I have tried everything - increased volume in settings, bought a new microphone, asked 10 people already!!
I have c-media and XP.

My microphone records very softly the VOICE yet very loudly any taps or exhales. I NEARLY have to swallow the mic. to hear my voice but then I get heaps of loud 'pffts' by being too close. It shows about 40db while recording, on my wave editor I can pull it up another 30db but even this is not enough and the background starts to hiss.

I've eliminated the probs being the mic, the settings, the volume, so maybe its the c-media card/driver? I have CMI8738/C3DXPCI, there doesn't appear to be any known problems in this either. I have something called EchoControl - I have tried this both on/off but no difference.type dxdiag in the run and test for sound....it will report  sound problems....maybe the mic is faulty??hi merlin_2,
checked the dxdiag - no probs. Also this is my 2nd microphone with same results. We are really stumped!Open volumn control. In microphone setting, there should be an "advanced" button. Click it. In the box that opens put a check in the "microphone boost" check box.2k dummy ... just back from a xmas break!

sooo, ahhha, we have a problem here ... there is no "advanced" button in the microphone section (or any other section); and when I look at the File Options, the "advanced" button is not active!dina......double click on the volume icon in your tool tray....when it opens ....click on the advanced button .....then put a tic in the box for 1 20db boost

let us know how you fare .

dl65  Hi,
I can't seem to get to the 'advanced' options button - it is inactive, only the 'playback advanced' button is active and sound from my speakers is great.

No matter how I try to enter the volume panel, the recording for the microphone does not have the 'advanced' button enabled!  

Wonder why? Is it my sound-card driver do you think? But all other aspects of sound is great, and when we use online talking the voice comes through loud'n'clear [so I'm told]  may we ask what mic this is......and what program do you use for it?Happy New Year!

the first mic was a cheap Verbatim desktop, then I bought a more expensive Logitech desktop ... made no difference

I have tried using a few different programs but the outcome was the same for all: umm, Nero 6, Windows Sound Recorder, WavePad, Studio 8Data info)>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q306537/thanks for that Merlin ... I went through Microsoft support doc carefully but it hasn't solved it yet (just emailed their support though too).

I found, when CONFIGURING the microphone in the Control Panel Speech Recognition the voice only makes the yellow bar; yet BLOWING softly from the same distance registers red!    
I tried several times from several distances but no difference.  

why how why how why is this so?!