Voice Setup Instructions

Please follow the instructions below for your operating system. If you have a Mac, try this video.

Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

WINDOWS XP

From the Start Menu, open the Control Panel and choose "Sound and Audio Devices".
Switch to the "Voice" tab. If there are no devices listed, your computer is not audio-capable. Please try another computer if you want to use Voice in the classroom.
Click on Test Hardware. The Sound Hardware Test Wizard will open.
Click Next. The Wizard will test your sound hardware.
Speak into your microphone. You should see the green indicator registering your voice.
Click next to play back.
Make sure that the volume level on your computer is set midway between off and the highest setting.
- If no audio meter shows activity:
- Check that your microphone is plugged in properly and try again.
- If the audio meter shows only a bar or two of activity, double click on the microphone in the lower right tray at the bottom of your screen.
This will open Volume Control. Then click on Options, Properties.
You will see that Playback is checked. Check Recording. This brings up a volume screen. Make sure that the volume for your microphone is set at least one third of the way up.
Click on Options again and click on Recording again. Click Okay. Check the volume settings that come up.
Go back to Start/Sound and Audio Devices/Voice and click on Test Hardware again. Follow the directions above to make sure that the you see your voice registering and that you can play back the sound.

If you can, you are all set!

Follow the instructions for Windows XP.

Vista also includes a configuration program for sound devices. To open this program:

Click the Start button and Control Panel. Select Hardware And Sound and then Manage Audio Devices under the Sound category.
In the Sound window, choose the Recording tab.
Click your microphone and click the Configure button in the lower-left corner of the window.
The next step is to configure your speech recognition experience. Begin by clicking Set Up Microphone; this action will open the Microphone Setup Wizard. Select the type of microphone you‘ll be using—headset, desktop, or other—and click Next. This window will tell you how to position the microphone and to make sure the Mute button is off. Similar to WinXP, Vista asks you to read a sentence to test the sound device. If you see a note stating that the computer does not hear your voice after you click Next, you either need to check all mute settings or consider using an alternative microphone.
You will be able to use your microphone with your PC when, after clicking Next, you read, "Your microphone is now set up."

From the Start Menu, open the Control Panel and choose "Sound".
Switch to the "Recording" tab. If there are no devices listed, your computer is not audio-capable. Please try another computer if you want to use Voice in the classroom.
Speak into your microphone. If no audio meter shows activity:
- Check that your microphone is plugged in properly and try again.
- If an audio meter shows only a bar or two of activity:
  - Right-click on the device and choose 'Properties'.
  - Look for a tab called 'Levels' and increase the 'Level' or 'Microphone Boost', then try again.
If an audio meter shows solid activity:
- Ensure that the audio device has a green checkmark and shows 'Default Device' in its description.
- If it does, you're all set!
- If it does not, right-click on the audio device and choose 'Set as Default Device'. You're all set!