Recording Skype
So I just recorded an interview over Skype. There are a couple of ways to accomplish recording a conversation on Skype. This is one way to record without using any extra software (i.e. the cheap way).
First of all, download my schematic of how I wired up the equipment. Depending on your equipment, you could do this with more or less equipment.
Recording the Audio
My microphone is plugged into the pre-amp and then to the USB audio interface. This is done with XLR cables. The line out of the built-in computer sound card is sent out of the computer by a 1/8″ stereo to 1/4″ dual mono cable. Only one side of the cable is plugged into the USB audio interface. Levels are adjusted to taste. Setup your recording software for stereo recording. The audio is recorded through USB to separate tracks on your software for editing and/or processing.
Getting My Audio to the Skype Caller
Using an RCA to 1/8″ stereo cable, plug the 1/8″ stereo side into the microphone input on the sound card. The RCA end of the cable gets plugged into the line out on the USB audio interface, but only the left channel is plugged in. The left channel is my audio and is sent back to the Skype caller. The level of the audio being sent back can be adjusted through the level knob. If you plug both right and left into the line out, the Skype caller will hear his/her own voice.
TIPS
- If you are using the Tascam US-122 like I have, don’t use the mono switch on the unit, it will create a weird echo for the caller.
- The quality of the audio will depend on the quality of the equipment that
is used. One person I talked to used a cheap mic and it picked up the whole room including the AC unit. - Use the Echo Skype testing service (echo123) to check your audio and make sure the Skype caller can hear it.
- If you use a mixer with an Aux Out channel and send that channel back to the microphone input and bypass all the half cable nonsense.
Any comments? Do you have an easier way to record Skype?
Let me know.
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