PowerPoint Is Not Receiving Volume From the Microphone

Creative images, compelling text and special effects may catch the eyes of your slideshow audience, but your voice can grab their ears, too, when you add narrations to your business presentations. PowerPoint 2010 comes with a simple audio recorder that allows you to add narrations to individual slides or entire slide shows by clicking a few buttons. If PowerPoint fails to receive volume from your microphone, you will need to perform a little detective work to identify the problem.

One of the common causes of no volume in any application is an incorrect connection between a microphone and the computer's sound card. Sound cards usually have three input jacks that perform separate tasks. When connecting your microphone to your sound card, ensure that you plug it into the sound card's "Mic In" jack before attempting to create a PowerPoint recording. If you are use a USB mic, verify that its plug fits snuggly into one of the computer's USB ports. Some hand-held mics have On and Off switches. If you use a mic that has a switch, cut the switch On before recording. Consult your computer's support site or user guide if you need assistance connecting plugs, identifying jacks or learning about your microphone.

After connecting your microphone to your computer correctly, it's time to test it in PowerPoint. Click the "Slide Show" ribbon tab, and then click the drop-down arrow next to "Record Slide Show" to view recording options. After you click "Start Recording from Beginning" or "Start Recording from Current Slide," begin recording by clicking "Start Recording." A small recording window opens and displays a counter that counts seconds as the recording proceeds. Speak a few seconds into your microphone, and then click the recording window's "Close" button to stop recording. If you don't hear your voice after pressing "F5" to preview your slide show, you'll need to examine Window's sound settings.

Your microphone may be working perfectly and you still may not hear sound if your software settings are incorrect. When you can't create a PowerPoint narration because the application cannot hear you, check your audio settings in the Windows Sound window. Open that by typing "Sound" in the Start menu and clicking the "Sound" icon when you see it. Click the "Recording" tab to view a list of icons that represent your computer's recording devices. Alternatively, if you see a microphone icon near the clock on your taskbar, right-click it and select "Recording Devices" to view those devices in the Sound window.

The Sound Window can help you enable your microphone if it is disabled, adjust its volume level and even boost its audio signal. If your microphone is not plugged in, the words "Not plugged in" appear below the icon that represents your microphone. If you see those words, plug your microphone in again to make those words disappear. If a green check mark does not appear next to your microphone, right-click the microphone and select "Set as Default Device" to make the green check mark appear there.

It's also a good idea to click "Properties," then "Levels" to view a text box in the Microphone Properties window. This text box displays your microphone's recording level in percentages that range from 0 to 100. If the level is 0, type a larger value, such as 50, in the text box, click "OK," and then speak into your microphone and view a vertical bar that moves up and down as you speak. This bar works like a recording VU meter that you often see on audio recorders; the louder you talk, the higher the graph rises. If the bar does not move when you speak, return to the text box in the Microphone Properties window, type a larger value in the text box, and then speak again while watching the vertical bar. When the bar moves, you can click "OK" and try another recording in PowerPoint.

Windows usually sets up your audio devices up automatically when you plug them in or run setup programs to install them. Unless you're using a special USB or wireless microphone that comes with special drivers, you often don't need to install anything or tweak settings in the Sound window to make them work. However, others that use your computer may change these settings, and third-party applications can alter them, too.