Skype Interview Help Needed

[theFerf]

Does anyone know how to use Skype (http://skype.com/) to do phone interviews? I'm looking for some good help/tutorials on this. Im loving skype right now but not sure how to record the conversation easily.

If available, would be nice to see it for Windows and Mac platforms.

Thanks!

[mastermaq]

Recording using Skype is tricky indeed. In fact, only a select few of you may be able to do it at all. If you search Google for "virtual audio cables" you might find a method that while complex, should work. Alternatively, the problem can be solved using hardware.

In our recording machine at BlogosphereRadio.com, we have a Creative Soundblaster Audigy MP3+ card. This audio card (in fact, any Audigy or Audigy2 card) has a special input called "What U Hear". If your audio card has this or a similar input, you should be able to accomplish recording Skype interviews quite easily.

All you have to do is pick your favorite recording software (we use Windows Media Encoder and Adobe Audition) and set the recording input to be "What U Hear". Now if you press record, you should be able to record whatever sound you hear coming out of your speakers. If you connect your microphone to your soundcard's Line In instead of the Microphone jack, you should then be able to hear your voice through the speakers. Now all you have to do is turn off the speakers (or plug in headphones) to avoid feedback, press record in your recording software, and make your Skype call!

We have found that it works quite well for us, assuming both parties in Skype have a decent enough microphone and Internet connection. If you encounter any problems doing what I have described above, and you are sure you have the correct hardware, maybe take a look in the Windows audio panel, and ensure that "What U Hear" is selected as the input channel.

Good luck and happy podcasting!

[theFerf]

Mac:
Excellent, thank you very much. Im looking forward to doing some skype interviews, unfortunately I use a laptop 99% of the time, and i can't change to a new audio card as you suggest. I guess my search continues....or I will have to move to my desktop computer and buy the card. :)

[obfuscated]

I've been using skype for a few months now for Infonomicon's podcast. The ways i've been doing is a little more complicated but i'll throw it out there anyway.

I use two computers. The first computer i'm using to have the conversation I run a wire from the out put of that computer into the input into the other in which I record the show.

It's a bit of a big setup but I have controll of the quailty better that way.

Hope this helps. :D

[trevor]

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
I use that and set it to record stereo mix and it works great.[/url]

[cc_chapman]

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
I use that and set it to record stereo mix and it works great.[/url]

I'm using this as well to record my Podcasts, but can you go into a little more detail about how you have it set up to do this?

[trevor]

Well, I do not podcast, but I use audacity and then open Skype and record whenever someone calls. It is very easy, the hardest part is clicking record and answering the call at almost the same time.

[cc_chapman]

I tried this last night and all I got was my end of the Skype conversation.

I'd really like to get this working, but I've heard from other's testing that the virtual audio cables are not as good as they might be.

I might just have to go the second computer route.

[splatt]

Over at G'day World, we tried a lot of options trying to get Skype to record three way interviews....in the end we went back to using two machines.... :(

[bramley]

I've tried to record phone calls with Skype and Audacity in many different configurations now, following suggestions on this forum and others. I have been baffled by people who think this is easy and don't offer more specific instructions. I have been using a USB headset, and no matter how I tweak the various settings, Audacity only records me in the microphone but not the person I'm interviewing coming through the headphones. Finally, I switched to using separate headphones and microphone, and Audacity worked brilliantly, recording both both me and the interviewee. I'm just sad that my $6 microphone works while my $60 USB set doesn't. Can anyone explain this? Or explain how I can adjust some setting to get the same result with the USB headset?

[cc_chapman]

So if you plug in a regular microphone skype recording suddenly works? Really?

I'm going to have to try that because like you I'm usually using a USB microphone/headset combo.

It must have something to do with the fact that the microphone is going right into your sound card and the USB is not. Hmmm....thanks for the lead. I'm goin got have to play with that.

[skinnybones]

I record most of the Skinny Bones on Air (http://www.skinnybonesonair.com) podcasts with a cohost in Alabama over Skype, so we've perfected the one Powerbook recording technique.

Download Line-In (http://www.rogueamoeba.com/freebies/).
Download Wiretap (http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/WireTap/3000-2182_2-10213093.html?tag=lst-0-1).

Open up Line-In and set your Input and Output device to Built-in Audio. Open up Skype, get the call going. Open up Wiretap and start recording.

If you hear your voice and the voice of the person your talking to in your headphones Wiretap will record it.

Hope this helps!

Jaz Garewal
Skinny Bones on Air (http://www.skinnybonesonair.com)

[theFerf]

thats awesome! thanks jaz, i will have to try this one out. How much success do you have with skype on a mac? I know even on my PC right now it is a bit buggy, but i have recently switched to a mac and can only assume it will be worse?

[skinnybones]

I'm a recent Mac convert too (I can't edit my movie (http://www.onthecuttingroomfloor.com) on anything other than Final Cut Pro :) ...) and, like all things Mac, Skype is pretty stable - it's only crashed on me two or three times over the past three months. When it crashed it seemed to do it on startup - once it's running, it's pretty solid.

The only downside to Mac Skype is it hasn't been setup to accept different audio input/output devices (I have a firewire audio device) - it will crash if you don't have your sound set to your built in audio. However, I heard the latest Dec release of the Mac ver of Skype fixes this problem -- I still gotta check it out :)
Good luck!

[cc_chapman]

Seems like so many different ways to do it on a Mac. Figures! I just might have to get me a Mac Mini just to do my podcasting from!!!

[ccarella]

I just might have to get me a Mac Mini just to do my podcasting from!!!

I don't think the Mac Mini's have a built in audio in. So unless you have an audio interface you might want to reconsider. There are some inexpensive audio interfaces that would suffice.

[bramley]

I realize this topic has kind of dropped, but I'm wondering if anyone new out there to podcasting or anyone experimenting over the past two weeks has any new solutions to the phone interview issue. I'm still using Audacity, SkypeOut, and seperate mic and headphones, but on international interviews, my guests get that terrible delayed echo in their phone earpiece. And just when I thought it was just an international call problem, it started on a call I made about 2 miles away. So, I'm looking for new solutions again. Got any? Or any old re-endorsements?

Thanks,
Anne

[bramley]

Sorry. Forgot to mention that I have a PC and a laptop to boot. So, no Wiretap or new sound cards for me.

[radioclash]

Maybe use Total Sound Recorder - acts as a virtual sound card driver on your PC (similar to Audio Hijaack I think without the fancy doobries)

http://www.highcriteria.com/

[jawbone]

I know I'm kind of late on this, but I have a Skype call I'd like to record. Here's my problem: I'm using Soundflower, Soundbed and Line In as referred to in the Engadget Podcasting primer:

http://www.engadget.com/entry/5843952395227141/

The one difference is that I have two XLR mics "in studio" running through a Behringer Mixer. What I'd like to do is make Skype understand that the mics are the audio input for the conversation, so essentially, we'd be both be able to talk to the guest and have her hear us at the same time. Is this possible? I'm kind of in a bind, since I have a guest this weekend and need to have it figured out by then. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[skinnybones]

You should be good to go with that setup -- all you have to do is send an out from your mixer (phones out, control room out, etc) to the audio in on your comp. Whatever out you pick on your mixer will send both mics as one stereo signal to your computer. Select your comp's line in for Skype's input, and you're good to go.
Hope that helps :)

[jawbone]

So, what you're saying is make sure the main out from my mixer is going into the line in of my Powerbook? Is there anything else special I need to be doing with Line In, Soundbed, Soundflower or Garageband? Unfortunately, I cannot use Wipeout since it seems that link that was posted earlier in this thread is dead. :(

Thanks for your help. Any more would be greatly appreciated! :D

[Ifthensoft]

Not only can you ask me about Skype recording on the Mac, but YOU can actually be on our show via Skype--we are ONLY on Skype when the show is recording, so if you have something to say or promote, COME ON DOWN! We may be doing a show tonight, so add us to your contact list: "ifthensoftware" and be on the "Late Night with Mr. X and Just Julie" Podcast!