VoiceAttack changes microphone volume!

[HaTeMe]

Okay, this is really fucking annoying.
VoiceAttack is constantly changing my microphone volume, mostly to a degree which is too high so it doesn't understand me anymore. I finally found a way to reproduce it, all you have to do is go into your volume tab of your microphone, set it to something different, then keep it open but go into the edit profile window of voice attack and click "Done" - the volume now should have changed.

Can we please get an option to turn this nonsense off?!
It would be also VERY useful if we could tell VA to use a different microphone and not the standard one, because my studio mic is way too sensitive for speech recognition.

[Jerry Ozbun]

Okay,

To be sure I did the same thing you did here is my process.

1. Open the properties for my Microphone.
2. Click on the Levels tab. (There is no Volume tab that makes me wonder if we aren't on different operating systems)
   
3. Changed the volume of my default mic.
4. Opened a profile in VA to Edit.
5. Clicked Done.

My mic volume levels did not change.

Perhaps you could share some helpful information, such as what operating system you are running as well as what version of VoiceAttack.

In response to your second comment.

My understanding, from the developer Gary, is that the need to use the default microphone is because that's what the Microsoft Speech engine requires. Any action by VA to use another Mic would require that VA change your default mic to that device. Solve this by changing your default device to something else when you want to use VoiceAttack.

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[Lynx-Lynx]

Hi, the only thing where i have seen that the microphone volume changes is, if i use the
Windows speech recognition setup. If you do this setup it sets the microphone volume.
But after that, the volume never changed, stood the level i have set it to.

the normal windows speech training doesn't change the Volume either.
I also haven't seen that VA changes the volume.

normally the volume setting is done by the windows mixer not by VA

Hope this helps

[Gary]

You've trained your speech engine with your microphone level too low.  The Windows speech engine is trying to compensate for your poor configuration every time you instantiate it (in this case, running VoiceAttack).  You need to retrain your speech engine.  VoiceAttack uses the default input device to do it's thing (requirement of the speech engine).  This is actually a good decision, otherwise it would add yet ANOTHER layer of something people couldn't figure out.

Hope that helps!

Gary

[HaTeMe]

The problem is that the mic is way too sensitive that way and therefore the speech engine isn't understanding a single word anymore. I was very careful with setting this up (like being in the green when speaking normally). The problem for me is that I use two mics as well, which leads me to the need of configuring every other tool to use my good microphone (which again, is way too sensitive for speech recognition).

So I'm basically crumbled by an automated mechanism which isn't working for me in the way it should be. :/

[Gary]

I think it is working as it should.  There is nothing that can be done about this, and since this is the decision of Microsoft to build their component in this way (after a decade of providing the component), I'm sure there's a good reason for it.   If you choose to use a microphone that doesn't work, the onus is on you to make adjustment.  Sorry that VoiceAttack can not be more accommodating.

Gary

[HaTeMe]

What kind of mic should I use then?
I just have one in my webcam and a big expensive studio mic (which causes VA to understand something every time even one weight 1 ...).

[Chris Hautzinger]

To specify which mic should be used for speech recognition, regardless of what is set for the 'default' and 'default communications' devices, do the following...

(this is on W8.1, but should be close enough for those on other OS's)

Open Control Panel>Ease of Access>Speech Recognition

Click on Advanced speech options (for me it is on the far left)

In the Speech Recognition tab, you have 3 buttons near the bottom in the 'Microphone' section. Click on 'Advanced...'

Change selection to 'Use this audio input device' and select the microphone from the dropdown box. This will allow you to use something other than your 'preferred' audio input device.

[Jerry Ozbun]

Given your situation - I would recommend training using the Webcam mic and specify that as your default audio device when using VoiceAttack. I use my webcam mic, and the mic build into my PC motherboard, both seem to work fine for me.

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[Gary]

Thanks for sharing that, Chris.

Gary

[Koz Myk]

Windows Speech Recognition kept turning my mic level down when I'd already set it to a good level.

Going to Microphone/Properites/Advanced and Unchecking the Box for "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" stopped this happening for me.

Hope that helps.

[Jerry Ozbun]

Now that's a good tip!

Thanks Koz

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[Gary]

Thanks, bud... I will add that to the bag of tricks :)

Gary

[Thunderbird Anthares]

Can you guys help me with this? because nothing seems to help

i recently bought Voice Attack and people on TS started complaining about my mic being way too loud - the default i have it set to normally is 45 because its a fairly sensitive mic

now, i have unchecked the "allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" option and it has not helped at all

a simple test showed that Voice Attack simply maxes my mic sensitivity as soon as i launch it

i checked my mic sensitivity in system, had it on 45

muted my mic (via button on my headset) - still at 45

launched Voice Attack and checked again - was on 100

im using Win7 and the current beta which is 1.5.6.18 - and other than manually adjusting the volume each time i launch VA, i cant figure out how to deal with this... needless to say its annoying me

[Gary]

Hi, Thunderbird.

What has happened is your speech training was probably set too low and the Windows speech engine is trying to compensate for the environment it thinks it is in.  What you will need to do is to retrain your speech engine and try to keep the level of your voice in the green area of the bar.

Hope that helps!

Gary

[Thunderbird Anthares]

i just did (i started before i typed out my last message actually)
retrained both the "set up microphone" and 2 sessions of talking to my computer (which always feels super weird) while checking constantly if the level is staying at 45, no change, still maxes out my mic sensitivity

[Gary]

Hmmm... somehow your speech engine is compensating.  VoiceAttack has no volume control over your mic at all.  You may want to try deleting your current profile in the speech control panel and creating a new one.  This has helped some with various problems.

Gary

[Achedb0b1]

I think the problem is the adaptive recognition, you can disable it in options and it shouldn't "adapt" anymore.

[Brian Hillard]

A tad late.

But this has been driving me bonkers too.

I turn my mic down slightly otherwise VA with the VoicePacks for Elite Dangerous, decides I said something when I didn't.

But every time I leave the Voice Attack Settings screen my mic volume increases to max.

I had the mic volume tab open watching it. Leave VA settings and up it goes.

I'm using a headset mic. And I have disabled the option to allow applications to take control of the device.