My mic is picking up output audio?

[Toby Shirk]

Hello! Just today, when i was skyping with a friend, I was watching a video and my friend said he could hear the video. After a few tests and messing around, we came to the conclusion that he could hear everything on my computer. We tested on both Skype and Curse, and with my mic muted, meaning that it was getting picked up through my mic. I am using a RIG Surround, which is a USB headset with mic attached, and it comes with a little control station which i can mute my mic, and turn my volume up and down with. I've tried everything the internet has to say about it, including muting all other sounds, in my audio communications tab, and re-installing drivers, but none of them work. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Solandri]

A microphone has no way to know what sounds the computer is making, so of course it will also pick up sounds from the computer speaker.

Most software like Skype knows it's playing the Skype call's sounds through the speaker, and will try to subtract it from the mic's input. This is called echo cancellation (because if you don't do it, the feedback loop results in the sound echoing). But Skype has no way to know what sound is being produced by the video you're watching. To Skype, the sound from the video and sound from your voice are indistinguishable.

A noise cancelling microphone can help reduce (but not eliminate) this problem. A noise cancelling microphone is actually two or more microphones. Depending on their position and orientation, they pick up sounds at slightly different times. The microphone's processing can use those different arrival times to determine which direction or where in the room the sounds came from, and selectively decrease the volume of all sounds other than those originating from near where your mouth is supposed to be. In this way, it "cancels" unwanted "noise" and most of the sound that's transmitted is your voice.

 

[Toby Shirk]

A microphone has no way to know what sounds the computer is making, so of course it will also pick up sounds from the computer speaker.

Most software like Skype knows it's playing the Skype call's sounds through the speaker, and will try to subtract it from the mic's input. This is called echo cancellation (because if you don't do it, the feedback loop results in the sound echoing). But Skype has no way to know what sound is being produced by the video you're watching. To Skype, the sound from the video and sound from your voice are indistinguishable.

A noise cancelling microphone can help reduce (but not eliminate) this problem. A noise cancelling microphone is actually two or more microphones. Depending on their position and orientation, they pick up sounds at slightly different times. The microphone's processing can use those different arrival times to determine which direction or where in the room the sounds came from, and selectively decrease the volume of all sounds other than those originating from near where your mouth is supposed to be. In this way, it "cancels" unwanted "noise" and most of the sound that's transmitted is your voice.

That would all make sense, except for the fact that this is the first time this has ever happened, and I never changed any settings.

 

[Toby Shirk]

Bump

 

[hblomqvist]

Have you tried adjusting the microphone level to a level where your friend can hear you but not output sounds?

 

[Toby Shirk]

Have you tried adjusting the microphone level to a level where your friend can hear you but not output sounds?

Yes, and such a level doesn't seem to exist. When I am playing with friends, they can hear the game audio just as loud as my voice if not louder.

 

[hblomqvist]

Have you tried adjusting the microphone level to a level where your friend can hear you but not output sounds?

Yes, and such a level doesn't seem to exist. When I am playing with friends, they can hear the game audio just as loud as my voice if not louder.

Do you think your friends are hearing straight out of your output sound or is your mic recording the sound from the speakers/headset?

 

[Toby Shirk]

Have you tried adjusting the microphone level to a level where your friend can hear you but not output sounds?

Yes, and such a level doesn't seem to exist. When I am playing with friends, they can hear the game audio just as loud as my voice if not louder.

Do you think your friends are hearing straight out of your output sound or is your mic recording the sound from the speakers/headset?

I tried muting my mic and playing a sound, and my friend couldn't hear it, so I think they are hearing it through the mic.

 

[hblomqvist]

Have you tried adjusting the microphone level to a level where your friend can hear you but not output sounds?

Yes, and such a level doesn't seem to exist. When I am playing with friends, they can hear the game audio just as loud as my voice if not louder.

Do you think your friends are hearing straight out of your output sound or is your mic recording the sound from the speakers/headset?

I tried muting my mic and playing a sound, and my friend couldn't hear it, so I think they are hearing it through the mic.

Did you mute your mic through Skype or via your microphone/sound drivers/audio settings/etc.??