Audacity only recording with certain microphones?

[MoreThanLuck]

Hi! I have a YouTube Channel where I post gameplay commentaries and Let's Play videos, and the audio for these I record in audacity. I used to use my gaming headphone, a set of Astro A40s to record my audio, but now it won't work. I used to record it off the 2, 3.5 mm headphones jacks for PC. The pink and green that are standard. I can still play audio, but nothing I do will allow it to record. I have triple checked the microphone on my xbox, and that the plugs are in the correct spots, and they both are. Nothing I do seems to help. Please help!
Thank you,
- Ian

[kozikowski]

You're doing this, right?

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/PCHeadset.jpg

You should track it back through the Windows Control Panels and see what they think.

Start > Control Panels > Sound > Recording or something like that.

You're Record panel should be set to record from the Mic-In and not anything else. Also, you should not be recording from Stereo-Mix or Mix-Out or any of those. Those connections are the ones you need to record Internet Audio and they will seriously mess up personal entertainment recording.

Then you can go into Audacity Preferences and make sure the Mic-In is selected there as well.

Koz

[kozikowski]

One more. Nothing can make you look more silly than discovering you didn't push the pink plug in all the way. Go ahead. Ask me how I know that. Unplug and replug it a couple of times and give it a half turn at the end.
Koz

[MoreThanLuck]

I wish it were only the plug. Believe me, I have tried it many a time. Yes, the picture is an accurate representation of the 2 plugs. I have tried all the different audio in options. It used to be just open audacity, plug in and record, but now it won't work. My mic on the headset won't work for anything on my computer anymore. Not audacity, not steam, not Skype etc... I have tried to set it as a new device, but that doesn't work. Also, I'm on windows 7, if that helps.