Mixer setup for Skype?

[RobRFF]

Ok, I have a question, would the image below work for skype? I have two sound cards, and was wondering if this would work for recording the skype conversation?

Also, and this is pretty important, how can I use this to play clips so that the person on skype can hear it? Would I need to hook up an MP3 player, or can I play it thru the computer, and still have the person on skype hear it?

Thanks in advance.

Rob

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8672/mixerba2.jpg

[docsnavely]

rough guess, but i'll give it a shot.

it all looks like it will work, but as for your skype attendee hearing local sounds in your computer, it won't be a clean listening for him/her. they won't hear your computer noises (clips, voiceovers, etc) from your computer, but secondary from your speakers playing out and feeding back to your mics.

like i said, this is just a logical guess from me, so if i were you, i'd wait for one of these guys with big set ups to chime in.

good luck!

[RobRFF]

Ok, I don't want the skype people to hear anything over my speakers, and, btw, I only need one mic at my end.

Is there a way to put, say an MP3 player in there, so that the skype people can hear the clips I play thru the MP3 player?

Thanks for your help, and I look forward to anyone giving me some hints here! THANKS

Rob

[docsnavely]

just add the mp3 player to a free channel on the mixer.

[RobRFF]

Ok, I am a noob, and this may seem like a dumb question, but a free channel on the mixer would be like the "line in 5/6"?

Would this work with the mix-minus thing? Maybe I am totally confused, and I appricate all the help!

Thanks

Rob

[WildeGeek]

Ok, I have a question, would the image below work for skype? I have two sound cards, and was wondering if this would work for recording the skype conversation?
I can't speak to the software problems you might encounter getting this to work, nor can I make an educated guess about what kind of computer power you would need to make all this happen in one box.

What's confusing is you're trying to use one mixer and one computer in a situation where more of each would be more reliable and less problematic. You've got three processor-intense, real-time tasks going on, and you don't want the CPU to get too busy with any one of them and neglect the other.

Skype, or any other VOIP, keeps a computer busy doing quite a bit of processing. It's managing an input device in real-time, compressing the audio on-the-fly, packetizing it with error-correction codes, sending it over a network, receiving another stream over the network, calculating error-correction checksums on that, decompressing the audio, and managing an output device in real time. Your audio recording software is managing the input device real time and doing disk writes. Your audio playback software is managing disk reads on another part of the disk from where you're recording, doing the math of MPEG decompression, and managing an output device in real time. A single personal computer is going to be very busy, possibly too busy depending on what else is running and how well all of this software plays well together.

As for your audio set-up as drawn: You are going to hear both sides of the Skype call over the speakers. You'll record exactly what you hear in your speakers into your capture card.

The design of this mixer is limiting in that you can't send something to the FX Send output without also sending it to your main output. So you can't send something to the other end of your Skype call without sending it to the speakers.

Also, and this is pretty important, how can I use this to play clips so that the person on skype can hear it? Would I need to hook up an MP3 player, or can I play it thru the computer, and still have the person on skype hear it?
Your software might allow you to mix the playback of some recorded clips with the Skype remote audio, which will be delivered to your line-in 3&4. Or you may need to play your clips out of some other audio output device into mixer inputs 5&6. That will depend on your software and your computer's capacity to handle all of this processing simultaneously. You might have to use a separate computer or audio playback device patched into line inputs 5&6.

If I were doing this, I would use a computer for the Skype call, another computer or audio recorder to make the recording, and yet another computer or audio player to play the separate clips. Actually, if I wasn't doing this in front of a live audience, I would record the Skype call (interview?), and mix/edit all of the other stuff in later. I'd have much better control over the results that way.

[RobRFF]

As for your audio set-up as drawn: You are going to hear both sides of the Skype call over the speakers. You'll record exactly what you hear in your speakers into your capture card.

The design of this mixer is limiting in that you can't send something to the FX Send output without also sending it to your main output. So you can't send something to the other end of your Skype call without sending it to the speakers.

Alright, thanks for all this great info, it will really help. Here is my next question, will the skype person hear himself (bad) AND still hear the clips I play (good)?

Thanks for all your help!

Rob

[WildeGeek]

Alright, thanks for all this great info, it will really help. Here is my next question, will the skype person hear himself (bad)
You mean the remote Skype person? They shouldn't -- except for whatever gets out the speakers and back into one of your microphones. The local person will hear themselves over the speakers in the setup I've described, yes.

AND still hear the clips I play (good)?
If you follow my previous suggestion...

Your software might allow you to mix the playback of some recorded clips with the Skype remote audio, which will be delivered to your line-in 3&4. Or you may need to play your clips out of some other audio output device into mixer inputs 5&6. That will depend on your software and your computer's capacity to handle all of this processing simultaneously. You might have to use a separate computer or audio playback device patched into line inputs 5&6.
...then your remote Skype person will hear the clips you play.

Of course, if you're bringing your MP3 playing into the mixer on inputs 5&6, you'll have to turn up your main level for that channel to be heard locally, and the FX level for your remote Skype person to hear the clip.

With your mixer, because it's a relatively simple design, there's no easy way to send something to your remote Skype person without hearing it on your local speakers or recording it.