The First Thing to Test If Your Microphone Is Humming or Buzzing
By Timothy Tibbetts |
Solving an issue with a humming or buzzing microphone can be a frustrating experience. Like you, we searched everywhere for a solution without any luck, here's how we fixed our problem and in our opinion, is the first thing you want to try.
Most of the guides you read offer advice on updating your drivers, changing your microphone settings, using a different USB port, a separate microphone and then progress into spending money on a USB port, USB sound card, turning off your furnace, or something to ground your computer. Exhausting. Every guide out there is a copy of the last guide you read without ever starting with the most simple test you can do.
Our problem was simple - interference. Let's diagnose, or eliminate interference first.
Make sure your microphone is set to listen. Because of the many combinations of operating systems, headsets, and microphones, the following location might be somewhere else but easy to find.
Press the Windows Key + S, type in and click on Sound. Click on the Recording tab. Click on the Listen tab. Click on Listen to this device.
Now you can hear that humming that's driving you crazy.
Most microphones and headsets have long cables. Get up and move away from your computer and peripherals. If the humming fades as you walk away from your computer, odds are the problem is your monitor, speakers, towers, or any other device plugged in near where you sit. Other interference could include fluorescent lighting or almost anything with a cheap or poorly shielded wire. In our experience, most humming from interference should be within 2-3 feet.
We removed the headset and listened in one ear as we moved back towards the humming to isolate the problem. In our case, it was something we would never have considered - the motor in our motorized computer desk — first world problems.
Once you locate the interference, you'll need to move whatever causes the problem away from the microphone. In most cases, the humming will stop just a couple of feet away from the problem, so moving a tower, or shutting off desktop speaker is an easy fix. Others have mentioned changes in their environment including a printer being moved closer. Sometimes the answer is staring right at you.
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Most of the guides you read offer advice on updating your drivers, changing your microphone settings, using a different USB port, a separate microphone and then progress into spending money on a USB port, USB sound card, turning off your furnace, or something to ground your computer. Exhausting. Every guide out there is a copy of the last guide you read without ever starting with the most simple test you can do.
Our problem was simple - interference. Let's diagnose, or eliminate interference first.
Make sure your microphone is set to listen. Because of the many combinations of operating systems, headsets, and microphones, the following location might be somewhere else but easy to find.
Press the Windows Key + S, type in and click on Sound. Click on the Recording tab. Click on the Listen tab. Click on Listen to this device.
Now you can hear that humming that's driving you crazy.
Most microphones and headsets have long cables. Get up and move away from your computer and peripherals. If the humming fades as you walk away from your computer, odds are the problem is your monitor, speakers, towers, or any other device plugged in near where you sit. Other interference could include fluorescent lighting or almost anything with a cheap or poorly shielded wire. In our experience, most humming from interference should be within 2-3 feet.
We removed the headset and listened in one ear as we moved back towards the humming to isolate the problem. In our case, it was something we would never have considered - the motor in our motorized computer desk — first world problems.
Once you locate the interference, you'll need to move whatever causes the problem away from the microphone. In most cases, the humming will stop just a couple of feet away from the problem, so moving a tower, or shutting off desktop speaker is an easy fix. Others have mentioned changes in their environment including a printer being moved closer. Sometimes the answer is staring right at you.
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