Tutorial - Making a Test Recording
Click on the downward pointing arrow beside the microphone symbol under the recording VU meters and select "Start Monitoring".
Talk or play at a normal volume and watch the recording VU meter.
Adjust the recording volume with the recording level control.
You want the meter to get close to the right hand edge without hitting it during the loudest parts.
Note that if you are using a USB microphone or USB microphone adapter the recording volume control may have no effect (and the input selector above may be missing because there aren't multiple inputs to choose from). If you cannot get a "good" reading on the recording meter (doesn't get close to the right edge - too quiet; or goes all the way to the right edge - too loud), go back to your system sound control panel and adjust the volume there.
You are now ready to do a test recording.
Get everything ready (microphone in place, guitar in hand) and click the Record button 
in the Transport Control toolbar. Record for few seconds while talking or playing, then click the Stop button 
.
Have a look at the recorded waveform - there should be no clipping visible. Clipping is bad - this is when the volume of the source that was sent to Audacity is louder than Audacity can record. The result is that the tops and bottoms of the recorded wave are chopped off ("clipped"). The illustrations below show a properly-recorded waveform and a clipped waveform. Note that these images from Audacity show the waveform when zoomed in - the total time displayed is about 0.004 seconds!
Gale: 02 Mar 11 I think images from Audacity itself, explaining these are when zoomed in, would be less confusing than the below images.
Bill 02Apr11: Like this?
A properly recorded waveform 
A clipped waveform
You can also check for clipping by clicking on . Audacity will display vertical red bars in the waveform wherever it detects clipping.
Click on to remove the test recording.
If clipping occurred turn down the recording level a bit and try again. If no clipping occurred you are ready for the real thing! Try to aim for a maximum peak of around –6dB dB (or 0.5 if you have your meters set to linear rather than dB).
Tip: enlarging the Meter Toolbar by clicking and dragging helps with this task.
Links
> Forward to: Tutorial - Recording and Editing
