Mic issue please help

[PFactorDave]

I'm having an issue with my mic and vox.  For reasons unknown, when I am in the tower my vox works fine.  As soon as I up an airplane my voice on vox is badly distorted.  I can shut my engine off in flight, and suddenly it clears up again.  Turn the engine back on and it goes all kerflewy again.

Anyone have any ideas?

[PFactorDave]

I turned the engine sound down and it helped, but to get my voice to be acceptable on vox I had to turn the engine sound down to 10%, which really screws with any sense of immersion for me.

[The Fugitive]

check for driver updates for your sound card, or start saving your pennies for a new sound card.

[StarOfAfrica2]

My first question would be, are you using a headset with a mic or do you have a mic on your desktop?  If its a headset, the wires could be worn out.  Bad connection, possible feedback.  Try swapping out another unit.  If the mic is desktop mounted, how far is it from your speakers?  Maybe you are getting sound feedback from your speakers through your mic?  Try moving it away from the speakers and see if it helps. 

If its working in the tower its not a game issue, so that only leaves software or hardware.  If you rule out your current mic as the culprit, that only leaves the card itself or the drivers.  Drivers can be updated.  Rule out everything but the card, you have your culprit. 

[A8TOOL]

You can also try typing DXDIAG in the run command located in your Start menu.

Once in Directx click on sound and move the slider over one notch to the left. This will take a little stress off the puter and might fix the prob. Actually, since it does not lower voice quality much at all everyone should do this for their computer so I'm told.

[aarque]

Ok excellent, somehow I missed a single reply, even thought my problem is almost identical:
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=e79d162b945f019dbcfb25b09c37c791&topic=240157.0
Only difference being that my mic does NOT work in the tower or at any engine sound level. By starofafricas logic algorithm, that DOES imply a game issue, since it happens globally. I don't care who's fault it is, I want to be able to talk.

[StarOfAfrica2]

Are you using the "wave in" option ingame?

[falcon23]

I had the same problem for a few days one time dave..it is very irritating..you need to go into windows default..the small gray speaker in task bar,and right click,adjust audio properties,then test voice I believe it says..you will have to adjust some settings..what you are getting is feed-back,and something,I forget what,will need to be changed..keep using the properties to test what you are doing and listen to your voice..The first time you do it with your current problem the REVERB will be INTENSE and IRRITATING...

  I am assuming you have Onboard sound..REALTEK HD????


   ANd BTW I am currently having a very odd problem for those interested..

 I push T or f12 and talk,,but when I let off,the game MOMENTARILY FREEZES,recently started this,and very irritating as well..Any ideas???


                                              Falcon

[Getback]

I'd get a soundcard Falcon for one. Even a low end one will improve game performance as I have learned recently. In the mean time. Yeah, turn down the engine sound and move the dxdiag sound slider to 3/4.

[PFactorDave]

Are you using the "wave in" option ingame?

I am not.  Not really even sure what "wave in" does.  Should I try it? 

Someone else mentioned that I probably have "on-board" sound, I brlieve it was Falcon.  That is correct.  As it happens, I have a Creative Labs sound card from an older computer on a shelf somewhere.  It's several years old, but it was a pretty good sound card when I bought it originally.  Think that I should try putting it into the machine?  And if so, do I have to do anything to disable the on-board sound when dropping a sound card in?   

[MonsterZer0]

Check your bios 2 see if u can disable your onboard audio. Add/Remove program - remove the realteck 97 audio drivers. Install the new sound card.

[StarOfAfrica2]

I am not.  Not really even sure what "wave in" does.  Should I try it? 

Someone else mentioned that I probably have "on-board" sound, I brlieve it was Falcon.  That is correct.  As it happens, I have a Creative Labs sound card from an older computer on a shelf somewhere.  It's several years old, but it was a pretty good sound card when I bought it originally.  Think that I should try putting it into the machine?  And if so, do I have to do anything to disable the on-board sound when dropping a sound card in?   

Normally the sound you get for vox runs through your Direct X settings.  Checking the "use wave in" option in the Voice settings allows the game to use the Windows API.  If your mic works fine in Windows and will not in the game, try checking this option and see if it solves your problem. 

As for using an aftermarket card, it doesn't always do better than onboard sound.  A good quality card does, yes.  A very basic sound card is no better than what you already have, and ties up part of your PCI bus (assuming you use other add-on cards, that may or may not be an issue).  Besides, most of the older cards either dont have drivers for Windows XP or dont have truly optimized drivers.  If its older than an Audigy, its probably either not going to work, or wont do you any good anyway.  If you have a decent processor and plenty of memory, onboard sound isnt going to be slowing you down enough to affect much.  Older, slower CPU's and/or systems bogged down with smaller amounts of RAM will notice the difference a good sound card makes in system performance much more than a fast one with lots of memory.  Of course the add on cards will almost always give you better sound, but that isnt what you are complaining about.