High Quality, Local, Skype recording

Recording VoIP for a podcast

Now I'll be the first to admit, I'm pretty anal about the audio quality of my podcast. Given that fact, and the Protools Digi001 interface I use in my podcasting rig, I decided to see if I could record a skype conversation that I would truly be able to tweak later.

The Basement Setup

Parts List

• 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4 running Windows XP Pro
• One Power Mac Dual G5, (Dual Chip, not dual core, FWIW)
• One Digi001 Interface, (PCI card, Breakout box and connecting cable)
• One 6 foot Toslink optical cable
• One eighth inch stereo mini phono plug to Stereo (Dual RCA connectors)
• two adapters, RCA female/quarter inch phono male
• One XLR Microphone cable
• One Sure SM57 Dynamic microphone
• One pair of comfortable earmuff-style headphones

Please note that all cabling and adapters is specific to my rig and it's capabilities. check your available connections before you buy anything.

The Steps

1. Set up the Protools session on the PC, with two mono tracks. Set track 1 to input from Analog 1, and Track 2 to input from optical Input. (1 or 2, Left or right doesn't really matter) There's a bit more setting up of the session in there, that has been left out because it is protools/Digi001 specific. Track 1 is Myself, Track 2 will be the remote guest
2. Run the optical cable from the digital output on the Mac to the Input on the PC.
3. Connect microphone
4. Connect Main out from PC to Line in on Mac
5. Mute channel 2. (otherwise you will cause your remote guest to hear an echo that will prove very distracting.)
6. Arm both tracks for recording.
7. Verify settings on the Mac: In System Preferences/Sound set input source to "Audio Line-in" and output to "Optical digital-out port"
8. connect your headphones to the headphone port on the front of the Mac.
9. Begin Recording, and place your Skype call.

Now the advantage here is that, Both I and the caller are being recorded on separate tracks, allowing for greater ease in editing, and the tracks are already synchronized to each other which also saves time over a double-ender arrangement, where each participant records their end of the conversation on their local machine. Additionally, because the output from the Mac is digital, there is no generation loss in signal quality, and if the remote caller's input over-modulates, I can see right away because the "Clip" light in Protools goes off.

As I further refine this setup I will make further posts to my blog here.