I've got an older system by today's standards that still runs the game well by my standards.
... a check of the windows playback/recording menu reveals the default setting. Changing over to the desired mic source solves the problem.
Taking off my Rift, let the game switch to desktop mode, then putting the Rift back on almost always results in the mic boost being zero'd. The boost also seems to creep down even with the auto setting off.Is this in AH3s menus or Windows settings? Does changing the mic source persist or will it default back again later?