2 questions from an audiophile community newcomer

the first one is: do i use max gain and lower windows volume on a audio interface or that isn't needed for better audio quality or whatever? if you couldn't tell im a newbie to the audiophile society. the second question is: how do i set up my cardioidal microphone? it tends to pick up sounds better from the front end of the microphone rather than the sides and i don't know how to set it up so i could move freely around my desk and be heard pretty well. the mic is on a boom arm.