Solved Microphone not working, stereo mix as input device?

Hi there,

For some reason the microphone on my Dell 5570 doesn't work, stereo mix is my input device, there are no other devices available. I've tried reinstalling the drivers from the Dell website, but this did not work. I also tried the Windows troubleshooter, & the video found here: I also checked the box for 'listen to this device' on stereo mix. If I try the mic test found in settings, I get Result: 0% of total volume.

Any ideas on how to get the mic to work? Thank you =)

Windows 11 Version: 23H2

Is it your internal mic or is your microphone wired and do you have Waves Maxx installed? Waves MaxxAudio settings on Dell Laptops and Desktops can stop the wired microphone from working | Dell US

This would be for my internal microphone. So nothing wired, & no Waves Maxx.

Thank you for your reply, it's much appreciated =)

Just brainstorming here. There is a possibility that your internal microphone is faulty (they're flimsy things to start with). It could have a loose connection, or line in on mobo has quit working. The best way to test would be to connect an external usb headset equipped with microphone. An alternative way to test on a laptop which usually has no microphone port, is to connect an external headset/w microphone that has a 3.5mm plug to the headphone jack using an adapter (about $10.) Maybe you could borrow a microphone to test with if you don't have one.
Explained HERE
Otherwise, Make sure you have no corrupt system files that is causing this problem. Open a command prompt as administrator and type sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair. If it found corruption it could not fix followup with this command (note the spaces)
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
Restart computer

I presume it's a real teck driver. Which version and what date is the driver?

Is stereo mix showing in Sound (control panel)
If it is, I also presume it is enabled right?
If it is enabled, did you right click on it and choose Default ?

Are you using a recording app ?

I don't use it because I already have Logitech headphones but, I also have Sonic
from SteelSeriesGG which would also take care of the microphone.

Make sure whatever app you are using has access to microphone Settings>Privacy&Security>Microphone>click arrow to the right for list of apps>toggle your recording app to ON

Stereo mix is enabled & chosen as default. The realtek driver is 6.0.9107.1, A20. No recording app. I dont believe anything is faulty. Ill try enabling everything on the list for microphone. Ill also try a mic headset.

Thanks you guys. Ill let you know if it works. Any other ideas are appreciated too in the meantime. =)

Edit: Enabling everything didn't work. I'll see if a headset will work.
Edit2: Interesting, a wired headset doesn't work for the mic, but my bluetooth headset does work however.

When you plug in your microphone does it appear in device manager?
When I plug in my usb microphone, it shows up in device manager as 3 devices as shown in red-see screenshots.

Well, at least that's something. Do a search on windows for (below) and see what comes up



My search gives me this: Of course MSI takes over everything on your PC.



Also, when you go to Settings and Sound, scroll to bottom and click on Stereo mix. What do you see? is it the same as mine?
Click on the Check for driver Update to see if you are offered a newer version. Don't install but , just see what happens.




Notice the driver version and driver date. This might be a hacked driver for my notebook from MSI as most builders will
modify audio drivers from Realtek to suite their needs such as adding Dolby Atmos and the like but, maybe you should look into it
on the Dell Forums to make sure yours is not out of date.

EDIT Dell

Some commenters on Reddit have used Audacity to record . Maybe give it a try. it's free to download and use:

When I plug in my headphones with a mic, it doesnt show up in device manager. The headphones have a usb & audio jack.

I dont seem to have a Realtek Audio Console. I'm trying to use my mic for Microsoft Teams, so Audacity wouldn't work. Here are the screenshots you requested:




Edit: Apparently webcam/microphone weren't turned on in BIOS. Everything is working now ^^

Thanks so much for your help guys! =)