Being in FFXIV messes up my microphone in all other programs

I recently started playing again and ever since I have an issue where if I am in this game, my microphone becomes quiet and much lower quality. I tested my microphone though the Sound options for windows (listen to this device, to hear myself) so it appears to be windows level. If I tab out of the game, my microphone immediately goes back to normal. No other games do this so I'm completely lost as to why this happens with FFXIV. My audio drivers are up to date. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks

Good afternoon and thank you for posting on the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

When did this start happening? Do you recall anything on your PC updating or changing?

The microphone works fine if you Alt+Tab out (if the game is minimized essentially), does the issue occur if you are in borderless or windowed mode?

Do you have a dedicated sound card? What do you use to connect the microphone (USB, 3.5mm jack, etc.) and is this different than what you use for your speakers/headphones?

Can you submit a FFXIV system report? Simply go to the 'Config' option on the Final Fantasy XIV launcher and to the right of 'System Information' click on 'Display.'

We hope we can be of assistance in helping you enjoy the exciting world of Final Fantasy XIV!

Started happening ever since I started play again about a week ago, but didn't happen when I played before (wasn't subbed for maybe 3 months), and I don't think anything has changed with my computer.

The issue is still there when in windowed and borderless windowed.

I do have a dedicated sound card, and I plug directly into it with a 3.5mm from my headset (mic+headphones).



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Being in FFXIV messes up my microphone in all other programs - Google Chrome
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Thanks for the reply

Thank you for the information Aranarth.

I should have asked you about this in the first post, but what microphone/headset do you have? Also, what sound card do you use?

If your sounds card has any specific drivers? If so, try reinstalling them.

Have you looked into the sound settings in the system tray? Is the headset set to the default sounds device? Try disabling any other sound devices if you have them.

You may also want to try a clean boot. Simply open the task manager and select the 'Start up' Tab. Disable everything here and restart the PC. This will make sure that no background processes are interfering with the game.

If none of those work, try connecting the headset directly into the PC (not using the sound card). See if you can replicate the issue this way.

We hope we can be of assistance in helping you enjoy the exciting world of Final Fantasy XIV!