Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
caseyoushouldensurethatyouraudioadaptercandojusticetothesignalthemicrophone
produces. A high-quality microphone can produce mediocre results when paired with a
cheap audio adapter.
Yourbiggestdecisionistoselectamicrophonethatsuitsyourrecordingstyle.Ifyouwork
in a noisy office, you might want a unidirectional microphone that prevents extraneous
noises from being recorded. An omnidirectional microphone is best for recording a group
conversation.
Ifyou'reusingvoice-recognitionsoftware,usethemicrophonesuppliedwiththesoftware
or choose from alternative models the software vendor recommends. Run the microphone
setup program again if your software has trouble recognizing your voice. Some models
feature a battery pack to boost sound quality; be sure to check the batteries, and replace
them to keep recognition quality high.
If you're talking but your voice-recognition or recording software isn't responding, check
the following:
Incorrect jack —It'seasytoplugthemicrophoneintothewrongjack.Tryusingama-
gic marker to color-code the microphone wire and jack to make matching up easier if
your microphone or audio jack isn't color-coded or uses competing standards. If your
soundcardormotherboard-basedaudiosupportstheauto-recognitionfeatureincluded
in AC'97 v2.3, make sure you plug in one cable at a time and select the device you
connected when you are prompted by the audio setup program.
The recording volume in the mixer control —This usually defaults to Mute to avoid
spurious noise.
Whether the microphone is turned on in the voice-recognition or recording soft-
ware —You must click the Record button in recording software, and many voice-re-
cognition programs let you “pick up” the microphone for use or “put it down” when
you need to answer the phone. Look for an onscreen microphone icon in the Windows
System Tray for fast toggling between modes.
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