Can't get mike to work properly beyond low crackly level!!

[grouchob]

Hi..... I have audacity 1.2.6 which i am using with Winows XP. I have used most of the functions of audacity well but have hit a problem for which I cannot find a solution on any helplines. Basically I'm trying to record vocals over an existing instrumental track but i cannot get any quality sound using the microphone. I recently bought another condenser type mike recommended for use with computers (Maplins) but still the same problem so not a Mike problem. Yes the microphone is not muted (checked in control panel , microphone is ticked for recording devices and volume set to maximum)
Yes I have altered the slider for microphone and set the drop down menu ( top right of audacity) to microphone and yes I've put the audio Track slider (LEFT hand side) to maximum. The thing is that I DO GET SOME sound however it is always faint with constant "satellite" type distortions. Help going a bit crazy now What have I missed. (PS Also Set preferences to just about all the combinations to no avail)
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Groucho

[steve]

If you are using a conventional microphone (mini-jack plug into your computer sound card) then I suspect that the problem is the sound card. PCs are notorious for poor quality microphone inputs and this is one of the main reasons that many people use USB microphones. If you are using a conventional (not USB) microphone, look near the Time/Date on your desktop for a loudspeaker icon. This gives access to the sound card settings. In the sound card settings there is usually a setting to boost the microphone input. This will give you a much bigger signal but will not solve the noise problem. Some sound cards have a "noise reduction" setting which may improve things or may make it sound worse.