Solved: Audio problem: No speaker output from mic

Windows XP, some crappy SigmaTel audio as far as I can tell.

My problem regards the mic input and speaker output. I cannot get the speakers to play what the computer is hearing through the mic input. Normally this isn't a big deal, but my brother and I record from our keyboard (as in a piano keyboard) occasionally, with which we use the mic line to record from.

Since we can't hear the mic input, we can't hear the keyboard notes at all until we stop the recording and replay it! The computer IS recording sound, but it's not playing the input through the speakers.

Does anyone have any ideas? If you need more information about the computer just let me know exactly what you need, I'm never quite sure what info to include in posts.

 

Missie

Thank you for the post! From my understanding you are not able to hear the playback recording through the speakers from the mic. I assume you are using a desktop pc? Need some info though, what PC make and model do you have?

 

Thanks for your reply. It's a Dell XPS 400, which is one that they've stopped making as far as I can tell. It's a couple years old now.

 

I should have asked this earlier, do you hear any audio when playing music or video? Im trying to narrow down the issue

 

Another question: Were you ever able to play your keyboard and hear it through your system before (for example, on another PC)?

 

Yes, music and video come through the speakers fine, the only thing we can't hear is the mic input unless it's recorded and played back.

On the volume control, there is no option to change the volume of the mic input, or make the mic input audible through the speakers (which are normally there, at least on most computers I've used). There is a separate volume control for the recording options, but fiddling with all of these options still doesn't make the mic audible.

ETA: To answer the other question, the keyboard played fine through the mic port on another Dell XPS 400 I had before this one. However, the sound and video cards were completely different, although I don't have the other computer avaliable to check exactly what the differences were (they were lower-quality cards, but the computer is broken and at a repair place waiting to be gutted so I can't check what exact cards were in it).

 

Sounds like you might have a compatability issue with your keyboard and sound card.

Markomus, do you have any suggestions as how Missie should handle this one?

 

Do you know the make/model of the sound card currently installed? And what software is running in conjunction with it?

 

I might have a couple more questions just to be sure, but my hunch is that there's (1) a configuration issue (2) a compatibility issue (like you said) or (3) something that will present itself in the natural course of troubleshooting.

 

I feel ya amigo! =)

 

I don't know what the exact make of the audio card is, the documentation from the computer simply says "Integrated Audio".

DXDiag comes up with SigmaTel Audio, Device Manager says SigmaTel High Definition Audio Codec. If there's a program somewhere I can download to find out the exact model, I'll do so, but I don't know where to find one.

 

Missie,

This might be a shot in the dark, but try to update the driver. Link below

Manufacturer: Sigma Designs Corp
Filesize: 7.05 MiB
Filename: R132395.exe

System requirements:
Win 2K, Win XP, Win Server 2K3

Download driver from Sigma Designs Corp:
http://ftp.us.dell.com/audio/R132395.EXE

 

Drivers probably needed to be updated anyway, but no, that didn't fix the problem.

ETA: Actually, maybe it did.

Checking the volume control again, the input monitor option finally showed up (despite the fact that enabling it hadn't worked previously) and now it's unmuted and working. Thanks so much for your help, you two! I'm sure I got this fixed a lot faster than I would have on my own.

 

L0gic has suggested downloading and installing an update for the audio device. I think that's a good idea, but I also wonder: Do you have an actual third party sound card plugged into the motherboard that was bought after market, or is this a completely unmodified model? (Third party as in Creative or Rockwhateveritis)

 

Well now that we know that it's not a driver incompatibility issue, sounds like it's a hardware issue. You could always take the old audio card out of the old one and put it your current one if it's not broken. That should work.