My T430 laptop has dedicated mute buttons for the speakers and microphone. I usually use a $8 pair of earbuds from a gas station with a 3.5mm cord (which seems

My T430 laptop has dedicated mute buttons for the speakers and microphone. I usually use a $8 pair of earbuds from a gas station with a 3.5mm cord (which seems superior to USB for audio, relying on the integrated sound card instead of hot-plugged third-party drivers) and use the dangling microphone from the earbud.