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If you want to explore the audio facilities within Windows operating software, read on. It is useful to know about these in case they block the recording software that you will be using.

To get the Windows mixer to appear, double click the speaker icon in the tray, near the clock (conventionally at the bottom right of your screen). If the speaker icon is missing, open the Control Panel, then Sounds and Multimedia. Put a tick in front of "Show volume control on the taskbar" and the loudspeaker icon will appear in future.

When you double click the speaker icon in the tray, Windows opens one of two volume control panels. You need two control panels one for recording and the other for playback. With the playback control open, click the Options menu, click Properties and choose the Recording button. Click OK and the option will change.

You need the programme running in two separate modes as one handles the input while the other does the recording. You can also limit the number of inputs or output you want to display to simplify the two mixing panels. The Playback controller is often titled Master volume.

With the Recording Control window open on your screen, double click the speaker icon a second time. Windows will open a second instance of the control window. This will be the playback controller. (Sometimes the second mixer window masks the first one by opening on top of it.) Arrange the two windows ready for use by dragging one away from the other. You now have both the recording mixer and the playback mixer open and visible.

Click the Options menu and then the Properties option in each mixer window. In the Recording Control, check the recording sources and Recording Control in the Properties window.

In the properties of Playback Control, remove checkmarks from everything except "Volume Control," "Wave" and "Line-In."

You should now have two smaller windows on the screen, one that controls recording and one that controls the monitoring and playback.

	The recording control should display vertical sliders for setting the recording level and horizontal sliders for left-to-right balance.
	The playback control will have three pairs of sliders that do the same thing for playback if you have followed the setting given above.

You have nearly done your job as the sound engineer.

Select the microphone.
Set the slide on the vertical controls about near their midpoint and make sure all the horizontal sliders are cantered.
Finally, make sure all the "Mute" boxes are unchecked as it is turns that channel off.

Now you are ready for the performer. Step up to the microphone, click new and you are recording. The plugs