Fix My Mic? Please?

**TychoCelchuuu** · 12-02-2005, 03:21 PM

A few of you may have been in squads I've led, but it's not likely. Why? My microphone doesn't work, and I just don't feel proper leading a squad when I have to type out things that half the people seem to ignore anyways. I kind of took it for granted that my mic was, is, and always will be busted, but then I realized I spend so much time posting in this tech support forum I might as well see if anyone can help me.

So I have a mic. It's a generic plastic one, comes with a little base and stuff. The end of the plug is red (except the actual jack which is bronze or whatever). I plug this red part into the red microphone jack on my sound card, as opposed to the red jack on the front of my case since that one doesn't work, and hasn't since I installed the sound card I believe.

So we come to the sound card. It's a CMI8738. You'll be forgiven if you don't know what the heck it is. It's a rather old sound card that a friend gave me for free. It plugs into a PCI slot and it's got 5 jacks, 4 of which I use. 3 of those jacks are from my Logitech Z-640 speakers. Maybe they're Z-540's, I can't remember. Whatever. The other jack is for the mic, and I think the last is for something else. Can't remember. There's also a game port but you guys dont care, and neither do I.

My sound card is older than me (almost), so the settings are rather archaic. I can choose between 4 speakers or 6 speakers in the control panel for the drivers. I have 5. When I choose 6, it indicates that the red jack is for the subwoofer. My subwoofer does not plug into a red jack, so I set the sound card to 4 speakers, in which case the control panel indicates the mic should go in the red input. So far so good. It detects the microphone in 4 speaker mode, but not in 6, so I set it at 4 and I'm hunky dory.

Right? Wrong. I turn the volume up 100% on the sound card control panel, and to 100% in the Windows Control Panel (Sounds and Audio Devices), and to 100% in Battlefield 2 (and Natural Selection). Still,though, my mic either does not function or nobody can hear me because it's so quiet. I tested it out on MSN, and it appears it's simply really really really quit.

But I can't make it any louder. So, if you can, please help me? Thanks in advance. I don't know what rep is or how it works but if you manage to figure this thing out I'll pretend to give you some. I won't actually give you some since I don't know how, but it's the thought that counts.

**perry** · 12-02-2005, 03:32 PM

See those two icons to the left of the quote button, down under your name and all that other stuff? One that looks like an exclamation button, and one that has two grey up arrows. The exclamation point is to report a post to a moderator. The up arrows take you to the reputation screen for the post where you can approve or disapprove of the post.

Try the Windows Sound Recorder in Start - Programs - Accessories - Something.. I've used that to test my settings and make sure that I'm not transmitting static. There's also a BF2VoiceSetup program (don't recall the exact name) in \Program Files\EA Games\Battlefield 2. I was screwing around with my sound drivers a week or two ago, and was getting static in the BF2 Voice Setup, so I started playing with all my settings and using the sound recorder to get the volume right. Then in to the BF2 Voice program to test. One thing I've noticed now, no matter what settings I have within BF2, the mic testing stuff never plays back my voice, but it seems to work fine within the game.

With everything jacked up and your mic still quiet, I'd kinda suspect a bad mic though. Do you have a friend (that friend may be named Wal-Mart..) that has one you could test?

**WhiskeySix** · 12-02-2005, 03:43 PM

Windows has a "mic boost" feature, make sure that's enabled (see attached). To get to that mic-boost screen, open your audio mixer (double click speaker in systray), then Options->Properties... check "Recording" and hit ok... then under your Microphone slider, you should have an "Advanced" tab - it's in there..

Windows has this because it doesn't know if you're using a "line-level" source or a true microphone. A "line-level" signal is one that's already amplified - it's got enough juice to make headphone speakers shake... on the other hand, a PC-mic is just a passive device that your sound card has to amplify...

(same deal applies to the "Phono" jacks on your home stereo... if you plug a headphone output into the phono jacks, it'll sound awful. the stereo assumes a real quiet sound from a needle on a record so it preamplifies the signal before sending it to the sound processor or power amplifier)

**TychoCelchuuu** · 12-02-2005, 04:41 PM

Heh, wow, my computer must be revolting or something because my Print Screen button doesn't work. Either way, my recording controls don't have an "advanced" tab. It just has a little up/down slider that's at the maximum. And to add insult to injury, I do not have nor have I ever had Windows Sound Recorder. It's like god doesn't want my microphone to work or something. THanks for the help though.

Edit: Played around with the BF2 Voice Setup thinger. It's capturing me, but only if I yell into the mic (blow into it actually; I don't want to scare the neighbors). That too is jacked up as high as it goes. I guess it's just my mic then. Maybe I'll buy one of those spiffy headsets.

**P8riot** · 12-02-2005, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by TychoCelchuuu

Heh, wow, my computer must be revolting or something because my Print Screen button doesn't work. Either way, my recording controls don't have an "advanced" tab. It just has a little up/down slider that's at the maximum. And to add insult to injury, I do not have nor have I ever had Windows Sound Recorder. It's like god doesn't want my microphone to work or something. THanks for the help though.

Edit: Played around with the BF2 Voice Setup thinger. It's capturing me, but only if I yell into the mic (blow into it actually; I don't want to scare the neighbors). That too is jacked up as high as it goes. I guess it's just my mic then. Maybe I'll buy one of those spiffy headsets.

You need the Mic Boost activated. They mentioned the 'advanced tab' in my case in the control panel that shows all the sliders - you might need to click 'Options' and then select 'Advanced Features' (I think thats it, you might have to click around a bit - but it's there), a button should appear underneath the slider - click that and you should find a check-box for the boost.

Hope that helps - I'm having my load of Mic problems too.. Brand new X-Fi Fatal1ty card (Awesome, BTW) and BF2 seems to have it's own set of quirks that prevents the Mic from working too.. at least in my system. I bought a USB Mic as back-up, just in case.

**TychoCelchuuu** · 12-02-2005, 08:08 PM

Yeah, "Advanced Controls" has a check mark next to it, but it's also grayed out.

**perry** · 12-02-2005, 08:51 PM

Have you downloaded drivers from CMedia? http://www.cmedia.com.tw/download/OS...738_WDM_OS.htm - kinda old, but still probably newer than what came with XP.

Your microphone boost might be in the CMedia mixer program if you have that installed.. http://www.cmedia.com.tw/images/faq/..._ad_option.gif

**TychoCelchuuu** · 12-02-2005, 09:10 PM

Yeah, I downloaded them a long time ago when i first installed the card. Like I said, it's boosted to the max in the CMedia control panel.

I'm just buying a new mic (probably). Maybe a headset. Convenient and stuff. If they're cheap, at least.

**perry** · 12-02-2005, 09:59 PM

Well, I'm looking through Google and seeing several people complaining about the mic thing, so now I'm not so sure that it's the mic that is the problem.

http://www.cmedia.com.tw/faq/e8738-1121_p17.htm - the volume and stuff might be jacked up, but do you actually have the microphone boost on?

**TychoCelchuuu** · 12-03-2005, 12:15 PM

AAAH! That's it! That panel thing has microphone booster hidden at the bottom, under a bunch of boring stuff. If that doesn't fix it, nothing will. Thanks for all your help, everyone!

**P8riot** · 12-03-2005, 08:07 PM

I've got it now.. but I'm going to make a new thread - because it is pretty important if you are thinking of a new sound card right now.

**shovel20** · 02-10-2009, 11:27 PM

HEY on that not sorry i have to ask on this post but when i got to voice setup in bf2 folder where ive installed it wont work my mic works fine on evry thing of the above but it wont capture my voice and then when i try ajust it manualy then save settings it come up with that microsoft error report. What should i do? please help

**uk-warrior** · 02-11-2009, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by shovel20

HEY on that not sorry i have to ask on this post but when i got to voice setup in bf2 folder where ive installed it wont work my mic works fine on evry thing of the above but it wont capture my voice and then when i try ajust it manualy then save settings it come up with that microsoft error report. What should i do? please help

What does the error report say?