Hi there,

I know this will sound incredibly basic to most here, but I have been stuck for a very long time with the problem and my semantic limitations prevent me from searching for the answer in existing threads. Please bear with me and answer if you can...

I am using PA9 in a friend's Vista laptop. I recorded one basic audio track (guitar) in my small project. Now I am trying to record a second audio track (vocals) and the result is terrible because the previously recorded guitar track ends up being recorded in my vocal track! I know I could mute the guitar track while recording the vocal, but I need to hear it for being able to sing in tune and in time...

Can anyone help?

What's the sound card or audio interface?
Many stock sound cards and a lot of Sound Blaster cards have a setting called WhatUHear or Stereo Mix, which sends all audio to all inputs and can cause this unwanted track bleed.
Explore the sound card's options and turn off WhatUHear or Stereo Mix if it's enabled.

Hi there, 

Thanks for answering. The sound card is whatever came in the laptop, and I suspect you are right: there must be some setting that sends to the tracks audio input ALL of the signals running through the audio card, instead of sending only the signal coming from the microphone input. I have been trying to locate said setting on my own, but no luck so far...

Well I managed to find the sound card panel in windows. It is a Realtek... I discovered how to enable and disable "stereo mix", but that did not solve the problem.

I suspect I am missing a concept here: shouldn't I have the ability to send the output of my already recorded audio track (guitar) to the headphones output only, instead of having it sent to the recording input? Perhaps this is what I am doing wrong: upon recording any track I have Cakewalk's track  "source" as "Left microphone" and as "Port" I have "Speakers". If I am setting as output the speakers, then how does the previously recorded audio ends up being routed to the input of my new track??

I have never had PA, so I don't know anything about it's settings options. In Music Creator and SONAR Home Studio, there are no Source or Port settings.
Do you have an Options button at the top of the PA screen?
Maybe ask about PA 9 in the PA forum, even if you are just getting started...

Knowing that Vista had lots of problems in the audio department...could this be a compatibility issue?? Pro Audio 9 was introduced 6 years before Vista, and audio software and hardware developed hugely during that time. And knowing that integrated soundchips are poor in DAW work anyway...

There can't be that many routing settings to check..Or have you been able to multitrack with that setup before? What kind of audio mixer panel does Vista have? You have not mentioned trying anything on that. Or is it combined with soundcard control panel?

Just speculating.