January Street Studios

Critical Guide: Stop Windows from Throttling Your Mic

Windows often applies Automatic Gain Control (AGC) that overrides your manual mic settings. This is the primary cause of weak audio signals even when you turn the physical gain knob up. Follow these mandatory steps to disable OS-level throttling.

1) Access Hidden Sound Settings

  1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
  2. Type mmsys.cpl and press Enter. This opens the legacy Sound control panel required on Windows 11.

2) Disable Throttling (The Fix)

Perform both sub-steps to prevent Windows from overriding your mic volume:

  1. Sub‑Step 2a — Exclusive Control: Go to the Advanced tab, then UNCHECK the option "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device".
  2. Sub‑Step 2b — Enhancements: Go to the Enhancements tab, then CHECK the option "Disable all sound effects and enhancements" to stop AGC.

3) The Hardware Solution (For Hubs/Interfaces)

If you use a physical mixer, USB mic, or XLR audio interface, first turn its preamp knob down almost all the way. After disabling Windows control, slowly increase the preamp gain while monitoring your level. This avoids retriggering the OS throttling and helps you land in the recommended Yellow Zone (−18 dB to −12 dB) without clipping.