The SteelSeries Arctis 5 headset is one of the best gaming headsets that’s available in the market today. It has several outstanding features such as independent game and chat control, DTS surround sound, dual zone RGB illumination, and a ClearCast bidirectional microphone that is Discord certified. It has won several awards and is one of the most preferred headsets of esports gamers. Although this is a solid performing device there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the SteelSeries Arctis 5 microphone not working issue.
How To Fix Steelseries Arctis 5 Microphone Not Working
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
There are several factors that can cause this particular problem ranging from a mute microphone setting to an incorrect device selection. Listed below are the troubleshooting steps you need to do to fix this problem.
Unmute the microphone
The first thing you will need to do in this case is to make sure that the microphone setting is not muted. There is a button located on the left earcup of this headset. If this button is not pushed in then the microphone is muted. You can further verify this when you see the red LED light of the microphone light up. Make sure to push this button in.
Adjust the Game Chat feature
The sound card that the headset connects to has a knob on top with a setting for Game and Chat. If the knob is set all the way to Game then you won’t be able to hear the voice chat of your team mates. Set this knob to the center then Check if the Arctis 5 microphone not working issue still occurs.
Configure the SteelSeries engine
By default you can use this headset without installing any software however using the SteelSeries engine gives you more control over the device.
- Download the Steelseries Engine from here https://steelseries.com/engine.
- Open the Setup and install the Engine.
- Open the SteelSeries Engine, now disconnect the Headset from your computer and reconnect it.
- Once the engine recognizes your headset, click on the Device Name displayed.
- This will open up the device configurations, click on the “Live Mic Preview“.
- Now take out the microphone and try to speak, if the microphone is connected you will be able to hear yourself.
- Adjust the settings to your preference and minimize the application.
Check if the Arctis 5 microphone not working issue still occurs.
Make sure that the Arctis 5 headset is selected as the default device.
- Right-click on the “Volume” icon on the bottom right corner.
- Select the “Open Sound Settings” option.
- Under the “Sound” heading select the output device as “Headphones (SteelSeries Arctis Game)” and the Input device as “Microphone (SteelSeries Arctis 5 Chat)”.
- Apply the settings
Check if the Arctis 5 microphone not working issue still occurs.
Adjust the audio levels
- Right-click on the Volume Icon on the bottom right side.
- Select “Sounds” and open the “Recording” tab.
- Double click on the “SteelSeries Arctis 5 Chat” button.
- Under the Levels tab, make sure that the volume is more than 50%
Check if the Arctis 5 microphone not working issue still occurs.