Odd Microphone input levels

Discussion in 'Parallels Desktop on a Mac with Apple silicon' started by JerryG, May 19, 2021.

  1. JerryG

    JerryG Member

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    I'm trying to use a Phillips Speech Mike III microphone in ARMS Windows. It's connected and I see it in all the places within Windows that deals with sound.

    The problem is the levels. I check the line that indicates the input in the System->Sounds panel. When it's working, the line moves correctly in response to my voice. But then, all of a sudden, the line graph starts moving wildly on its own, extending all the way to 100% without my speaking.

    I've checked every sound related settings and can't find a solution to this erratic behavior. Any thoughts? Thanks.
     
  2. JerryG

    JerryG Member

    Messages:
    29
    As a follow up, I installed Ubuntu ARM and checked the microphone I referred to in my above post. Using the Sound panel in Settings, the Microphone showed correct input levels. This makes me think the above problem is with Windows. But who knows?
     
  3. Hello, could you collect 2 tech reports please (from Windows and Linux) and post the reports' IDs here?
     
  4. JerryG

    JerryG Member

    Messages:
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    Windows 10 ARM Report ID 370084967
    Linux Report ID 370082122

    Just now, the levels were correct and I was able to dictate into my program. I switched back to the Mac desktop for a few minutes. When I switched back to Windows, there was no input from the microphone. I then did a sound reset from the Sound component of the System Settings and the microphone started to work again. A moment later is stopped working, ie no input at all.

    This same microphone works fine on my other computer, Intel iMac, running Windows 10 virtual machine with VMWare Fusion.

    These are the posts I made to Windows Insider Feedback:

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    I'm trying to use a Phillips Speech Mike III to do dictation. The microphone is clearly seen by Windows.

    The problem is the levels. If I look at the horizontal line in the sound setting under input and "Test your microphone", the horizontal line which indicates input is inconsistent. Sometimes it hardly moves, and sometimes it jumps wildly back and forth. I've spent hours trying to adjust every sound setting I could find anywhere in Windows to stabilize it and nothing works. The microphone may be working correctly and then, without doing anything, it starts to move erratically and the microphone becomes unusable. Other times, these is no response when I talk and the level is frozen.

    On the Mac side, with latest Big Sur, the microphone works fine and the input levels don't change.
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    I tried a different microphone, which doesn't have any controls for dictation, and it worked fine. Sound input levels were correct.

    The problematic microphone is a Phillip Speech Mike III. It is used for dictation of reports. In addition to the microphone and speaker, the Speech Mike also has numerus buttons for controlling the dictation, such as recording when the record button is pressed, a left and right button for tabbing between fields in the report template, and other functions. These buttons all work correctly when used with the application I need it to work with.

    It's only the actual speech that doesn't work. I used the Sound control panel to listen to the input from the microphone using the speaker in the MacMini. Although there was no noise in the room and I wasn't talking, as the level indicator fluctuated in the near 100% range, I heard a very loud static like noise. It's as if there was some interference. It doesn't matter what I set the microphone input to in the Sound Control panel, the static like noise would continue. On a few occasions, I was able to get the input levels to a realistic level my disabling the microphone and then re-enabling it.

    I just can't fathom why on a very few occasions the input levels are correct and I can use my application. Sometimes those correct levels will last for an hour or so, but then seemingly on it's own, the levels go high and the Speech Mike is essentially useless.
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    Lately the abnormal microphone response has changed. The levels seem OK in the Windows sound panels, but as soon as I switch to my dictation application, the sound level freezes and I can't dictate, although the other features (tabbing, etc) of the Speech Mike III work.
    ---------------------
     
  5. JerryG

    JerryG Member

    Messages:
    29
    Sound Settings Intel Windows 10.jpg Sound Settings M1 ARM Windows 10.jpg
    Don't know if this means anything, but there is a difference in the Sound Settings between Windows 10 on an Intel Mac versus Windows 10 ARM M1 Mac. Notice that on the Intel Mac there are two additional parts of the setting page under "System Sounds". Is this my intent from the windows programmers or is it a bug? Thanks.
     
    RoderickL likes this.

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