How To Set Up Your Audio Playback And Recording Equipment In Windows

In this article I will explain how you can set up your Microphone and Headset/Speakers to work with programs such as Skype™.

Find the Sounds and Audio Devices section in Control Panel. Now double click on it.

How to change playback options

Find the Audio section tab on the Sounds and Audio Devices panel. This will open your Audio Settings.

Under Sound playback, choose the device Skype uses from the dropdown list. Then click on the Volume button.

The Volume Control panel will appear. Click Options > Properties.

The Properties panel will appear. Under Show the following volume controls click in all the boxes that don't have a tick. Every item in the list should now have a tick beside it.Your list will be different from this but don't worry.

Click OK.

In the Volume Control panel, make sure that Microphone volume controllers for playback have a tick beside Mute. If not, click in the box. Yes, I know, it doesn't sound right but trust me!

All the other volume controllers should NOT be muted.

Now click Options > Exit.

How to change recording options

In the Sounds and Audio Devices panel click Sound Recording. Under Sound Recording choose the device you are using from the dropdown list.

Click on the Volume button.

The Recording Control panel will appear. Now click Options > Properties in the menu.

The Properties panel will appear.

Under Show the following volume controls, click in all the boxes that don't have a tick. Now all the items should have ticks beside them. Again, yours will be different.

Click OK.

In the Recording Control panel, under Microphone make sure there is a tick beside Select. If not, click in the box.

Now click Options > Advanced Controls.

Click the Advanced button under the Microphone volume.

The Advanced Controls for Microphone panel will appear.

Under Other Controls, make sure there is no tick beside Microphone Boost. If this is ticked, click in the box to untick it. This is the recommended option but I find that for Skype I need the boost although Skype advise against it.

Click the Close button.

In the Recording Control panel click Options > Exit.

Now test your microphone.

Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound Recorder.

The Sound Recorder panel will appear.

Try to record your speech though your microphone. Now play it back.

Thanks to Skype™ for some of the content in this article.

Hardware