Void Elite RGB quiet mic

[Corsair Notepad]

21 minutes ago, GwynethLlewelyn said:

Hi, Mac user here with the same issue. I'm well aware that whatever solution has been posted here before was just for Windows-based machines. I can most certainly add some pre-amp filters to boost the mic volume, but... the more it gets boosted, the higher the distortion; to get it up to 'usable' levels, my voice in chat becomes simply impossible to understand.

If it's just a software issue, it's a rather hard one to fix, since most solutions I've read so far are about workarounds, not real fixes. i would bet on a hardware/firmware issue, or some sort of crazy interaction with some component of the operating system (there is something like a Corsair 'audio driver' in my system, but even the latest updates didn't improve the mic sound volume much).

Have you tried the new mic boost feature in iCUE?

[GwynethLlewelyn]

Thanks so much for your quick reply, @Corsair Notepad :-) Indeed, it was the first thing I tried. There is a noticeable difference, but, of course, the higher the boost, the higher the distortion.

Now I'm also beginning to understand why some people talk about 'almost swallowing their mics'. Indeed, when the lips are literally touching the mic, I get perhaps a 40% reading on the sound level (as  opposed to the more usual 5-10%).

Software audio level testing under Skype, when using the 'automatic microphone adjustment' setting, will also boost everything up to 40% or so.

Granted, if I yell at the top of my voice, there is a difference! However, as a rule of thumb, I like to speak softly...

[Corsair Notepad]

What volume level are you utilizing for input volume of the microphone in the other applications? Do you also have options such as noise suppression or automatic input gain enabled in those programs?

[GwynethLlewelyn]

I use whatever 'maximum' level such application(s) provide.

One thing I've noticed, though: when using automatic input gain, some applications (such as Skype or Zoom, for instance) will, indeed, manage to keep a voice level around 40-50% in real time.

There is a catch, though: I'm not an audio expert, but I suppose that the 'automatic input gain' works by measuring the dB level that comes from the mic, and boost it up (algorithmically) until the levels are within some pre-set value (which is visually shown as something like the 40-60% range or so). However, this requires a constant sampling rate — each sound packet must, for all purposes, get probed individually, then individually boosted, and finally output — which my (admittedly) older machine simply cannot keep up with (or, alternatively, the actual sampling rate used by these applications to do their 'automatic' gain is far too low for my purposes). The result is a lot of distortion and static on the voice stream — aye, the sound levels will be acceptable for others to hear and understand me, but the overall quality of the sound decreases dramatically.

Nevertheless, currently, it's my only option of being heard. For some casual conversation over Skype or WhatsApp, it's acceptable. However, the price range for this headset is close to near-quality studio (and that's certainly true for the speakers!); I would therefore expect a constant, real-time stream from the microphone that is, at the very least, similar to what I get from the internal speakers and/or the most basic (wired) iPhone headphones — both of which are admittedly the lowest quality you can expect from a mic. They stream voice in real-time much better than the Corsair Void, though!

I'm filing a ticket to support. Since similar issues have been reported on these forums since at least 2014 (that's the oldest I could find, but perhaps there are even earlier reports), and, as far as I can see, none have been addressed with a working solution (and not merely a 'workaround'), I'm not expecting miracles. There is something inherently wrong with some setups. It might not be the Corsair by itself (or millions would be affected); it's certainly not a specific type of software (since people may have completely different operating systems — such as macOS vs. Windows — and the issue is precisely the same under both); but it's possible that is a special combination of both that will cause this issue for many users, albeit not all of them.

And I would guess that something that has not been identified and fixed since 2014 — and such fix having been reported publicly! — will very likely not be fixed today. But I guess I'm just being pessimistic. The more I tweak with the settings, the further I seem to be from a working solution that works under all situations.

[GwynethLlewelyn]

Hm. While digging through the many threads to submit my support request ticket (#2005320425) I suddenly realised that one thing which Windows and macOS have in common (besides iCUE, that is) and that might require tweaking is the microphone's sample rate. In the documentation, I couldn't find any reference to the acceptable sample rates for the mic; however, there are several threads discussing possible settings (and some impossible ones!), although they usually are related to static, popping sounds, interference with other noises, and so forth.

Do you think that the sample rate might have any influence on the issue described here?

I'm opening a new thread just on this subject — it's worth the trouble, so that it doesn't get buried too deep into this thread, and thus hard to find for future users :-)

[kinsuk]

i had the same problem but Neuromancer49 reasoning and explaination is perfect hope they fix it in icue ....as it a gift i would dare not to return it hahahaha !
works like a charm 

[KBBaeBee]

Hi, I just bought this headset not even an hour ago. I was super excited when I opened the box and saw how high quality the design, material, and feel of the headset was so I tested it out immediately. But I'm super disappointed to find that the audio is super quiet, and the microphones input level makes me sound like I'm whispering. I set all my Discord, Windows, and Hardware settings to 100%, I tried using Neuromancer49's advice and that didn't fix the issue either. 

Can an employee please help me one on one with this issue,

 as I will have to return this headset if the issue cannot be resolved. It feels and looks nice but if neither the input nor output works then it is just a fancy hat, not a gaming headset. And I definitely didn't buy this to be a dud hat. :/ 

[Lee crane]

I too bought this headset yesterday and had the same volume issue. No mic boost on icue software, however I did manage to find a mic boost setting on nvidia GeForce experience settings by pressing alt + z on windows 11

[Cindurella]

I purchased these today. Had to post to tell you how I finally got this mic working

 

Open iCue

Void elite wireless ---> Device settings --->  Mic boost. Put this as high as you can

Equalizer ---> Select  'Clear chat'

Mic works fine on discord now. Still not super loud but at least i can heard now

 

Hope this helps

[lauris]

On 1/22/2021 at 6:05 PM, Corsair Nick said:

Yeah, sadly, i have the same headset, same thing, but i can't refund, because i've bought them in Netherlands, but i came back to Latvia, so, i thought, that something with settings in this headset,but now i understood that there is problems with headset, sadly but it's 140 eur loss now i have to sit with this bad headset(