Microphone playback problems with vista.

I recently installed Windows Vista on one of my computer. Everything seems to working great except one problem, its Microphone. Whenever i am recording something using the microphone, it starts playback instantly during the recording itself. I tried searching web for solution and found an article to follow these steps to get it fixed:

Control Panel > Sound > Playback > Speakers > Properties > Levels > unmute the appropriate input.

Well i did exactly but it doesn't seems to be working for me because the levels tab contains only the level adjustments for the speakers itself and nothing else. How can i fix this strange problem? Many Thanks for all your helps.

First make sure you are describing the problem correctly. I mean i cannot understand what is meant by "Microhone Playback". As far as i know Microphones are INPUT devices, they are RECORDING devices. How on earth
can a microphone playback? There is no connection between microphone and playback.

Can you briefly describe the problem?

Hello SMichael, let me confirm you that Robbin is correct. Even i started getting this problem since i upgraded to vista. What exactly meant by "PLAYBACK" on a Mic is when you plugin the microphone, you actually hear your own voice. Have you came across such situation? That is called Playback on Microphone.

I think none of the microphone in the world plays your own voice on speakers while recording through mic, right? It is happening in Vista with me as well. Hope anyone can help us out.

Thank you.

Cal Bear (Banana Slugs represent) once again, you have simply added insult to injury, the rest of us have all purchased/ build vista ultimate machines and simply desire the microphone/ mp3 player/ input device to play through the speakers (in real time). After many moons trying to find THE solution, and over 10 years of performing this simple task on windows machines, people suggest that we are idiots who: a. have not turned the volume up on the mic, etc. The problem runs deeper, specifically, the microphone is supposed to show up under Playback-Speakers-Properties-Levels....where the mic is supposed to be this option to unmute and allow through the speakers. This simply isnt' the case, no microphone under the speakers to allow through. Bill Gates just doesn't care about his product anymore at this point, MS can get away with a half assed OS w/ plenty of advertising as 'the next cool thing' but it's all glitter no gold. johne@email.com Please, if anyone, a regedit or something, to get the damn monitors to work (toshiba a215-s7437 laptop, realtek drivers, vista ultimate 32 bit)

Thank you dbknox, I built a much fancier computer a while back (which I no longer have) that had an Nvida mobo, the good one, and a real tek mixer (not the vista one) made all that work, now I don't know what it's called/ where to find, and I'm tired to trying so many different things that don't work, to prove I have a mic that works/ is plugged in/ unmuted, etc. listen to this track I recorded not having proper functioning monitors, is this the type of music you would have me make bill? no monitors bill? when can we expect a solution eh?

Same problem here. I am a Vista user and even my Microphone plays in real time. I am having onboard Realtek sound program. I tried updating its driver to latest version 6.0.1.5567 before having any success with Realtek. My sound was garbled and I couldn't recorded at a high enough level to hear.Hope anyone can help us.

Have an HP dv9823CL (dv9000 series) and was going to use this for disc jockey use like I have in the past with win XP - never had a problem using my microphone as a live input, was able to use my laptop as my mixer, not needing an external mixer. With this laptop I cannot get any mic playback options, even with registry hacks and edits I've seen on other forums, that will allow live mic playback with this audio driver, Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221 it does not seem too "SMART" because it will not allow what I have been able to do since windows 95! An upgrade should add new features to an existing operating system, to go to Vista now seems like a downgrade because I cannot do what I used to be able to do. I have talked to HP tech support and they just say to turn up the recording volume of the mic. NO that does not work, I'm not trying to record, I'm trying to use the mic in a live situation of a DJ or while playing karaoke and someone sings through the mic. This HAS to be live and in real time. STUPID vista or maybe it is Conexant who I thought made modems, not sound cards. HP trying to save money... now conexant skimps on audio driver options, and this is supposed to be an ENTERTAINMENT PC. Any other suggestions anyone? If not, I'm returning this laptop or trying to downgrade to XP on it, although I'm not too sure there's an XP driver for this laptop chipset.

i can record the voice through mic, but cant playback for karaoke. I need the voice should directly come out thrugh speakers from mic. is there any playback option available for laptop.

Well it depends completely on your sound card. I think you should better go through the sound card manual for it's settings or alternatively check the same on its official website. I am sure you will get some help.

SOLUTION:

I was losing hope reading the replies but I figured it out for myself.
With Vista - right click the volume control icon in task tray ( bottom right ) NOT the Realtek Audio Manager and select Recording devices. Locate your input and right click it. ---> Properties ---> Enhancements ---> Select "Immediate Mode" which is their awful way of describing live playback from speakers. I had to crank the volume to get the desired volume but there are solutions for that as well. Hope this helps people with my problem.

I'm having the same problem, my mrs is pregnant and i was trying to hear the babies heartbeat using the mic boost and high volume.. shock horror im getting no live playback like the rest of ya, after reading all your replies i think the only thing we can say for certain is that vista sucks donkey balls if it cant manage a simple thing like that its never been a problem till now so wtf do i need mixers, standalone, soundcards or sonic ball blasters for.
and no im not muted in any way what so ever record is fine just no live monitor

spec. £300 quid laptop i got free with a mobile phone but its not like im asking it to run modern warfare 2 just listen and repeat

Had the same problem , but now i solved it.

Laptop Acer Aspire 5920G - Realtek HD Audio 6.0.1.5470
Windows Vista Home Premium SP2

Solution:
Start > Control Panel > Acer HD Audio Manager > Microphone > Sound Level playback > CLICK ON ICON TO UNMUTE AND ADJUST THE VOLUME LEVEL
Worked instantly after that!

( i had already done these steps:
- Start > Control Panel > Sound > double click on Speakers > Enhancements > check the box "Immediate Mode"
- Start > Control Panel > Sound > double click on Speakers > Levels > Microphone -> "100"
- Start > Control Panel > Sound > double click on Microphone > Enhancements > check the box "Immediate Mode"
- Start > Control Panel > Sound > double click on Microphone > Levels -> all "100" and "+30dB")

guys, I been all thru this for days...

a. basically looked into the realtek, drivers, toshiba laptop, vista...I saw somewhere that's it's some kind of "music industry pressure" to do with preventing piracy, etc.

b. anyway did all the "registry" tinkering trys... didn't have the files, etc. alluded to in some of the fixes.

c. I have a desktop with xp and nvidia sound processing on the video card...THAT WORKS GREAT because the software has a checkbox to disable or enable the line-in sound... I line in from Comcast to process the tv sound with the nvidia software... so that's what I use it for... but

d. HERE'S THE WORKAROUND TO BEAT THE SYSTEM:

YOU JUST DOWNLOAD "VLC media player" just google it, and download the FREE VERSION...

the vlc media player when enabled... (under the first item "media" on the title-bar has a "capture device") ... click on that, and the box that opens up should have a line entry for audio devices... mine showed my "realtek microphone" ... you just hit "play" at the bottom and it "captures the microphone output" ...AND IT DOES THIS "WITHOUT" RECORDING A HUGE FILE (you can hit record if you want to record, but you don't have to if you just want to monitor the microphone, etc.... so that's how to basically MONITOR THE MICROPHONE INPUT JACK ON A LAPTOP WITH VISTA, REALTEK, ETC.

now, this is GREAT FOR SOUND MONITORING...only caveat is there is a very slight time delay if your plugging in a "line-in" (as I wanted to use the Comcast tv line out into this jack to use the realtek to process the signal and play thru my computer speakers) ...

because of the "delay" the sound is slightly behind the lip movement on tv shows...

but this "vlc solution" works great for monitoring the microphone in "pure sound endeavors."

regards,

flashrob

Get Microphone Pass-through Emulator

That will do the job. Quality is ok. Select the Default to Speakers Start.