The truth is that in these times and for years, this is a specific type of device that has become common in the PC world. That is why, depending on the type of use that we are going to make of it, or its quality, we can find them in a multitude of types. There are both independent and those that are already part of the headphones that we connect. This is a Format widely used today by gamers on the PC or console platform.
On the other hand, as we mentioned, we can also purchase them independently to use them on their own on the computer. Of course, something that we must take into account is that we can opt for the use of a device of this type that connects to the PC via USB, or through a mini-jack connector. Therefore, we opt for one type or another, we will have to use the corresponding port or connector to start working with the microphone in windows. Also, we should make sure that the chosen connector works perfectly in order to avoid problems later.
It must be said that we can use current microphones to communicate with other users over the Internet by Skype, for example. Likewise, if you are a regular player on the PC platform, then you can configure the microphone in Steam. But you can also use it to give orders to the team, or even to write texts in Docs. From all this it can be deduced that little by little the functionality of this element, often forgotten, has increased considerably. In the same way, the microphone can be very helpful to us to interact with the voice through a multitude of software solutions, or simply to ask Cortana something.
For all this, in these same lines we are going to show you the way to configure in the best way a microphone on windows. In addition, something that we must keep in mind is that over the years and due to the growing importance of this element, Microsoft increasingly presents us with a greater number of functions related to this.
Set up a microphone in Windows
At this point we must know that, in desktop computers, these are usually connected to the computer through a USB port. On the contrary, as we mentioned, in most laptops, this is an element that is already integrated. However, that does not mean that it is activated, something that we can do ourselves by hand. Whether for reasons of privacy or for any other reason, it may be the case that our microphone is disabled by default in the operating system; Let’s go how to solve it.
Let’s not forget that the creation of your own videos, whether of one theme or another, from the PC, is something more and more widespread, for which the use of the microphone is key. Something similar happens when we are about to do something related to video conferencing, or playing online. In most of these cases, the microphone is essential.
Therefore, to activate a microphone on the computer, the first thing we do is connect it to it via USB. Obviously this is something that we save in the event that it is integrated from the start. Next, we look at the audio icon that is located on the right side of the windows taskbar, where we click with the right mouse button. This is the one we normally use to configure a multitude of audio sections in Windows.
Then, in the contextual menu that appears, click on the “Open sound settings” option. This will give us the Windows 10 Settings application that we use so much today. Once in this window, we have to locate the section called “Entry”, where we find the microphonewhich is the section that interests us in these lines.
At the same time, in addition to selecting the input device that we want to use in this case, we can also test its operation. It is worth mentioning that at the same time we can adjust some additional parameters in this regard, for which we recommend you click on “Device properties”. This will lead us to another section from which we can test the operation of the microphone, modify its default name, or disable it. All this will allow us to customize this particular hardware to the maximum. Likewise, we will have the possibility of adapting it to our needs as far as possible.
Set the microphone settings to maximum in Windows
But the adjustments that we can carry out in this sense do not end here, since this is an element that still allows us to customize it a little more. For all this, what we do is click, in the aforementioned window, on the “Additional device properties” link.
It is worth mentioning that, as with other functions of the OS, Windows 10 allows us to access them in several ways. Therefore, to get to this additional properties window, we can also do it from the control Panel of the system. Once we are in this, click on the “Hardware and sound / Sound” section.
A new window will appear, where we have to go to the “Record” tab to double click on “Microphone” in order to access the same window that we found previously from the application Setting of the system. Well, it is possible that one of the main functions that we can carry out from this section, we find it in “Levels”. We say this because from here we will have the possibility to amplify the power of the decibels of the microphone. It is evident that this is something that will be of great help in some specific uses.
In the same way, it is worth knowing that, in the event that we are advanced users and want to customize the quality of this component, it is best to go to “Advanced Options”. And it is that from here we will have the possibility of specifying to the system the speed of audio sampling input through this element. This is something that we carry out through the drop-down list that appears in the “Default format” section.
It must be said that depending on the type of use that we are going to make of this microphone, we are going to need more or less sound quality. Therefore, this is a good opportunity to get the most out of this device. Of course, from here we can also enable the automatic audio improvements of Windows or prioritize their use in applications.
In the event that we wish to deactivate this component, either for functionality or security reasons, we can also do so from here. It is enough that we go to the “General” tab, where we already find an option that allows us to disable the use of the aforementioned microphone.
Use your motherboard software
In addition to being able to configure it from Windows itself, it is also possible to use the motherboard configuration software to adjust the microphone parameters. Depending on the audio controller that our laptop or the motherboard of our desktop PC has, it is possible that we will find one program or another. It is even possible that this software is disabled, although this implies that we will lose some of the program’s functionality.
As we can see in the previous example, the Realtek software will allow us to control the volume and balance of the recording, as well as enhance the audio of the microphone in case it is heard poorly. It will also allow us to take advantage of different sound effects (such as noise cancellation) to make ourselves heard better. And also adjust the sampling of the mic. To download the Realtek software (the one responsible for the sound in most motherboards on the market) the ideal would be to go to their website to do so, however, unfortunately, this is not the case, since the time required to download the drivers It can take us several days to download just 300 MB, indirectly implying that we seek our lives elsewhere. The solution is to download the software for our sound card from the website of the manufacturer of our motherboard, be it ASUS, Gigabyte or whatever. Although the hardware is practically the same, before downloading we must establish the card model of our equipment.
Even, depending on the type of microphone that we use (especially if it is via USB) it is possible that it has its own software that allows us to adjust its different parameters, control it and apply voice and sound effects that, from the control panel itself, Windows, we can not configure. Whenever it is possible to use proprietary software to configure a piece of hardware that we have connected to the computer, it is advisable to use it, as long as we want to get the most out of it. If we use generic Windows drivers, I repeat, we will never be able to take advantage of all the functions that the device offers us.
Limit which apps access the microphone
Windows puts different tools at our disposal to limit the use that applications can make of the microphone on our device. When an application uses the microphone, a microphone icon is displayed on the taskbar, which means that it has access to the microphone.
A very impractical option to prevent Windows from having access to the microphone is to disable it, as we have shown you in previous sections, however, we can also limit which applications can, or cannot, make use of it. To check both the applications that have access and to limit their activity, we must access the Windows configuration options (Win + i) and access the Privacy section.
Next, in the left column, click on Microphone. Next, we go to the section on the right and look for the section Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access the microphone. If we want certain applications to not be able to use the microphone, we just have to deactivate the switch so that, instead of being shown in blue, it is shown in gray.
The next time we open the application, if it needs the microphone, it can display a message inviting them to give it the necessary permissions to do so.
Maintain your privacy by adjusting the Windows microphone
This is something that will surely be useful to many who have a microphone included by default, but who do not want to use it, for example, for reasons of privacy. This is somewhat similar to what happens with webcam integrated into laptops, which are deactivated in many cases. Well, something similar can happen with this component that we are talking about. Thus, from here or from Configuration, as we have seen before, we can disable it. In this way, among other things, we managed to prevent certain applications from controlling the microphone in Windows without our allowing it.
And it is necessary to take into account that in these times, everything related to privacy and security is of the utmost importance. In fact, an element in principle…
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