New Laptop Problems

[Jack Bauer]

Ok so i just got a new acer aspire laptop and i bought it primarily for recorrding music. I bought cakewalk music creator 5 software and also downloaded audacity. However whenever i try to record (mainly when i try to sustain a note) my audio will suddenly drop and then fade in and out and it sounds like its coming out of a glass bowl. Obviously this is something with the laptop's input settings and not the programs as it happens in both of them. Any and all help is much appreciated. :)