Microphones (built-in or separately connected) in computer or mobile systems have become as commonplace as many other devices. They are used for live communication in specialized programs, and for sound recording. But sometimes when you connect them, it is sometimes necessary to artificially reduce the level of perception of the input signal, since too sensitive equipment additionally captures a huge amount of extraneous noise, can cause interference and interference, and also cause voice distortion during broadcast or recording. How to reduce the sensitivity of the microphone, and then try to figure it out. This can be done either in hardware or in software. But first, let's focus on a few initial basics, which should be taken into account when setting up any type of microphone.
General rules for setting sensitivity
The first thing we will focus on is computers with their software and household appliances, with which you can connect microphones and play voice. In general, the adjustment of the input signal level directly depends on the model of the device used and its main characteristics. But behind the scenes among musicians and sound engineers, it is generally accepted that the recording level or playback volume should be approximately half of the maximum possible value. It can fluctuate within insignificant limits (plus or minus ten percent).
Among other things, the sensitivity of any such device can be influenced by many third-party factors:
- type and characteristics of the microphone itself;
- the difference in the resistance of the microphone and the input through which it is connected;
- sound parameters of the room (size, sound insulation, sound reflection coefficient, etc.);
- type and power of speakers (speakers);
- equipment or program used to record and play back.
The full volume level is never set. This is an axiom! But let's see how to reduce the sensitivity of the microphone, so to speak, improvised means. In the simplest case, artificial understatement can be done by wrapping the microphone with a cloth or gauze.
Apparently, many noticed that in studios special nets are used as an additional accessory, installed to prevent saliva from entering the device, which can cause unwanted clicks and other side effects. Another rule is to turn off the speaker system during recording in order to avoid pickups (whistling) in the speakers. Talking or singing into a microphone while listening to your own voice is better using headphones. Finally, it is not recommended to initially set up some additional voice processing effects at the input, such as equalizers, reverbs, choruses, normalizers, etc. The only exception is the De-Esser effect, which eliminates noise in real time or in post-processing.
If we talk about how to reduce the sensitivity of the microphone by another simple method, some experts recommend connecting the device through a unit with an additional variable resistor, whose nominal value exceeds the microphone’s own resistance by about ten times (usually something like 10 kOhm is used). The simplest method, as mentioned above, is the most common setting of a lower volume level at the input.
How to reduce microphone sensitivity on Windows 7 or any other system?
As for computers, in all operating systems there is a special section "Sound Parameter Settings". Here, in general, it makes absolutely no difference which OS is installed on the computer by the user. In the simplest case, you need to open the mixer through the PCM on the volume icon in the system tray and lower the volume level there. If there is no such fader, you will need to open the recorder section, set the desired options. You can also use the "Control Panel".
On the levels tab you need to set the desired volume and gain percentage. By default, its value is at +10 dB. It is undesirable to increase it, but for microphones with low sensitivity, according to reviews of some users, the level without the appearance of side distortions can be increased to 20-30 dB.
But speaking of how to reduce the microphone sensitivity on Windows 10, it is more advisable to refer to the options menu, where in the right section to check and configure the built-in or connected external microphone.
Extra options
In the parameters of the sound card in all the latest systems, you can find a special tab for setting the type of environment (Enhancements).
If you are recording from a microphone, it’s best to turn off such add-ons right away. Of all the available treatments, you can leave only Room Correction, but, as mentioned above, at the time of recording a “clear” voice, it is better not to use additional effects. They can be useful, for example, only in case of singing using karaoke.
Adjusting the input signal in sound recording programs and audio editors
Most modern applications for recording and processing sound offer users quite ample opportunities. Some professional sound engineers when recording vocals start from just such settings, although initially the level of the input signal is regulated by the operating system. In such programs, in addition to accessing the system mixer, you can use your own settings for the input device and the signal coming from it (Wave In). How to reduce microphone sensitivity in such applications?
Here you can set many settings that are simply absent in Windows (receiving 32-bit audio output after recording, enabling zero-DC offset, etc.). It is clear that it will be quite problematic for an ordinary user to deal with such parameters, but you can experiment.
How to reduce the microphone sensitivity on the phone?
Now let's move on to mobile technology. Let's see how to reduce the microphone sensitivity on the “Android”.
To do this, you need to enter the engineering menu using a special combination, select the Audio section, go to the Mic item, set the desired level (Level) from 1 to 6, then set the value adjustable between 0-255 and tap on the Set button. Similar actions can be performed in applications like Mobileuncle Tools or Volume +. The second applet does not require root privileges and is available even in the Play Store.
Brief conclusions
As you can see, setting up the microphone on different devices and for different purposes is a rather troublesome task, and it is not always possible to set the correct parameters without special knowledge. Despite this, in the most general case, you can use the simplest tips given above, and at the same time experiment a little with the settings. The main condition is not to use the maximum values ​​of volume and sensitivity in order to avoid the appearance of signal distortion and extraneous unwanted effects.