I have just started using audacity. I generally record acoustic guitar first w/condensor mike etc. Then I play that track back while recording vocals. Same for adding other instruments and so on. Question, how can you listen to the recorded tracks on headphones while you hear what you are now recording. The track you are recording does not come through the speakers or headphones. Thanks
“Edit->Preferences->Audio I/O” select “Play other tracks while recording new one”
(Leave “Software Playthrough” unselected)
Thanks for the tip. I know if you check “play other tracks while recording new one” one can hear what you have recorded but you can’t hear what you are recording presently. If you check the “software playthrough” box you can hear yourself but there is a significant delay. Any way around this?
To hear your acoustic guitar while you are recording it:
Method 1)
Turn the headphones down to a lower volume so that you can hear the guitar (this is the better method for the health of your hearing) 
Method 2)
If you’re using Windows and are recording via the “line in” socket, go into the Windows Mixer and make sure that there is some volume on the “line in” slider (playback section) and that it is not muted. (this method allows you to hear the guitar through your headphones - but be careful if you are recording with a microphone and / or monitoring through speakers as it could cause feedback).
Thanks,I usually record a guitar rhythm track first. Then I play it back while I am recording the vocal track. I want to be able to hear vocal I am recording at the same time I hear the previously recorded guitar. It certainly works without using headphones but while I’m singing vocals in the mic, it picks up the recorded guitar from the speakers. Thats why I’d rather use headphones.
This is not as easy as it sounds and requires a bit of careful thought as to where your various audio connections are routed.
Steve’s suggestion 1) is ok as a workaround, but you really need everything in those cans, particularly if they are closed.
As Steve says in suggestion 2), you need the signal you are recording to come into your computer via the line-in, which must not be muted and must have the volume set to an appropriate level.
You need to route the sound out of your PC (sound out of your existing Audaicty project + new track being recorded) into your headphones.
If you’re using amps, pre-amps, mixers, headphone amps, splitters or whatever else in your set-up, just ensure at all times that no signal is fed out of your PC’s sound out and simultaneously back in to the line-in. I zero all volumes before making any changes and then turn them up real slowly (you will hear a deafening beep if you’ve gone wrong) specifically to prevent this error which could do untold damage to both your equipment and your ears.
Thank you. So then it IS possible to hear yourself (current recording) in your phones while listening to the other tracks? The windows in and out mixer must be okay though because I hear the other tracks I have recorded.All I don’t hear is the new one I’m doing at the present time. This is really difficult while trying to sing harmony with yourself or when you run an instrument (non acoustic) directly into the PC. maybe an interface with a line out would take care of it.
Yes it is possible - the crucial setting to monitor the input is the “playback” window of the Windows Mixer.
If you are using “Mic In” then the “Mic In” fader in the “Playback” screen of the Windows Mixer must be NOT muted, and the slider set to the desired volume.
If you are using “Line In” then the “Line In” fader in the “Playback” screen of the Windows Mixer must be NOT muted, and the slider set to the desired volume.
If you cannot see the relevant slider, you may need to click on “Options > Properties” in the Windows Mixer to make it visible. http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=Mixer_Toolbar_Issues
Thank you Steve. Where do you live? I am always looking for a fiddle player.
Midlands England
wow thats a little far from northern Wisconsin. Thanks again
Sure is a long way from Kansas Toto
Good luck with your recording.