Great replies guys, thanks
My laptop fan is quite loud, it always has been from new, just a constant audible whooshing sound, if I ask too much of the computer it gets louder
But you may well be right about the recording level.
I am using a Samson G-Track USB condenser mic with built in audio interface, plugged directly in via USB, that's it. No pre-amps or other interface stuff, if I'm honest I have no idea what all those things really do
I have a 'mic' knob and a 'inst' knob (for instruments) and I set the mic level by watching the little blue bar (in Audacity) bounce around, i turn the mic knob up as high as I can until the blue bar starts to appear (background noise), then I turn it back down a notch.
Sorry to put it in such basic terms but where the tech bit is concerned, I learnt just enough to do what I do, the way I wanted to do it, then stopped
From where I see it though, to have a laptop buzzing away less than 1 metre from a very sensitive mic must be something worth sorting out..?
btw, my old laptop does do the static sound/interference thing when plugged in, but this new one doesn't.