Windows 8.1 USB microphone volume is extremely low

Question

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?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

Hi,

Are you able to use other devices when you connect to the same USB port?

I would suggest you to plug the Microphone to other computer and check if it works. Sometimes when the input sound level of the Microphone is low then the output sound level is also low because it is set quite low by default. Follow the steps given below and check.

1. Right click on volume control and choose Recording devices.
2. Choose your microphone, click properties.
3. You will have a Levels tab, where you can adjust the input level of the microphone to increase the sound level.

If you still face this issue you can contact Samson for further assistance. You can contact them on the link given below.

Contact:

https://www.samsontech.com/contact/

Write to us with the status of the issue. We will assist you further.

Answer 3

I just said that I need to set the level to 90% for it to be audible which is as loud as 50% if it were set in Windows 7. Yes the USB port works. I have like 10 damn USB ports on my computer and every single one works. And yes, there is nothing wrong with the microphone because I have a Windows 7 laptop which records the audio perfectly fine just like when I was using Windows 7 on my desktop.

Answer 4

Hi,

Thank you for the reply.

I would suggest you to uninstall and reinstall the audio/sound drivers from the manufacturer's website. Follow the steps given below and check if it helps.

Follow these steps to Uninstall Sound Drivers.

a) Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager.

b) Search for Sound Video and Game Controllers and expand it.

c) Right click on the sound card driver and select Uninstall.

Go to the manufacturer's website and install the latest drivers.

Hope it helps.