When you are working in a team, communication plays a major role. You need to ensure that the microphone on your headphones is working perfectly so that your team members can listen to your instructions and conversation. You can speak on your mic and ask others to confirm if your mic is working and the volume is perfect. But in a professional environment, it may not be possible.
For example, when you are playing a game with friends in a professional environment, there is no way you can ask your team players to check if your mic is working in between the gameplay. That is where mic monitoring comes in handy. Here is everything you need to know about mic monitoring on Xbox.
What Do You Mean By Mic Monitoring?
Mic monitoring is an option in premium headphones through which sound is sent from your microphone directly to your headphones. This means that you will speak on your microphone; you will hear that in your ears through the headphones.
It is important to note that this option is available in selected headphones that allow feedback from the transmitter, the microphone, to the receiver, the headphones or earpieces. This option is handy for gamers to ensure their headphones work perfectly during gaming sessions.
What are the Pros and Cons of Mic Monitoring?
Even though mic monitoring may look like a simple feature, it is highly useful. But there are certain drawbacks associated with mic monitoring. You should know them before you purchase headphones with mic monitoring options. We are considering these pros and cons from a gamer’s perspective.
Pros:
Real-time Check: When you are playing a game in a team, and you are not sure if your mic is working or not, instead of asking others and disturbing their concentration, you can use the mic monitoring option to check the mic input in real-time.
Avoid Chaos: Every team member will have something to say when you are playing as a team. But too much chaos can disturb your concentration. Since you cannot disconnect the audio, you can turn on the mic monitoring option to say something or even sing a song to avoid the chaos and background voices of the team members momentarily.
Cons:
Echo Issue: If you turn on mic monitoring to avoid background chaos, you will likely put it on high volume. The microphone will pick up what you say, and that will be played on the headphones. But the mic will also pick up the sound from the headphones, leading to an echo issue.
Distraction: Mic monitoring can be disadvantageous when recording your gameplay, so the audio may not be recorded as cleanly as you want. The voices of the other team members will not be adequately recorded, and you won’t be hearing them clearly either.
What Do You Mean By Mic Monitoring on Xbox?
Xbox has an inbuilt feature that allows you to listen to your voice through your headphones by taking input through your mic. Xbox has included the option because professional gamers use it often to check if their mic is working properly when they are in a long gaming session. Sometimes, they use mic monitoring to suppress loud voices from other team members so they can concentrate on the game comfortably.
How Do You Turn on and Turn off Mic Monitoring on Xbox?
First, you should have headphones supporting the mic monitoring option. After that, follow these steps to enable mic monitoring on Xbox.
- Connect your headphones to your Xbox controller.
- Bring up the menu by pressing the Xbox button.
- Choose the Audio option to bring up settings.
- Choose the Mic monitoring option and adjust the slider to the right to enable and keep the volume at an audible point.
To disable mic monitoring on Xbox, you have to follow the exact steps to enable mic monitoring. The only difference is that you must bring the slide to the extreme left to turn off the option when needed.
What are the Common Issues that Users face in Mic Monitoring Xbox?
There are certain issues that users have faced and reported while using the mic monitoring on Xbox. You should be aware of them if you will use the mic monitoring option regularly.
1. Mic Monitoring not Working
Well, your headset may not have mic monitoring feature. Check the manual to confirm. Sometimes, the issue could be with the Xbox console, and you have to reset it to fix it.
2. Volume too High or Low
When you turn on the mic monitoring option from settings, you must adjust the slider. The volume will be too high if the slider is to the extreme right. The volume will be too low if it is close to the left end. Place the slider in the middle and towards the right for a better volume level.
3. Mic Monitoring Unchangeable
Sometimes the mic monitoring option can be greyed out in the settings. This is mostly due to connectivity issues with the headset and the Xbox. Reconnect them after cleaning the ports, and it should fix the issue. Try a different headset if the option is still greyed out.
Mic Monitoring Xbox – FAQS
Ans: No, not all headphones have the mic microphone option. You need to check the specifications when purchasing headphones. If you already have one, check the manual to see if it supports mic monitoring on Xbox.
Ans: You can change the settings to improve the mic quality in volume and audio format. Press the Xbox button, and from settings, go to the Audio option to make changes to betterment. If it does not work, purchase a premium headset with an outstanding mic.
Ans: You can only hear yourself speaking on the mic through your headphones when the mic monitoring option is enabled. Go to Settings and select the Audio icon and bring the slider under the Mic monitoring option to the extreme left to turn it off.
Conclusion
Mic monitoring is a lesser-known but extremely useful feature for gamers. You should opt for headphones with a mic monitoring option to test your mic when playing and avoid background chaos effectively. If you have Xbox, you must enable the mic monitoring option to ensure your mic works appropriately in real-time.
