[Newbie] Using ESP32-S3 as an audio device with mic input
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2026 7:58 am
Hi everyone.
I've been programming ESP's and Arduinos for quite a while but always for basic functions: buttons, leds, sensors...
I've also only done it using the Arduino IDE.
Last month I began a project that turned out to be waaaaaaaay over my head and skills.
Although my goal seemed simple and searching the web would confirmed it, the truth is that after several weeks of trying I just gave up and came here searching for help or someone who could point me in the right direction.
My goal is to connect a Motorola Push-to-Talk mic to an ESP32-S3 and use it in Windows as a mic audio device.
I've soldered the required Motorola pins to the ESP and I also bought a MAX9814 mic amplifier to act as a bridge/amplifier between the mic and the ESP32-S3. All pin connections are done as manual refered. Push button works, audio never could test.
My problem is that I've followed many guides, used several AI tools and can't even get to compiling a sketch without errors on ESP-IDF. I've tried several releases (5.x and 6.0.1) and still nothing.
I've been to menuconfigs to activate USB audio class, done several other suggestions...but nothing works or my skills are just not enough.
At this point I question if this is even doable? Can I do what I intended? Which framework should I use? Can someone point me to a working example or has some insights on how to achieve this?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Mike
I've been programming ESP's and Arduinos for quite a while but always for basic functions: buttons, leds, sensors...
I've also only done it using the Arduino IDE.
Last month I began a project that turned out to be waaaaaaaay over my head and skills.
Although my goal seemed simple and searching the web would confirmed it, the truth is that after several weeks of trying I just gave up and came here searching for help or someone who could point me in the right direction.
My goal is to connect a Motorola Push-to-Talk mic to an ESP32-S3 and use it in Windows as a mic audio device.
I've soldered the required Motorola pins to the ESP and I also bought a MAX9814 mic amplifier to act as a bridge/amplifier between the mic and the ESP32-S3. All pin connections are done as manual refered. Push button works, audio never could test.
My problem is that I've followed many guides, used several AI tools and can't even get to compiling a sketch without errors on ESP-IDF. I've tried several releases (5.x and 6.0.1) and still nothing.
I've been to menuconfigs to activate USB audio class, done several other suggestions...but nothing works or my skills are just not enough.
At this point I question if this is even doable? Can I do what I intended? Which framework should I use? Can someone point me to a working example or has some insights on how to achieve this?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Mike