Windows Audio and sounding like a chipmunk/on helium!

Hi, I have had a problem with Windows Audio for some time. I've never got to the bottom of it and having done a repair-in-place just this week and noted today that it is still present it is time to ask!

If I go to try to record myself using the microphone, or I go to use Skype the audio will sound fast and squeaky. It sounds like one of the chipmunks or like I've consumed helium!

I can easily stop it happening. Open services, find Windows Audio, stop that service, re-start it. Problem gone.

Until I next boot up. Then it will almost certainly be back.

Searches in the past have not found anything that I can see that is similar.

Any ideas?

Have you checked to make sure you are running the latest sound driver for your system? I have an HP Envy laptop, and HP provides a download for my sound driver. Go to your vendor's site and look for the sound driver there. Download it to your PC.

Generally, drivers can cause the problem. No system specs and no posting on what sound driver you have installed. That would help someone to try and help you.

fireberd said:

No system specs and no posting on what sound driver you have installed. That would help someone to try and help you.

Wrists duly slapped.

Seriously though, I was typing stuff in a hurry and didn't think to put it on. I see I can't add a NOF file and I've had to strip out windows error reporting from the TXT file to keep it in size bounds for the forum.

In the mean-time sysinfo shows this for sound devices:

System Information report written at: 01/16/17 12:21:46
System Name: OFFICE-DESKTOP
[Sound Device]

Item Value
Name HD Webcam C310
Manufacturer Logitech
Status OK
PNP Device ID USB\VID_046D&PID_081B&MI_02\6&132DD401&2&0002
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\usbaudio.sys (10.0.14393.0, 129.00 KB (132,096 bytes), 16/07/16 12:41)

Name Realtek High Definition Audio
Manufacturer Realtek
Status OK
PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_10438357&REV_1001\4&5E4D696&1&0001
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\rtkvhd64.sys (6.0.1.7535, 4.30 MB (4,504,320 bytes), 24/06/15 22:57)

In Device Manager Windows reckons this is the correct driver for Realtek HD. Note the date is 24/06/15. I found this article https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge...or-windows-10/ and the screen shot of the HD Audio Codecs available shows 25/06/2015.

I can not currently get Realtek website to load - it is throwing a problem - so I can't see if I've got the latest driver. I am pretty sure that I've updated it previously in trying to resolve this.

In Device manager the Realtek HD Audio Controller shows 15/07/16 as the driver date (Ver 10.0.14393.0) and then the one "below" that in the chain shows 16/06/15 (Ver 6.0.1.7535).

Here are the two sysinfo exports - first just the audio and the latter the full thing.
system.txt
system-full.txt

When I can get to Realtek I'll check that I've got the newest driver, obviously.

Thanks.

Web cam's have been known to cause various audio problems. To see if it the cause of yours, temporarily disable it in the Device Manager (then restart Windows).

Also, "Stereo Mix" should be set as default Recording device.

Fireberd, thanks. I don't have any other microphone on this PC (deskside tower). Thinking about it I need to check the device driver for that too.

Disabling the webcam would mean I didn't have anything to record onto at all.

As for the recording device default, I don't have stereo mix as an option. I have the webcam microphone (which is my default) the Realtek mic (which has nothing plugged in on the front of the PC), and the Line In (again nothing plugged in on the back of the PC).

It was this configuration when I was at Windows 7 and at Windows 8 (though webcam has likely changed along the way).

I'll see if I can find newer drivers for both the webcam and for the Realtek (when their website responds) and come back with an update.

The web cam is a "digital" device and doesn't use the PC sound to convert the signal to digital. Thus the PC sound card is most likely not the problem.

As far as the Stereo Mix, even on Windows 7 that was available. RIGHT click in a blank area in the Sound Panel, Recording Section and click to show Disabled Devices and Disconnected Devices. On many that will show the Stereo Mix and it can be set.

fireberd said:

The web cam is a "digital" device and doesn't use the PC sound to convert the signal to digital. Thus the PC sound card is most likely not the problem.

Ok. In which case why would one enable Stereo Mix as that's going through the sound card?

fireberd said:

As far as the Stereo Mix, even on Windows 7 that was available. RIGHT click in a blank area in the Sound Panel, Recording Section and click to show Disabled Devices and Disconnected Devices. On many that will show the Stereo Mix and it can be set.

I did as instructed and showed disabled devices and presto the Stereo Mix appeared. However, if my only microphone is my Webcam - why should that not be my default? Or are you saying simply to "enable" it and leave the webcam as the default?

Yesterday I downloaded the Logitech newest drivers again. I uninstalled the Logitech software and drivers and just reinstalled the drivers (I never use the software, I only use the thing at all for Skype).

As you can see the driver is dated from 2012!

FWIW if I go to the Advanced tab on Microphone properties I see "1 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality)" selected.

Here is what I currently see now that I've told it to show me disabled devices.




I still can't reach the Realtek site to download drivers anew from them.

With Stereo Mix, whatever input is used can be heard on the PC speakers or used by some programs. In your specific case, Stereo Mix is not needed, unless a specific application requires it.

Whether or not this is what is causing the funny sounding voice is ??? But, give it a try and see what happens.

The Realtek driver on the Realtek site, as I recall, is at least a year old. The site must be down as I can't access it either.