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
    2015-01-02T06:42:35+00:00

    Hi,

    You need to plug in the device and then remove the corresponding USB driver from the Device Manager associated with that device. This way you will not disable other devices connected to the computer.

    Ensure to have the latest software for the Samson C01U microphone.

    Cheers.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-12-30T10:47:04+00:00

    Srimadhwa B, won't following your steps disable my mouse and keyboard, given they're connected via USB, meaning that I can't disable further devices or reboot the computer (safely)?

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-12-30T06:16:40+00:00

    Hi Martin,

    Let us reinstall the USB controllers from the Device Manager and check the status.

    • Press “Windows key + X” and click on “Device Manager”.
    • Expand “Universal Serial Bus controllers”. Right click a device and click “Uninstall”. Repeat for each device.
    • Once this is completed, restart the computer. The USB controllers will automatically install.

    Article for reference.

    Install USB 3.0 and other USB devices: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-8/install-usb-3-usb-devices

    Ensure to keep the computer up to date with all the updates. If you use automatic updating, you won't need to check for important and recommended updates at all. Windows Update will check for these updates and install them when they're ready.

    If you don't use automatic updating, you should check for updates yourself at least once every week. Microsoft usually releases important updates once a month. However, updates could be released at any time.

    Windows Update: Frequently Asked Questions: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/windows-update-faq

    Drivers are updated occasionally. Windows can update them automatically, or you can install the updated drivers yourself. It's important for you to have confidence in the updated drivers you install. Windows notifies you if it detects a suspicious or unsafe driver you shouldn't install.

    Download and install drivers: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-8/all-drivers

    Reply with the status of the issue and we will be glad to offer our assistance.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-12-29T15:40:49+00:00

    I am experiencing the same issue. 

    I've recently bought a new PC that runs windows 8.1.

    In windows 8.1, my audio for my Samson C01U microphone is only audible at 72%.  Below this, it is inaudible. 

    If I move the microphone to my windows 7 machine, the audio is audible at 4%.

    This therefore rules out a hardware problem with the microphone.

    If I use virtualbox, and assign the USB device to a virtual machine (running either Ubuntu, or windows 7), the Volume level works as expected within the virtual machine. 

    This rules out a hardware issue with the new PC.

    In both Windows 7, and windows 8, the microphone uses the "Generic USB Audio" driver.  This is provided by Microsoft.

    This, therefore, means that the fault lies in the device driver, as provided by Microsoft.

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