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Concerning how the Windows may connect the inputs ("Recording" channels) and the outputs ("Playback" channels), there are some ways you can hear the input channels in the output channels.

1. An input channel (Microphone, etc.) has the "Monitor" switch turned on that copies the sound from that channel directly to the output channels by software. You can find it in the sound settings.

2. Sound cards usually have a special input channel that has all the other channels connected to it on the sound card itself. There is no naming standard, so the name of this channel can be literally anything, e.g. "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", and so on. Don't be confused: this is an input channel your software can connect to to hear what it "plays".

This function is theoretically obsolete because from Windows Vista, there is a software loopback capability for every output channel on Windows to be used as an input channel (WSS), but still provided and used by the manufacturers.

You did not give enough information but if the phenomenon happens in your programs for digital communication, you may set them to use this "What You hear" channel instead of a "Line In" or so, otherwise your microphone's input channel might have that standard monitoring capability turned on in the Windows's sound settings of that device, and your software is set up to use an output channel ("Speakers", "Headphones", etc.) as an input channel - containing the sound of monitored inputs such as your microphone.

Concerning how the Windows may connect the inputs ("Recording" channels) and the outputs ("Playback" channels), there are some ways you can hear the input channels in the output channels.

1. An input channel (microphone, etc.) has the "Monitor" switch turned on that copies the sound from that channel directly to the output channels by software. You can find it in the sound settings.

2. Sound cards usually have a special input channel that has all the other channels connected to it on the sound card itself. There is no naming standard, so the name of this channel can be literally anything, e.g. "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", and so on. Don't be confused: this is an input channel your software can connect to to hear what it "plays".

This function is theoretically obsolete because from Windows Vista, there is a software loopback capability for every output channel on Windows to be used as an input channel (WSS), but still provided and used by the manufacturers.

You did not give enough information but if the phenomenon happens to your digital communication programs, you might have set them to use this "What You hear" channel instead of a "Line In" or so, otherwise your microphone's input channel might have that standard monitoring capability turned on in the Windows's sound settings of that device, and your software is set up to use an output channel ("Speakers", "Headphones", etc.) as an input channel - containing the sound of monitored inputs such as your microphone.

Concerning how the windows sound subsystem may connect the inputs ("Recording" channels) and the outputs ("Playback" channels), there are some ways you can hear the input channels in the output channels.

1. An input channel (Microphone, etc.) has the "Monitor" switch turned on that copies the sound from that channel directly to the output channels by software. You can find it in the sound settings.

2. Sound cards usually have a special input channel that has all the other channels connected to it on the sound card itself. There is no naming standard, so the name of this channel can be literally anything, e.g. "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", and so on. Don't be confused: this is an input channel your software can connect to to hear what it "plays".

This function is theoretically obsolete because from Windows Vista, there is a software loopback capability for every output channel on Windows to be used as an input channel (WSS), but still provided and used by the manufacturers.

You did not give enough information but if the phenomenon happens in your programs for digital communication, you may set them to use this "What You hear" channel instead of a "Line In" or so, otherwise your microphone's input channel might have that standard monitoring capability turned on in the Windows's sound settings of that device, and your software is set up to use an output channel ("Speakers", "Headphones", etc.) as an input channel - containing the sound of monitored inputs such as your microphone.

Concerning how the Windows may connect the inputs ("Recording" channels) and the outputs ("Playback" channels), there are some ways you can hear the input channels in the output channels.

1. An input channel (Microphone, etc.) has the "Monitor" switch turned on that copies the sound from that channel directly to the output channels by software. You can find it in the sound settings.

2. Sound cards usually have a special input channel that has all the other channels connected to it on the sound card itself. There is no naming standard, so the name of this channel can be literally anything, e.g. "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", and so on. Don't be confused: this is an input channel your software can connect to to hear what it "plays".

This function is theoretically obsolete because from Windows Vista, there is a software loopback capability for every output channel on Windows to be used as an input channel (WSS), but still provided and used by the manufacturers.

You did not give enough information but if the phenomenon happens in your programs for digital communication, you may set them to use this "What You hear" channel instead of a "Line In" or so, otherwise your microphone's input channel might have that standard monitoring capability turned on in the Windows's sound settings of that device, and your software is set up to use an output channel ("Speakers", "Headphones", etc.) as an input channel - containing the sound of monitored inputs such as your microphone.

Concerning how the windows sound subsystem may connect the inputs and the outputs, there are some ways you can hear the input channels in the output channels.

1. An input channel (Microphone, etc.) has the "Monitor" switch turned on that copies the sound on that channel directly to the output channels by software. You can find it in the sound settings.

2. Sound cards usually have a special input channel that has all the other channels connected to it on the sound card itself. There is no naming standard, so the name of this channel can be literally anything, e.g. "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", and so on. Don't be confused: this is an input channel your software can connect to to hear what it "plays".

This function is theoretically obsolete because from Windows Vista, there is a software loopback capability for every output channel on Windows to be used as an input channel (WSS), but still provided and used by the manufacturers.

You did not give enough information but if the phenomenon happens in your digital programs, you may set them to use this "What You hear" channel instead of a "Line In" or so, otherwise your microphone's input channel might have that standard monitoring capability turned on in the Windows's sound settings, and your software is set up to use an output channel ("Speakers", "Headphones", etc.) as an input channel - containing the sound of monitored inputs such as your microphone.

Concerning how the windows sound subsystem may connect the inputs ("Recording" channels) and the outputs ("Playback" channels), there are some ways you can hear the input channels in the output channels.

1. An input channel (Microphone, etc.) has the "Monitor" switch turned on that copies the sound from that channel directly to the output channels by software. You can find it in the sound settings.

2. Sound cards usually have a special input channel that has all the other channels connected to it on the sound card itself. There is no naming standard, so the name of this channel can be literally anything, e.g. "What U Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", and so on. Don't be confused: this is an input channel your software can connect to to hear what it "plays".

This function is theoretically obsolete because from Windows Vista, there is a software loopback capability for every output channel on Windows to be used as an input channel (WSS), but still provided and used by the manufacturers.

You did not give enough information but if the phenomenon happens in your programs for digital communication, you may set them to use this "What You hear" channel instead of a "Line In" or so, otherwise your microphone's input channel might have that standard monitoring capability turned on in the Windows's sound settings of that device, and your software is set up to use an output channel ("Speakers", "Headphones", etc.) as an input channel - containing the sound of monitored inputs such as your microphone.