Just a couple of decades ago, a microphone connected to a computer seemed incredible. To record “true digital” sound, to perpetuate your “one-two-three ... verification” on a CD-ROM was cool and stylish. True, not everyone is available.
At least because there were few computer microphones on sale, and the banal rework of the old Soviet under a new type of connector did not always bring the desired results. Such craftsmen, not only among their friends, raised the question of why the microphone is phonetic, but even sometimes turned to the real recording guru. Which, incidentally, often led to a solution to the problem - the microphone was thrown out ...
In our time, the situation is completely opposite. Without a device that converts air vibrations into electrical signals, a modern computer is hard to imagine. Voice chat in many games, Skype, a budget solution for karaoke and maybe even recording a song of a future talented singer - the list of areas where you need to record sound is huge. But, as they say, things are still there - the microphone is playing as often as before, demanding a solution to this problem. Fortunately, now there is more information and it is publicly available.
What does “phonet microphone” mean? As a rule, behind these words lies a phenomenon in which unwanted components of the spectrum are present in the recorded (transmitted) sound. That is, there is a mismatch between the recorded and reproduced sounds. Recall that the ideal recording option involves the accurate conversion of air vibrations into a signal. You can even compare it with a photograph, not just an image, but a sound.
If the microphone is a phonet, then the reason is not necessarily in it, therefore, a simple replacement with a new one may not bring the desired result. It is important to determine exactly what the distortion introduces. And there are several such “suspects”.
Perhaps the easiest way to narrow your search is to listen carefully to the recording. Typically, the cause of the background is a low-quality cable, in which the manufacturer decided to save on a braid. This is a kind of “shirt” with external insulation around the cable, due to which the pickups (we read the topic “Electric Induction”) generate currents not in the conductors, but in this layer, from where they flow to the case and are grounded. Thus, if the microphone is phonetic, then you should check the cable. However, this, of course, will not give a 100% guarantee of solving the problem, especially if there is a working electrical appliance nearby. Conclusion: we place the cable so that it passes away from the devices and does not lie in the bay on the system unit.
Sometimes a quality microphone doesn’t work well enough.
It's hard to believe, but it happens. The thing is that the electrical resistance of the device itself and the sound card must be consistent. If this is not observed, only a replacement will help.
Of course, do not forget that the probable cause may be poor contact in the connector / plug, microphone, or cable core breakage.
You can try to tune the microphone. To do this, press the right mouse button on the speaker icon (lower right corner of the desktop), select "Recording Devices", find the microphone settings. Here it is necessary to reduce the sensitivity (slider down) and uncheck the gain. Also (theoretically) replacing the sound card driver with a newer / older version can help.