Microphone Problems
Microphones are a great device if you want to have a voice chat or video chat and recording. A Microphone is plugged in the sound card or the USB port. Normally, there are hardly any problems encountered with regards to the microphones. But sometimes something can go wrong with your ever useful and easy to use microphone. The text coming up will give you a low down on precisely that - microphone problems!
Computer Microphone Problems
Problem 1
It might 'sound' a no-brainer, but this can happen sometimes in case the microphone is not working. What I am referring to is to confirm if all the connections are in place. In some computers, there are panels in front which have microphone plugs. Whereas, in a few, they have to be plugged directly in your sound card, that is either integrated in the computer motherboard or there is a peripheral card. In case there is confusion, check out the icons where the plug ins are given. Although, you might need to take a look at the manual or document related to the computer.
Problem 2
Let us tackle another problem if you think that mike connection is fine. If the microphone connection is fine, there could be an issue with the sound card. To see if that is working properly, try using the sound recorder. Record something in your voice. There would be a green line which would fluctuate and move back and forth as you speak. If that happens, consider that your sound card is working okay. If it is the contrary, either the microphone is faulty or the sound card or it is not properly identified by the computer.
Problem 3
Time for one more of problems with microphone and its solution. So getting to the glitch, in a few cases it can happen that a computer may not be appropriately configured for handling a mike. For solving this issue, check the volume control. Go to 'run' through the start menu and after a box appears, type sndvol32.exe there and hit enter. When the volume controls appear, the microphone controls would be on the far right. See if the mute box is not selected and click on the button which says advanced. There, select the box next to microphone +20dB boost. That will amplify the sound which comes through your microphone.
Problem 4
Microphone problems could be encountered if the operating system settings are not in tune with the functioning of the microphone, that is playback and recording. If either of these settings is not correct, the microphone will not work.
Problem 5
Some microphone problems arise if the microphone is integrated in headphones or headsets which are commonly linked with a USB cable. In this case, ensure that the USB port connected is operational. The best bet to make sure that there is no such problem is to plug the usb cable at the back of the computer, instead of a USB hub, or extra ports on the monitor or keyboard. Further, installation of drivers might be required for correctly recognizing the microphone part of the headset.
Problem 6
If it happens that all the above solutions don't seem to work, then the only conclusion is that the microphone is faulty! A loose wire, defective piece or anything else can lead to the microphone not picking up sound and recording. Clearly, if the microphone does not work, do I have to say that a new has to be bought?!
Apart from these, if you find any other problems with your microphone, I am afraid, help of a professional would be needed. Although, that would be rare. The issues and solutions mentioned above are the most common ones, hence no need to worry!
