be turned down. Null when the setting is off,
+	// when the platform has no reachable control, or between calls.
+	//
+	// m_savedCaptureGain is where the control was found at the start of the
+	// call, put back in stopAudioPipeline(): this is the user's own setting
+	// and we are only borrowing it. m_captureGainSteps bounds how far we will
+	// go, so a microphone that clips for some reason turning it down cannot
+	// fix - a broken preamp, someone shouting into it - ends up quiet rather
+	// than muted.
+	CaptureGainControl *m_captureGain;
+	double m_savedCaptureGain;
+	bool m_haveSavedCaptureGain;
+	int m_captureGainSteps;
+
+	static const int kMaxCaptureGainSteps = 12;
+
+	// Never go below this fraction of the control's travel; past it we are
+	// making the user inaudible to fix a problem they can hear about instead.
+	static constexpr double kMinCaptureGain = 0.05;
+
 	// Sequence number / capture-clock timestamp stamped onto outgoing
 	// 0x76 audio packets (see PICA_PROTO_CALL_PACKET_HDRSIZE).
 	quint16 m_audioSeq;
@@ -95,6 +117,12 @@ private:
 	// Reassembly of incoming 0x77 fragments into whole encoded frames.
 	VideoFrameAssembler m_videoAssembler;
 
+	// Take over the capture device's mixer gain for the duration of a call,
+	// and hand it back. Both are no-ops when "audio.auto_capture_gain" is off
+	// or the platform has no control we can reach.
+	void startCaptureGainControl(const QString &captureDevice);
+	void stopCaptureGainControl();
+
 	void playEarpieceTone(void (TonePlayer::*tone)());
 	void playRingTone();
 	void stopTones();
@@ -114,6 +142,7 @@ private slots:
 
 	void send_audio_packet(QByteArray data);
 	void incoming_audio_params(QByteArray peer_id, QString codec, quint16 sample_rate);
+	void capture_clipping(double pinnedPercent, double peakDb);
 	void incoming_audio_packet(QByteArray peer_id, quint16 seq_num, quint32 timestamp, QByteArray data);
 
 	void video_capture_started(QString codec, int width, int height);
diff --git a/pica-client/capturegain.cpp b/pica-client/capturegain.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f2ea2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pica-client/capturegain.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,457 @@
+/*
+	(c) Copyright  2012 - 2026 Anton Sviridenko
+	https://picapica.im
+
+	This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+	it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+	the Free Software Foundation, version 3.
+
+	This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+	but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+	MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+	GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+	You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+	along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+#include "capturegain.h"
+
+#include <QDebug>
+#include <QtGlobal>
+#include <cmath>
+
+#ifdef Q_OS_LINUX
+#include <alsa/asoundlib.h>
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBPULSE
+#include <pulse/pulseaudio.h>
+#endif
+
+// Per platform factories, defined next to the implementations themselves -
+// same arrangement as NativeAudioBackend::create().
+#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
+CaptureGainControl *pica_create_wasapi_capture_gain(const QString &device);
+#endif
+
+#if defined(Q_OS_MACOS) || defined(Q_OS_MAC)
+CaptureGainControl *pica_create_coreaudio_capture_gain(const QString &device);
+#endif
+
+CaptureGainControl::~CaptureGainControl()
+{
+}
+
+static double clampGain(double v)
+{
+	if (v < 0.0)
+		return 0.0;
+	if (v > 1.0)
+		return 1.0;
+	return v;
+}
+
+// PulseAudio is the one backend whose control goes past its nominal maximum -
+// PA_VOLUME_NORM is 100% and the server will happily sit above it. Clamping a
+// reading to 1.0 there would mean handing a user who had their source at 130%
+// back at 100% when the call ended, so that path keeps whatever it read and
+// only guards the bottom of the range and a runaway top.
+static double clampGainAmplified(double v)
+{
+	if (v < 0.0)
+		return 0.0;
+	if (v > 2.5)
+		return 2.5;
+	return v;
+}
+
+#ifdef Q_OS_LINUX
+
+// The mixer lives on a card, but what we are handed is a PCM name. The two
+// namespaces overlap only by convention, so this covers the forms that
+// actually turn up in the device list and falls back to the default card for
+// anything else - which is right for plain "default" and no worse than
+// nothing for the exotic cases.
+static QString alsaCardFromPcm(const QString &pcm)
+{
+	int card = pcm.indexOf(QLatin1String("CARD="));
+	if (card >= 0)
+	{
+		QString name = pcm.mid(card + 5);
+		int comma = name.indexOf(QLatin1Char(','));
+		if (comma >= 0)
+			name = name.left(comma);
+		if (!name.isEmpty())
+			return QStringLiteral("hw:") + name;
+	}
+
+	// "hw:1,0", "plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=0", "dsnoop:1" - everything before the
+	// first comma after the colon names the card.
+	int colon = pcm.indexOf(QLatin1Char(':'));
+	if (colon >= 0)
+	{
+		QString rest = pcm.mid(colon + 1);
+		int comma = rest.indexOf(QLatin1Char(','));
+		if (comma >= 0)
+			rest = rest.left(comma);
+		if (!rest.isEmpty())
+			return QStringLiteral("hw:") + rest;
+	}
+
+	return QStringLiteral("default");
+}
+
+class AlsaCaptureGain : public CaptureGainControl
+{
+public:
+	AlsaCaptureGain() : m_mixer(nullptr), m_elem(nullptr), m_min(0), m_max(0) {}
+
+	~AlsaCaptureGain() override
+	{
+		if (m_mixer)
+			snd_mixer_close(m_mixer);
+	}
+
+	bool open(const QString &pcmName)
+	{
+		const QString card = alsaCardFromPcm(pcmName);
+		const QByteArray cardUtf8 = card.toUtf8();
+
+		if (snd_mixer_open(&m_mixer, 0) < 0)
+		{
+			m_mixer = nullptr;
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		if (snd_mixer_attach(m_mixer, cardUtf8.constData()) < 0 ||
+		    snd_mixer_selem_register(m_mixer, nullptr, nullptr) < 0 ||
+		    snd_mixer_load(m_mixer) < 0)
+			return false;
+
+		// "Capture" is what the recording gain is called on essentially every
+		// card that has one; "Mic" turns up on the ones that do not separate
+		// the input selector from the gain. Failing both, take the first
+		// element that has a capture volume at all.
+		m_elem = findNamed("Capture");
+		if (!m_elem)
+			m_elem = findNamed("Mic");
+		if (!m_elem)
+		{
+			for (snd_mixer_elem_t *e = snd_mixer_first_elem(m_mixer); e; e = snd_mixer_elem_next(e))
+			{
+				if (snd_mixer_selem_is_active(e) && snd_mixer_selem_has_capture_volume(e))
+				{
+					m_elem = e;
+					break;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		if (!m_elem)
+			return false;
+
+		if (snd_mixer_selem_get_capture_volume_range(m_elem, &m_min, &m_max) < 0 || m_max <= m_min)
+			return false;
+
+		m_name = QString::fromUtf8(snd_mixer_selem_get_name(m_elem)) +
+		         QStringLiteral(" on ") + card;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	bool gain(double *out) override
+	{
+		if (!m_elem || !out)
+			return false;
+
+		// The kernel may have moved the control under us - another mixer app,
+		// or the user's own volume keys.
+		snd_mixer_handle_events(m_mixer);
+
+		long v = 0;
+		if (snd_mixer_selem_get_capture_volume(m_elem, SND_MIXER_SCHN_FRONT_LEFT, &v) < 0 &&
+		    snd_mixer_selem_get_capture_volume(m_elem, SND_MIXER_SCHN_MONO, &v) < 0)
+			return false;
+
+		*out = clampGain(double(v - m_min) / double(m_max - m_min));
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	bool setGain(double value) override
+	{
+		if (!m_elem)
+			return false;
+
+		long v = m_min + (long)llround(clampGain(value) * double(m_max - m_min));
+		return snd_mixer_selem_set_capture_volume_all(m_elem, v) >= 0;
+	}
+
+	QString description() const override { return m_name; }
+
+private:
+	snd_mixer_elem_t *findNamed(const char *want)
+	{
+		for (snd_mixer_elem_t *e = snd_mixer_first_elem(m_mixer); e; e = snd_mixer_elem_next(e))
+		{
+			if (!snd_mixer_selem_is_active(e) || !snd_mixer_selem_has_capture_volume(e))
+				continue;
+			if (qstrcmp(snd_mixer_selem_get_name(e), want) == 0)
+				return e;
+		}
+		return nullptr;
+	}
+
+	snd_mixer_t *m_mixer;
+	snd_mixer_elem_t *m_elem;
+	long m_min;
+	long m_max;
+	QString m_name;
+};
+
+#endif // Q_OS_LINUX
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBPULSE
+
+// PulseAudio's introspection and its setters are both asynchronous, so this
+// keeps a connected context with a private mainloop and pumps it until each
+// operation has called back. Same shape as enumeratePulse() in
+// audiodevice.cpp, but long lived, since a call makes several of these.
+class PulseCaptureGain : public CaptureGainControl
+{
+public:
+	PulseCaptureGain()
+		: m_mainloop(nullptr), m_ctx(nullptr), m_channels(1),
+		  m_pending(false), m_ok(false), m_value(0.0) {}
+
+	~PulseCaptureGain() override
+	{
+		if (m_ctx)
+		{
+			pa_context_disconnect(m_ctx);
+			pa_context_unref(m_ctx);
+		}
+		if (m_mainloop)
+			pa_mainloop_free(m_mainloop);
+	}
+
+	bool open(const QString &device)
+	{
+		m_mainloop = pa_mainloop_new();
+		if (!m_mainloop)
+			return false;
+
+		m_ctx = pa_context_new(pa_mainloop_get_api(m_mainloop), "pica-client");
+		if (!m_ctx)
+			return false;
+
+		if (pa_context_connect(m_ctx, nullptr, PA_CONTEXT_NOFLAGS, nullptr) < 0)
+			return false;
+
+		// Five seconds at 50ms a turn, so a server that never answers cannot
+		// wedge the call setup.
+		for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++)
+		{
+			pa_context_state_t st = pa_context_get_state(m_ctx);
+			if (st == PA_CONTEXT_READY)
+				break;
+			if (st == PA_CONTEXT_FAILED || st == PA_CONTEXT_TERMINATED)
+				return false;
+			if (!pump())
+				return false;
+		}
+
+		if (pa_context_get_state(m_ctx) != PA_CONTEXT_READY)
+			return false;
+
+		m_source = device;
+		if (m_source.isEmpty() || m_source == QLatin1String("default"))
+		{
+			if (!resolveDefaultSource())
+				return false;
+		}
+
+		// Also establishes the channel count, which setGain() needs.
+		double ignored;
+		return gain(&ignored);
+	}
+
+	bool gain(double *out) override
+	{
+		if (!m_ctx || m_source.isEmpty())
+			return false;
+
+		const QByteArray name = m_source.toUtf8();
+		m_pending = true;
+		m_ok = false;
+
+		pa_operation *op = pa_context_get_source_info_by_name(m_ctx, name.constData(),
+		                                                      sourceInfoCb, this);
+		if (!await(op))
+			return false;
+
+		if (m_ok && out)
+			*out = m_value;
+		return m_ok;
+	}
+
+	bool setGain(double value) override
+	{
+		if (!m_ctx || m_source.isEmpty())
+			return false;
+
+		pa_cvolume cv;
+		pa_cvolume_set(&cv, m_channels ? m_channels : 1,
+		               (pa_volume_t)llround(clampGainAmplified(value) * double(PA_VOLUME_NORM)));
+
+		const QByteArray name = m_source.toUtf8();
+		m_pending = true;
+		m_ok = false;
+
+		pa_operation *op = pa_context_set_source_volume_by_name(m_ctx, name.constData(), &cv,
+		                                                        successCb, this);
+		if (!await(op))
+			return false;
+
+		return m_ok;
+	}
+
+	QString description() const override
+	{
+		return m_source + QStringLiteral(" (PulseAudio)");
+	}
+
+private:
+	bool pump()
+	{
+		if (pa_mainloop_prepare(m_mainloop, 50 * 1000) < 0)
+			return false;
+		if (pa_mainloop_poll(m_mainloop) < 0)
+			return false;
+		if (pa_mainloop_dispatch(m_mainloop) < 0)
+			return false;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	// Runs the loop until the callback for op has fired, then reaps it.
+	bool await(pa_operation *op)
+	{
+		if (!op)
+		{
+			m_pending = false;
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		for (int i = 0; i < 100 && m_pending; i++)
+		{
+			if (!pump())
+				break;
+		}
+
+		bool finished = !m_pending;
+		m_pending = false;
+		pa_operation_unref(op);
+		return finished;
+	}
+
+	bool resolveDefaultSource()
+	{
+		m_pending = true;
+		m_ok = false;
+
+		pa_operation *op = pa_context_get_server_info(m_ctx, serverInfoCb, this);
+		if (!await(op))
+			return false;
+
+		return m_ok && !m_source.isEmpty();
+	}
+
+	static void serverInfoCb(pa_context *, const pa_server_info *info, void *userdata)
+	{
+		PulseCaptureGain *self = (PulseCaptureGain *)userdata;
+
+		if (info && info->default_source_name)
+		{
+			self->m_source = QString::fromUtf8(info->default_source_name);
+			self->m_ok = true;
+		}
+		self->m_pending = false;
+	}
+
+	static void sourceInfoCb(pa_context *, const pa_source_info *info, int eol, void *userdata)
+	{
+		PulseCaptureGain *self = (PulseCaptureGain *)userdata;
+
+		if (eol)
+		{
+			self->m_pending = false;
+			return;
+		}
+
+		if (!info)
+			return;
+
+		self->m_channels = info->volume.channels;
+		// The loudest channel, so a step down is a step down for all of them
+		// rather than only for whichever happens to be quietest.
+		self->m_value = clampGainAmplified(double(pa_cvolume_max(&info->volume)) / double(PA_VOLUME_NORM));
+		self->m_ok = true;
+	}
+
+	static void successCb(pa_context *, int success, void *userdata)
+	{
+		PulseCaptureGain *self = (PulseCaptureGain *)userdata;
+		self->m_ok = (success != 0);
+		self->m_pending = false;
+	}
+
+	pa_mainloop *m_mainloop;
+	pa_context *m_ctx;
+	QString m_source;
+	uint8_t m_channels;
+
+	bool m_pending;
+	bool m_ok;
+	double m_value;
+};
+
+#endif // HAVE_LIBPULSE
+
+CaptureGainControl *CaptureGainControl::create(const QString &driver, const QString &device)
+{
+#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
+	if (driver == QLatin1String("platform-wasapi"))
+		return pica_create_wasapi_capture_gain(device);
+#endif
+
+#if defined(Q_OS_MACOS) || defined(Q_OS_MAC)
+	if (driver == QLatin1String("platform-coreaudio"))
+		return pica_create_coreaudio_capture_gain(device);
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBPULSE
+	if (driver == QLatin1String("pulse"))
+	{
+		PulseCaptureGain *g = new PulseCaptureGain();
+		if (g->open(device))
+			return g;
+		delete g;
+		qWarning() << "No PulseAudio volume control for capture source" << device;
+		return nullptr;
+	}
+#endif
+
+#ifdef Q_OS_LINUX
+	if (driver == QLatin1String("alsa"))
+	{
+		AlsaCaptureGain *g = new AlsaCaptureGain();
+		if (g->open(device))
+			return g;
+		delete g;
+		qWarning() << "No ALSA capture volume control for device" << device;
+		return nullptr;
+	}
+#endif
+
+	Q_UNUSED(driver)
+	Q_UNUSED(device)
+	return nullptr;
+}
diff --git a/pica-client/capturegain.h b/pica-client/capturegain.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d833f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pica-client/capturegain.h
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/*
+	(c) Copyright  2012 - 2026 Anton Sviridenko
+	https://picapica.im
+
+	This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+	it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+	the Free Software Foundation, version 3.
+
+	This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+	but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+	MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+	GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+	You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+	along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+#ifndef CAPTUREGAIN_H
+#define CAPTUREGAIN_H
+
+#include <QString>
+
+// The capture device's own gain control - the mixer slider, not a multiplier
+// applied to samples we already have.
+//
+// The distinction is the entire point of this class. Clipping happens in the
+// converter, before any buffer reaches us; by then the peaks are flat and the
+// harmonics they generated are in the signal for good. Scaling that buffer
+// down produces a quieter clipped buffer and nothing else - in particular it
+// does not help the echo canceller, whose adaptive filter is linear and
+// therefore scale invariant. What defeats the filter is the non-linearity, and
+// the only place to prevent one is ahead of the ADC. That is this control.
+//
+// Gain is expressed as a 0.0 to 1.0 fraction of the control's travel, which is
+// what WASAPI and CoreAudio use natively and what ALSA and PulseAudio's ranges
+// map onto cleanly. The mapping from that fraction to decibels is the
+// platform's business and is not the same on all of them, so callers should
+// treat a step as "somewhat quieter" and close the loop by measuring again
+// rather than doing arithmetic in dB.
+//
+// Not thread safe, and deliberately so: AudioVideoCallController owns one of
+// these and touches it only from the GUI thread, driven by a queued signal
+// from the capture thread. Some of the implementations below need a message
+// loop or a COM apartment and have no business being called from an audio
+// callback.
+class CaptureGainControl
+{
+public:
+	virtual ~CaptureGainControl();
+
+	// Current position of the control, 0.0 to 1.0. False if it could not be
+	// read, in which case *out is untouched.
+	virtual bool gain(double *out) = 0;
+
+	// Moves the control. Values outside 0.0 to 1.0 are clamped.
+	virtual bool setGain(double value) = 0;
+
+	// What was actually found - the mixer element or endpoint name - for the
+	// log line that says the gain is being taken over.
+	virtual QString description() const = 0;
+
+	// driver is a name from AudioDevice::PlatformDriverName(), device the
+	// capture device string that goes with it. Returns null when this build
+	// or this platform has no way to reach the control, which is not an
+	// error: the caller carries on without automatic gain and the clipping
+	// warning still gets shown.
+	static CaptureGainControl *create(const QString &driver, const QString &device);
+};
+
+#endif // CAPTUREGAIN_H
diff --git a/pica-client/capturegain_coreaudio.cpp b/pica-client/capturegain_coreaudio.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59b1ff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pica-client/capturegain_coreaudio.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+/*
+	(c) Copyright  2012 - 2026 Anton Sviridenko
+	https://picapica.im
+
+	This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+	it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+	the Free Software Foundation, version 3.
+
+	This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+	but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+	MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+	GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+	You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+	along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+#include "capturegain.h"
+
+#if defined(Q_OS_MACOS) || defined(Q_OS_MAC)
+
+#include <QDebug>
+#include <QVector>
+
+#include <CoreAudio/CoreAudio.h>
+#include <CoreFoundation/CoreFoundation.h>
+
+// Small local copies of the device lookup helpers in
+// nativeaudio_coreaudio.cpp. They are static over there and this is the only
+// other place that needs them; duplicating three short functions beats
+// exporting an internal API out of that file.
+static QVector<AudioDeviceID> allInputCapableDevices()
+{
+	QVector<AudioDeviceID> devices;
+
+	AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr;
+	addr.mSelector = kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices;
+	addr.mScope = kAudioObjectPropertyScopeGlobal;
+	addr.mElement = kAudioObjectPropertyElementMaster;
+
+	UInt32 size = 0;
+	if (AudioObjectGetPropertyDataSize(kAudioObjectSystemObject, &addr, 0, nullptr, &size) != noErr)
+		return devices;
+
+	devices.resize(size / sizeof(AudioDeviceID));
+	if (devices.isEmpty())
+		return devices;
+
+	if (AudioObjectGetPropertyData(kAudioObjectSystemObject, &addr, 0, nullptr, &size,
+	                               devices.data()) != noErr)
+		devices.clear();
+
+	return devices;
+}
+
+static QString deviceUidOf(AudioDeviceID dev)
+{
+	AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr;
+	addr.mSelector = kAudioDevicePropertyDeviceUID;
+	addr.mScope = kAudioObjectPropertyScopeGlobal;
+	addr.mElement = kAudioObjectPropertyElementMaster;
+
+	CFStringRef uid = nullptr;
+	UInt32 size = sizeof(uid);
+	if (AudioObjectGetPropertyData(dev, &addr, 0, nullptr, &size, &uid) != noErr || !uid)
+		return QString();
+
+	char buf[512] = {0};
+	QString result;
+	if (CFStringGetCString(uid, buf, sizeof(buf), kCFStringEncodingUTF8))
+		result = QString::fromUtf8(buf);
+
+	CFRelease(uid);
+	return result;
+}
+
+static AudioDeviceID defaultInputDevice()
+{
+	AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr;
+	addr.mSelector = kAudioHardwarePropertyDefaultInputDevice;
+	addr.mScope = kAudioObjectPropertyScopeGlobal;
+	addr.mElement = kAudioObjectPropertyElementMaster;
+
+	AudioDeviceID dev = kAudioObjectUnknown;
+	UInt32 size = sizeof(dev);
+	if (AudioObjectGetPropertyData(kAudioObjectSystemObject, &addr, 0, nullptr, &size, &dev) != noErr)
+		return kAudioObjectUnknown;
+
+	return dev;
+}
+
+// The input volume of a CoreAudio device.
+//
+// Which element carries it varies: some devices expose a master (element 0),
+// some only per channel controls, and plenty of built in microphones expose
+// none at all and are simply not adjustable. open() works that out once and
+// remembers the answer; a device with nothing settable fails to open, and the
+// caller falls back to warning the user.
+class CoreAudioCaptureGain : public CaptureGainControl
+{
+public:
+	CoreAudioCaptureGain() : m_dev(kAudioObjectUnknown), m_master(false) {}
+
+	bool open(const QString &device)
+	{
+		if (device.isEmpty() || device == QLatin1String("default"))
+		{
+			m_dev = defaultInputDevice();
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			QVector<AudioDeviceID> devices = allInputCapableDevices();
+			for (int i = 0; i < devices.size(); i++)
+			{
+				if (deviceUidOf(devices[i]) == device)
+				{
+					m_dev = devices[i];
+					break;
+				}
+			}
+
+			// Fall back rather than give up - the same thing the audio unit
+			// does when a remembered device has been unplugged.
+			if (m_dev == kAudioObjectUnknown)
+				m_dev = defaultInputDevice();
+		}
+
+		if (m_dev == kAudioObjectUnknown)
+			return false;
+
+		if (settable(0))
+		{
+			m_master = true;
+			m_channels.clear();
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			// Stereo inputs are the common case; anything past the second
+			// channel is rare enough on a microphone not to chase.
+			for (UInt32 ch = 1; ch <= 2; ch++)
+			{
+				if (settable(ch))
+					m_channels << ch;
+			}
+
+			if (m_channels.isEmpty())
+			{
+				qWarning() << "CoreAudio: input device has no adjustable volume";
+				return false;
+			}
+		}
+
+		m_device = device.isEmpty() ? QStringLiteral("default") : device;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	bool gain(double *out) override
+	{
+		if (!out || m_dev == kAudioObjectUnknown)
+			return false;
+
+		// The loudest of the channels, so stepping down moves all of them.
+		Float32 best = -1.0f;
+
+		if (m_master)
+		{
+			if (!readElement(0, &best))
+				return false;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			for (int i = 0; i < m_channels.size(); i++)
+			{
+				Float32 v = 0.0f;
+				if (readElement(m_channels[i], &v) && v > best)
+					best = v;
+			}
+		}
+
+		if (best < 0.0f)
+			return false;
+
+		*out = best;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	bool setGain(double value) override
+	{
+		if (m_dev == kAudioObjectUnknown)
+			return false;
+
+		Float32 v = (Float32)(value < 0.0 ? 0.0 : (value > 1.0 ? 1.0 : value));
+
+		if (m_master)
+			return writeElement(0, v);
+
+		bool any = false;
+		for (int i = 0; i < m_channels.size(); i++)
+		{
+			if (writeElement(m_channels[i], v))
+				any = true;
+		}
+
+		return any;
+	}
+
+	QString description() const override
+	{
+		return m_device + QStringLiteral(" (CoreAudio input volume)");
+	}
+
+private:
+	static AudioObjectPropertyAddress addressFor(UInt32 element)
+	{
+		AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr;
+		addr.mSelector = kAudioDevicePropertyVolumeScalar;
+		addr.mScope = kAudioObjectPropertyScopeInput;
+		addr.mElement = element;
+		return addr;
+	}
+
+	bool settable(UInt32 element)
+	{
+		AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr = addressFor(element);
+
+		if (!AudioObjectHasProperty(m_dev, &addr))
+			return false;
+
+		Boolean writable = false;
+		if (AudioObjectIsPropertySettable(m_dev, &addr, &writable) != noErr)
+			return false;
+
+		return writable;
+	}
+
+	bool readElement(UInt32 element, Float32 *out)
+	{
+		AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr = addressFor(element);
+		UInt32 size = sizeof(*out);
+		return AudioObjectGetPropertyData(m_dev, &addr, 0, nullptr, &size, out) == noErr;
+	}
+
+	bool writeElement(UInt32 element, Float32 value)
+	{
+		AudioObjectPropertyAddress addr = addressFor(element);
+		return AudioObjectSetPropertyData(m_dev, &addr, 0, nullptr, sizeof(value), &value) == noErr;
+	}
+
+	AudioDeviceID m_dev;
+	bool m_master;
+	QVector<UInt32> m_channels;
+	QString m_device;
+};
+
+CaptureGainControl *pica_create_coreaudio_capture_gain(const QString &device)
+{
+	CoreAudioCaptureGain *g = new CoreAudioCaptureGain();
+
+	if (g->open(device))
+		return g;
+
+	delete g;
+	return nullptr;
+}
+
+#endif // Q_OS_MACOS
diff --git a/pica-client/capturegain_wasapi.cpp b/pica-client/capturegain_wasapi.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15dec57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pica-client/capturegain_wasapi.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+/*
+	(c) Copyright  2012 - 2026 Anton Sviridenko
+	https://picapica.im
+
+	This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+	it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+	the Free Software Foundation, version 3.
+
+	This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+	but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+	MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+	GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+	You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+	along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+#include "capturegain.h"
+
+#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
+
+#include <QDebug>
+
+// Deliberately NOT defining INITGUID here, unlike nativeaudio_wasapi.cpp: that
+// file already emits the definitions for the endpoint GUIDs, and a second copy
+// in this translation unit would collide at link time. The interface IDs below
+// come from __uuidof() instead, which mingw-w64 supports because its headers
+// declare these interfaces with __CRT_UUID_DECL.
+#include <windows.h>
+#include <objbase.h>
+#include <mmdeviceapi.h>
+#include <endpointvolume.h>
+
+static QString hrText(HRESULT hr)
+{
+	return QString("0x%1").arg((quint32)hr, 8, 16, QLatin1Char('0'));
+}
+
+// The endpoint volume, which is the slider under Settings > Sound > Input.
+//
+// Note this is not the same control as "Microphone Boost" - that one is a
+// driver specific APO with no uniform API, and is usually the thing actually
+// responsible when a mic clips at every level. Turning the endpoint volume
+// down still reduces what reaches the converter on the great majority of
+// devices, so it is the right control to reach for; it just may not have as
+// much travel as the ALSA case.
+class WasapiCaptureGain : public CaptureGainControl
+{
+public:
+	WasapiCaptureGain() : m_vol(nullptr), m_uninitCom(false) {}
+
+	~WasapiCaptureGain() override
+	{
+		if (m_vol)
+			m_vol->Release();
+		if (m_uninitCom)
+			CoUninitialize();
+	}
+
+	bool open(const QString &device)
+	{
+		HRESULT hr = CoInitializeEx(nullptr, COINIT_MULTITHREADED);
+		// S_FALSE means this thread was already in an apartment, and
+		// RPC_E_CHANGED_MODE that it is in a different one - in both cases COM
+		// is usable and we must not be the one to tear it down.
+		if (SUCCEEDED(hr))
+			m_uninitCom = true;
+		else if (hr != RPC_E_CHANGED_MODE)
+			return false;
+
+		IMMDeviceEnumerator *devEnum = nullptr;
+		hr = CoCreateInstance(__uuidof(MMDeviceEnumerator), nullptr, CLSCTX_ALL,
+		                      __uuidof(IMMDeviceEnumerator), (void **)&devEnum);
+		if (FAILED(hr) || !devEnum)
+			return false;
+
+		IMMDevice *dev = nullptr;
+		if (device.isEmpty() || device == QLatin1String("default"))
+		{
+			// eCommunications to match what the capture stream itself opens in
+			// WasapiBackend::resolveDevice() - otherwise on a machine where the
+			// call endpoint and the console endpoint differ we would be turning
+			// down a device nobody is recording from.
+			hr = devEnum->GetDefaultAudioEndpoint(eCapture, eCommunications, &dev);
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			hr = devEnum->GetDevice((LPCWSTR)device.utf16(), &dev);
+		}
+
+		devEnum->Release();
+
+		if (FAILED(hr) || !dev)
+			return false;
+
+		hr = dev->Activate(__uuidof(IAudioEndpointVolume), CLSCTX_ALL, nullptr, (void **)&m_vol);
+		dev->Release();
+
+		if (FAILED(hr) || !m_vol)
+		{
+			qWarning() << "WASAPI: capture endpoint has no volume control:" << hrText(hr);
+			m_vol = nullptr;
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		m_device = device.isEmpty() ? QStringLiteral("default") : device;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	bool gain(double *out) override
+	{
+		if (!m_vol || !out)
+			return false;
+
+		float level = 0.0f;
+		if (FAILED(m_vol->GetMasterVolumeLevelScalar(&level)))
+			return false;
+
+		*out = level;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	bool setGain(double value) override
+	{
+		if (!m_vol)
+			return false;
+
+		float level = (float)(value < 0.0 ? 0.0 : (value > 1.0 ? 1.0 : value));
+		return SUCCEEDED(m_vol->SetMasterVolumeLevelScalar(level, nullptr));
+	}
+
+	QString description() const override
+	{
+		return m_device + QStringLiteral(" (WASAPI endpoint volume)");
+	}
+
+private:
+	IAudioEndpointVolume *m_vol;
+	bool m_uninitCom;
+	QString m_device;
+};
+
+CaptureGainControl *pica_create_wasapi_capture_gain(const QString &device)
+{
+	WasapiCaptureGain *g = new WasapiCaptureGain();
+
+	if (g->open(device))
+		return g;
+
+	delete g;
+	return nullptr;
+}
+
+#endif // Q_OS_WIN
diff --git a/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.cpp b/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.cpp
index a319f12..e1faf8d 100644
--- a/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.cpp
+++ b/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.cpp
@@ -201,6 +201,13 @@ SettingsDialog::SettingsDialog(QWidget *parent) :
 	                            "are on speakers. Has no effect where the operating system "
 	                            "already does it."));
 
+	cbAutoCaptureGain = new QCheckBox(tr("Automatic microphone gain"), this);
+	cbAutoCaptureGain->setToolTip(tr("Turns the microphone's own recording level down during a "
+	                                 "call if it is loud enough to distort, and puts it back "
+	                                 "afterwards. A microphone set too loud clips, and clipping "
+	                                 "cannot be repaired later - it also stops echo cancellation "
+	                                 "working."));
+
 	btRingTest = new QPushButton(tr("Test ring 🔔"), this);
 	connect(btRingTest, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(toggleRingTest()));
 
@@ -218,6 +225,7 @@ SettingsDialog::SettingsDialog(QWidget *parent) :
 	audiodevlayout->addWidget(lbAudioPlaybackDev);
 	audiodevlayout->addWidget(audioPlaybackDev);
 	audiodevlayout->addWidget(cbEchoCancel);
+	audiodevlayout->addWidget(cbAutoCaptureGain);
 	audiodevlayout->addWidget(btAudioTest);
 	audiodevlayout->addWidget(audioTestStatus);
 	audiodevlayout->addWidget(lbAudioRingDev);
@@ -1054,6 +1062,7 @@ void SettingsDialog::loadSettings()
 		audioPlaybackDev->setCurrentIndex(audioPlaybackDevItem);
 
 	cbEchoCancel->setChecked(st.loadValue("audio.echo_cancel", 1).toBool());
+	cbAutoCaptureGain->setChecked(st.loadValue("audio.auto_capture_gain", 1).toBool());
 
 	QString audioRingDevVal = st.loadValue("audio.ring_device", "default").toString();
 	int audioRingDevItem = audioRingDev->findData(audioRingDevVal);
@@ -1108,6 +1117,7 @@ void SettingsDialog::storeSettings()
 	st.storeValue("audio.playback_device", audioPlaybackDev->itemData(audioPlaybackDev->currentIndex()).toString());
 	st.storeValue("audio.ring_device", audioRingDev->itemData(audioRingDev->currentIndex()).toString());
 	st.storeValue("audio.echo_cancel", cbEchoCancel->isChecked() ? "1" : "0");
+	st.storeValue("audio.auto_capture_gain", cbAutoCaptureGain->isChecked() ? "1" : "0");
 
 	if (audioDriver)
 	{
diff --git a/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.h b/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.h
index 424d43f..b879a74 100644
--- a/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.h
+++ b/pica-client/dialogs/settingsdialog.h
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ private:
 	// Whether to run our own acoustic echo cancellation. Ignored when the
 	// platform provides one - see AudioDevice::PlatformDriverName().
 	QCheckBox *cbEchoCancel;
+	QCheckBox *cbAutoCaptureGain;
 
 	QComboBox *videoDev;
 	QPushButton *videoDevRefresh;
diff --git a/pica-client/echocanceller.cpp b/pica-client/echocanceller.cpp
index df151d6..2d7acf0 100644
--- a/pica-client/echocanceller.cpp
+++ b/pica-client/echocanceller.cpp
@@ -24,8 +24,21 @@
 extern "C" {
 #include <speex/speex_echo.h>
 #include <speex/speex_preprocess.h>
+#include <libswresample/swresample.h>
+#include <libavutil/channel_layout.h>
+#include <libavutil/samplefmt.h>
+#include <libavutil/mathematics.h>
+#include <libavutil/opt.h>
 }
 
+// Same split as audiodevice.cpp - FFmpeg 5.1 replaced the channel count and
+// layout fields with the AVChannelLayout API.
+#if LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_INT >= AV_VERSION_INT(57, 24, 100)
+#  define EC_HAVE_CH_LAYOUT 1
+#else
+#  define EC_HAVE_CH_LAYOUT 0
+#endif
+
 EchoCanceller::EchoCanceller(int sampleRate, int frameMs, int tailMs)
 	: m_sampleRate(sampleRate > 0 ? sampleRate : 48000),
 	  m_frameSize(0),
@@ -33,6 +46,8 @@ EchoCanceller::EchoCanceller(int sampleRate, int frameMs, int tailMs)
 	  m_echo(nullptr),
 	  m_preprocess(nullptr),
 	  m_farHead(0),
+	  m_farSwr(nullptr),
+	  m_farSwrRate(0),
 	  m_farCapacity(0),
 	  m_nearEnergy(0.0),
 	  m_outEnergy(0.0),
@@ -120,6 +135,8 @@ EchoCanceller::~EchoCanceller()
 		speex_preprocess_state_destroy(reinterpret_cast<SpeexPreprocessState *>(m_preprocess));
 	if (m_echo)
 		speex_echo_state_destroy(reinterpret_cast<SpeexEchoState *>(m_echo));
+	if (m_farSwr)
+		swr_free(&m_farSwr);
 }
 
 void EchoCanceller::reset()
@@ -146,13 +163,69 @@ void EchoCanceller::reset()
 	}
 }
 
-void EchoCanceller::pushFarEnd(const qint16 *pcm, int nsamples)
+void EchoCanceller::pushFarEnd(const qint16 *pcm, int nsamples, int srcRate)
 {
 	if (!m_echo || !pcm || nsamples <= 0)
 		return;
 
 	QMutexLocker locker(&m_farMutex);
 
+	if (srcRate > 0 && srcRate != m_sampleRate)
+	{
+		if (m_farSwr && m_farSwrRate != srcRate)
+		{
+			swr_free(&m_farSwr);
+			m_farSwrRate = 0;
+		}
+
+		if (!m_farSwr)
+		{
+#if EC_HAVE_CH_LAYOUT
+			AVChannelLayout mono;
+			av_channel_layout_default(&mono, 1);
+			int ret = swr_alloc_set_opts2(&m_farSwr, &mono, AV_SAMPLE_FMT_S16, m_sampleRate,
+			                              &mono, AV_SAMPLE_FMT_S16, srcRate, 0, nullptr);
+			av_channel_layout_uninit(&mono);
+			if (ret < 0)
+				m_farSwr = nullptr;
+#else
+			m_farSwr = swr_alloc_set_opts(nullptr, AV_CH_LAYOUT_MONO, AV_SAMPLE_FMT_S16, m_sampleRate,
+			                              AV_CH_LAYOUT_MONO, AV_SAMPLE_FMT_S16, srcRate, 0, nullptr);
+#endif
+			if (m_farSwr && swr_init(m_farSwr) < 0)
+				swr_free(&m_farSwr);
+
+			if (!m_farSwr)
+			{
+				qWarning() << "Echo canceller: cannot resample" << srcRate << "Hz far end to"
+				           << m_sampleRate << "Hz - echo cancellation will not work";
+				return;
+			}
+
+			m_farSwrRate = srcRate;
+			qDebug() << "Echo canceller: far end is" << srcRate << "Hz, resampling to" << m_sampleRate << "Hz";
+		}
+
+		// Upper bound on what this many input samples can become, plus
+		// whatever the converter is still holding from last time.
+		int room = (int)av_rescale_rnd(swr_get_delay(m_farSwr, srcRate) + nsamples,
+		                              m_sampleRate, srcRate, AV_ROUND_UP);
+		if (room <= 0)
+			return;
+
+		m_farScratch.resize(room);
+
+		uint8_t *out[1] = { (uint8_t *)m_farScratch.data() };
+		const uint8_t *in[1] = { (const uint8_t *)pcm };
+
+		int got = swr_convert(m_farSwr, out, room, in, nsamples);
+		if (got <= 0)
+			return;
+
+		pcm = m_farScratch.constData();
+		nsamples = got;
+	}
+
 	// Reclaim the space already consumed rather than growing without bound;
 	// doing it only once the head has run past half the buffer keeps this
 	// from turning into a memmove on every call.
diff --git a/pica-client/echocanceller.h b/pica-client/echocanceller.h
index c49962d..b78a2f7 100644
--- a/pica-client/echocanceller.h
+++ b/pica-client/echocanceller.h
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 
 struct SpeexEchoState_;
 struct SpeexPreprocessState_;
+struct SwrContext;
 
 // Acoustic echo cancellation for a call, using speexdsp's frequency domain
 // adaptive filter (MDF).
@@ -66,7 +67,15 @@ public:
 	void reset();
 
 	// Playback side: the audio about to be written to the output device.
-	void pushFarEnd(const qint16 *pcm, int nsamples);
+	//
+	// srcRate is what pcm is sampled at, and may differ from sampleRate():
+	// we capture at a rate of our choosing but play back at whatever the peer
+	// announced, so a call with a build that negotiates a different rate ends
+	// up with the two directions disagreeing. Passing 0 means "same as ours".
+	// Anything else is resampled on the way into the FIFO - without this the
+	// playback side used to drop the canceller entirely on a rate mismatch,
+	// leaving the capture side cancelling against silence.
+	void pushFarEnd(const qint16 *pcm, int nsamples, int srcRate = 0);
 
 	// Capture side: removes the echo of what pushFarEnd() was given, in
 	// place. nsamples should be a whole number of frameSize() blocks; a
@@ -121,6 +130,13 @@ private:
 	QVector<qint16> m_farFifo;
 	int m_farHead;
 
+	// Rate conversion for a far end that is not running at our rate, built on
+	// first use and rebuilt if the rate changes. Only the playback thread
+	// touches these, under m_farMutex.
+	SwrContext *m_farSwr;
+	int m_farSwrRate;
+	QVector<qint16> m_farScratch;
+
 	// Upper bound on the FIFO, in samples. Reached only if the two sound
 	// cards' clocks drift apart or playback outruns capture; past this the
 	// oldest audio is dropped, since keeping it would mean the reference
diff --git a/pica-client/pica-client.pro b/pica-client/pica-client.pro
index 92430fe..9dcc1ab 100644
--- a/pica-client/pica-client.pro
+++ b/pica-client/pica-client.pro
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ SOURCES += main.cpp\
     nativeaudio.cpp \
     nativeaudio_wasapi.cpp \
     nativeaudio_coreaudio.cpp \
+    capturegain.cpp \
+    capturegain_wasapi.cpp \
+    capturegain_coreaudio.cpp \
 	audiovideocallcontroller.cpp \
         mainwindow.cpp \
     chatwindow.cpp \
@@ -59,6 +62,7 @@ HEADERS  += mainwindow.h \
     audioring.h \
     echocanceller.h \
     nativeaudio.h \
+    capturegain.h \
     audiovideocallcontroller.h \
     chatwindow.h \
     callwindow.h \