My Asus P5K motherboard has an integrated Realtek ALC883 sound system: it's alright, but one of the glaring gaps out-of-the-box is that the microphone level, by default, it just too dang soft. What's even more frustrating is looking in Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices will show the mic volume as grayed out and unchangeable, when infact, it really can be amped up.
Here's how to boost the level, whether you're on this motherboard, or another which uses the same or similar audio codec:
- Install the drivers first. They will most likely be included on a CD-ROM that comes with your motherboard.
- After doing the mandatory restart, look in your Windows taskbar for the "Realtek HD Audio Manager" icon. On my system, it looks like a pixelated orange speaker. (Alternatively, you can go to Control Panel > Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager.)
- Double-click that icon and then click the Mixer tab. (Now here's where you'll find yourself declaring, "Why didn't they make this more obvious?")
- See the "<" and ">" buttons on the top row, Playback? This is understandably unintuitive because the section's labeled "Realtek HD Audio output", when you'd expect to find the mic volume control in the input section — where it's frustratingly grayed out. Don't worry, keep clicking ">" until you see "Mic Volume". The first time you go there, the volume slider will probably be set at nearly the bottom. Drag that all the way up to the top. If applicable, you may want to do the same for "Front Pink In", which should correspond with the front mic jack on your computer's case.
- After setting that, try test recording and watching the levels in your fave audio editor. Windows Sound Recorder is mediocre, so if you need to look at meters to gauge volume more accurately, check out Audacity — it's free.
- If that's still too soft, go back to the Realtek HD Audio Manager, and click the ".." button. You'll see this is where the "Microphone Boost" option is (on most integrated audio codecs like AC'97, it's found via the Sounds and Audio Devices control panel. Check it and click OK, and test again in your preferred audio editor.
- Optional: if you hear a lot of hiss and white noise when recording, you may find it helpful to mute non-active inputs. In the Realtek HD Audio Manager, in the bottom section, click the little speaker icons for "CD Volume", "Line Volume", and "Stereo Mix" so they've got red X's.
This is how I've got it setup:
I've not verified this, but the above may also be applicable for the Realtek ALC861, ALC681-VD-GR, ALC880 Series, ALC882, ALC888, ALC888T, ALC885, and ALC888S, and maybe others too.
Hope this helps those of you who've also been maddened by this issue but couldn't find out how to make the situation better. Special thanx goes to my wife for mentioning my recorded voice was too quiet, leading me to do this research, and more details about the various finer points can be found in this forum thread. I love sharing info to make your life easier and save you the headaches of digging for answers.
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Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At first I thought it was the mics problem. Now it works great. I honestly can't thank you enough.
Thank you! For the life of me I could not figure out how to boost my mic volume.
"Torley you are awesome. However, i have another issue with my Realtek ALC882. It doesnt matter what program I am using, like if I want to DJ in SL, talk in SL, Talk on Skype, or any other voice software, if i want to listen to music, or when i try to talk and someone else talks. Everything i hear in my headset, is played back through my mic. So if im listening to music, everyone is hearing my music, even tho im using a headset instead of speakers. Ive researched everything I can think of and picked the brains of all my friends. If you cant figure this out then i supposed no one can. Muting Microphone is what everthing ive found says but if i do that, no one hears me talk when i need to talk. Thank you so much for everything."
Try to disable 'mic boost'. On my computer I go open up my volume control (double click the little gray speaker on the bottom right), go to option and then properties and make sure a check mark is next to 'microphone' in the list there and then click ok. Also make sure a check mark is by Advanced controls, under the option menue.
Once you've done all that look under the volume control main window that you first opened up for a microphone section. Click the advanced button under the microphone section and then uncheck 'mic boost' in the window that comes up. Click ok.
Thank you! I've been crying over this for a long time. And I couldnt for my life understand what I was doing wrong. It SHOULD be there. I even reinstalled my xp twice with different versions(home/pro) and it was still greyd out -_-
Thank you! I would kiss you. Softly, no tounge.
Maybe just a hug?
Wow! This is cool. I'm in the office right now and when I searched google for "Realtek mic", most results display problems and all of them seems to be low recording volume. This is the same problem I'm having with my home computer. I'm very excited to try this once I get home. I'm about to have my motherboard returned and order a different one. Hopefully this works (I'm optimistic about this. Hehe..). I'll post a message once I've tried this.
Hey there guys, i have got a Realtek HD Audio which came with my ASUS laptop. the problem just started occuring today!!! i mostly play Counter Strike Source; the problem is that the sound doesn't come through my "mike" like it should be. Sound should be coming clear and not distorted. the sound sometimes is soft, footsteps are loud and gun shots are high pitched. also when i take my mike out of the jack i get this really high pitched sound like an AMP going crazy! can u tell me how 2 fix this? strange thing is that yesterday i was playing perfectly fine.. and today its gone all weird.. any sugestions will help ( exclue updating and reinstalling- already tried) thx =]
First of all I'd like to thank this website for the very helpful info. Kudos to you Torley! I've got the same problem as yours Sirus. That high pitched sound is really annoying! That happened when I enabled mic boost. However here's what worked for me. Same scenario, go to mixer tab of Realtek manager. In PLAYBACK section, go to Mic Volume(as posted previously in this forum), put the slider all the way down but don't forget to still enable Microphone Boost (again as posted previously in this forum. Hehe.) Then go to RECORD section. Put CD Volume, Line Volume, and Stereo Mix on mute (by placing a red x). Don't put Mic Volume on mute. Then move the knob (still in Record) all the way to the right. That will get rid of that annoying high pitch noise and at the same time resolve that "soft" voice when recording or using your microphone. Hope this works out for you. It did for me.
It really helped me,Thanks Buddy
This site is so much useful. Thanks you so much.
Cool
Thanks!!!!! Great guide, problem sorted.
Alas, this didn't solve the problem for me. You see, i simply have NO mic volume slider WHATSOEVER under 'output'. No pink anything, no mic, no nothing. The slider is simply not there whatsoever. There is absolutely no slider in the output section of either the windows volume panel OR the realtek HD audio one that controls mic volume.
I'm on an Acer Aspire 5520 that came with Vista - which I wiped off before installing XP. You'd think the fresh, non-OEM-disc install would mean that there was no skullduggery involved, but I seriously cannot find any such slider, which means I can't hear myself in my speakers when I record (nomatter what i do), which means I can't record both microphone and stereo mix input at the same time.
I'm at the end of my tether with this since I appear to be the only person in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE having this problem.
Thanks!! What a non-intuitive design that was for the mic……….now the new problem is I hear the mic audio in the speakers when we are on skype and yahoo. I forget what operation is called in normal soundcards where you can have half-duplex sound or full-duplex. We never had this problem with the soundblaster cards in the past. Apprently Windows mixer does not control the RealTek at all.
Wow, I never would have figured this out on my own. Finally people will stop telling me to turn my mic up.
Alex, I feel your pain - you are not alone in the universe! Alas, I too am having the no-mic-volume-slider-whatsoever-under-output problem … Anybody know what to do in this case?!
Thank you SO much!! <3
Now my friends can actually hear me on Skype. xD
I pressed the > arrow till I got to the end, and there was no mic volume slider.
under record there is, but there is no slider there to turn up the volume.
Why would they make such a crap program? I would like to have just the driver installed, and manage my settings through windows, but it seems like you HAVE to have this crap gigabyte/realtek software.
I have been messing with this issue for ages now, ever since I was compelled to use this Realtek audio with my motherboard. It is the worst ever - despite tinkering with the settings as dicussed here, I still only get a whisper of volume from any microphone. And don't even start me on the front jacks because they just don't work! It beats me why Realtek can produce such naff software - all unecessary bells and whistles while ignoring what really matters.
Looks like I'll need to buy another sound card
Great! you are a saviour! Those nice people at Skype were pleased too as I stopped ringing them up!
Super!!! BIG Thank You ! Now my Skype calls are loud and clear! What a stupid user interface this driver has.
Hi
You may have covered this already but
I want to speak into computer via microphone while music is playing and for another person to hear both my voice and music through headphones. So far all the other person can hear is the music. However when I record onto sound recorder both music and voice are recorded.
Thanks
Margaret
THANKS! Why couldn't Bill Gates put this in the manual? Or Bill Hewlett, or somebody.
Thank you so much!
The problem is that i cant see the microphone field !!!! Pls help my microphone is making terrible sounds to my friend ! And for example when i put some music on my computer very very quite he hear it absolutly LOUD !! pls help …
and the most most STRANGE is that i HEAR SOME RADIO STATION !!!!!!! when i press to boost microphone ! its a hell ! when i dont see the field MICROPHONE i need to boost from REAR PINK IN …….. i hope you can give me a hand
Yeaahhh, THAT WAS IT!!!
Thank You very much! I was looking for a solution probably for years now
Hi to all,
i had had the problem with very low microphone signal level and greyed-out fader buttons on my older computer, I have had it with my new machine now. I read lots of forums about the issue. I have Windows XP, and up to date Hardware and drivers.
The solution for me was one (or both) of the following changes: Using a different jack (line-in, instantly recognized by the realtek software) and starting the microphone calibration program "by hand" (not accessable through the normal realtek software, i believe).
Found it under "C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\Drivers\WDM\MicCal.exe". I hope this works out for some of you, too. The faders are still greyed, but my Teaamspeak works now and also audirecorder does the job.
all of this info is completely wrong. the only thing this boosts is your voice coming out of your speakers from your mic. it does not boost your mic so that other people in teamspeak/vent/CSS/etc can hear you better. the mic boost you want is in the recording section but you can not get to it because its grayed out! WTF realtek
I agree with pissedoffguy. Dragging microphone volume all the way up to the top does not make any difference. So I left it muted. But enabling microphone boost REALLY helps. I checked it calling to Skype test service. W/o microphone boost enabled my voice volume is really low.
Man… tnx!
they should something terrible to the guy who designed that Audio Manager. This has cost me half a night finding out why I couldnt change the sliders on te microphone recording level.
What twisted mind puts a visible but not working microphone slider under the recording options, but hides the real slider in the playback section, waaaaayyyy to the right where you cant see it….
I was looking for this for hours - thank you so much!!!
Once again guys! Do not deceive yourself. It is microphone boost that malkes your life happier and not microphone volume! Test it using voice recording software or some other way. Mic's slider in playback does not change your mic's recording volume!!!
Hello to all.In my Realtek ALC888,I have static during playback after I record.I tried to volume settings to no avail
Gah, how have I missed those two little all those many many years?!
Thanks
thx,
Thanks man,b4 i didnt get heared at all,now its workin decently
Hi guys, I am using the Realtek Audio Manager. I have enabled Mic Boost with my Recording Volume Maxed. These are the only relevant options I am able to change to make my mic louder. Although it works, and my friends can hear me while having a normal conversation, the mic is to low for my friends to hear me while playing games, even with their game volume very low. My question is; Does anyone know how to make my mic louder, aside from mic boost enabled and increasing the record volume? Are there any 3rd-party software programs that will do this, or any windows registry or hidden settings I can play with, or anything at all to force a louder mic? Also, there are no settings to change in windows volume control available, and Advanced options are greyed out aswell. Thank you very much in advance.
Thank you! They sure made it unnecessarily hard to find.
Hi thanks for the tip, was stupidly hard to figure out. Your article helped
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