Recording problem

[Paolo]

Hello,
I have a trouble in recording music with both Audacity 1.2.6 and 1.3.6 (Unicode). I use to play adding sounds to a previous layer while listening to it, and I've done that successfully with Audacity many times. Yesterday I started a new recording and loaded the layer. When I started recording a horrible noise came from my speakers and it was impossible to proceed. I tried with other software (the integrated Windows XP recorder) and I can record, so that is not a problem with the microphone or the hardware. I tried also to remove Audacity and install it again (also the new beta version), but the problem was still there. I went on trying, and the noise problem was almost fixed cancelling the mark for the option "Software Playthrough", but when I recorded again I obtained a file with a lot of hiss and the previous layer re-recorded amplified and the addition very very low in the background with a lot of distortion.
I don't know what did happen.
My operating system is XP and my soundcard is Realtek HD.
Can someone help me? I hope so, Audacity is my favourite programme, I'm a musician and I use it in all my productions...!
Thanks a lot
Paolo

[steve]

I suspect that you have accidentally changed something in the sound card control panel (or another program has changed it for you). Look for a loudspeaker icon near the system clock. You may have set it to record "stereo mix" instead of the actual source that you want to record (or some other setting).

[Paolo]

Yes, in my settings there was the option "stereo mix" enabled... also if I didn't enable it! I found that in the soundcard control panel. Now all seems to work fine.
Thank you Steve for your help!
All the best,
Paolo