Spiky audio capture

Hello!
I am trying to listen to the audio recorded by the ESP32, but it just sounds like a bunch of clicks. I looked at the raw audio data with Audacity and the audio waveform indeed is almost exclusively formed out of spikes. What could be causing this and how would one go about fixing it? I experimented with whether lowering the gain on the MAX9814 module by tying its gain pin high (40dB gain), but it did not help.
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| The raw audio data in Audacity |

Start by reproducing the capture through the ESP32 ADC/I2S sample path and inspect the raw samples in Audacity, using the MAX9814 gain setting as a comparison point. Trace the audio-capture configuration to identify why the waveform consists of spikes, then confirm the result with a recording that produces usable audio samples rather than clicks.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.