Setting up the microphone in Windows

Millions of people daily communicate with relatives, co-workers and friends on the microphone via Skype. Sounding videos, recording your own singing, creating training courses, negotiating in the course of a network game - for all this you will need a microphone. To achieve the highest possible signal quality, it is important to properly set up the equipment. We will understand in more detail how to configure the microphone on Windows.

The sound equipment settings in different versions of Windows are slightly different.

Types

Today there are many devices on the market that allow you to negotiate online. Allocate the following:

  • USB devices. The equipment is connected via USB;
  • analog. Products of this type are connected to the microphone input on the PC panel (usually the socket is marked with a pale red shade). To get a clear signal, you must have a quality sound card;

  • integrated into the webcam. Developers often incorporate an intercom into the camera body. If the device receives energy from the bus, then you can connect it via USB, another option is to use the standard 3.5 mm jack.

Microphones are also connected to headphones; they are often sold in one “assembly”. In this case, it is enough to connect the audio jacks to the sockets provided for this. Under the headphones, the input is usually green or black, the microphone is a pink / red jack.

Useful recommendations:

  • in the process of choosing a device, ask the seller how to connect it to a PC, whether you need a preamplifier or just one 3.5 mm cable. To work with a preamplifier, buy a special “Krona” battery;
  • Near each nest in laptops and PCs there is usually an icon or a figure with a letter designation (“Headphones”, “Mic”, etc.);
  • To test the signal quality, Skype has an “Echo / Sound Test Service” option. By installing the program, you will find “Echo” in your contact list. It is enough to call there and follow the advice that the robot will give.

Microphone in Windows XP

If XP is installed on the PC, the hardware can be configured in this way:

  • click in the tray on the speaker icon. Did not find such an icon? Then open “Sounds and Audio Devices” in the control panel, and then set the flag next to “Display the icon”;
  • in the volume menu, find “Parameters” and enable advanced parameters. Activating the gain of the device without this option simply will not work;
  • select “Options” - “Properties”, and then “Volume Settings” - “Record”. There should be a flag in front of the "Microphone";

  • Signal features will now appear in the mixer. This displays the gain of 20 dB and tuning for specific frequencies.

Microphone in Windows 7

For this OS, perform the following steps:

  • connect the equipment to the pink connector;
  • find the item "Sound" on the control panel, click on it;
  • go to "Record";
  • select the active device, then click on "Properties";
  • in the “Levels” section, set the “Microphone Gain” element to the “20 dB” position. If you overestimate the mark, unnecessary interferences will begin to appear. In addition, you can choose the level of the signal. The noise depends on the gain settings, so you cannot make it too high.

Improve the quality of help option "Noise Reduction". You will find it in the "Improvements" tab in the properties. Check the box next to this parameter to organize a quality connection. In the same tab there is “Echo cancellation” and other elements, you can safely experiment and understand how the sound quality changes.

The "Listen" tab allows you to evaluate the device with the parameters you selected. Sometimes the constant sound of your own voice in the speakers or headphones begins to annoy. Disabling the option is not difficult - uncheck "Listen to this device."

Another useful option is the “Communication” tab, it is located in the “Sound” item. If you are talking on Skype and do not want to be distracted by extraneous tunes, select the option "Reduce the volume of other sounds." This knowledge will be enough to figure out how to set up a microphone on a laptop.