How can I stop cakewalk from re-recording my instrumental

[Kay Turner]

I am using a BM 800 condenser mic with a V8 soundcard however when I tried recording vocals, the vocals are recorded together with the instrumental 

[Glenn Stanton]

are you using a mixer to record the vocal and listen to the recorded material? if so, you're likely mixing them there and that is being fed into the vocal track. if you have an IO unit with a separate monitoring output - maybe your monitoring is too loud and that is getting pickup by the mic.

another option is you have some software mixer with your audio card which is mixing them. and lastly you have something routing into your vocal track from the instrument track that is perhaps your monitoring source. i.e. you want to hear both vocals and instruments, and have routed the instruments and vocals together (like a patch point for example or aux track).

Edited January 29, 2024 by Glenn Stanton

[John Vere]

The short answer is to use a proper audio interface with direct monitoring and ASIO driver. Your stuff is made for Podcasting. 
If that was your goal and not to record music then Cakewalk is not the best choice for assembling podcasts.

If your goal was to record music and not do podcasts then get you money back and put it towards the gear that will work. We can help you with that. 

Edited January 30, 2024 by John Vere

[Will.]

4 hours ago, Kay Turner said:

I am using a BM 800 condenser mic with a V8 soundcard however when I tried recording vocals, the vocals are recorded together with the instrumental 

You need to setup 2 seperate tracks in any DAW to play you instrumentals and to record your vocals only. Dont use the record button on the "MASTER" track. 

Cakewalk does not have a dedicated "Master" track without the Pan and Record button on it. This is where most confusion amongst newly users running to Cakewalk to do Podcast comes in. 

So your steps will be as follow. 

Drag your instrumental into Cakewalk. Next - hold down "Ctrl and press T" to create an Empty Audio Track. This Empty track is where you will record your voice on - not the Master Track.