What is making my mic output a high pitched, fast chipmunk audio?

I occasionally try using an app (Cortana, audio recording from the mic, etc) that uses the mic, and find the don't work because the audio is converted to a high pitched, fast chipmunk sound. It hasn't happened often enough for me to figure out what is doing it and repeat it. It's just intermittent.

I didn't have this problem before going from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, and it still happens after the anniversary update.

It's easy to fix by disabling and then enabling the mic in device properties window, but I just want it to work without having to do that.

The problem has gotten worse. Now, when I boot up, the mic, though active, will not work at all unless I disable it then reenable it.

Update - The "chipmunk" sound was corrected by lowering the sampling rate of the webcam mic from 48 Khz to 16 Khz. Why did it work before the update at the higher sampling rate?

The problem of the mic showing up as "This device is working", and enabled, but not detecting any sound unless disabled/re-enabled went away for a couple of days. Now it's back after a restart yesterday, and a boot up this morning. Requires cycling the enabled status again.

Sorry for necro but here is an automated fix:

Download 'nircmd'
Right click and run as administrator - this puts nircmd file into your windows system folder.
Create a batch file with notepad:

Code:

Rem - Toggle Recording Device
nircmd.exe {showerror} setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix" 0
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix" 1
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix" 2
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 3000 setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone" 0
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone" 1
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone" 2
nircmd.exe wait 15000
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 3000 setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix" 0
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix" 1
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix" 2
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 3000 setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone" 0
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone" 1
nircmd.exe {showerror} cmdwait 1000 setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone" 2

Save as something like 'ToggleDefaultMic.bat' and put it somewhere you aren't going to lose/delete it. Create a shortcut and place it in your 'Startup' folder for either your account or 'all users'. You can set to make it run minimised as well as run as administrator, although I'm not sure that is required.

Make sure your 'Stereo Mix' is enabled in Sound - Recording also.

Now when you restart, after the batch file has run, the mic should be working correctly (it is for me anyway).

Another 'manual' workaround is: copy 'Sound' shortcut (Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Sound) to the startup folder, and manually disable and re-enable the microphone in recording tab (every Windows boot..)

But as you found out, setting to low quality 16kHz also fixes it. But your voice quality will be reduced to a maximum frequency output of 8kHz (whatever digital audio you hear out of a speaker can be no higher than half the frequency rate - so a 48kHz output will produce up to 24kHz sounds, while a 16kHz output will only produce up to 8kHz sounds).

Can't believe Microsoft has not fixed this in 4-5+ years.

So I contacted Logitech about this in 2017 and they told me to contact Microsoft. I just contacted Microsoft and they told me to contact Logitech.
Windows update screwed up something, which Logitech refuse to fix - with their 2012 drivers never being updated.
Seems they just want people to upgrade, but who would upgrade to another Logitech after this experience?

I found some forums where they discuss this same problem happening on LINUX so it is NOT Windows specific. Logitech need to release new drivers!

Otherwise I am still stuck disabling/re-enabling or switching input every boot.

I still have to check by listening to the input every boot even with a nircmd fix because it's intermittently reliable.

I bought a new computer, every part is new, PSU, mobo, cpu, memory, case. Installed v1909 Windows 10 in April. Updated to v2004 a few weeks ago. Of course the issue is still there - Microsoft don't care, Logitech don't seem to either.

I think I read a post years ago where a Logitech support 'took notes' of the issue to 'ask Microsoft about' but clearly they don't care to release drivers for their 'old' products. Inbuilt obsolescence through drivers. Disgusting behaviour and one I will not condone - I won't be buying Logitech in future.

I have not had the problem since I started using the workaround I posted 2 years ago.
Windows Audio and sounding like a chipmunk/on helium!

Automated workaround:
1. Download nircmd from nir software. This allows the default device to be changed from a command line.
2. Wrote a simple batch file (Called ToggleDefaultMic.bat) to toggle the devices –
Rem - Toggle Recording Device
nircmd.exe setdefaultsounddevice "Stereo Mix"
nircmd.exe setdefaultsounddevice "Microphone"
Both nircmd and the batch file are in the C directory
3. Put a shortcut to the batch file in the Windows Startup Folder –
C/Users/YourUserFileName/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs/Startup

The shortcut display is set to “Minimized”.