Microphone level goes to zero after every restart

Hello,

I use NVIDIA Broadcast with my Microphone to block out background noise.. everytime i boot or restart my PC.. the microphone level is down to 0 and I have to turn it back up or my mic doesn't work properly.. Any help would be appreciated!

Co-pilot gave me a detailed step by step to isolate the issue. It would be worth a try.

What This Usually Means​

This behavior almost always indicates one of three root causes:

1.​

When Windows sees a device as “new,” it often resets its levels to defaults (sometimes zero).Broadcast’s virtual mic can behave like a new device on each boot.

2.​

Windows has a long history of:

• resetting levels for newly detected devices
• applying “exclusive mode” or “communications” adjustments
• overriding app-controlled levels

3.​

Common culprits:

• Discord
• Steam Voice
• Zoom
• Realtek Audio Console
• OEM audio enhancement services
• Background noise‑suppression apps

Here’s a focused, step-by-step isolation procedure you can actually walk through and finish.

1. Establish a clean baseline​

1. Set the mic level once in legacy Sound panel
   
   • Press Win + R → type mmsys.cpl → Enter.
   • Go to Recording tab.
   • Select NVIDIA Broadcast Microphone → Properties → Levels.
   • Set your desired level (e.g., 80–90), click Apply → OK.
2. Reboot and confirm the problem
   
   • Restart Windows.
   • Check the same place (mmsys.cpl → Recording → Broadcast Mic → Levels).
   • Confirm the level has dropped to 0 again.

If it doesn’t drop this time, the issue was just Windows not having a stored baseline—otherwise continue.

2. Eliminate Windows “communications” interference​

1. Disable ducking
   
   • Open Control Panel → Sound.
   • Go to Communications tab.
   • Select “Do nothing” → Apply → OK.
2. Re-set the level
   
   • Again in Recording → Broadcast Mic → Properties → Levels, set your level.
3. Reboot and test
   
   • Restart.
   • Check if the level still goes to 0.

• If fixed: Windows was treating it as a communications device.
• If not: Go on.

3. Disable exclusive mode (apps overriding levels)​

1. Turn off exclusive control
   
   • mmsys.cpl → Recording → Broadcast Mic → Properties → Advanced tab.
   • Uncheck:
     
     • Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device
     • Give exclusive mode applications priority
   • Click Apply → OK.
2. Set level again
   
   • Back to Levels tab, set your desired level.
3. Reboot and test
   
   • Restart and check the level.

• If fixed: Some app was grabbing exclusive control and zeroing it.
• If not: Continue.

4. Test NVIDIA Broadcast behavior itself​

1. Configure inside Broadcast
   
   • Open NVIDIA Broadcast.
   • Make sure Microphone is set to the correct physical input.
   • Set any level/processing options inside Broadcast (if available).
2. Close and reopen Broadcast
   
   • Close the app completely (including tray icon if it has one).
   • Reopen it and confirm the mic still works and level is sane.
3. Reboot with Broadcast closed
   
   • Close Broadcast before reboot.
   • Restart Windows.
   • Check the Broadcast Mic level in mmsys.cpl.

• If the level only drops when Broadcast auto-starts: Broadcast’s startup sequence is likely resetting it.
• If it drops even when Broadcast doesn’t run: Something else is touching the device.

5. Isolate startup applications​

Now we assume another app or service is modifying the mic.

1. Open Startup list
   
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Task Manager.
   • Go to Startup apps tab.
2. Temporarily disable obvious audio/voice appsDisable (one batch at a time):
   
   • Batch 1 (voice/chat): Discord, Steam, Zoom, Teams, Skype, OBS, VoiceMeeter, etc.
   • Batch 2 (audio utilities): Realtek Audio Console, Nahimic, DTS, Waves MaxxAudio, Sonic Studio, OEM “Audio” or “Sound” helpers.
3. Reboot and test after each batch
   
   • After disabling Batch 1 → reboot → check mic level.
   • If still broken, disable Batch 2 → reboot → check again.

• If one batch fixes it: Re-enable items one by one in that batch, rebooting between each, until the problem returns—that app is the culprit.
• If none fix it: Move on.

6. Check running services after boot​

1. Boot normally with all startup apps disabled (from step 5)
2. Open Task Manager → Details tab
   
   • Look for processes related to audio:
     
     • Anything with audio, voice, mic, sound, enhancement, NVIDIA, etc.
3. Kill suspects one at a time
   
   • Right-click a suspect process → End task.
   • After each kill, manually set the mic level again, then sign out and sign back in (quick way to simulate a mini-reboot).
   • Check if the level persists.

If ending a specific process stops the reset, you’ve found the interfering component.

7. Test with a different input chain​

This checks whether the issue is tied to Broadcast’s virtual endpoint specifically.

1. Set your app to use the physical mic directly
   
   • In your main app (Discord, Zoom, etc.), choose the physical microphone instead of NVIDIA Broadcast.
2. Reboot and check physical mic level
   
   • mmsys.cpl → Recording → physical mic → Levels.
3. Compare behavior
   
   • If the physical mic level stays stable but Broadcast Mic doesn’t, the problem is specific to the virtual device.

At that point, the most likely causes are:

• Broadcast’s own initialization.
• A conflict between Broadcast and another audio utility.

8. Final tightening: keep only what you need​

Once you’ve identified the culprit:

1. Leave “Do nothing” in Communications (safe default).
2. Keep exclusive mode off unless a specific pro-audio app truly needs it.
3. Uninstall or permanently disable the interfering app/service if possible.
4. Re-set the Broadcast Mic level one last time in mmsys.cpl and confirm across several reboots.