This is interesting, because it does not agree with what is showing in the Device Toolbar, but it does explain what the problem is.
According to the device info:
Selected recording device: 1 - Stereo Mix (Realtek High Defini
Selected playback device: 3 - Speakers (Realtek High Definiti
There is no mention of the USB mic.
That means that Audacity is using your speakers for playback (via the Realtek HD audio chip, which I guess is the computerâs on-board audio chip), and is recording from the âStereo Mixâ output of the Realtek HD. These settings will record whatever is playing on the computer. In effect, it links the outputs of the Realtek HD to the inputs of the ReakTek HD
What has probably happened, is that you set Audacity (correctly) to record from the USB mic, but then for some reason, your computer lost its connection to the USB mic. so Audacity fell back to using another device, which happened to be the âStereo Mixâ input of your onboard sound card.
This could have been due to a loose USB connection, or even due to a temporary high load on the computerâs CPU making the USB temporarily unavailable.
If youâve not rebooted the computer for a long time, that could also be the problem. USB likes to be ârefreshedâ from time to time.
Also, some computers have trouble waking USB after the computer has been to sleep. When working with audio projects, it is a good idea to disable power saving (and for laptops, run the machine plugged in if possible).
Audacity only looks for available audio devices in three situations:
- When Audacity is launched
- When you âRescan Audio Devicesâ (Transport menu).
- When you select âAudio Device Infoâ
Only the first two will update the Device Toolbar (the third is only for diagnostic purposes).
For overdub recording (which is what you are doing), you should have your headphones plugged into the Rode USB microphone, and set the playback device in the device toolbar to the microphone. This should allow you to hear yourself, and other tracks through your headphones.
I would suggest:
- Shut down / power off the computer completely
- Check the USB lead is not damaged and is securely plugged in at both ends. Use a different lead / USB socket if necessary.
- Restart the computer and wait for it to fully boot up. If Windows / anti-virus / any other software is updating, wait for it to complete (can take a long time).
- Turn down the level controls on the mic, and plug your headphones into the mic.
- Launch Audacity
- Set the device toolbar to the USB mic for both recording and playback.
- Adjust the levels on the mic as necessary. Note that the mic controls work in conjunction with the Windows audio controls - ensure that the recording and playback levels are turned up in the Windows sound controls.