Discord provides us with a platform that has excellent and clear voice chatting while also being integrated with the game.
Despite Discord’s features, you can still experience several audio problems such as horrible background noise, microphone static, audio echoic and bleeding or generally having poor audio quality. All these are common issues and can be fixed if you or your friends happen to be experiencing this.
Let’s go through what you can do to fix it and why it happens.
Understanding Why Feedback Loop Occurs
Discord Echo happens are usually caused by audio feedback which is the sound gain when an exchange between the audio input and output.
This process is how your voice when you are talking is taken in by the input device (eg. microphone) as input and outputted through your friend’s speakers or headphones for them to hear.
A feedback loop is what happens when the process is repeated several times with the same input which leads to an echo on Discord.
An example of a Feedback Loop:
The person you’re calling would maybe say something to their microphone like “Hello” and it will output through your speaker as usual. But as your microphone happens to be too near to the speaker, it picked up the “Hello” taking it in as input repeating the audio again.
This is where the loop portion occurs as your mic will continuously register and feedback the “Hello”. This visualization from mediacollege.com perfectly illustrates what it looks like.
Why Do Feedback Loops Occur on Discord And How To Troubleshoot
Common causes for these types of problems usually stem from your hardware and setup like your microphone being placed too near to the speaker which is the typical reason for the feedback loop to happen.
Another example is if your audio jack or even the audio cables happens to be faulty which can cause electrical interference with audio input or output. Electrical interference is usually denoted by a “static” noise you would hear.
You would know if you have an input problem if the person on the receiving end would hear it rather than you, otherwise, it would be an output problem if you’re the only one hearing the feedback.
Audio feedback can also happen due to software issues. On your desktop, your microphone could be too sensitive to input making it easier for it to pick up any stray audio or feedback.
Lastly, this can also be due to the fact that in Discord if the echo and noise cancellation is turned off in the settings or you happen to have the wrong device set in as Discord mimics any audio setup done in your desktop.
6 Ways to Fix The Discord Echo Issue
1. Audio Bleeding Fix
A unique issue regarding this is when Discord would accidentally pickup system audio. Several forums such as this one from Reddit had users with cases of audio bleeding from their desktop bleeding over despite no microphone activity.
The problem is usually caused when the Stereo Mix option is turned on which is a feature that allows desktop audio to transmit over as input.
The fix to this would be to Disable Stereo Mix as Set your Mic as default.
Type “Change System Sound” > at the Recording Tab Disable Stereo Mix and set your current recording device as default
Now that we know how these things happen and are usually a problem related to hardware and software issues. You can go about fixing them in two different or combined ways.
2. Use A Pair of Headphones
An easy and straightforward way to fix this problem is to invest in a good pair of headphones if you happen to be using a microphone for talking and speakers for audio output. This prevents any audio feedback from happening if you keep the audio output isolated from the mic.
Conversely, if you happen to be using a pair of headphones with a built-in microphone and experience audio leaking, consider buying a standalone microphone and disabling the headphone mic’s audio input.
A disadvantage with the headphones and mic pair is how they are wired inside and any damages to one can impede on the other’s performance
If you aren’t in the position to do anything above then a simple fix is to just lower the audio output of your speakers using its volume slider and rearranging your computer setup. Try to keep your microphone far from the speaker and closer to you or get an audio filter to dampen audio before your microphone receives it.
3. Tweak Your Audio Settings
If you happen to prefer the software route or are just too tight on cash for any hardware updates, do not worry as your desktop and Discord are equipped with several features and settings that can help fix any audio problems.
In your desktop, you can access your sound control panel by typing in “Sound Settings” in the search bar and selecting “Manage Audio Devices”.
In the sound control panel, you can try several things to fine-tune your audio experience. The two tabs you can try to fine-tune are the Playback tab which contains your audio output devices and the Recording tab which has anything that can take audio input.
- In the Recording tab you can modify the audio levels in the properties section. The Microphone volume is how loud your input will get outputted while the Microphone Boost is how your computer would artificially amplify the volume. This is normally used to change how loud you have to talk for your input to be audible. I usually have my microphone input at max and play around the microphone boost to fix my input. Find whichever setup works best for you.
- The Playback tab you can change your speaker’s system volume as well as add any audio enhancements to it. There isn’t that much to modify as the other settings are usually reserved for audiophiles or enthusiasts of the hobby. I normally leave the speaker volume on 100% as I can adjust the volumes directly and easier on the device itself.
Everything related to audio settings in Discord can easily be accessed in the settings menu under App Settings 🡪 Voice & Video
4. Changing the Input/Output Volume.
The higher your input volume, the louder you’ll sound on the other side, the same goes for output volume when you hear other people talking. You can also configure it in a way that your main microphone is selected like mine. This prevents any audio bleeding like the one I mentioned previously.
5. Change the input mode to “Push to Talk”.
Perhaps the quickest and easiest way to fix any audio leakage is to simply use this setting so the app will only receive audio input when you want it to. Otherwise, you can fine-tune the sensitivity to match your tastes.
The higher the bar is, the easier audio gets picked up. I personally don’t like this option and often reserve it as a last resort as it can get very tedious having to hold a button just to talk.
Head over to Settings > Voice & Video > Voice Settings
6. Turning On Noise Suppression.
In the “Advanced” portion of the voice & video settings, Discord has a noise suppression tool that can be used to enhance your audio input.
It boasts that with this turned on, it eliminates many noises such as clapping in the background. You can leave the default settings as is as it already provides substantial audio fixing.
