Connecting and Adjusting Your Headset for Camtasia

Note

These instructions are based on typical Windows PC components. Your exact equipment may vary.

Headsets

In order to record narration in Camtasia, it is recommended that you use a headset with a microphone for the best audio quality. This type of microphone is placed near the speaker's mouth, so it picks up your voice more clearly while reducing background noise. Headsets are available from the Academic Technology Center (ATC) for a small fee by visiting the ATC in Fuller Labs 117 or contacting the ATC at 508-831-5220 or atc@wpi.edu. Be sure to mention that you would like to purchase a headset for using Camtasia.

Identifying Headset Plugs

The headset microphons has two plugs at the end, one for the microphone and one for the headphones. They might look like the following:

The headphones plug (1) can be identified by one of the following characteristics:

Colored black, green or blue
Displays a headphone logo:
Embossed with the word "phones"

The microphone plug (2) can be identified by one or more of the following characteristics:

Colored pink or red
Displays a microphone logo:
Embossed with the word "mic"

Once you know which plug is which you can find the matching jacks on your computer to plug them in.

Identifying Computer Jacks

The jacks on your computer are typically located on the back of your desktop computer or on the side of a laptop computer. Newer desktop computers may have jacks in the front. Sometimes they are in different places depending on the make and model of your computer. These jacks should be color coded and they may also be labeled with small graphics (which may not look the same as the ones on your headphones).

Here are examples from two typical desktop computers of different ages:

Here is an example from a typical laptop:

On your computer, the headphone jack is almost always green and the microphone jack is pink or red. The blue jacks in the first two photos are not the correct ones.

Headset Volume/Mute Controls

Your headset may be equipped with controls on the cord. If so, there is usually a rotating volume control and a mute switch similar to the one shown below:

After plugging the headset into your computer, be sure that the volume is turned to about halfway and that the microphone is not muted.

Computer Sound/Volume Controls

The Windows operating system allows you to place a small speaker icon ( or ) in your system tray (on the lower right of your screen) to allow quick access to your system volume. If you do not already see one of these icons in your system tray, enable it by doing the following:

Windows 2000/XP: Go to Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices. On the Volume tab, check Place volume icon on the taskbar.

Once the icon is available, click it once to bring up a control to quickly adjust your system volume (or mute the volume).

Double-click the icon to bring up the advanced volume control panel, which includes microphone volume:

If you don't see all of the volume options listed above, especially the microphone options, go to Options > Properties in the Volume Control window. The Properties window appears and allows you to select additional volume options.

Tip

If you don't see the Advanced buttons as seen above, use the Options menu and select the Advanced Controls option.

Adjusting Microphone Volume

Microphone volume can be adjusted in a few ways:

Make sure that the microphone slider on the Volume Control Window is set to about 50% (see above).
Many microphones are not particularly powerful and you may need to boost the microphone input by clicking the Advanced button in the microphone control section of the full control panel and checking the 1 Microphone Boost option.
Adjust the volume using the volume control on the headset cord.
You can also adjust your headphones and microphone volumes in Interwise. The section below explains how.

Acknowledgement: Much of the information in this document was modified and reproduced with permission from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Maintained by itweb@wpi.edu
Last modified: Jun 03, 2008, 15:23 EDT