How to Change Microphone Settings

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Microphone

Many PCs come with microphone jacks pre-installed, and some laptops even feature built-in microphones. With increased global Internet usage, microphones are becoming a greater necessity for usage with webcams, podcasts and other web-based media. According to the Associated Press, such microphone-dependant activities are on the rise, with over 100 million users registered on the popular Skype service (see Resources). While hooking up a microphone to most computers is pretty self-explanatory, the process for fine-tuning the mic settings is not as straightforward. The process doesn't have to be a mystery if you know where to click on your computer; in just a few steps, you can change your microphone's settings.

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Step 1

Audio Settings Menu

Right-click on the "Audio Settings" icon located at the bottom right-hand side of your main desktop screen. The icon features a white speaker symbol.

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Step 2

Audio Settings: Recording Devices

Click to select "Recording Devices" from the listing of Audio Settings options. This will bring up a new window showing all microphones currently installed on your computer.

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Step 3

Audio Settings: Recording Devices

Click on the microphone that you want to adjust.

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Step 4

Microphone Properties: General Tab

Click on the button labeled "Properties" after you've selected the appropriate microphone. By default, this will open a Properties window set to the "General" tab.

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Step 5

Microphone Properties: Levels Tab

Click on the "Levels" tab. From this tab, you can click and drag the slider to change the recording levels.

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Step 6

Microphone Properties: Advanced Tab

Click on the "Advanced" tab to access all the other microphone settings. From the Advanced tab, you can click a drop-down menu for changing the format settings, and you can also adjust some software settings related to the microphone.

Step 7

Click "OK" to confirm any changed made.

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