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I am having issues with the mic on the iconia. Volume is pretty low. While using gtalk the other side can barely hear me. Has anyone else been experiencing this?
Same here. Testing Fring and using the built-in mic or a headset mic, it is impossible to hear what I am saying. There is no mic adjustment in the Fring app and I can't find one in the tablet settings? Am I missing something that should be very obvious? How do you adjust microphone senstivity?
same problem with gtalk. It's sometime hard to hear what I say
I ve been having the same issues with gtalk. Havent tried any other voip app yet.
Mic works fine in voice recording apps though, so it can't be hardware related.
Maybe honeycomb issue??
Where are the mics?
i think the mic is atthe top of the screen in the crack dead center .click the vol up and click on the/pop up the middle i think is the mic volume .if/im/wrong sorry
I have the same problem on my galaxy tab 10.1 but mic volume seems low on all apps.
Just got the a500 and have experience similar results, mic volume is extremely low.
I have tried it with various voice apps, including gtalk, voice recorder, camcorder, etc, and the voice is really low.
Im begining to wonder that this is a hardware issue.
Is this issue consistent with all a500s? or only some models?
My mic is so low volume as to be virtrually useless. I tried plugging in an external mic and that was slightly better but not enough.
When using the voice recorder app I notice that the meter hardly moves off the stop, something wrong here.
I wonder if this issue is more common than it should be?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1162054
But some people here have said their mic is fine. I am going to check a few out in the shops and see if they are any better. Really, at the moment it's not suitable for skype or google talk which is what I got it for.
I still think its a honeycomb noise canceling issue. Plug In headphones while u record and u will see the difference.
I bought a second A500 yesterday and the microphone records my voice far better than the unit I've had for almost 2 weeks. With the old unit I can barely hear what I speak, but the new one I can hear myself clearly. Manufacturing date of the old one is may, the new one is manufactured in april. It did not get the 3.1 update yet so it's still running stock 3.01. One other thing I like about the new one I just got is that the volume buttons work a bit easier and don't require as much force to push them down.
Rob
silverball.slayer said:
I bought a second A500 yesterday and the microphone records my voice far better than the unit I've had for almost 2 weeks. With the old unit I can barely hear what I speak, but the new one I can hear myself clearly. Manufacturing date of the old one is may, the new one is manufactured in april. It did not get the 3.1 update yet so it's still running stock 3.01. One other thing I like about the new one I just got is that the volume buttons work a bit easier and don't require as much force to push them down.
Rob
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That's the key right there.
It's a software problem not a material one.
I experienced the exact same thing as you.
Bought a new tablet and tested the mic with stock 3.0.1. The volume was fine.
Updated to 3.1 and the volume was very low.
Well, my mic sucks in a big way. I tried many times to use google talk, tango and so on with horrible results. I have to yell like crazy and they can barely hear me.
So... as a lot of ppl are complaiing and it's a software problem, is it possible they do nothing to solve it????? It shouldn't be that difficult...
dominuspaulus said:
I am having issues with the mic on the iconia. Volume is pretty low. While using gtalk the other side can barely hear me. Has anyone else been experiencing this?
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Click to collapse
I opened up my acer and moved the microphone to the front because before when recordingi couldnt catch a sound coming from recording eg. a person talking.
Now I can at least hear the voices of the people im filming.
For gtalk and skype and stuff i use a headphone set with a mic via the headphones jack, much nicer.
Cheers!
Johnny0906 said:
I opened up my acer and moved the microphone to the front because before when recordingi couldnt catch a sound coming from recording eg. a person talking.
Now I can at least hear the voices of the people im filming.
For gtalk and skype and stuff i use a headphone set with a mic via the headphones jack, much nicer.
Cheers!
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You don't say things like these and not tell us the how's and the what's. For example, what headset did you use? How did you move the mic to front?
BTW, I'm on 3.1 and have never had an issue with the mic. Just did a recording while I was driving and talking. Still sounds pretty good to me.
goodintentions said:
You don't say things like these and not tell us the how's and the what's. For example, what headset did you use? How did you move the mic to front?
BTW, I'm on 3.1 and have never had an issue with the mic. Just did a recording while I was driving and talking. Still sounds pretty good to me.
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Click to collapse
There is actually a thread further back if you bother to look that I opened and described everything and also uploaded a video to see the mic improvement.
Edit: Here is my thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1169050
Edit: Headset I used is a brand called EXIBEL Art.no 38-4061, cheap and works PERFECTLY I can hear and be heard as if in the room.
same issues. Sound seems to just stop as well after I use camcorder
Mine works well on any app except gtalk. Although I recently installed voodoo on my rooted Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the mic adjustments helped. Without Voodoo I usually just plug in headphones when I use gtalk and that solves the issue 100%.
Anybody else got TERRIBLE sound when recording or using the A500 for VOIP calls or Skype whatever?
Really awful, and when recording you can hear you own voice clearly indicating the microphone is in front but why?
The recording image is pretty f-ing good! But sound is very disappointing... Is it possible to fix this? Or is a permanent issue?
Can anybody else comment on their recording quality?
Would be greatly appreciated, we gotto make the most of out Iconias right!
The microphone cuts-off everything above approx. 3.5kHz and the noise cancellation (2nd mic under the SDCard cover) seem to make things even worse. You can try to cover the 2nd mic with your fingertip.
I had a tablet that had a problem with the microphone. It worked ok for voice searches and recordings at the beginning, it never worked for skype or google talk video chats. The finger over the microphone thing worked for skype, not so much for google talk. After about a month it stopped working for everything and gave me an "audio connection" problem. Called acer, they said it was hardware related...they offered to fix it, but instead I brought it back to best buy and got a new one. The microphone works spectacularly now. If you can, bring it back and get a new one....
This is a BIG EPIC failure for Acer... I mean its such a small thing that they could have done better, nearly ALL tablets have decent mics...
Hi, guys Ive been looking for microphone fix on my A500 , when i record any video it has this loud background noise...which in fact my room is silent , also when I'm recording videos outside & using Skype . Im using HC 3.2.1 rooted with thor's CMW ver 1.5 . I been searching the forum for a fix but i cant find it or so as I read that they will fix this issue on HC 3.2, but still i get this issues . Is this a Hardware problem or OS issue?
Also can I still return this tablet to walmart & get a refund? I already exchange the first 1 cuz It got a charging issue. SO basically I'm returning an exchange tablet. It hasn't been 14 days yet. as they mentioned for returns & refunds.
Thanks.
hatyrei said:
Hi, guys Ive been looking for microphone fix on my A500
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Funny, I was coming here to ask for help about something similar...
In my case, I have a refurbished A500 which has been awesome so far, with the exception of the microphone. It records terribly, lots of noise and distortion in any recording I make (using Recorder as the test app I made a short .amr recording which I attach 7zip-compressed).
A friend has an A500, and it doesn't seem to display this issue. While it's no deal-breaker (I can live without recording audio...playback of tv shows loaded on the card works better-than-fine!), I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to fix it, or at least make it a little less...noisy.
I believe the culprit has to do with the speakers creating feedback. The workaround is to use headphones. Hope this works for you.
Take a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1065219
tabasco22 said:
Take a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1065219
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I did read that entire thread, which only tells me there are multiple unrelated issues around audio recording on the A500...these issues seem to get all mixed-together in that thread, with people who only care about Skype focusing on that and cross-talking to people who have completely different recording issues. I was hoping this thread could avoid the whole need-to-use-Skype distraction and focus on the specific issue of seemingly over-driven recordings. (With the refurb, I'm also out of the whole keep-complaining-to-acer-until-they-do-something-to-fix-it focus there seems to be on that thread. I can't really complain, and any warranty I had expired a while ago.)
The earlier suggestion to use a headset is, however, something I should have considered first (even read in the earlier Skype-centric thread), and am a little embarrassed I didn't. Sometime this weekend I'll pick up a cheap 3.5 mic/headphone set and see if that makes any difference. If it does, and the recordings though it are cleaner, I can be more comfortable it will work for one thing I care about...using the A500 with the SquareUp CC processor.
Mic - Solution for me.
Problem: Microphone recordings sound terrible. Soft, Choppy, Mechanical, like a bad cell call, bathroom (NOT the severe helicopter sound as others have reported). My hypothesis like others have suggested, seems to be noise cancellation issues. Especially since the issues vary app to app. These mics are right beside each other and I assume they're pretty much hearing the same thing, and the rear is trying to cancel what it hears, which is the same as the front! End result being filtering what it hears, ie filtering everything? FAIL.
Test 1: Using Recorder and Skype Test call, I tested different distances talking to the front/back, covering front mic, covering back mic, case on, case off, headphones plugged in/out, etc. In some instances you could hear some, and other hear nothing, some sound ok, some sound horrible. I wasn't satisfied with ANY.
Test 2: Popped off back of tablet and disconnected REAR facing mic. They are side/side, make sure you disconnect the correct one, the one with the diaphragm pointing out. Simple connector. Then tried Recorder/Skype Test call and both sounded Excellent. I have not tried a call with Skype, just the test. EDIT: Tested a real Skype call last night. No sound issues on my end or other end.
Conclusion: Removal of rear mic provided the best quality. There is zero filtering/cancellation/etc.
Gotta try this
Hmm!
Should of thought of this myself. Going to give it shot and post back later!
Unhooked the rear mike --it helps the front m ike is usable now. Not perfect but works.
So for me
1 Run Flexreaper ICS by Civato = better mike
2 Drill hole for front mike = not as muffled
3 Disconnect rear mike= almost as good as a phone but not as sensitive.
Okay on recording and search but Skype still noisy without headset.
Damn connectors were a pain to unhook.
appoaf said:
Problem: Microphone recordings sound terrible. Soft, Choppy, Mechanical, like a bad cell call, bathroom (NOT the severe helicopter sound as others have reported). My hypothesis like others have suggested, seems to be noise cancellation issues. Especially since the issues vary app to app. These mics are right beside each other and I assume they're pretty much hearing the same thing, and the rear is trying to cancel what it hears, which is the same as the front! End result being filtering what it hears, ie filtering everything? FAIL.
Test 1: Using Recorder and Skype Test call, I tested different distances talking to the front/back, covering front mic, covering back mic, case on, case off, headphones plugged in/out, etc. In some instances you could hear some, and other hear nothing, some sound ok, some sound horrible. I wasn't satisfied with ANY.
Test 2: Popped off back of tablet and disconnected REAR facing mic. They are side/side, make sure you disconnect the correct one, the one with the diaphragm pointing out. Simple connector. Then tried Recorder/Skype Test call and both sounded Excellent. I have not tried a call with Skype, just the test. EDIT: Tested a real Skype call last night. No sound issues on my end or other end.
Conclusion: Removal of rear mic provided the best quality. There is zero filtering/cancellation/etc.
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Click to collapse
I did and I agree this is a fix if you want to use recorder, Skype, talk, tango, etc. But I also learned to forget using the video camera UNLESS you have it using the rear camera (this is one you use by default when you Skype). Looks like it uses the microphone that points in the direction of the active camera.
So I would suspect the noise cancelling algorithm settings are to blame for poor sound recordings.
I solve this issue by using my stereo earphone with mic that came with my Nokia phone. I have tried a bluetooth stereo headset with mic and another wired earbuds with mic, there was either still a lot of noise or the sound level was very low. Basically, it is the same as using a headset. Finally I found one earphone with mic that works well. I actually have two of the same earbuds from 2 identical Nokia 5230. I tested them on two Iconia A500 with voice chat and video chat, it works very well both ways. I have also tried to turned off the Dolby Mobile as suggested by someone. It actually makes it worse and the sound level went down a lot.
acer a501 microphone fix
hi all
today i finally got to the bottom of the microphone issue
versions 3.x had some issues with the mic that cant be fixed - tried different internal and external mics but no good - i thought it was a hardware issue
and not able to solve but after ota update of ics the external mic is perfect - crystal clear and no noise and heaps of level.
the internal mic is crap so i decided to change the microphone with anything i could find - it has to be electret mic.
I had a few lying around and some worked well and some did not - i eventually found one that worked really well will heaps of level - the
only prob was that it was twice the size of the original.
i had to cut some of the plastic away but eventually got it installed.
The internal mic works great now - much better than the muffled one that came with the unit.
I left the second mic connected as it seems to make no difference in or out.
So what i have found -
firmware on 3.x no good for mic
ics makes mic work well if you use exeternal.
internal mic - get rid of it as it is useless.
hope this helps someone as i spent lots of time trying to fix this
OK but...
jzaiter said:
hi all
today i finally got to the bottom of the microphone issue
versions 3.x had some issues with the mic that cant be fixed - tried different internal and external mics but no good - i thought it was a hardware issue
and not able to solve but after ota update of ics the external mic is perfect - crystal clear and no noise and heaps of level.
the internal mic is crap so i decided to change the microphone with anything i could find - it has to be electret mic.
I had a few lying around and some worked well and some did not - i eventually found one that worked really well will heaps of level - the
only prob was that it was twice the size of the original.
i had to cut some of the plastic away but eventually got it installed.
The internal mic works great now - much better than the muffled one that came with the unit.
I left the second mic connected as it seems to make no difference in or out.
So what i have found -
firmware on 3.x no good for mic
ics makes mic work well if you use exeternal.
internal mic - get rid of it as it is useless.
hope this helps someone as i spent lots of time trying to fix this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HoneyComb 3.2 disconnected the rear microphone, Resulted in Better Quality without helicopter noise specially better for skype Etc.
Video recording still Just hardly acceptable. but quality is still bad.
Wont buy from acer anymore.
Hi
I have a i9500 which I have enjoyed its high res images and full HD detailed images in 13MP (ozcan rom capability). Everything works flawlessly in my s4. Am not so sure what the problem could be when it comes to the recording of sound in video and voice recording.
I have been scrounging the net for a possible solution but realized that the s4 has a design flaw of pop and crack sounds when video recording. I do experience those but negligible. The sound quality recording is very good on the s4. My issue is it comes with an unpleasant water tap hiss that requires ambient audio to be a certain threshold to completely drown it like an ordinary conversation in a few feet from the microphone. This problem I encountered in both stock rom & ozcan rom.
The trouble comes in when you decide to record video in absolute or near silence. It will be very notable on playback at volume 10 but hardly audible at volume 4. This happens both in voice or cam recorder. Has anyone figured out how to rid of this unpleasant hiss?
Isn't anyone experiencing /has experienced this at all?
Hi,
I have experienced this while recording myself playing guitar, but I thought it was the amplifier hahaha. Sorry I can't help, it seems it's an issue with S4 itself, and if that's the case you can't do anything AFAIK. If I end up discovering a solution I'll update you on this, but I don't think I'll find anything...
~Lord
XxLordxX said:
Hi,
I have experienced this while recording myself playing guitar, but I thought it was the amplifier hahaha. Sorry I can't help, it seems it's an issue with S4 itself, and if that's the case you can't do anything AFAIK. If I end up discovering a solution I'll update you on this, but I don't think I'll find anything...
~Lord
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Oh, I've just seen your reply, I hope am not too late. An in depth further analysis on the nature of this problem is, in the recorded video if you care to open it in a professional video editor, the left audio channel is the one with the distortion. The right one is crystal clear for my case with 0% hiss. In voice recording, only one channel is doing the recording and I assume it is the left one because the distortion is also present in it as bad. I'd like to here of your case though.
Just now I plugged in the earphones with the mic and voice recorder app automatically switched to using the mic on the earphones and this only happens in voice recording. Video recording doesn't automatically switch to external mic with the earphones plugged in, am not certain it is a video mic vs earphone mic compatibility issue. The good news is the earphone mic picks up very faint clear sounds even whispers in 1.5 feet proximity and WITHOUT ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT the distortion (water tap/whistling sound I get) that I get from the internal mic of the phone in voice recording only. Now what is the chance that it is my internal mic next to my charging port that is at fault?
After doing alittle more research right now, I have learnt that the voice recorder does its recording in mono hence has only one channel and the Video recorder does its recording in stereo since it has two audio channels (left and right). This now explains when it fails to use the earphone microphone as an audio external recorder.
Now the S4 has two different microphones as now seen by the video recorder's audio output. I have established that the culprit channel is the left channel. One simple test has now narrowed down which microphone is faulty. I ran the voice recorder app and placed my phone on my bed. I scratched with my finger really close to where the mic 1 (next to the usb charger is) then did the same to the mic 2 next to the earphone jack port. Thank God!! the audio recording has confirmed that it is indeed using the left channel which is the mic 1 placed next to the charging port. This gives me the chance to use this video to rectify the issue. My only problem is finding a genuine part because there are people complaining of quality issues with the replacement parts.
Kernel ranger said:
After doing alittle more research right now, I have learnt that the voice recorder does its recording in mono hence has only one channel and the Video recorder does its recording in stereo since it has two audio channels (left and right). This now explains when it fails to use the earphone microphone as an audio external recorder.
Now the S4 has two different microphones as now seen by the video recorder's audio output. I have established that the culprit channel is the left channel. One simple test has now narrowed down which microphone is faulty. I ran the voice recorder app and placed my phone on my bed. I scratched with my finger really close to where the mic 1 (next to the usb charger is) then did the same to the mic 2 next to the earphone jack port. Thank God!! the audio recording has confirmed that it is indeed using the left channel which is the mic 1 placed next to the charging port. This gives me the chance to use this video to rectify the issue. My only problem is finding a genuine part because there are people complaining of quality issues with the replacement parts.
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Click to collapse
Hi there Kernel ranger! Did you manage to fix the noise of the mic? I'm having the same trouble. This morning I recorded a Koto concert from a distance and the left channel is plagued with some kind of electrostatic noise. Right channel seems ok, though. I think I will have to clean that rubbish with Ozone...
Regards
chinchulin01 said:
Hi there Kernel ranger! Did you manage to fix the noise of the mic? I'm having the same trouble. This morning I recorded a Koto concert from a distance and the left channel is plagued with some kind of electrostatic noise. Right channel seems ok, though. I think I will have to clean that rubbish with Ozone...
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am glad people with the same issue are following this thread. I'm telling you! I ran all the tests I could and confirmed 100% that my Microphone Mic Flex Cable Ribbon part needed replacement but before I could even do it, someone liked my s4 as it was and I sold it to them. What is your s4 model number? Now I got a Note 4.
What you can do is first get it cleaned with even rubbing alcohol if necessary, if this problem just started just recently. After cleaning it and the problem persists, you will have to get a repair kit like I did from ebay then order Microphone Mic Flex Cable Ribbon part to replace the faulty one. Youtube has tonnes of video about how to replace that part and it will only cost you $10 at the most if you do it yourself correctly.
Hello everyone, I've checked the forums and I've not really seen many answers to this question as it's something that's been bugging me for a while now.
I don't know when it started, but I noticed recently after recording a video and playing back, the sound on one side is completely gone. Almost like Stereo mode has been disabled, I have determined that it is the microphone that is often used during Loudspeaker calls, I tested this by placing a call to a friend on a regular call, then a WhatsApp Call, and finally a Skype call - and each platform is having the same issue - my loudspeaker microphone is not picking up audio. Is there a fix for this? I took apart the device, cleaned thoroughly but I'm wondering if the microphone itself has become busted. If anyone has a similar issue, or has found a fix for this - could you please provide me with some information? I love my Note 3 and would love to start recording some videos again.
Thanks everyone!
Ginger Bearded Guy
Ginger Bearded Guy said:
Hello everyone, I've checked the forums and I've not really seen many answers to this question as it's something that's been bugging me for a while now.
I don't know when it started, but I noticed recently after recording a video and playing back, the sound on one side is completely gone. Almost like Stereo mode has been disabled, I have determined that it is the microphone that is often used during Loudspeaker calls, I tested this by placing a call to a friend on a regular call, then a WhatsApp Call, and finally a Skype call - and each platform is having the same issue - my loudspeaker microphone is not picking up audio. Is there a fix for this? I took apart the device, cleaned thoroughly but I'm wondering if the microphone itself has become busted. If anyone has a similar issue, or has found a fix for this - could you please provide me with some information? I love my Note 3 and would love to start recording some videos again.
Thanks everyone!
Ginger Bearded Guy
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First factory reset and check again. .if same it s material problem
I've Factory Reset about 10 times since this post, and attempted all kinds of different things. I can confirm that it is a definitely a hardware issue, could you recommend what to do so I can get this fixed? Again, my primary microphone works fine while making calls - it is only when I enable Loudspeaker that the other party is unable to hear me due to the "Top Microphone" on the device not working for some unknown reason. Again, I've attempted cleans, fixes etc - but the issue only occurs during loudspeaker calls and when recording video as the top microphone is used with the primary microphone for Stereo Recording.
I know the microphone still picks up some form of audio but at a very low level - as I have called a friend and enabled loudspeaker and continued on to blowing in the hole where the microphone is situated. They can hear the loud distortion created by the air, but not a voice or anything like that. I really have to shout (And I mean LOUD) if anything audio is to be picked up.