Monitor While Recording - Sorry

[Starfire]

I know this probably has been asked before, but I've searched throughout the forum and haven't been able to find exactly what I need. So, sorry if these are tired issues.

What I want to do is monitor the output of my guitar which is plugged into my PC (via an effects device), while listening to a previous track I've recorded in Audacity. The result will be a second track that I'll be able to combine eventually with the first track.

I've experimented with the "Play other tracks while recording new one" and "Software play through" buttons on the Audio I/O without any luck. There's an unworkable delay (latency?) that makes it impossible to listen to the previous track and record the new track with any accuracy.

In one of the many messages on the forum, someone recommended an "enable mic playback" option on the PC, but I don't seem to have any such animal. The PC I'm using for recording is a Dell Dimension 2100 with a Creative Sound Blaster PCI.

I've also noted another recommendation for a Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202 that may solve the problem. But in looking at the diagram on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media ... F8&index=0
I'm not seeing how this works. It looks like the output from the PC just goes back to the device, which wouldn't seem to make a difference. I would need to plug the guitar into the UCA202 somwhere to be able to monitor it, wouldn't I?

Any thoughts or alternate methods to monitor input would be welcome, and sorry for such a long post.

[steve]

someone recommended an "enable mic playback" option on the PC, but I don't seem to have any such animal. ... with a Creative Sound Blaster PCI.

I'm assuming that you use Microsoft Windows.

A properly installed SoundBlaster card will put a loudspeaker icon in the sys tray (near the clock). This links to the "Creative Mixer" (part of the user interface for the sound card). This is where you find the options for enabling playback of the recording input. (It is also where you select which recording input to use).

In Audacity "Play other tracks while recording new one" should be enabled (selected) and "Software play through" should be disabled (not selected).

[Starfire]

oh, geez. I unchecked the mute box under the mic volume setting, and voila! I coulda sworn I looked there... Thanks, Steve!