Your microphone sound is likely being played back through your headphones due to a feature called sidetone or microphone monitoring. This feature is often intentional.
Here's a breakdown of why this happens and what it means:
What is Sidetone/Microphone Monitoring?
Sidetone is a feature where you hear your own voice in your headphones when you speak into the microphone. It's essentially the sound of your microphone being played back to you.
Why is Sidetone Used?
Sidetone serves several purposes:
- Helps You Regulate Your Voice Volume: Hearing yourself prevents you from shouting, especially in noisy environments or when wearing noise-canceling headphones. It allows you to gauge how loudly you are speaking.
- Provides Feedback That Your Mic is Working: It confirms that the microphone is actively picking up your voice.
- More Natural Communication: It can make conversations feel more natural, similar to talking face-to-face.
Is Sidetone Always Desirable?
Not always. While it can be helpful, some people find sidetone distracting or annoying. They might prefer not to hear their own voice constantly.
How to Control or Disable Sidetone:
The method for controlling or disabling sidetone depends on your setup:
- Operating System Settings (Windows):
- Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.
- Select the Recording tab.
- Choose your microphone and click Properties.
- Go to the Listen tab.
- Uncheck "Listen to this device." Click Apply and OK.
- Operating System Settings (macOS): macOS typically doesn't have a built-in sidetone adjustment. Third party audio apps may provide this functionality.
- Headset Software: Many gaming headsets and professional microphones come with dedicated software that allows you to adjust or disable sidetone. Look for software provided by the manufacturer of your headset (e.g., Logitech G Hub, Razer Synapse, SteelSeries Engine).
- In-Game Settings: Some games have settings to control microphone monitoring or sidetone. Check the audio settings within the game.
- Hardware Controls: Some headsets have physical buttons or dials on the headset itself that control sidetone volume.
Potential Problems if Sidetone is Too Loud:
- Distraction: A loud sidetone can be distracting and make it difficult to focus on what others are saying.
- Feedback: If the sidetone is too loud and the microphone is picking up the sound from your headphones, it can create a feedback loop (a loud screeching or humming sound).
Troubleshooting if You Don't Expect Sidetone:
If you are hearing your microphone in your headphones and you don't think it's intentional sidetone, check the following:
- "Listen to this device" setting: As described above, make sure this setting is disabled in your operating system's sound settings.
- Driver issues: Outdated or corrupted audio drivers can sometimes cause unexpected behavior. Try updating or reinstalling your audio drivers.
- Software conflicts: Certain software applications can interfere with audio settings. Try closing any unnecessary applications that might be accessing your microphone.
- Incorrect audio routing: Ensure your audio input and output devices are configured correctly in your operating system and in any relevant software applications.
In summary, sidetone is a feature that plays your microphone audio back through your headphones, typically to help you control your voice volume and confirm that your microphone is working. If you find it annoying, you can usually disable or adjust it through your operating system settings, headset software, or in-game settings.
