How to boost computer headset mic gain adequately?

Thanks Mike, yeah, unfortunately I've been through all of that. The headset is recognized and I can tweak the mic level in Windows Settings. However, the maximum gain in Settings combined with maximum mic gain in SmartSDR still wouldn't allow me to get peaks any higher than -10. I was hoping to hear there was a hidden adjustment somewhere in the **** of Windows 11 that would sort this out for me, but I guess not. No driver update for the sound card associated with the headset either.

I assume there isn't enough gain in SmartSDR to bring up lower levels supplied by the Windows system very far. Based on that, I downloaded Voicemeeter Banana to see if I could push the sliders up to get me peaking properly in SmartSDR. The answer is yes, apparently that can be done with Voicemeeter. Unfortunately, getting that working broke the TX audio from WSJT-X to SmartSDR (DAX Audio TX)... but not the receive audio via DAX Audio RX 1. I see a thread about Voicemeeter that might be a better place to ask about this new issue, so I'll post there if I can't sort it myself.

Hi Don, I don't have another USB headset to try - note that the headset issue is USB via the computer, not a headset plugged directly into the Flex. It really feels like there's another mic setting somewhere that needs to be tweaked, but I don't know where it would be... and I've had some practice digging around in the guts of Windows. Why I get good audio reports with Google Meet and similar, I don't know.

I have an splitter cable that is supposed to take the CTIA plug on the headset (that normally plugs into the small sound card on the headset's USB cable) and separate it into mic and headphones for a direct connection to the Flex, but that doesn't work (headphones work, mic doesn't). I actually started a thread about that particular problem many months ago. I'll have to play with a multimeter to see how the TRS connections compare to the FHM-2 and maybe make up an adapter for the splitter... LOL... but I was hoping to connect the headset via the computer so I could hear other things too, so that direct connection problem is an investigation for a night I have nothing better to do. 😏

Hi Craig,

I'm running a Windows 11 machine. It's home built computer based on an ASUS Rog Strix motherboard. Decent board, but no extras... GPUs were stupidly expensive and rare when I put it together, so I'm using the onboard video (which seems to be fine) and the onboard sound as well.

Pushing the mic audio slider up above 0 dB in VoiceMeeter Potato gets the level to bounce in the recommended region in SmartSDR (v2.10.1). Audio quality is reported as being good. However, I'm told my signal isn't as strong as when using the FHM-2 microphone with what appear to be the same mic and processor levels on the 'meter'. So why that is, I really don't know. I'll have to dig into CESSB to understand whether it's 'always on', or only with a local microphone... that's the only thing I can think of that might impact signal strength, but my external power meter doesn't look much different in either case... so, yeah, strange.