Are you using the recording level for the microphone and not the playback level?
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Lynn Schneider Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 4:35 PM To: pc-audio@pc-audio.org Subject: Cannot get good microphone volume I purchased a new PC a few months ago and, despite playing with the settings in the Windows volume control, trying two sound cards and multiple microphones, I cannot seem to get good enough volume without a lot of hiss. I know I tend to be quite soft-spoken, but I didn't have this problem on the old PC. I first tried the Realtek card that came with my PC. It was fairly acceptible for playback, but I had the low mic volume problem. I then bought a Creative 24-bit USB External card (I went with that card because I figured it would be easy to install since it was USB), installed it and updated the drivers, but again, with trying multiple different brands of microphones, the mic level was very low unless I cranked the Windows volume control way up, in which case I had unacceptible hiss. It is interesting to me that, despite having Advanced Controls checked, I cannot find a mic boost option in my SB Live, but it does have a microphone volume control wheel on the card itself, which only worsens the hiss if I crank it up. I am using Sound Forge 8 on a Shuttle PC with 1 GB of RAM, Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2, 3.00 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4, and Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit External with the latest drivers as of three days ago. Aside from screaming into the microphones, is there anything else I can do to kick up the volume, preferably without having to break the bank? The research I've done shows that the Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit External is not a good card for recording, but I would prefer to stick with a USB sound card because I don't know how to install an internal card. However, I will go with an internal card and pay someone to install it if that is necessary. I tried a Logitech USB microphone which does work quite nicely, but I cannot get Jaws to come through my recordings, and for some crazy reason, my PC reboots spontaneously after having it connected for more than 15 minutes, even if I'm not using it. With all the microphones I have tried, I could probably create my own electronics store on Ebay. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com
