Connect your MIDI controller, if you have one, to your computer. Mixcraft can interface with almost any MIDI controller but does not require one to record. Most MIDI controllers connect via USB, but some may require a USB MIDI interface. Consult your controller's documentation for setup details.
Open Mixcraft by double-clicking on its desktop icon or selecting it from the "Start" menu. Its default project arrangement screen with eight audio tracks will appear.
Create a MIDI track by clicking the "+Track" button directly above the track headers. Choose "Virtual Instrument" from the pop-up menu. Mixcraft will create a MIDI track beneath the default audio tracks.
Click on the piano keyboard icon on the right end of the MIDI track's track header. A pop-up listing all available virtual MIDI instruments will appear. Scroll through the list to find the virtual instrument you want to use. If you do not have any third-party instruments installed, use one of Mixcraft's built-in synthesizers. Double-click the name of the instrument to load it.
Press some keys on your MIDI controller to ensure playback of the virtual MIDI instrument. You should hear it play back through your default audio output.
Record-arm the MIDI track by clicking the "Arm" button in its track header. You are now ready to record a MIDI instrumental performance.
Click the "Record" button or press the space bar to initiate MIDI recording. Record your performance, clicking "Stop" or pressing the space bar when finished.
Play back your MIDI instrumental recording. Use Mixcraft's built-in MIDI editor to make any adjustments or rerecord the track as necessary. Access the MIDI editor by double-clicking on the MIDI clip or open the "Window" menu and choose "Piano Roll Editor."
Connect your microphone or electronic instrument to your computer. This will require a USB audio interface that can convert the analog signal produced by these devices into digital information a computer can understand. Generally, even basic audio interfaces will have at least one microphone and/or instrument input. Consult your interface's documentation for setup details.
Open Mixcraft by double-clicking on its desktop icon. Once it loads, its default arrangement screen will be displayed with eight blank tracks. You can create further tracks as needed by clicking on the "+Track" button above the top track header and selecting a track type ("Audio," "Virtual Instrument" or "Send").
Click on the top track's track header to highlight the track. By default, this track will be an audio track. Click on the disclosure arrow at the right end of the track header. A menu will appear. Open the "Stereo Source" submenu and choose your input device from the pop-up list. Assuming they are correctly installed, Mixcraft automatically detects and lists all available audio input devices.
Record-arm the track by clicking the "Arm" button on the track header. You are now ready to record your audio instrumental track. Click "Record" in the transport bar or press the space bar to begin recording.
Record your instrumental performance. When finished, click "Stop" or press the space bar.
Play back your performance. You can rerecord or edit as necessary using Mixcraft's built-in editing tools. See Mixcraft's documentation for details.