Since yesterday, Discord has started capturing my desktop audio as if it were coming through my microphone. The problem continues even when I mute the mic in Discord, but stops when the microphone itself is unplugged. I use Voicemod, although disabling it does not fix anything. Bypass system audio input processing and automatic gain control are disabled, and changing noise suppression settings makes no difference. Stereo Mix is disabled, and unused microphones and speakers are turned off. Other recordings, including NVIDIA ShadowPlay captures, contain no desktop-audio bleed, so the issue seems limited to Discord. My microphone is connected through a USB audio adapter because the computer's front audio jacks are faulty. Lowering Discord's input sensitivity prevents the echo, but also cuts out much of my voice. What could be causing this, and how can I stop Discord from routing desktop audio through my mic?
3 Answers
Start by checking Discord’s exact input device under Voice & Video rather than leaving it on Default. Make sure it is using the microphone on the USB adapter and not a virtual, monitor, or loopback device. Also check the adapter’s recording properties in Windows and disable any Listen to this device or monitoring option.
Since other applications do not record the desktop audio, Discord may be using a different input endpoint or virtual audio route than ShadowPlay. Re-select the physical microphone in Discord, restart Discord completely, and temporarily disable Voicemod and any other virtual audio devices in Windows. Avoid relying on input sensitivity as the fix, since that only hides the bleed instead of removing its source.
The fact that the bleed stops when the microphone is physically unplugged points to the microphone path or USB adapter rather than Discord’s noise suppression. A faulty adapter, incorrect headset wiring, or electrical crosstalk can mix playback into the mic signal. If possible, test the headset with another adapter or computer, and test another microphone with the current adapter. The exact headset and adapter models would also help narrow down the problem.
I’m using a USB audio adapter because the front-panel jacks have been unreliable, so I’ll verify that Discord is explicitly using that adapter instead of the default device.