Voice Chat

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In WoW v2.2 Blizzard added a built-in voice chat capability to the game. This allows players to hear others talking through their speakers, and talk if they have a microphone.

Getting a mic / headset

Most players prefer to use a headset, and those listening to you probably will to because desk mics usually pick up all kinds of background noise.

Choose a headset that is comfortable for you, sturdy, and has a good mic, preferably with noise-canceling features.

Most of the headsets you can buy at common reatailers (e.g. Walmart, BestBuy) are poor quality for the money. The mics sound terrible, and you sound like your talking from inside a noisy parking garage.

If you have $30, I would like to recommend the headset I have. I like it so much that there are 3 of them in my house now. The headphones sound good, the earcups seal very well to block out a lot of external sound, they are sturdy, the mic boom is flexible and easy to position, and you will sound very clear thanks to the good-quality noise-canceling mic.

KOSS SB45 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Multi-Media Stereophone
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826263010

Getting set up in-game

Blizzard has posted a nice intro to using Voice Chat in WoW. I suggest you read it here...
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/basics/voicechat.html

Here are the instructions:

1. First, be 100% sure your mic is not muted. Most operating systems, including Windows XP, mute the mic by default. Go to your sound settings, and check. You may need to change settings to show the mic's status. (In Windows XP, click Options > Properties in the sound control panel, and place a checkmark in the microphone's box under the Show the following volume controls: area.)
   
2. While in WoW, click the Main Menu icon from your toolbar. It looks like a little computer.
   
3. Choose Sound & Voice.
   
4. Click the Voice tab at the bottom of the window.
   
5. Put a checkmark in Enable voice chat and Enable microphone.
   
6. Set the Microphone Volume slider to about 215% to start with.
   
7. From the Voice Chat Mode dropdown, select Push-to-Talk.
   
8. Click the button below Key Binding, and select the button that you want to press to momentarily activate the mic, so that you can talk. I recommend the backwards apostrophe key, `, which is next to the 1 key.
   
9. Under Game Audio Fade on the right, use the three sliders to set how quiet background game sound will be made while people are talking. I suggest fairly low (quiet) settings, around 20% from the left to start with.
   
10. Put your headset on, nder Microphone Test press the button with the red dot (record), and begin speaking in a normally quiet voice. You should see the little bar moving as you speak.
    
11. Press the yellow arrow (play) button. If everything is working, you should hear yourself talking, and should sound a little loud.
    
12. If you didn't see the bar moving when you were talking, or don't hear yourself when you played it back, check the troubleshooting section below.
    
13. Click Okay to save the settings.
    

• If you don't see the bar moving while testing the mic, try choosing a different input device from the dropdown menu underneath the Enable Microphone setting.
  
• If you do see the bar moving while testing the mic, but don't hear yourself when you play it back, or don't hear other players talking even though their name is showing up on the bottom of the screen, select a different device from the Speakers dropdown menu.
  
• If voice chat was working, but stopped working after you got disconnected or logged into a different character, try one of the following:
  
  • Right-click the little speaker by the minimap, and select a different option (even None), and then set it back again.
    
  • Using the in-game settings, disable, save, then re-enable voice chat.
    
  • Double-check that the mic has not become muted in your operating system, that the cable is plugged in, and that if you have a mute switch on your mic cord that it is unmuted.
    
• If you have a fancy mouse with buttons on the side, near your thumb, a very cool trick is to use your mouse drivers to assign your Push-to-Talk key to the mouse button. That way you can just press the mouse button and talk!