I cant record 2 tracks together

[pilotoatomico]

hello, im having problems with audacity, and thats pxxing me off. when i record one track its all good, but when i record the second one clicking the red button its like the first track recorded rerecords into the 2 track creating a lot of noise. what should i do so i can listen to my first track without rerecording it?? i have headphones and even if i use them, the first track gets into the 2 track that im recording. i need help ASAP

[steve]

Open the Windows Mixer (loudspeaker icon near the clock) and find the Record settings.
If you are recording from a microphone, select the microphone as the recording source. If you're recording from the Line in, set the Line in as the recording source. Do not use "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear".

[pilotoatomico]

what is line in?

[steve]

Tou don't usually get "Line in" on laptops, just "mic in".
On full size PCs you get both "Mic in" (for computer microphones) and "Line in" for "Line level sources" such as minidisk players, CD players, Mixing desks, electric pianos, etc.

Microphone sockets on standard sound cards are usually quite low quality, but you can not plug a microphone directly into a line in socket, because the signal from a microphone is too week. This is one of the reasons why people buy a good microphone and plug it into a pre-amp or mixing desk, the plug the output from that into the line in.

One solution for laptop users is to use a USB interface, or a USB microphone.