To find the Windows Mixer panel, go to Start Menu and select Control Panel. Select “Sounds and Audio Devices”

Click the “Advanced…” button in Device Volume. 

This brings up the Windows Mixer Panel in Playback mode.

In the mixer panel go to Options and select Properties. In the properties window change from Playback to Recording. Click OK.

If your sound card supports advanced features it may be helpful to set them here. Go to Options and select “Advanced Controls”.

Typically in PC sound cards only one recording device can be selected at a time. Make sure your Microphone device is checked (or if you are using a different input device, make sure it is selected).

If your sound card has advanced features for your selected input device, click the Advanced button to control the advanced features. In this example this sound card has a Mic Boost feature.