Most computers have more than one recording input, such as microphone or line-in. To select and adjust a recording input, use the Options | Record from the menu.
Use the Record New
button to create a new file and start recording.
Recording stops automatically when the duration has passed.
If you stop recording earlier, the new file is trimmed to the length of the recording.
Use the Record tab of
the Control Properties window to set the default new file duration.
Use the Record Selection
button to record into an existing sound. Audio is recorded into the selection of the
Sound window
replacing any audio that was
previously there. Recording stops automatically when the end of the
selection is reached (bounded mode) or
when no more storage is available (unbounded
mode). You can stop recording at any time with the
recording stop
button and the unrecorded part of the selection is filled with silence.
To record dictation and easily switch between playback and recording, check the Dictation mode
setting on the Record tab of the Control Properties window.
You can then use the Record Dictation 
button
to resume recording from the current playback position.
Make sure you see activity on the horizontal VU Meters while recording. The source volume should be adjusted so that it peaks in the orange or low red area, but not all the way. If there is no activity or the level is very low, change the input and/or volume or select a different recording device, explained below.
You can make room for recording in the current sound by using the Edit | Insert Silence command.
A recording pause
buttons appears in place of the record button so
that you can pause and unpause recording.
Many recording settings are available in the Record tab of the Control Properties window. Right-click on the record button to quickly access some of these settings.
Remember to press the playback button on the cassette player, record player, or CD player when recording from an external device. See the Appendix D for a tutorial.
If you want to record vocals over existing music, you'll need to use two files in GoldWave. You can record in one file while playing the other. After recording, mix the two files together.
For long recordings, turn off any power management settings that may power down or sleep the computer.
Software Loopback Method
Select the LOOPBACK recording input in GoldWave,
if available. Not all devices support loopback recording.
The following conditions:
If an error occurs when recording, make sure the correct recording device is selected in GoldWave and the audio hardware is capable of recording at the sampling rate and quality selected.
Try the following:
If your recording device does not support a sampling rate required, record at a supported rate, then use Resample to convert it to the required rate.
If nothing helps, try recording in the Windows Sound Recorder accessory included with Windows (see Windows Help for details) to make sure recording is working on your computer.