Windows 10: Combo Input Changed from Mic to Line In: Can't revert to Microphone

Hi,

I have an Windows 10 HP Desktop (product # Y1B39AV) which has builtin sound (i.e. no sound card). It has only 2 audio jacks on the back labeled with icons. One appears to be output and is plugged into my speakers, which work fine. The other appears to be input and is plugged into a microphone which used to work but now doesn't. (There are also 2 output jacks on the front labeled with icons: 1 appears to be for a headphone and the other for a headphone with a mic. They both work when I plug a headphone in.) I also have a Logitech C310 Webcam which plugs into a USB port and works fine for both sound and video. All of this has been connected and working correctly for over a year.

My problem is that my microphone no longer works. When I use Audacity to record from the mic I previously selected Microphone (Synaptics HD Audio) but now that's been replaced with Line In (Synaptics HD Audio). When I record from that I get very faint sound.

It seems that my PC previously thought that the input jack on the back was a mic input but now it thinks it's a line in input. As I recall when I first plugged the microphone in I was prompted to select what type of device I had plugged in, either Line In or Microphone, and I picked Microphone. That worked fine until the PC decided for unknown reasons that it's a Line In device. Since the Line In inputs expect 40 to 60 dBV higher levels than the Microphone level the microphone input sound is so low as to be useless.

The problem is I don't know how to switch that input jack back to Microphone from Line In. I don't see it in the HP documentation or anywhere else. Everywhere I look in Windows (Device Manager, Settings for Sound) it just shows the Synaptics Line In input (and also the Webcam mic) and there's no Synaptics Microphone anywhere. Under Settings/Sound/Manage Devices there is a Synaptics Stereo Audio input that's disabled but when I enable it and record from it in Audacity (called Stereo Mix there) there's no sound at all. Nowhere do I see a Synaptics Microphone.

Can anyone tell how to fix this? I'm running Windows 10 ver. 1903.

Thanks,
Mike

:)

 

Microphone not detected in combo mic/headset with single 3.55mm jack

I have a combo mic/headset with single 3.55mm jack to plug into my tower. The PC has separate inputs for speakers and microphone. When plugging the single jack I have into either input only that part of the combo headset works. In other words, if I plug
the only jack I have into the speaker jack I can hear through the earpieces but my microphone remains "disabled" or otherwise undetected. If I plug the only jack I have into the microphone, I am assuming it is detected, but since I can't hear, I have't determined
that for sure. I have no other speakers; neither built-ins or accessories. So I can't just plug into the mic jack and listen through built-ins as there are none. I do NOT want to buy a splitter as the only ones I can find are 3.55mm female to dual-RCA male
converters. Additionally I know there is a way to tell the single jack to recognize both.

 

Want to Enable Built-In Mic With Headset Connected (Combo Jack)

Ok, I fixed the problem. For anyone reading this in the future let me describe the fix in more detail.

(1) Thank you for the reply. I had already tried those steps. The issue was that the same microphone would appear, whether or not my headset was plugged in, and would always be enabled. There was also no microphone that ever appeared as disabled.

(2) The problem, as is turns out, was that my Sound manager was combining my built-in mic and my headset mic into one icon that I could enable or disable. To fix this, open the Realtek HD Audio Manager. In the upper-right hand corner there is a button
"Device advanced settings." There are two options: (a) "Tie up the same type of input jacks, i.e., line-in microphone, as an input device." and (b) "Separate all input jacks as independent devices."
You need to change the option to the second one, separate all input jacks.

(3) Once this option has been changed, you can follow the steps laid out in the response. Now two microphones will show in the Audio Devices, and you enable the one you want and disable the other one.

 

No line-in microphone input

Hi there.
Yesterday a new microphone arrived, and I was excited to finally have a proper one. I plugged it in to my laptop and went to test things out, however I've noticed that my laptop doesn't seem to receive any input from it at all, despite it recognising that it's plugged in.
I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling audio drivers, and that wasn't any help.
The microphone came with a Y-adapter for use with PCs that have both headphone and mic jacks, which I've been using.
Plugging the cable into the headphone jack without the adapter doesn't seem to do anything regarding the microphone, or at least, the computer doesn't recognise any sort of microphone when plugged in through that.
Doing the same with the microphone jack doesn't result in any input either.
I've tested the microphone with an iPod, without the adapter, and it works just fine, which makes me think that this could be an issue with my laptop.

The microphone I'm using is a V-MODA BoomPro Microphone, and the audio drivers I'm using are the standard Microsoft HD Audio Drivers.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated, as I would love to put this new microphone to use. If you need more details, please let me know.
Many thanks.