How to Turn up a Mic Sound on Yahoo! Messenger

Plug the microphone into the microphone or headphone port.

Yahoo Messenger is a popular application that allows users to keep in contact with friends and family all over the world. Along with the basic text based chatting feature, Yahoo incorporates audio to enhance users’ interactions. Users can speak through a microphone and interact with friends and family by making phone calls through Yahoo or using the microphone in voice enabled conferences. While there is no way to manually adjust the microphone levels on Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo has bundled a setup program to help adjust the levels automatically.

Instructions

1. Click the “Messenger” menu from the top of the Yahoo messenger application. Select “Preferences” and click the “Video & Voice” tab near the bottom left portion of the box. Beneath “Test devices,” select “Open Video and Voice Setup.” As an alternative way to open the setup program, select the “Help” menu and click “Set up Video and Voice.”

2. Read the prewritten statement aloud that appears on the screen. Read it clearly and directly into the microphone or headset to adjust the volume of the microphone to a more desirable level. Watch the audio detection chart change from red to green on the screen as you speak to determine whether the program detects the microphone. Press the drop down menu and select your microphone from the list if it does not set up successfully. Read the sentence once more into the microphone until the software recognizes the microphone.

3. Press “Next” once the “You’ve successfully configured your microphone” message appears on the screen or replace the microphone to complete the setup. Set up your speaker volume on the next page by adjusting the volume as the sound plays and press “Next.” Verify your webcam is working, if applicable, and click “Finish.”

4. Make a test phone call or invite friends into a voice conference to confirm the adjustment of the microphone volume. Turn off any noises around the microphone such as a television and fan if the volume of the microphone is still too low. Go through the video and voice setup once more for better results. Avoid using the television or fan while using the microphone for better voice quality.

Tips & Warnings

• Verify the plug of the microphone is secure in the microphone or headset port if the setup program does not recognize it.

• Plug it into an alternative device, such as a CD player, if the microphone plug is secure and the setup program continues to not register it.

References

• Yahoo: How to Optimize Video and Sound Quality for Calls