depends on what sound card you have and wheather you are conecting through a mic lead or shitty 1/8 ".
If you would like some help, send me a private messege with the type of mic you used and the soundcard you have (and what type of ins/outs it has)
Don't use a computer mic. Computer mics aren't built for recording, they're built for talking into. The reason you have to crank it up is because mics aren't at line level until the go thru a pre-amp.