Can't stop recording system sounds

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Hello,

I need to use Audacity to record a voice project for school; I need to be able to record while the computer is playing sound. For some reason, I can’t turn off this second function; no matter what, Audacity continues to record whatever sound my computer is playing.

I have turned off “Stereo Mix” for recording devices in Control Panel and have tried every possible combination of the drop-down menus on the Audacity main interface (MME, Windows DirectSound and WASAPI; headset microphone selected). No matter what, the program continues to record both my voice and the system’s sounds (I am also using a headset microphone). Does anyone know how I might shut off the function so that I can play a sound file on the computer and record my voice at the same time, and hear only what the microphone picks up in the recording?

Thank you

2

How are you listening? Earmuffs on the headset?

If it’s speakers, the microphone may be picking up room sound.

If it’s a gamer headset, is the game running in the background—even napping?

Does the headset (Set of Microphone and Earmuff) have special driver software to work? This one doesn’t. It’s completely analog and uses the Mic-In and Headphone Out of a computer.

Koz

3

Let’s do a quick experiment -

Turn down the Windows playback volume all the way so there are no system sounds or anything else coming out of your soundcard or headset. Can you still record from the microphone? (We want to record what’s coming in from the, not what’s coming out.)