Where is the microphone located in a windows 7 computer. How to set up a windows microphone using a Realtek controller. Noise reduction methods

Communication on a computer using voice is becoming increasingly important. However, not every Windows immediately has correct settings for this. Often the microphone does not work well and the user cannot hear his interlocutor. If you purchase such a device in a specialized store and bring it home, you will need to do a number of steps to properly configure its operation. It's worth turning it on correctly to ensure communication is as good as possible.

There are times when Windows does not see the microphone. This can happen both on a laptop and on a regular computer. There are several solutions to this situation.

Connection

Before turning on any device, you should first decide on the connector where it can be connected. Typically the microphone input is marked pink. This is true both on a desktop PC and on a laptop. As a last resort, you can check whether each connector works by alternately connecting the device to each of them. Typically the settings are contained in special utility. This program is supplied simultaneously with the sound card.

If drivers for the sound card are not installed, it is unlikely that you will be able to configure the microphone.

Check if the microphone works with installed utility, very simple. As soon as the device appears on desktop computer or laptop, the program will immediately detect it and try to configure it independently. Unfortunately, this solution does not always work. In this case, you need to make the settings manually.

Manual adjustment

To organize the microphone in Windows, you need to go to a special address.

Open Control Panel from the Start menu.
Click on special badge Sounds and audio devices.

Next, Windows will open a window in which you will need to select the Speech tab.

Select the one you need

Next, you need to click Volume to configure the device.

Then the following dialog box will open in which you need to determine the volume. To do this, check the box under Microphone. If you adjust the scroll, you can increase or decrease the volume of the device on the computer.

Once the setup is complete, you can return to previous point called Speech. This is where you can check how everything works after setup. Just click on special button Check and follow the operating system instructions.

There is another important point in setting up the microphone: desktop laptop or a computer if it is attached with headphones. Since such a device is located very close to a person’s mouth, interlocutors may hear an unpleasant echo. You can check this effect by opening the Standard tab in the Start menu, going to the entertainment folder and opening the Volume shortcut. You need to lower the level to about half, set the checkbox to Off. This way you won’t be able to hear your voice in the headphones.

You can check your settings at any time. The toolbar has all the options for this. If Windows simply does not see the device, you need to plug it into a different slot. For example, the connectors on the front may become damaged over time, or they may not be included during assembly. system unit. In this case, it is better to immediately connect the microphone to the connectors located on the back of the case. Unfortunately, this solution does not work on a laptop.

If Windows does not see the device for receiving sound on the laptop, then try again for the sound card. Perhaps over time they have become unusable and connecting the device does not work.

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Despite the craze for Internet calling and the growth modern technologies, the audibility of the interlocutor often leaves much to be desired. And it's not about VoIP technologies, not in the quality of the Internet connection and not even in programs, like Skype, Viber and WhatsApp. Cheap Chinese headsets and microphones “on a stick” in combination with low quality microphone input built into computers and laptops cannot provide a comfortable volume level and call quality.

What types of microphones are there?

All microphones for computers are divided into three types:

Regular analog microphones with minijack
Microphone built into webcam

Among the microphones “on a stick” with a 3.5″ minijack you can find more or less sensitive models that are suitable for most built-in microphone inputs. Analog microphones are connected to a special jack on the computer; it is on the back and front panels, usually pink. For good audibility, you need a good microphone input in your sound card or laptop. Due to low sensitivity or due to high level own noise, the microphone sound will be quiet.

USB microphones have a built-in microphone amplifier that fits the microphone capsule and provides a comfortable sound level in most cases. Such microphones are also built into webcams, but only if the camera is wireless and has a minijack. For normal sound I . But if you have a microphone with a minijack, you will need to configure it.

In the previous article I told. But unfortunately, many users complain that they are hard to hear. Sometimes you just have to yell straight into the microphone to be heard properly. But some people simply don't know that the microphone needs to be configured in the Windows mixer. This usually only applies to analog microphones. Let's look at microphone settings using the example of common Realtek HD and AC'97 compatible codecs. With any other codecs everything is exactly the same, by analogy.

Realtek HD audio codec in Windows 7/10

Depending on the driver, when you connect a microphone (pink jack by default), the realtek manager will ask which device is connected to it:

Select “Microphone input”, it is now available for use. You can go to microphone settings through the mixer Windows volume or through the dispatcher Realtek sound HD.

Watch the video or read the article:

To open the volume mixer, click on the sound icon right key mouse and select “Recording devices”, and to launch the Realtek manager, click on its icon in the system tray (near the clock):

Sometimes the Realtek Manager icon is not in the taskbar, then you can open it from the Start menu -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Realtek Manager HD"

Let's set up the microphone through the Windows 7/10 mixer:

If the microphone is not connected to any jack, the input will not be displayed in this window. To display all inputs, including disabled ones, click right click on any free space in the window and check the “Show disconnected devices” and “Show disconnected devices” checkboxes.

So, the microphone is connected, go into it and go to the “Levels” tab

Here we can adjust the input signal level from 0 to 100 and the microphone gain level from 0 to 20-30 dB. Here lies main reason why is the microphone quiet? insufficient level gain. For most microphones, simply setting the level +20 dB. When increased to +30 dB, the volume will increase even more, but the noise will also increase. To combat noise, let’s go to the “Improvements” tab.

To suppress unnecessary noise, check "Disconnecting everyone sound effects» must be removed and "Noise Reduction"- enabled. If there is an echo effect, you can put "Echo Suppression". When noise reduction is turned on, the voice will noticeably change and may take on a metallic tint - this is a price to pay cheap microphone or built-in audio codec. By the way, it’s not a fact that installing any external sound card will improve the situation much.

On last tab There is a “connection” useful setting, with which the volume system sounds and music will be reduced when talking on Skype.

Realtek HD Audio Manager

Launch Realtek HD Sound Manager and go to the tab with the name of the microphone

Here we can also adjust the recording level, microphone gain, and noise and echo reduction. In general, everything is clear in the picture. This setup method is the same for Windows 7/10 and Windows XP.

Pay attention to the “Advanced device settings” button on the right top corner. You can choose from two modes: classic and multi-threaded:

In multi-streaming mode, the microphone built into the laptop and the one connected to the jack are displayed as two separate microphones, and they can be used simultaneously. In classic mode they are combined into one. In this case, if connected external microphone, then it is used, and if not, then the built-in microphone is used.

Setting up the AC'97 microphone in Windows XP

We will configure an AC’97 compatible codec, in my case it is an Intel built-in audio device, but for other codecs the operating principle is the same. Opening the mixer Windows sound XP double click by the speaker icon in the system tray.

If such an icon is not there, then go to “Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices” and check the box “Show icon on taskbar”

In the volume mixer window, go to the “Options” menu and be sure to check the “ Extra options", otherwise you won't be able to turn on the microphone gain.

Then we move on to setting up the recording mixer. Let's go to "Options -> Properties" and select “Record”. In the list of displayed inputs there should be a checkmark for “Microphone” or “Microphone input”.

Click “OK” and find our microphone input in the recording mixer window. Now we can adjust its input level and turn on the gain. It may be called different things, such as "Microphone Boost", "+20 dB boost" or "Microphone boost", but it all means +20 dB boost.

In some Realtek drivers, there is no “Settings” button under the microphone volume level, and you might think that microphone amplification is not provided. But this is not so, it’s just that Realtek engineers decided to fool people and left this button only in the volume mixer. That is, in the volume mixer window you do not need to go to the recording mixer, but right there find the “Settings” button under the microphone and turn on the gain.

What else can you do?

If these measures do not lead to a comfortable microphone volume level, then it is best to take a webcam with a built-in microphone. If you don’t want to take a camera, then change the microphone to something more decent, or take a separate sound card with a good microphone input.

A good solution would be to take a USB microphone. Another option is a separate microphone amplifier, but I have not seen any suitable ones on sale. Usually they sell expensive professional microphone amplifiers or inexpensive printed circuit boards for self-made amplifier You can buy them on radio markets or on the Internet. To assemble a ready-to-use device with such a board, you need to be at least a little amateur radio enthusiast. Therefore, for most, the first three ways to improve communication quality remain.

How to check the quality of communication on Skype

For this purpose, a Skype service “Echo / Sound Test Service” was specially invented. At installing Skype Only this service is present in the contact list by default. To check the connection (voice only), just call there and do what the girl says. We rejoice and communicate with friends and relatives if the sound quality is satisfactory. By the way, yours.

If your friends are hard to hear on Skype, share the news with them via social networks.

With the advent of the Internet, life has become easier for many people. In particular, it became possible to communicate with each other and see each other even on different parts of the world via Skype or another similar program. Everyone has known and gotten used to this for a long time. Technologies do not stand still. But still, despite the craze for calls over the Internet and the growth of modern technologies, the audibility of the interlocutor often leaves much to be desired. And it’s not about the speed of the Internet or the quality of the program used. The main reason poor hearing interlocutor - poor quality microphone.

Cheap Chinese headsets and microphones “on a stick” combined with low quality microphone input built into motherboards, cannot provide a comfortable volume level.

This is exactly what we will talk about today. Today I will teach you how to choose a microphone, configure it and remove strong interference.

Microphone settings

Setting up a microphone is a painstaking task. Even if you have Skype configured in the best possible way, the interlocutor may have difficulty hearing you and the reason for this will be the microphone setting. At times you have to raise your voice a lot so that the other person can hear you.

Setting up a microphone for the Realtek HD codec in Windows

The essence of this setting is that we are setting up not the microphone itself, but the input for it. Therefore, before all manipulations, it is necessary to connect the microphone. Most often, the standard microphone jack is pink.
After connecting the microphone, the realtek manager will ask which device to connect to it. You need to select "Microphone input". That's it, the microphone input is available and you can configure it.

The microphone can be configured through the Realtek HD sound manager, or through the sound control panel in Windows 7. Realtek manager can be opened by clicking on its icon, which is located in the system tray, near the time and date box. And to launch the volume mixer, you need to right-click on the corresponding icon and select “Open volume mixer” and go to the “Recording” tab, or immediately select “Recording devices”.

The same windows can be found in the panel Windows management. To do this you need to go this way: Classic panel controls and find the corresponding shortcut.

Let's start setting up the Windows panel. Open the volume mixer using any method described above.

First we need to find the microphone input. Depending on the socket (rear or front panel of the system unit) into which the microphone is connected, and on the settings of the Realtek HD manager (to combine input jacks or not), it is called a little differently. Most often, this socket is marked with the phrases “Mic”, “Microphon” or “Microphone”. If you do not connect a microphone, it will not be in the device descriptions and the settings cannot be made. In order for all connectors to be displayed, even those that inactive, you need to right-click on any free space open window and check the boxes “show disconnected devices” and “show disconnected devices”.

When you connect the microphone, you will need to click on it in the window and select “properties”. Then go to the “levels” tab.

In this tab you can adjust the input level in the range from 0 to 100 and the microphone gain level in the range of 0 and 20-30 dB. This is precisely the main reason why the interlocutor cannot hear you well - low gain level. Most often, the microphone needs a power level of +20 dB. Because for them this is generally the maximum value. If you increase the power to +30 dB, the sound quality can deteriorate, as additional noise will appear; the higher the gain, the more extraneous noise.

But you can fight noise. To do this, go to next tab"improvements".

To ensure that excess noise does not affect the sound quality, you need to uncheck the"Disable all sound effects" and "Noise reduction" should be checked. If you suddenly hear an echo when talking through the microphone, then it is better to check the “Echo suppression” box. If you have a cheap Chinese microphone or a built-in audio codec, then after all these settings your voice will be modified and take on a metallic tint. Installing an external sound card will not a guarantor for solving this problem. If the sound gets better, it won’t be by much.

Microphone settings in Realtek HD Audio Manager

Click on the Realtek HD icon and launch the sound manager.

You need to go to the tab with the name of your microphone. Here you can already give free rein to all your desires. In this tab, you can adjust the microphone input level, boost the microphone if it is too quiet, and suppress noise and echo. I think looking at the picture everything will become clear to you.

Other ways to improve microphone performance

If all of the above methods did not help you configure the microphone to the quality you need, then I advise you to buy a webcam with a built-in microphone. If you don’t need such a camera, then simply change the microphone to a better one. Also, do not exclude the option of purchasing a separate sound card with good entrance for microphone. You can try to find a microphone amplifier that comes separately. But, to be honest, I have never seen such good quality.

Such amplifiers can be found either as very expensive professional ones, or as inexpensive printed circuit boards, with which you will have to assemble the amplifier yourself. Such a “constructor” can be bought on the radio market or searched on the Internet. But finding such a device is half the trouble. You will still have to assemble it yourself, and without certain skills and tools this will not be possible.

That's all. I hope my tips will allow you to improve the quality of your microphone, and you will finally be heard clearly and without unnecessary noise. Thank you for your attention, if the article helped, don’t forget to share it!

First of all, a microphone is purchased for communication through applications. voice communication, the best of which is Skype. Variety is also used team networks like TeamSpeak, RaidCall and others like that. The only problem is that the quality of the connection makes you wonder what’s wrong if it’s hard to hear me or the interlocutor.

Often the problem is not in the program itself, although this is not uncommon, but rather in the subscribers. The fact is that in the pursuit of cheap goods and making them cheaper on the part of the manufacturer, low-quality materials are used. Such equipment is simply not capable of transmitting quality voice and this leaves an imprint on its use.

Alas, there are mechanisms that we cannot easily influence, for example sound card. Purchase external card For the sake of rare calls and communication, the user is unlikely to want it. But the question of how to set up a microphone on Windows 7 is a more realistic topic, which we will try to understand.

First of all, let's look at what microphones exist:

Simple analog, table microphones;
Embedded in a webcam or headphones;
USB microphones.

Among all types there are offers good quality and completely disgusting. For example, those built into a webcam are simply not capable of transmitting high quality sound, since it has to be transformed into analog signal, who changes his voice and certainly not in better side. Of course, using dynamic microphones is much better, but it is inconvenient. Therefore, it is better to pay attention to good quality analogue ones; the price, of course, will be higher.

How to set up a microphone on a Windows 7 laptop?

Interference, poor sensitivity and interruptions in sound quality may occur at 3 stages of setup. The key microphone settings menus are:

Directly to standard tool Windows;
In the codec, usually Realtek;
Directly in the program you are using, most often Skype.

They all influence at different levels sound, so you should check each option. How to properly set up a microphone? – check each section one by one.

The first thing you should do is make sure that the microphone is connected correctly. Each sound card has a separate output for it, usually it is colored pink, just like the plug itself. You should use standard connector, although you can connect through another (used for several microphones).

Adjusting the microphone sound

The first step is to use the built-in using Windows for microphone test:

Click Start and Control Panel;
Select the "Sound" tile;

Go to the “Recording” tab;
You should have a microphone listed among your devices and it should be marked with a green checkmark, open its properties;

On the "Levels" tab, it is necessary that there is high volume, if necessary, select “Microphone Boost”;
In the “Enhancements” tab you can set some effects, such as noise reduction, use as necessary.

How to Set Up a Windows Microphone Using a Realtek Controller

If you need to set up headphones with a microphone on Windows 7, then you should first pay attention to this point, since often the microphone is simply not recognized correctly. By specifying the device type in the driver, you can communicate without problems.

Go to the “Control Panel”;
Next, go to “Realtek HD Manager”;
Go to the “Microphone” tab;
Check that it is marked as working and set the audio level from the microphone.

You may need to indicate which device you connected to your computer. There is another problem that arises in some laptop models when there is only one 3.5 connector, into which you can insert either headphones or a separate microphone. Therefore, you will have to combine everything with headphones.

There is also a problem that is relevant for desktop PCs, when it is impossible to configure the headphone microphone in Windows 7 because there is a checkmark next to the item that turns off the sound from the device connected to the back, if there is another microphone in the jack at the front. This option is located in "Advanced device settings" in the top right corner and is set by default, change it to work concurrently (if this is your situation).

How to set up a microphone on a computer in the Skype application

There is another option that allows you to configure headphones with a microphone on Windows 7 and this is Skype; in exactly the same way, you can configure a separate analog microphone. Skype is given as an example and is not a key point in the instructions. You can perform the action in any other application in a similar way; you may have to use the manual.

In order to set up a microphone on Windows 7 you need:

Go to the program, in our case Skype;
Click on the “Calls” tab and select “Sound settings”;

On this page, if everything is configured correctly, a certain voice equalizer is displayed; if you say something into the microphone, the slider next to it will move. Check the box next to "Allow automatic setup microphone";

Click "Open" additional settings"and you take the device from which the signal should be received.

Based on all of the above, it becomes clear that if you can’t be heard at all or the sound is very quiet, then most likely sound suppression is set in one of the settings. By setting the value to 100% the problem should disappear. Also, the lack of signal and microphone support indicates that it was incorrectly detected in the Realtek driver.

Now, to improve the quality of communication, you should follow these recommendations:

Update Skype version;
Check Internet speed. With a modem connection, the problem may not be with the microphone at all;
Turn down the music/noise volume and move closer to the microphone.

If the problem was not physical problem microphone, it must be corrected regardless of where the problem occurs.

If you still have questions on the topic “How to set up a microphone on a Windows 7 computer?”, you can ask them in the comments

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Many users modern computers Those who prefer multimedia want to use their full capabilities. Listening to music or recording sound has become commonplace, not to mention online communication in programs like Skype. But in order for the interlocutor to hear you well, the sound is not distorted during recording, or you do not have unwanted effects when listening, you need to understand how to set up headphones with a microphone on Windows 7 or on any other system.

Microphones and headphones: main types and connection options

It’s worth starting with the fact that there are a lot of models of headphones and microphones produced today - from the simplest to professional devices. Depending on which model is used, and will be applied completely different parameters to play, record or transmit sound. This is only due to the fact that they all differ in their sensitivity and frequency characteristics.

It is worth mentioning separately that for computers you can use headphones and microphones, connecting them separately, but sometimes (for example, when playing team games) it would be more appropriate to use a headset that combines both headphones and a microphone. There are even Bluetooth headsets.

Along the way, it is worth paying attention to the types of connections. Typically, computers and laptops use 3.5 mm mini-jack inputs. The inputs themselves can be separate or combined (as is the case with headsets). Headsets can also be connected either through one connector or through two. Please note that to connect professional devices that are equipped with standard jacks, you will need a special 3.5 mm adapter.

How to set up a microphone on a computer (Windows 7): what do you need to know before setting the parameters?

The theory seems to have been sorted out a little. Now a few words about the basic sound settings. Under no circumstances should maximum peak values be used on any system or device. And if for playback when using speakers, speakers or headphones you can still set the maximum, then for the microphone - not at all. This can only achieve that instead of normal speech when communicating or vocals when recording, side noises and so-called blocking will be heard.

How to set up a microphone on Windows 7: standard scheme

Now, actually, about the actions themselves. Windows 7, for example, makes it easy to set up a headphone microphone. But the disadvantage of any system is that you will have to build the sound manually, since they do not have initially provided circuits.

So, let's see how to set up a microphone on Windows 7 using standard means systems. First you need to go to the "Sound" section in the "Control Panel", but much more faster access can be accessed through the right-click menu on the speaker icon in the system tray, where the line of recording devices is selected.

Here we select the default or install required device, then click the properties button. Before doing this, it is advisable to immediately connect headphones or turn down the volume with the speakers on, otherwise the worst background noise will occur (this is called interference).

Now you can say something into the microphone or just clap your hands. If the volume and quality of the signal do not suit you, you can change the parameters on the levels tab. To begin with, you can only use manipulations with the overall microphone volume, and then try using a combination with the gain level. But in most cases it is not recommended to set it above 10-20 dB.

On the communications tab, you can use additional settings, for example, set the volume of other sounds currently playing to decrease.

This, in general, could be the end of our consideration of the question of how to set up a microphone on Windows 7, if not for a couple of nuances. If there is no sound at all, check the overall volume level, it may be set to zero. May be produced incorrect connection plugs (for headphones the connector is green, for the microphone - pink). There may also be letter designations: headphones - headphones, microphone - mic.

Setting up a microphone on a laptop

And a few more words about how to set up a microphone on a laptop (Windows 7). Standard scheme no different from the above.

But laptops have a built-in microphone that can produce quite strong interference. You will have to experiment with it a little longer, changing not only the levels in the main settings section, but also the overall volume. But such manipulations will most often have to be done if you need to write something down.

Naturally, you can use any primitive voice recording program and then listen to the result. But it's better to turn to programs like Sound Forge, Adobe Audition(Cool Edit Pro), etc. In them, the setting can be adjusted much more finely.

Using management utilities

Finally, specialized utilities may also be suitable for configuration. For example, special settings panels are installed during installation Realtek drivers High Definition Audio.

As well as Alternative option, SoundMax drivers will do. Called panels have their own sections related to general setup sound quality, as well as microphone parameters. And often such tools look more attractive due to their advanced capabilities.

Conclusion

Now you can put an end to the question of how to set up a microphone on Windows 7 or any other system. The standard algorithm is completely simple, but which configuration tool or model of connected microphones and headphones to choose is a personal matter. It remains to add that on cheap devices, no matter what settings are used, and no matter what super-professional programs are used, high-quality sound It won't work out in any way.