i dont know how to set up my microphone properly! its a samson C10U usb studio condenser mic, I've had it since my 18th birthday and Ive only recorded Subway and Confide In Me with it.
it keeps only wanting to record through one channel. i've tried fiddling about in all the sound settings, it says it is recording out of 2 channels now, but one channel is really quiet so you can only hear it in one ear.
im really annoyed because ive written a song with lyrics and i've got the tune and everything and i can't get it to record right!
can anyone help?

Hmm, check your leads first, do you have a spare or borrow one. or try another usb socket.

Or simply record it on one channel, then copy it to another.

Well all microphones are mono unless it is a STEREO mic.
I wouldn't really know how to 'fix' it off the top of my head, but what I'd recommend doing is, just create a mono empty track, and record into that.

The Samson C01U is not a stereo mic. It is a Cardiod condencer (single output device). It must be the way you are assigning it to a track, (mono or stereo) or monitoring it. ?????????????????

To get great stereo sound with a Mono mic....

Use two mics pointed diagonally towards eachother and you right in front on them. on your mixer or whatever pan one all the way or part way to the left  and one all the way or part way to the right.

then in audacity make sure you record in stereo.
add a slight bit of chorus or reverb and whalah

PD - why are you trying to record your vocals in stereo?

Set your recording software (do you use FL do record in, or another bit of software?) to record in mono; this will give you a smaller file size for the recorded track, and it will sound right. 
I'd say that the only time you want to record stereo vocals is if you're using stereo effects in the initial take - but I don't know why you would want to do that, as it's better to work with a strong clean mono recording, and add any effects post recording.

Does that help at all!

Jim

Am in agreement with Jiminuk san here .
Mono record vocal  then assign  sidechain or aux chanel with a  stereo delay plugin  to experience a stereo sweep.
Your vocal is sweet and clean in the middle and effect can be panned to suit where you can control level.
Good luck PD San hope to "hear you soon"

 
Y

yes . while some stereo vocals are cool for input . I to agree with jim and yoko  lay a strong mono track vocal and the if you want send it to a stereo group track later.(if your software will let you do that) or send an aux out to a stereo effect of some kind, leaving you mono dry track more in the center of the stereo field

I am going to add my voice here as well, since you are not using a stereo mic, you will not get a stereo output.  No matter what you mess with for your inputs, the mic itself cannot actually register 2 separate streams of sound.  As such, even if you monkeyed with it, looped one into an output for monitoring then back into a second track or whatever, it will still be the exact original track.  Stereo sound is created when minute to large discrepancies exist between the left/right outputs (for simple 2 way):  this creates a field effect.  Those will not exist in the flat signal unless you paired it with another mic.

That said, you don't really need it, record onto a mono track, then use plug-ins and such to widen the stereo field, create those discrepancies.  Typically a lead vocal is going to run through the center channel (or close to equally from both sides) with effects anyway, so starting with a mono input isn't a problem.

Umm good luck.

hmm, there are lot of good suggestion for you. I think this are enough for solving your problem.



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