Microphone Not Working - Need Help Ruling Out (or understanding problems with) Intel SST Audio Drivers in Device Manager

Same issue Dell Vostro 3500

1. Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
2. Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones
3. Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio
4. Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth Audio

I will note that I just tested the "external microphone" (i.e. the microphone that exists when I plug in any headset to the 3.5mm aux port) and....I'm getting a reading of only 4% input when speaking (despite trying out all the various fixes I used for the microphone array).

If I literally put the microphone in my mouth (not really a practical use there) and blow air or and/or speak loudly, only then does it start to pick up significant input, up to 100%.

Very weird. There's some wacky stuff going on here. The internal microphone array is picking up significantly more of my voice despite being farther away and having no additional boost or noise isolation effects (that I can find) as compared to the headset (external mic) that is right next to my mouth and has max boost (+10db) on (regardless of whether the external mic is set to external mode or noise suppression mode).

So...bummer to see that there are additional audio issues.

Sorry to see you’re experiencing a similar issue. I went into the Windows Settings App and set the power mode to “High Performance” (it was on balanced by default).

Now, if I were to go into the Control Panel’s power plan, it’s still on “balanced,” but that’s the only option my laptop provides, and my understanding is that the “balanced” in the control panel power settings is what allows me to set “high performance” in the settings app (they’re different things, in other words).

…Anyway, I also went into ForteMedia “Smart Microphone Settings” App (which is provided through Lenovo Vantage) and made sure it was set to “Environmental Mode” (under the theory that I wanted to stop all possible sources of virtual noise suppression).

So…with this set up and all the Windows updates, I’m able to get the internal microphone array to pick up 30-45% at a normal speaking volume. This appears to be adequate (perhaps even normal). If I scream, I easily can get it to input 70-85%. I have o scream quite loud to get it to 100%, but it is possible so….at least it seems to work.

I’m not really sure if any of the steps I took solved it. In fact, if I undo any one of the steps, it’s unclear to me if the microphone is any better or worse.

Moreover, the reason I set out to solve this issue was because of even worse issues with my USB mic (that are a bit more complicated). I’m still having issues with that…

Somewhat relatedly, I’ve discovered that Microsoft Teams engages in an auto-adjustment of the microphone gain, even when this setting is turned off.

So, all in all, there seems to be a situation where hidden programs can screw with the microphone with no apparent solution and potential problems with the power management.

I’m still keeping my eye out for issues (and asking Lenovo for some more specific advice) as I’m not sure if it is a hardware incompatibility issue or merely software/drivers that will eventually get patched.

But let me know if any of those steps (or similar steps) work for you. Every time I need to use any microphone (including the internal mic), it’s a frustrating issue and has made it impossible to use for recording quality audio, even if I have, for now, boosted the internal mic sufficiently for ordinary conversation.

In case others are having similar issues, I'm noting that I did a factory reset using Lenovo's USB Recovery Key (this key is able to wipe the drives and return the laptop to its original condition, quite literally in the same state in which I received it from the factory, except for the BIOS).

Doing so took several hours, but I didn't encounter any problems with the process and my C drive was automatically re-encrypted with Bitlocker protection (along with a new bitlocker key). I'm noting this for two reasons:

1. The Lenovo USB recovery key did work with a Windows 11 device and did not permanently remove bitlocker protection; and
2. It's not worth going through this process to fix the Intel Smart Sound Technology issue I'm experiencing. I still have the exact same problem: the microphone array won't register more than 5-20% volume.

I now have "premium support" with Lenovo, so I'll take a stab with them this week and update if they find any solution to this issue. Thanks for your help!

No, unfortunately that didn’t work. I’vd actually been trying to solve this issue which I’ll now just describe as “Microphone Array too quiet, picks up less than 10% of sound.” I’ve managed to fix all those “error” codes in device manager by doing various uninstalls/reinstalls of the devices and drivers, but nothing has fixed this microphone which has been performing this way since I’ve received the system.

Here’s everything I have tried:

1. Windows Refresh of PC (resetting Windows 11 while keeping my user files, so as to not lose bitlocker encryption)
2. Running Windows Update, Lenovo Vantage Update, and Lenovo Vantage Smart Performance.
3. Running Windows Troubleshooters for sound and microphone.
4. Testing various settings in Control Panel’s Sound Settings, Windows Settings App sound settings, and Lenovo Vantage Sound and Microphone Settings.
5. Deleting all sound and microphone devices and drivers from Device Manager. Then manually reinstalling ALL drivers for Windows 11 from the Lenovo support website for my laptop. Running microphone tests. Then installing the Windows 10 sound drivers from the Lenovo site for my PC and running microphone tests. Then deleting all sound/microphone drivers again and allowing windows to automatically reinstall drivers. Testing microphone again.
6. Installing, uninstalling, and reinstalling ForteMedia Smart Microphone Control App from the Microsoft Store. Testing all three settings (private, shared, and environmental mode) as well as testing microphone when the fortemedia service is disabled (from the services tab).
7. Installing, uninstalling, and reinstalling Realtek Audio Console App from the Microsoft Store. Testing all the settings.
8. Installing, uninstalling, and reinstalling Dolby Atmos and Dolby Access. Testing with these settings off and on.
9. Running a full Hardware Scan from Lenovo Vantage Smart Performance. Running scans on the advanced Lenovo Diagnostic Tool. (Note that testing the audio controller is NOT a selectable option in these hardware/diagnostics scans).
10. Turning settings on and off for Windows Defender.
11. Installing and Uninstalling BitDefender Total Security Software to test settings on this firewall and antivirus software.
12. Restating Windows Audio in services and making sure it is set to run automatically.
13. Entering UEFI (BIOS) mode and hitting f9 (to load default settings) and f10 (to save and exit).

It seems others have had the same issue, but there’s no answer to be found as to how to fix this (or why it’s happening). Lenovo says it’s a Windows 11 issue (which…I’m not sure I believe since I see others have the problem on Windows 10, but it’s possible that they are having a different issue with the same result. This is my first machine that uses Intel SST drivers, however.)

I’m not exactly a tech wiz, but I’m no novice either. I can’t believe that the microphone is only able to pick up between 0-10% volume in a new machine and there’s no solution except to use a usb mic (which then has its own issues). It seems clear that there’s something interfering or suppressing the mic volume but I really don’t know what else to try.

I’m not willing to do a full windows reset because it says I’ll permanently lose my BitLocker protection (the laptop shipped with this protection). So, really any insight on the nature of the issue would be greatly appreciated.