Cannot record audio & video simultaneously

Question

This may seem to be a bone-head question, but here goes:
When I FIRST start a new Captivate project, and choose to
begin my recording, after I select which application I wish to
record from the drop-down list, and then click the 'fit to window'
button, then click record, I get the animated countdown box showing
the 4.3.2.1 sign with a microphone graphic. This would lead one to
believe that as they are recording their screens, the voice
narration into the headset microphone is also being recorded; well,
on my Captivate, no audio is captured.
After the recording is complete and I stop the audio
narration, Captivate compiles the slides and takes you to the
editing screen. None of my slides, despite the voice narration,
contain audio.
It appears the only way I can add audio narration is to first
lay down the recorded screen slides, then record the narration on
"top of" each individual slide. Depending upon the situation and
some general factors, this may NOT be the ideal choice. I realize
that there are benefits to laying down the audio separately and on
an individual slide basis, but I should not only have this one
method - right?
Has anyone else encountered this? Are you also only able to
record audio after the motion slides have been generated? This is
really frustrating when you think you have delivered a fine audio
narration all the way through a recording only to discover no audio
was recorded with the screens/slides.
My headset and record settings are fine and I am at a loss.
Other Captivate users here experience the same thing.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

If I've understood you correctly, the "countdown" you are
describing is just the visual signal to let you know when to
begin
the narration. It sounds like you are saying that you think
the recording is over when it hits "zero", but in fact, when it
hits "0", just begin speaking - and moving the mouse through the
application to create the movie.
All of that is assuming you have first connected and
calibrated your microphone, and that the hardware is working
correctly before you begin.
I disagree with your comment that there is EVER a time when
it might not be best to add audio narration after-the-fact, during
the editing stage. It is just a personal observation, but I believe
the "narration during recording" feature is the biggest mistake int
he history of this great application. It just shouldn't be done -
too much like patting your head and rubbing your stomach
simultaneously - requires coordination skills that are waaaaay
beyond those of the average bear. Create your movie complete with
actions, then during editing, add the audio to the movie. It's
quick, simple, and avoids problems with synchronization of hte
audio and the background changes in the movie ... that's just my
opinion, though ...