# Adjust

### From Audacity Manual

The input level must be set correctly. If the level is too low, there will be background noise. If the level is too high, there will be distortion in the loud parts.

To set the level, either see this illustrated online guide or follow these steps:

1. Turn on monitoring. Double-click the right-hand of the two VU Meters (or right-click over it) and click "Start Monitoring". If the meters are not visible, click View > Toolbars and check "Meter Toolbar".
2. Adjust the input slider on the Mixer Toolbar (by the microphone symbol), so that the red bars in the meter come close to but do not touch the right edge of the scale. If you can't hear the monitored audio, go to the Audio I/O tab of Preferences and check "Software Playthrough".

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