Microphone and Line Input Problem Solution under Win8

This article provides solutions to problems with microphones and other line input sources such as tape players, answering machines, and other types of sound devices. This article applies to HP and Compaq computers with Windows 8. Users of other brands who have installed Win8 systems can also refer to the methods in this article for reference.

Note: Before using this article, make sure that the speakers in Windows can sound.

First perform the following steps to test and detect hardware and connections, update the audio drivers, and configure the Windows sound settings. If you perform the following steps in the correct order, you will be able to fix the problem or you will find that the audio software needs to be configured or updated.

Step 1: Test the audio signal Use this procedure to check if Windows can detect the audio signal from the microphone or line in port.

Note: If you are testing a line input port and the source device has a volume control button, please note that adjusting the volume too high will cause distortion of the sound and may result in damage to the audio hardware. First use the low volume and slowly increase it until the recording is at the desired level. Do not adjust the volume of the source device to more than one-half of the overall volume.

Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, and select “Control Panel” from the menu.

Figure 1: Control Panel

Click <;Hardware and Sound", then under "Sound", click “Manage Audio Devices”.

Figure 2: Manage Audio Devices

& ldquo; Sounds & rdquo; window opens.

Figure 3: & nbsp; Sound & rdquo; Window

Click “ Record & rdquo; tab.

To test the microphone, speak in a microphone. To test the line input, send a signal from the source audio device to the line input port (press the “Play & rdquo; button on the audio player). Check the gray bar next to the device name on the "recording" tab:

If the gray bar next to the device name turns green, the device is activated; and the microphone or line in port has an acoustic signal. This step indicates that the problem is with the sound settings of the software using the microphone. If you have not already done so, set the selected device to default and adjust the volume as in step 3. Use and adjust the recording or sound playback software when the device is set to default and the volume is set.

If the gray bar is still gray and the device cannot be activated, the device does not recognize the sound signal. Do not close the "record" tab and proceed to the next step.

Figure 4: Sound: “Record” tab showing signals detected by the microphone device

Step 2: Check the connection and hardware

If possible, microphone (or the source device for line input) is connected to another computer or audio device. For example, you want to check the microphone and plug it into the tape recorder. If the tape recorder can record sound, then there is no problem with the microphone and cable.

If the microphone or source device does not work on other audio devices, replace it.

Connection Tips

Notebook

• Disconnect and reconnect the plug. Reconnect even if the plug is plugged into the correct connector. This helps to confirm if there is a connection problem between the plug and the slot.

• If you are using a USB microphone, try another USB interface. If the software is included with your microphone, make sure it is installed correctly and is compatible with Windows 8.

• If you are sure that the microphone (or source device) is ok, plug it into the correct computer jack. When checking the connection, please note the following:

Desktop

• The microphone interface is usually pink.

• The input line interface is usually blue.

Figure 5: Example of an audio interface on a desktop computer: pink for the microphone interface, blue for the line input connector

Notebook

Figure 6: On the laptop Example of a microphone and headphone jack:

Step 3: Check the volume and mute settings The microphone and line input speaker volume may be set to mute or have been turned off. Perform the following steps to check the line input and microphone speaker volume.

Unplug all headphones or audio devices before beginning this step.

Confirming the microphone and line input volume

1. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, and select “Control Panel” from the menu. Figure 7: Control Panel

2. Click on "Hardware and Sound".

Figure 8: Hardware and Sound

Figure 9: Hardware and Sound

3. Click on "Sound”.

Select “speakers” and click “properties” .

Figure 10: & ldquo; Sound & rdquo; Window

4. The "Speaker Properties" window will open. Figure 11: “Speaker Properties” window

5. Click the “Volume” tab.

6. Click the mute microphone

and the "mute" button next to the other line inputs.

7. Slide the slider to adjust the volume of the microphone and each line input to at least 75.

8. Click “OK” .

Step 4: Using the troubleshooting tools in Windows 8 The troubleshooting tools in Windows 8 automatically fix common problems with your computer, such as recording audio. Although it does not solve all the problems, it is useful to run the troubleshooting tool first before you manually solve the problem.

To use the troubleshooting tool:

1. Press the Windows

+ W key combination on your keyboard.

Enter “Troubleshoot> in the Set Search field.

2. Click on “Troubleshooting” in the search results list.

Figure 12: Troubleshooting

3. Under Hardware and Sound, tap Audio Recording Troubleshooter, when the Recording Audio window opens, click “Next”.

Figure 13: Troubleshooting Audio Recording

4. Select the device you wish to troubleshoot and click “Next” and follow the instructions on the screen.

If a recommended action is displayed, select Apply the fix or Skip this step to continue searching for additional questions. If your issue is not resolved, continue to use the rest of this document to resolve it manually.

Step 5: Check the audio driver You may find that the microphone port on the front end is invalid, and a recording device is missing from the “Recording” tab, which cannot be recognized after inserting the microphone or other problems. Updating the audio driver may resolve this type of issue.

Make sure the audio driver is up to date

Perform the following steps to verify that the audio driver is up to date.

1. Connect to the internet.

2. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, and select “Device Manager” from the menu.

Figure 14: Device Manager

3. Double-click "Audio Input and Output".

4. Right-click on the name of the sound hardware and select “Update Driver Software ……” .

Figure 15: Device Manager: Update Driver Software

5. Click on “Automatically search for updated driver software” and wait for Windows to update the driver software.

Figure 16: Updated Driver Software: Automatically Search for Updated Driver Software

6.Windows Check the remote Web site to see if any updated driver software is available.

• If an update is available, ask Windows to install the update.

• If no updates are available, skip to the next step.

7. After successfully installing the update, follow the steps in step 1 to test the microphone or line input. If the problem persists, proceed to the next step.

Step 6: Configure Windows Recording Settings By default, Windows 8 automatically enables the microphone and line in port. Perform the following steps to set the microphone or line input port as the default port and set the recording volume.

Note: Your desktop or laptop configuration may contain components that are slightly different than those shown here. To confirm that all devices on your computer are listed:

1. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen, right-click, and select “Control Panel” from the menu.

Figure 17: Control Panel

2. Click on "Hardware and Sound", then under "Sound", click “Manage Audio Devices” .

Figure 18: Manage Audio Devices

& ldquo; Sounds & rdquo; window opens.

Figure 19: "Sound& rdquo; Window

3. Right click on the "Sound" anywhere in the window.

4.Click “Show Disabled Devices> and “Show Disconnected Devices 

Figure 20: Display Devices

Set Default Ports and Recording Configuration

1. Click the "Record" tab in the "Sound" window.

Figure 21: Recording Tab

2. If more than one microphone or line in port is available, select the port or device you wish to use. Click “set as default” to set the device as the default audio input device.

Figure 22: Set as default.

3. If the device you wish to use has a small circle with a down arrow, the device is disabled. To enable the device, right click on the device name and select “Enable” .

4. Select the device, click “Properties” and click the <quo;Volume” tab.

Figure 23: Microphone Properties: “Volume”Tab

5. Adjust the slider to 75.

6. If the device is muted, click the mute button to unmute it. The mute button should appear as a blue speaker without a red circle.

7. If “Microphone Gain" is available, adjust it to +20.0 dB.

8. Click “OK" to save your changes.

9. Test the microphone as described in step 1 to determine if Windows can detect the microphone or line input signal used. If you perform all of these steps and the microphone or source device still does not work, it may be that the audio port or sound hardware on your computer has failed.