Windows – Remove voice chat echo without needing headphones

audioteamspeakvoipwindowswindows 10

When I voice chat with 3 people (using Discord/Teamspeak/Skype etc) and one of them talks their voice gets echoed from my end so the 3rd person can hear them twice. When I talk they can only hear me once.

I don't wear headphones so I know it's the feedback from my speakers that they are hearing.

In my old PC I used to use Acoustic Echo Cancellation which came part of Realtek HD Audio that solved this problem. My current laptop doesn't support this feature.

How do I go about solving this issue without needing to put in my headphones? Is there perhaps a built in tool for Windows 10 or an application I can use?

Best Answer

Most voice chat software has some sort of acoustic cancellation squirreled away in the settings (not sure about Discord, they're a little new on the block). However, a few practical tips if those don't do the trick:

  1. USE PUSH TO TALK MODE. Bind you input key to something you don't use often (shift key in my case), so the mic is only active when it is pushed and not when others are transmitting.
  2. If in an enclosed area, try to point the audio output into the open area, and not at a wall (sound reflection)
  3. Some laptops come with both an array microphone, and a unidirectional microphone. In most cases, the unidirectional mic is better for that purpose.
  4. Reduce the volume of the output on your speakers so the microphone doesn't pick it up as well.
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