diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b915b26..aaadf58 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "void-server",
-  "version": "2.14.0",
+  "version": "2.14.1",
   "type": "module",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/public/components/dross_bubble.js b/public/components/dross_bubble.js
index dd3933c..e6d5a62 100644
--- a/public/components/dross_bubble.js
+++ b/public/components/dross_bubble.js
@@ -95,12 +95,18 @@ export async function renderDrossBubble() {
         const analyser = actx.createAnalyser(); analyser.fftSize = 256;
         src.connect(analyser);
         const buf = new Uint8Array(analyser.frequencyBinCount);
+        mic.classList.add('metered'); // disables the fallback pulse; amplitude takes over
         const tick = () => {
-          if (!recording) { actx.close().catch(() => {}); mic.style.removeProperty('--voicelevel'); return; }
+          if (!recording) {
+            actx.close().catch(() => {});
+            mic.style.removeProperty('--voicelevel'); mic.classList.remove('metered');
+            return;
+          }
           analyser.getByteTimeDomainData(buf);
           let peak = 0;
           for (const v of buf) peak = Math.max(peak, Math.abs(v - 128));
-          mic.style.setProperty('--voicelevel', (peak / 128).toFixed(3));
+          // sqrt curve + gain: normal speech peaks ~0.1–0.4 raw, which read as barely-alive
+          mic.style.setProperty('--voicelevel', Math.min(1, Math.sqrt(peak / 48)).toFixed(3));
           requestAnimationFrame(tick);
         };
         tick();
diff --git a/public/style.css b/public/style.css
index dfa2483..9114c3c 100644
--- a/public/style.css
+++ b/public/style.css
@@ -781,9 +781,12 @@ body.drawer-open #scrim { opacity: 1; pointer-events: auto; }
 .dross-clip-txt{flex:1;color:var(--text);overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap}
 .dross-clip audio{display:none}
 
-/* voice 2.14: live level ring + textarea flash (post-transcribe, no keyboard pop) */
-.dross-mic.rec{position:relative;box-shadow:0 0 0 calc(2px + 14px * var(--voicelevel, 0)) rgba(255,79,46,calc(0.12 + 0.45 * var(--voicelevel, 0)));transition:box-shadow 90ms linear}
-.dross-mic.rec svg{transform:scale(calc(1 + 0.35 * var(--voicelevel, 0)));transition:transform 90ms linear}
+/* voice 2.14.1: amplitude meter. .metered kills the keyframe pulse — CSS animations
+   override normal declarations, so the old dross-rec box-shadow was masking the meter. */
+.dross-mic.rec.metered{animation:none;position:relative;
+  box-shadow:0 0 0 calc(2px + 22px * var(--voicelevel, 0)) rgba(255,79,46,calc(0.15 + 0.5 * var(--voicelevel, 0)));
+  transition:box-shadow 70ms linear}
+.dross-mic.rec.metered svg{transform:scale(calc(1 + 0.5 * var(--voicelevel, 0)));transition:transform 70ms linear}
 .dross-inwrap textarea{overflow-y:auto;max-height:120px;transition:height 120ms ease}
 .dross-inwrap textarea.flash{border-color:var(--dross-glow);box-shadow:0 0 0 2px var(--dross-soft)}