Microphone noise can be an unwelcome nuisance to anyone attempting to record audio. Thankfully, there are simple actions that can be taken to reduce or eliminate it completely. The following tips should be tried in the order in which they are presented.

Users should check where they have connected the microphone. Microphone noise can exist because a user has plugged the microphone into a line input jack instead of the microphone jack. A simple switch may eliminate unwanted sounds.

Microphone owners would do well to check their microphone type. Microphones that are less likely to produce microphone noise are of the electret condenser variety. To determine whether a microphone is a electret condenser, one should look at the microphone plug and find the tip part of the plug. If the microphone tip is silver and has grooves dividing the plug into three, then the microphone is an electret condenser that can easily connect to a computer's sound card. Dynamic microphones, on the other hand, may present problems with microphone noise due to increased sensitivity and issues with connecting to sound cards.

The auto-tuning wizard available on Windows XP and subsequent Windows versions may be able to stop microphone noise. It can be accessed by going to the Control Panel, choosing "Sound and Audio Devices," clicking on the "Voice" tab and selecting "Test Hardware." This will test for any hardware malfunctions and will even let the user participate in a live test of the microphone. Live tests help calibrate a microphone's recording volume. Users who choose to do this must speak with the microphone at an average distance so as not to compromise results.

In addition, users may reduce microphone noise by downloading programs equipped to handle the noise via software. Software designed to use external microphones for recording may have options to reduce hissing sounds, for example. Other software may clean up unwanted sounds automatically. If unwanted microphone noise persists, users can try using a preamplifier or a different microphone that has been researched and chosen based on its compatibility with the recording device.

Computer users should also consider using a separate microphone specifically for recording audio. Devices that include integrated microphones, such as webcams, do not always provide satisfactory audio results. This is especially true when the microphone is intended to be used in peer-to-peer audio communication like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications. Finally, if the intention is to capture precise audio, like in music recordings, users will have better luck recording their music with a digital recording device that is separate from a computer. After the recording is finished, a computer can be used for editing purposes.