Windows 8.1 USB microphone volume is extremely low

Anonymous
2014-03-14T02:41:12+00:00

I have a Samson C01U USB mic. It is a plug-and-play microphone. There are no drivers for it. There is no firmware for it. You just plug it in, and it works.

This mic has always worked perfectly. When I used Windows 7, I set the volume level of it to about 40-50% and everything sounded crisp, clear, and loud. On Windows 8, it is inaudible unless I set the volume to 90% but even at that point it is not loud enough. Setting it to 100% results in a lot of noise in the background.

This is not the first time someone has brought this issue up as it is extremely common to everyone owning a USB plug-and-play mic:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1323451/windows-8-mic-issue

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/2da97f80-f58b-4635-acbf-9dd7292ed752/microphone-very-low-volume?forum=w8itprohardware

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_8-hardware/low-usb-microphone-recording-volume-at2020/9528f797-65c8-4033-a4d6-39995cd0d074

Has there ever been a fix for this issue?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2014-07-31T00:46:56+00:00

Hi,

Thank you for the reply.

As you have mentioned that you have checked the issue with other microphone but you still face this issue. We have already tried to uninstall and reinstall the drivers. I suspect this issue to be a hardware issue. Check the issue with a local technician.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-03-28T13:32:17+00:00

    Dear Microsoft,

    I can confirm I have the same issue as everyone above. Low sound on USB generic Microphone in Windows 8.1. Tried everything in this thread so please do not answer with the default answers. Call someone in Windows audio driver engineering division because this issue will be just another (significant) drop in the ocean of things that adds to people getting Apple computers and Windows loosing marketshare in the future.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-03-24T01:41:02+00:00

    OK lets us do this point by point and MS may then understand the issue:

    1. USB mics are not working correctly with windows 8/8.1 drivers.  The mic gain (volume) is very low requiring 90%+ gain on the slider just to be heard.  I get the same issue with ALL other Window 8.1 PCs I have tried it on.  I have tried two different mics (different manufacturers) with the same issue.
    2. USB mics work perfectly well on Windows 7 PCs.  Only 50% gain on the slider for the mic to be heard loud and crisp. I have tried two different mics (different manufacturers) and both work perfectly under Windows 7.

    3.  There is no "mic boost" for USB mics in recording devices under Windows 8.1 so this cannot be used.

    3.  All Windows 8.1 updates are in place, and I mean ALL, not just the essential updates but also the optional updates.

    1. The manufacturer of my mics use current Windows drivers for aLL windows versions rather than specially written ones.

    5.  All my hardware and MB drivers are up to date.

    6.  All suggestions by MS Support Engineers in Microsoft Community to solve this issue have been tried and tested and all suggested solutions have failed.

    6.  This issue started on release of Window 8/8.1.

    7.  This problem ONLY happens when using Window 8/8.1 and using USB microphones.

    8.  Microsoft seem to be in denial of the issue.

    1. Next step is the press and social media.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-03-22T17:22:05+00:00

    Just want to get this out there as many relevant places as possible; the issue is unchanged in the latest build of the Windows 10 technical preview. I suppose it's too early to write a fix off entirely in Windows 10, but it's extremely disappointing to learn that this issue has been known about for a few years and still has not been addressed in the next version of Windows.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-03-18T10:57:11+00:00

    You forgot to make sure this was all done on a new moon while sacrificing a goat who's body was aligned with the earth's magnetic poles.

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