Audio input control (...or lack of it)

I don't know much about Vista, but I do use Win XP and in the Sound Control Panel for XP you can select or deselect inputs (for Recording) and outputs (for playback) but those are done one at a time.
In otherwards you have to select the inputs or outputs and then reopen Windows Sound Control panel again to do the outputs or inputs, since one set are found in Recording and the other set are in Playback.
 
Hopefully that is all you are dealing with since that would be a simple fix.
 
Also in Cakewalk PA9 you would also need to select the Audio Source for the particular tracks you are working on, but it sounds like you have already done that part.

Hi everyone, thanks for your input.

In the "advanced" tab, I have the "simultaneous record/playback" option checked.

In the "drivers" tab, the field "Input Drivers" have only one item, namely "1. Microphone (Realtek high definition)", and I can leave it either highlighted or not. I have it highlighted, which I assume means selected. In the field "Output Drivers" I have two options, "1.Speakers (Realtek High Definition)" and "2.Realtek Digital Output (Realtek)". I have "1.Speakers (Realtek High Definition)" highlighted.


In the Windows mixer "recording properties" tab I have "Microphone (Realtek high definition audio) listed as "working", "Line In (Realtek high definition audio) listed as "not plugged in" - quite natural, as I only have an audio input jack connected to the mic input - and "Stereo Mix (Realtek high definition audio)" listed as "disabled". 


The situation remains the same: any monitored audio track inevitably ends up recorded with any new audio track I try to record. I wish there was a dedicated control to select what gets input to the recording tracks... Perhaps it is poorly named and I haven't identified it yet? I also wonder whether it lies in Cakewalk itself or somewhere in the Windows Vista configuration.

Hi Larry,

I am monitoring audio on headphones plugged into the laptop's headphone/speakers jack. Each audio track is in a separate, uniquey numbered channel.

Do you know where is the user expected to indicate what audio signal source is to be input to a newly armed, audio recording track before starting to record it?

Thanks for your patience Larry.

I see why you are puzzled with my question, but it is valid in view of the behavior I am getting upon recording audio: upon setting up a new audio track for recording, I select as input "Left mic Realtek" and output "Realtek speakers". Unless my understanding is incorrect, such channel input setting should cause only the Left Mic signal to be input when I record... Still what gets actually input is the Left Mic signal plus my monitored audio.
In other words, the input signal setting I select is being ignored, as the software (or perhaps Vista?) insists in adding the monitored audio signal to the left mic signal that I specified. Hence my question: If one cannot select a signal input by specifying it in the "input port" of the channel, then where else is it to be specified?

Hi again. I am confident I am properly addressing the recording (input/source) signal path and listening (output/destination) signal paths, otherwise clearly indicated on each track's settings.

I took your cue regarding the Realtek sound control panel and did some investigation. It occurred to me that maybe I am not getting access to the Realtek audio manager / Realtek sound user interface... I read some articles on the web that suggest that actual adjustments to the soundcard are only possible through this interface (which seems to be different from the “Sound” tab I have been trying to make changes through…). Tonight I will try to locate said Realtek Interface, which might be hidden somewhere deep into this abomination that is Windows Vista.
For the record, I have run the wave profiler and got no change whatsoever. I wonder if I should try updating the Realtek driver? Am saving that for a last resort because I am worried this could do more harm than good.

No, I could find no Realtek interface whatsoever - only what lies under the Windows Vista "Sound" icon.

Not to waste this thread - and banking on the future when I may be able to afford a new laptop: Is the purchase of an external, dedicated interface required for basic operation of Cakewalk? Mind you, I have no interest in anything fancy and mostly avoid working with MIDI. All I need is to record multi-track audio and then mix it down to mp3.

So, can a modern, stock laptop - for instance a $500 Dell - work with Cakewalk using its integrated soud card?