Check that you have selected the correct input device in the Input pane of the Sound preference panel. (We are still talking about Amadeus Pro’s preference panel here, not the system one.)
Make sure that the Gain sliders are sufficiently far to the right.
If you are using external hardware for recording, check that it is connected properly to your computer. Do the vu-meters move if you select that device in the Input tab of the Sound system preferences panel?
If you are using a microphone, make sure that it either
includes a preamplifier or that it is connected to a microphone
input. Most models of Macintosh have a line-in
input instead
which does not include a preamplifier. One of the cheapest
preamplifiers around is the iMic from Griffin’s. (Make sure that the
little black switch on it is in the correct location.)
If you are using the Record to new File function, make sure that you have selected the desired quality (including the channel configuration) in the Quality tab of the recording window.
If you are using the Record or the Record to new Track function, it will create a recording with the same characteristics of the currently selected audio track. Make sure that this is what you want.
As above, it might be that you are not recording sound from the correct hardware channels. Change the channel association in the Advanced Settings dialog accessible from the Input pane of the Sound preferences panel or equivalently from the Input pane of the Record to new file window.
Reboot your computer, it might be that the audio drivers got
into a bad
state.
