I have a shitty usb mic that I am currently using to record some black metal stuff but when I play the volume and quality changes. I think the issue is with the USB mic, however I don't really know. I am using mixcraft 5. Would getting a higher quality/new usb mic be the solution? Never had a problem with the mic until today.

So I tried resetting my computer and downloaded the trial of Mixcraft 6 and I get the same issue. Thinking it is either the audio driver or the USB mic now. I'm going to try and use it on my desktop computer since I am using my laptop.

Yea my first thought would be with the usb mic.

But I've never used usb mics nor mixcraft, not ignoring you... just don't have much information on how to go about fixing your problem.

Do the microphone/drivers or anything controlling it give you access to anything to disable auto-levelling? Have you recorded music in a similar fashion to this using the same mic without problems before?

If you have used it without problems before, it's probably broken. If you haven't, check into disabling auto-levelling and changing the input level to give yourself some head space (if possible).

It could be the mic or the sound card. If I were you, I'd just get a new USB mic. They've got decent ones at Best Buy or Future Shop (if you're Canadian) for $100 that are condenser USB mics, but then again, if you have that much money to blow on microphones, just get an SM57 + cheap interface.

Yeah that's what is really getting me. I don't really have anything to record yet so I don't really care. If anything I'll buy a USB mic and see if that is the issue and return it right after.

Just buy yourself a new mic, you'll get a better quality tone and you'll be much happier.

I'm not all that into recording and stuff, but I remember being told once that getting a better soundcard (maybe an external one like the AVID Fast Track MKII, which is pretty cheap) would resolve most issues of varying volume and quality. Most computers have simple on-board soundcards that aren't really designed to take that much input, or so I'm told.