Stereo In Windows Vista Home Premium

[rismith]

I record my own original music on a Boss BR-8 digital 8-track recording deck, and then mixdown the 8 tracks to 2 stereo tracks into my computer using Audacity, so that I can burn CDs.
It has always worked well in the past, when I had my previous computer with Windows XP. Now I've gotten a new computer, with a Windows Vista Home Premium, 64 bit operating system,
and I can't get Audacity to record properly in stereo. The problem is that I'm not entirely sure! Since different instruments are panned to different sides in differing propotions, the sound
of the 2 stereo channels should be different, right. And therefore the waveforms shown in Audacity should look different for the 2 channels, right? And likewise, the VU meters should
move and peak differently, right? So anyway, my connecting cable goes from left and right 'Line-out' RCA jacks on my Boss deck, to a 1/8" TRS plug into the 'Line-In' jack on my soundcard,
and I've selected the "record in stereo" box in Audacity, and I'm getting a recording on 2 channels, but both waveforms look identical, and both VU meters move and peak identically,
and when I playback the recording, I don't hear the separation of instruments and voices between the 2 channels. It sounds like the exact same information is being recorded on both channels.
Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Is it me? Or is it some kind of bug in Audacity? I'm planning to have the stereo recordings professionally mastered, printed, and packaged for distribution.
But if I can't get Audacity to record properly in stereo, then I'll have to purchase a commercial audio recording software program. Help!

Thanks, Rick

[steve]

No it's not Audacity, it's Vista.
Look in the Windows Control Panel, there should be a setting for recording in mono or stereo.
I trust you are using a Line input and not a Mic input?

For Vista it is recommended that you use Audacity 1.3
The best version for Vista is 1.3.11 here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php? ... tly_Builds

[steve]

BTW, tips for using Audacity on Vista: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php? ... s_Vista_OS

[rismith]

Thanks to 'stevethefiddle' for the response/advice. I'll check my Windows control panel for a place to select 'mono' or 'stereo'.
If I still can't get it to work, I'll try the 1.3 version, although I'm apprehensive about trying a Beta version, and the glitches
that often come with them. And yes, I'm definitely using the 'Line-In" jack, not the "Mic" jack. - - - Here's hoping, Rick