ux-portfolio-JAlvarado28

Adjusting the Sound and Mic Volume

By Jesus Alvarado ~ 05/02/2021

Goals:

-Adjust the sound quality with the equalizer.

-Adjust the volume of the microphone from the new headset.

Error tolerant: Should be able to fix the sound easily without having to troubleshoot.

Effective: The settings should be adjustable and easy to manipulate to the goal one desires.

Memorable: It should be easy to remember and apply when using it on other systems.

Satisfying: Should be an easy and enjoyable process for the user to go through.

Description:

I had recently gotten this headset from best buy for gaming, music, and school. It came with a microphone and had a 7.1 surround sound. I installed the software called iCUE which is meant for Corsair’s products. With this, I aimed to adjust the sound quality for FPS gaming as well as adjust the microphone volume in which was too low for others who were not able to hear me.

corsair headset

Description of the Interaction:

-Sound Quality:

  1. I went into the iCUE app and selected the headset icon. ICUE
  2. I went into the equalizer section and adjusted the bandwidth.
  3. I saved it as a preset for specific purposes like gaming or movies.

-Mic Volume:

  1. I right-clicked on the sound icon on the right bottom corner of the screen.
  2. I clicked the ‘sounds’ option and went into the Recording section.
  3. I selected the headset’s properties and head to the levels. mic properties
  4. Adjusted the level to which sounds the best.
  5. It was still low, then I searched ‘Equalizer APO’ in google and downloaded the first option.
    • Best third party app to adjust the microphone and sound volume.
  6. It asked for permission to run in the system. I accepted which was then installed with Wizard.
  7. A prompt appeared to choose the item to equalize. I chose the device in the Capture Device section. configurator
  8. It then asked me to restart the system. After restarting, I went to the location where I downloaded the file.
  9. I went to config which will bring up a notepad. It then displayed that the ‘Preamp’ was set at -10 dB. I adjusted the dB to my preference.
    • The higher it is, the louder the microphone will sound. db
  10. I clicked on the file and saved the notepad.

# Outcome:

Overall, it was a stressful situation that involved troubleshooting which should not have happened. The software did not perform the task that I wanted, so I had to download a third-party app, Equalizer APO. The process for the sound quality was easy and memorable for the user to adjust later for other purposes which the iCUE app excelled in. It was a satisfying experience to have the ability to change the bandwidth of the frequency for the sound quality. To adjust the microphone volume, it was a lot more stressful as I had to resort to a third-party app. The process was simple and fast, but it was tedious to find the solution. This could have been used in the iCUE software, but they focused more on the sound than the microphone which is a bad usability practice. The poor utilization of the app resulted in many of its users getting a third-party app according to online reviews. With the use of the third-party app, Equalizer APO, it was very effective and very error-tolerant. It was easy to change the volume with the new app in which the iCUE or Window’s device manager lacked in. The iCUE software should allow the user to manipulate the decibels in the microphone or at least make it more user-friendly that is efficient. The iCUE software excelled in the headset quality with its equalizer while the Equalizer APO was better to adjust the decibel.