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Thread: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

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    Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Can you help me?

    I bought a small Sony Condenser Microphone which fits into the mic jack of my laptop.

    I assumed (naively?) that this would then work automatically - and supercede/override the built-in laptop mic.

    It doesn't seem to work: for example -

    if I plug it in and (say) use the Windows Sounds Recorder ("testing testing 1-2-3") - nothing is recorded! (If I take it out and use the built-in mic, it works fine).

    Are there other settings I have to change? If so, how?

    Am I missing something basic here (very possible!)

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Have you tried going to ...Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Audio Tab


    There should be a pic of a mic.. it might ask something like 'inbuilt' mic or ?
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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    Have you tried going to ...Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Audio Tab


    There should be a pic of a mic.. it might ask something like 'inbuilt' mic or ?

    Thx Lory....

    Yes - I've tried a few things - but no obvious solution. However, I tried it on a different laptop - a Sony Vaio running Vista, and it does work on that.. So the mic does work....

    But the mic doesn't seem to come to life an a laptop running Windows XP.......

    I found and tried this:

    Here is a simple tip to activate your microphone in XP.
    Open the Start menu
    Then open the Control Panel
    Click on the sounds, Voice and Audio Device icon
    Now click on the Sounds and Audio Devices
    Now a window appears click the voice tab and click at the bottom of the window to test equipment
    Another window appears, click on Next and wait for the computer to scan your hardware and install it click and click on Finish.
    Your hardware is installed now.


    However - it did not recognise the microphone as the recording levels did not move...... :-(
    Last edited by JiveLad; 13th-November-2010 at 03:29 PM.

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Stupid question but are you sure you've put it in the right hole?

    My laptop's got one for headphones and one for a mic
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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Hmm I don't really claim to understand such things... but as far as the computer's concerned, its hardware hasn't changed, because it's still got the same mic jack which it always had. So I can see why scanning for new hardware wouldn't work.

    So I'm guessing you need to work out how to enable the mic jack as well as (or instead of) the internal mic.

    In the Audio tab thing which Lory mentioned, what does it say under Sound Recording? And do you have a Volume button in that section? What happens if you click it? You might find that something is muted or has zero volume.

    Another alternative is that your mic jack is broken!
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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Try this (XP): Go Control Panel > Sound And Audio Devices > Volume > Advanced > Make sure that the Master Volume & Mic Volume mute boxes have not been selected.

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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    Stupid question but are you sure you've put it in the right hole?

    My laptop's got one for headphones and one for a mic
    Yes I am familiar with these holes - and that I place it firmly in the pink hole.

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidY View Post
    Hmm I don't really claim to understand such things... but as far as the computer's concerned, its hardware hasn't changed, because it's still got the same mic jack which it always had. So I can see why scanning for new hardware wouldn't work.

    So I'm guessing you need to work out how to enable the mic jack as well as (or instead of) the internal mic.

    In the Audio tab thing which Lory mentioned, what does it say under Sound Recording? And do you have a Volume button in that section? What happens if you click it? You might find that something is muted or has zero volume.

    Another alternative is that your mic jack is broken!
    First, I don't think it is the mic jack - as I get the same result on 2 different laptops running Windows XP.

    I think you are correct in the point: "So I'm guessing you need to work out how to enable the mic jack as well as (or instead of) the internal mic."

    In the Audo tab under Sound Recording - it just has the default device which is the SoundMAX HD Audio. The volume setting for the Mic is high.

    Hmmmmm...??!!


    Quote Originally Posted by Miguel View Post
    Try this (XP): Go Control Panel > Sound And Audio Devices > Volume > Advanced > Make sure that the Master Volume & Mic Volume mute boxes have not been selected.
    The Mute boxes are all NOT selected.

    --------------------------------------------

    Thanks guys for your suggestions.

    I may see if I have got another old mic somewhere - and see if that works with the XP laptops. As I said this mic works fine on a 3rd laptop running Windows Vista (or is it Windows 7...?).

    Any other ideas gratefully received!

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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Quote Originally Posted by JiveLad View Post
    In the Audo tab under Sound Recording - it just has the default device which is the SoundMAX HD Audio. The volume setting for the Mic is high.
    When I go to the Audio tab, and click the Volume button in the Sound Recording section, I get a series of Select tickboxes. I assume that ticking and unticking these is how I enable and disable the different input options.

    If you have the same, have you tried changing these Select options?
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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Is the jack socket knackered? Plug another mic or MP3 player in and try it if poss

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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Was it sold as a computer mic ?
    Some for pocket recorders need a few volts of power from the socket - sometimes known as 'plug-in power'.
    Wouldn't be a XP/Vista thing AFAIK, but might be an old/new laptop thing ?
    Google the model numbers of the microphone and laptops and read specs and manuals ?

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    Re: Help! - Microphone and PC - getting it working

    Possibly the particular mic needs a driver installed for XP that is already there on Vista. Did it come with an installation disk?

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