Audio noise issues after clean install of Windows 10  

I was using Open Broadcaster Software to live stream, and since my mic has always had issues with noise (cheap mic on headset), I decided to try out a plugin for OBS called Microphone DSP, which claimed it would remove noise in real time and had auto-gain features. It worked, but distorted audio horribly, so I uninstalled the plugin, but what it does remained on my computer. Even with the plugin gone and two clean installs of Windows 10, I'm still having audio issues. Audio quality is back to where it was pre-plugin, but it has noise removal in everything now with random, loud noise spikes, and auto gain. Is it possible that the plugin changed something in the core Windows files that could cause this, and the files wouldn't be wiped during a clean Windows install? It happens on both the front and rear mic ports, as well as the mic port on the DAC that came with my motherboard. I'm planning on getting an XLR mic soon, and would like these audio issues gone since I won't have to deal with noise on the new mic, nor do I need auto-gain or random noise spikes. (Note: I have uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers for my DAC and on-board audio about 5 times each, with no changes.)

electronuser said:

If you are going analog in or out to your mixer or amplified device or PC get a ~ $30.00 -$39.00 ASUS Xonar DGX PCIe Sound Card or a Xonar DX PCie or instead a *maybe quieter USB Scarlett Solo or Scarlett 212 interface /mike preamp if you have adequate gain in your playback or broadcast chain ......they are all miles better than the Realtec stuff on the main boards that are only good for much of nothing outside of S/PDIF 5.1/7.1 IMO .

I just put the inexpensive ASUS Xonar DGX PCIe Sound Card and windows 10 drivers for it out of my flamed out daily grinder into the brand new PC in my spec and it makes the HP /Realtec DSP DAC B&O EQ thing sound like a tin speaker or cheap ear buds by comparison out to my Schitt Audio headphone amp or amplified 5.1 .

The Asus DGX has a - 105dB noise floor more than adequate for anything you can hear ,play or broadcast anyway the C Media DAC and audio gain in there ain't bad at all and if its noisy in a PC some folks may need a quieter switching PSU the OEM PSU's and cheaper aftermarket PC could be a lot better noise wise .

I never heard of an absent VST loading on a clean install , who knows but your distortion with any VST or EQ DSP effect likely came from compression and the increased loudness from that was just masking more noise from a much higher noise floor anyway we call that squashing the mix on a uniform loudness CD or mp3 mix ?

FWIW anthing beyond a low pass or high pass analog filter removing noise is tricky in the digital realm because it is using compression and more and raising the noise floor and possibly introducing audible digital artifacts below the lower nyquist rate at 16/44 or more and maybe CPU latencies that can degrade the audio it's a hard thing to balance all that in software to a limited digital bandwidth format (they are all limited btw ) sometimes with software costing more than your PC or my PC combined even for a mixing engineer in a DAW and using $$$$ professional VST emulators in a stout Core i7 PC like we both have (not this new daily web grinder or windows test mule above ) it's called noise shaping and mixing if you arent being lazy and auto tuning and at 16 bits you ain't doing all that very well if at all anyway .

Maybe get a decent not expensive Sure XLR broadcast mike or ~$400.00 Sennheiser or Sony professional and all day wearable broadcast headset /mike and an USB interface /mike preamp for any of that like a Scarlett Solo or Scarlett 2 .

FWIW you can record and or mix all that Pod-casting and more in Pro Tools basic for maybe $199.00 with an Avid USB Interface and drivers that's more like a Scarlett Solo or 2 than not anyway I think thats basically what it is I've configured some of those and Pro tools in some Windows PC 's for local rappers and other talent they are decently clean but the gain is on the low side IMO but usable and within standard Vrms spec .

We have some vocal mixes that came to us like that on Basic Pro Tools that we chopped and overlaid the music and beat to (some out of our catalog or custom work or collaborations ) ultimately after the mixing production chain on media specific CD and Mp3 mixes ,downloads or club mixes and all the major streaming services and iTunes

I fixed the problem by uninstalling the mic from the Device Manager, uninstalling the drivers, cleaning out the old files, and then reinstalling everything. Easy fix that I should have thought of when it started. :/

But I was planning on getting a Scarlett Solo with either an AT-2020 mic or an AT-BPHS1 if I decide to get headphones and then just running the output through the SupremeFX DAC since it's phenomenal, and running the mic through the Scarlett. I just really want to get rid of all noise on audio recordings and get the highest quality possible, and that's not gonna happen with a regular mic. I also don't want to use the mic in on the DAC since there's no gain control for some reason, so hopefully with the XLR mic and Scarlett setup I won't have any more noise issues, and at least have some gain control that I don't have with my DAC.