Too much Microphone noise

[KillStreakArtz]

I bought a USB sound card, tested it out, the issue is still the same, on-board sound card is disabled, went into the BIOS and disabled it, here's the sample with the sound card ; 

Microphone sample (2) 

[Brian1965]

How are you monitoring the sound from the computer, e.g. headphones or speakers, where are they plugged in to? Have you checked the Sound settings in the Control Panel, i.e. do you have the correct sound sources selected for playback and record? Check the input level settings in the Windows audio mixer - (right click on the speaker icon on the Taskbar), and turn down any audio inputs not being used.

What is the make/model of the microphone you are using?

[KillStreakArtz]

It's a microphone of a Chinese company, imported into our country. (Same region, Asia) I'm monitoring the sound through the Audio panel in Windows, and Audacity to record the sample for the Microphone. Everything's connected to the USB sound card I bought, through the front USB panel. Everything was working fine before, this issue came up recently. 

Spoiler

[Brian1965]

Okay, just to take stock of all the information available . . .

• The microphone was working in the computer normally, and for some unknown reason, it has now stopped working, i.e. now getting a loud buzzing sound in the headphones.
• There were no hardware changes, (e.g. microphones, cables, headphones, etc.), or Windows updates, and you didn't make any changes to the audio driver, prior to this issue occurring.
• This was using the onboard RealTek audio chipset.
• The microphone was tested in both microphone sockets on the computer  - no change.
• Different microphones were tested - same buzzing sound - no change.
• You were using standard headphones, (i.e. not a headset with a built in microphone), plugged into either the computer front or rear headphone socket.
• When the microphone is unplugged from the computer the buzzing noise disappeared completely.
• Changing the microphone input level does not change the volume of the noise, (when the microphone is plugged in).
• You were monitoring (listening to) the microphone signal using the windows audio mixer and headphones.
• You were recording the microphone using Audacity.
• The noise is present when Audacity is not running and a microphone is plugged in.
• The computer plays audio and video files perfectly, e.g. mp3 files, youtube videos and standard video files (e.g. mpg, avi, mp4, etc.).
• There are no reported issues in Device Manager.

Recently . . .

• You have now disabled the onboard audio in the Z420 BIOS, and are now using a USB audio interface with W10 drivers.
• There are no reported issues in Device Manager.
• The microphone and headphones are now plugged into the USB audio interface.
• You are still hearing the same problem, i.e. loud buzzing sound when a microphone is plugged in to the USB interface.

Can you first of all confirm that ALL of the above statements are correct?

[KillStreakArtz]

I'd like to correct 2 of the statements mentioned above ;

1) Windows was updated when Microsoft released a new update recently, but I usually go back to the audio drivers provided by HP as I'm comfortable with them, and they cause no issues.

2) I do have a headset I'm wearing with a built in microphone, but it has a combined port (single port) for input and output, whereas my PC has 2 individual ports for input and output, I only plug it into the output section to use the headphones' speakers.

Another thing I've tried, I unplugged my headset, tested the microphone and the buzzing was REDUCED up to some extent, here's the sample ; 

Microphone Sample 3  

[Brian1965]

Okay, that makes matters a bit clearer. There have been several reports online of owners of older legacy computers, (i.e. pre-Windows 10 release), that have reported issues with various hardware devices not functioning correctly after installing the latest W10 release. Lets check this first.

1. Go to the Control Panel and select Devices and Printers.

2. You should now see your computer listed, right click on the icon and select Device Installation Settings.

3. At the next window, select the No radio button/check box. i.e. Don't let Windows manage the hardware drivers!

4. Go to the HP Z420 drivers site and download and unpack the W8.1 (64bit) Realtek Audio Driver to a folder;

If the device installation tries to start when you upack the audio driver then cancel the driver installation.

NOTES:

There is no HP Z420/620 Windows 10 audio driver (on the HP site).

The HP Z420 and HP Z620 share the same motherboard, BIOS and drivers.

5. Start Device Manager and locate the Realtek audio device.

6. Right click and select Update Driver.

7. When asked, select to manually install the driver then browse to the unpacked W8.1 Realtek audio driver folder to confirm.

8. Once the drivers are installed, restart the computer then re-test the audio inputs and outputs.

With regards to your headset, please indicate which type of connector it has.

Finally, if you have any audio enhancement setting in Windows, make sure you disable this feature as well.

[KillStreakArtz]

I disabled the on-board sound card as mentioned before, instead now I'm using a sound card. The pin or connector of the headset cable is kind of external, had to buy it myself, wasn't included in the box. It's a TRS cable. Should I enable the on-board sound card or keep using the external USB sound card I bought?

[Brian1965]

In your very first post you stated, "This happened out of nowhere".

You then told me, "Windows was updated when Microsoft released a new update recently, but I usually go back to the audio drivers provided by HP as I'm comfortable with them, and they cause no issues".

1) Are you saying that the audio problem was caused by the WIndows update? i.e everything was working perfectly, you updated Windows, then the buzzing sound started?

2) Or, are you saying that Windows was updated a few days or weeks before the problem occurred?

These 2 scenarios are pointing at 2 completely different problems, please clarify which?

[KillStreakArtz]

Sorry for the confusion, but I wanted to mention that the issue was caused randomly. Most of the time after an update drivers would go corrupt or wouldn't be compatible. But it's irrelevant now, since I bought a USB sound card, drivers shouldn't matter anymore, if I'm not wrong. As it has it's own drivers (compatible with W10). Sound card didn't make much of a difference, even though the on-board is disabled. However, it has improved a little bit, just like in Sample 2.

[Brian1965]

The screen shot below is from my Z620 system, and I currently have my Tascam USB audio device, and 2x Nvidia cards as possible audio playback or recording sources, i.e. there is NO Realtek Audio visible in the Device Manager. Please confirm that only your USB audio interface is showing in Device Manager on your system. (FYI - The USB audio interface should also appear under the Universal Serial Bus controllers tab).

Please upload a screen shot indicating this first. You can use the 'Snipping Tool' to capture the screen image then save the file to your desktop. Upload the image in the normal fashion, (i.e. select the camera icon to upload an image when composing a message/reply).

Also, I would suggest using either standard stereo on-ear or over-ear headphones, or wired in-ear headphones. Since your current headset only has a TRS connector, this can result in unpredictable or undesirable consequences in certain systems. e.g. Professional headsets generally have a TRRS plug which supports stereo audio listening, plus a dedicated microphone signal, or they have 2 connectors, (mono pink jack plug, and a green stereo jack plug).