Hi 
I have been using audacity at a basic level for a while. I just tried to record a podcast intro today and in the middle of recording (about 10 seconds in) it starts to turn my mic up to maximum volume without me touching anything. I have installed the latest edition of Audacity 3.0 and it is still doing it. Why would it be doing this and how can I stop it?
it starts to turn my mic up to maximum volume without me touching anything
Audacity doesn’t apply filters, effects, or corrections during recording, but Audacity does get your voice from Windows, not the microphone directly. A lot can go on before Audacity sees it.
Windows can apply changes (DVDdoug, above), and do you leave Zoom or Skype running in the background? That’s a super bad idea. Both of those mess can with voice volume.
Did your microphone come with a software or driver package?
Koz