To prevent future problems, use the WIndows sound window: Right click the speaker icon in the system tray, click "recording devices". Double click your mic, click levels, Raise the slider. (If there's a boost slider, raise the mic slider to the max, try raising the boost slider in steps. I've found that cheap mics may not have sufficient output, so switched to a studio-quality mic with preamp. Also, if you are using a USB mic, plug it into a USB 2.0 (not 3.0) jack on the computer (not on a hub). See the videos in this series that have "mics" in their names: