Background noise in USB microphone

[lericson]

I've been using the Microsoft Lifechat headsets for about 4 years now with no problems at all. Recently I started getting complaints from online friends about a horrible noise in the background when I talk. I tried a new usb headset and got the same problem. I tried every usb jack on my computer with the same result. The noise is like a series of square waves changing frequency randomly. It occurs in all applications that use the microphone. The audio output works fine. Is this a problem with the onboard sound processor or the usb drives, or something else?

 

[Captain828]

Some more info would be nice:

1. Motherboard (use CPU-Z if you don't know)
2. VoIP software used (Ventrilo, TeamSpeak, Skype etc.)
3. Windows version (including Service Pack)
4. Name of your new headset

This could also be related to your internet connection. High ping or packet loss with the VoIP server can cause severe distortion and audio artefacts.
Best way to see if there's anything wrong in this case is to use Windows Sound Recorder to record yourself and see if the issue persists.