Microphone delay when recording in Windows 7

This isn't a valid answer. Perhaps you're not understanding the problem. It's got nothing to do with exposing the hardware loopback - I've got it exposed. The problem is that the mic has a delay.

So let's say that I've got a headset on and I've got an acoustic guitar and I wanna write a song in two parts. I wanna monitor the microphone so I can hear what I'm playing, but I also want to hear the previous track I recorded. When I strum a note on my guitar, there is a second of delay before I hear it through the headset. This makes it absolutely impossible to record. It seems to be an issue with USB speeds rather than audio drivers, as it apparently only happens with USB microphones.

I've bumped into this problem a dozen times since installing windows 7. I'm inclined to revert back to XP again, though I'd like to not do that and just fix this issue instead.

Hi

I have tried this and it has not worked. Please advise?

Hey Chris,

Why can't Microsoft just make it work without all this aggro?

Why do we have to jump through tedious hoop after tedious hoop just to make this thing behave the way it used to by default?

Check this out, Spits. I've posted it initially in this other thread http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7music/thread/603fcccc-4a98-412b-81a2-e3df9d141f21

Well, I don't know why am I doing this, because it should be Microsoft guys job, but anyway. Dissfigured gave you a solution already, me too, so instead of whining and complaining why don't you try to follow the steps we gave before and see if it works? Then, if it does work, come back and say thanks (or at least "it works!"), and if it doesn't, come back and say "not for me". Otherwise it's like nobody is reading, just coming here and whining. And almost nobody is saying which sound card they have, for example, which makes it very difficult to find an specific solution. So, there we go again.

• Step 1, download and install (uninstalling the old ones first) the latest drivers available for your sound card, if possible, from the manufacturer's site.
• Step 2, it's very important that you change the Control Panel view from "Categories" to "Large Icons". You'll see why later. A couple of captures in case you don't know where to look. My W7 it's in spanish, but i'm sure the menus are in the same place.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura2.jpg

• Step 3, go to Control Panel-Sound and click on "Recording" tab (or right click on the speaker icon at the systray and choose "Recording devices"). Look for the line-in or mic giving trouble and double click on it to open its properties window. Then click on the "Listen" tab. Once there, uncheck the "listen to this device" box and make sure that you've selected the default playback device.

http://www.kombitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/w7-sound-2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura3.jpg

• Step 4, click on the Playback tab and make sure that your sound card is set as default playback device properly. For instance:

http://www.sevenforums.com/attachments/sound-audio/36116d1257899013-most-mysterious-5-1-issue-w7-48000-dvd-quality.png

• Step 5, click on "apply", "ok" and get out of there.
• Step 6, open the Control Panel and try to find your sound card audio manager. That's why is so important to change the view from categories to large (or small, anyway) icons. In the categories view you will never find it, but in the large icons view should appear. In my case, if you look again at the second image, it appears under the name "Administrador de sonido Realtek" (Realted audio manager). I also have a C-Media sound card and its audio manager is there too. So I guess that, whatever sound card you have, the audio manager should be there. Double click on the icon to open the sound card audio manager. First of all, click on the "device advanced settings" and select "separate all input jacks as independent devices", as Dissfigured already said. The manager window will fade for a few seconds and then you should be able to configure every device separately, line in or mic, and adjusting the recording and playback volumes for each. Then click "Ok" and that's all, folks.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura4.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura5.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura6.jpg

For the C-Media sound card it's even easier, because everything can be configured in the same window.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/tricky2k/Captura7.jpg

And that way, I got rid of the lag in both sound cards with both line in and mic, playback or recording. The problem persists, although, if your mic or line in device is USB, because the sound card doesn't recognize it (unless your sound card have a USB connector) and the only way to configure it is by W7 audio manager, so welcome back lag.

THIS WORKED ON TWO DIFFERENT WINDOWS 7 PCs.  :)  THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!  Amazing that Microsoft wouldn't acknowledge this as even a possible problem before.  Simple fix that took 3 minutes. :)