A common issue users face while using microphones on a Windows 11/10 PC is the audio alerts of the system being picked up by the microphone. The issue occurs primarily due to incorrect settings, which can be reconfigured to resolve it. However, using these tips, you can prevent the Microphone from picking up System Sounds in Windows 11/10.
Prevent the microphone from picking up system sound on Windows 11 PC
When microphones pick up system sounds, checking and adjusting audio device settings can help in correcting it, as detailed below:
- Configure Audio settings
- Turn off System Sound
- NVIDIA Broadcast
1] Configure Audio settings
Proper audio settings configuration ensures that the microphone and system sounds are on separate channels, helping us prevent the microphone from capturing system audio. Changes needed in the settings include:
Disable Stereo Mix
- Go to Control Panel and double-click on Sound.
- Click on the Recording Tab and right-click on the Stereo Mix option.
- Select the Disable option to deactivate the option and check if the issue is resolved.
Note: If the Stereo Mix option does not appear in the above list, updating the audio drivers from the manufacturer’s website can help.
Check Microphone properties
- Go to Control Panel and double-click on Sound.
- Under the Recording Tab, right-click the Microphone option and click on Properties.
- Navigate to the Listen Tab and deselect or uncheck the option that reads, Listen to this Device.
Read: Best Noise Cancellation software for Windows
2] Turn off all System sounds
If the above steps fail to resolve the issue, turning off all the system sounds can also help avoid the issue. To do so:
- Open the Sound app from the Control Panel.
- Click on the Sounds Tab, select the No Sounds option from the drop-down list under Sound Scheme, and click OK to save the changes.
Another way to do this is by using the modern Windows Settings app.
- Go to System > Sound > Volume Mixer.
- Locate Apps, then pull the bar to the extreme left to turn off System Sound.
3] NVIDIA Broadcast
Third-party applications can also help eliminate unwanted system sounds while using a microphone. For example, the Nvidia Broadcast application can eliminate all internal and external sounds through its Noise Removal and Room Echo Removal options, which use AI to isolate all unnecessary sounds.
It uses dedicated AI processors called Tensor Cores on the Nvidia GPUs to deliver a best-in-class user experience. The application is available on the Nvidia website for download and installation and can be used with Windows 10 ( 64-bit) or its subsequent versions.
Apart from the above-mentioned steps, a good practice to ensure that the issue doesn’t come up frequently is to update the audio drivers from the manufacturer’s website regularly.
I hope this helps.
Read: Fix Sound and Audio problems and issues in Windows
How do I enable the NVIDIA Broadcast Feature?
The application creates a virtual Windows microphone, camera, or speaker on the PC. The options available in the application interface allow you to enable each.
Can I use a noise-cancellation-enabled microphone to prevent it from picking up system sound?
Noise-cancellation microphones isolate external sounds or noise generally picked up by microphones without this feature. The above troubleshooting measures can be helpful to avoid system sound interference in the microphone.
