TUTORIAL - How to use Skype with Spreaker

Using Skype with Spreaker opens up a range of opportunities

• You can make live interviews with guests who are not in your studio;
• You can accept calls from your audience and connect them with your guests;
• You can co-host a program with a remote host.
• You can broadcast conference calls Live.

The difficulty of using Skype with Spreaker is that you want to be able to record (at a good quality) both your voice input (microphone) and the remote Speaker's voice at the same time. Whether it is possible to do so by putting your microphone close to your speakers there are at least two reasons why you shouldn't want to do so. First, there is an obvious decrease of voice quality since laptop computer speakers are usually not high quality and second you cannot do so while playing some music in background since it will re-enter the broadcasting loop through the mic channel. However for many purposes these limitations are not too heavy: for instance if you're using Skype for calling either a landline or a mobile phone, you will not perceive any drop in sound quality since it is already that low. However you could hear some slight echoes or reverb if your mic is not close enough to the speakers.

This guide deals with the process of establishing a direct, software-level connection between Skype and Spreaker's DJ console so that you get the best possible audio quality.

Using Skype and Spreaker on Microsoft Windows

UPDATE

With Windows 7 and many audio cards there is a quick and easy way of setting up Skype and other source recordings using a functionality called stereo mix.

You can find some details here.

If you're not using Windows 7 then continue reading.

To use Skype with Spreaker's DJ Console you need to install a piece of software called Virtual Audio Cable. 

After installing you will find an additional menu-link in your start menu:

The first thing to do is starting the "Control Panel" application. Now you need to create a set-up like the one below. If this is the first time starting Virtual Audio Cable, all you need to do is adding an additional channel by increasing the counter in the "Driver parameters" area and then clicking on the "Set" button.

Now, from the Start menu, you need to start 3 instances of the Repeater application. You want to set them as follows:

REPEATER 1 (From your Audio Card - IDT Audio in the example - To Channel 1)

REPEATER 2 (From your Virtual Cable 2 to Hardware output)

REPEATER 3 (From your Virtual Cable 1 to Virtual Cable 2, mixing)

This way you have created a mixing sequence. 

Now you want to configure Skype so that it sends it output to Virtual Cable 2 and takes its input from the Mic.

And then configure the DJ Console by right-clicking on top of it and accessing the Settings menu

Where you will choose Cable 2 as a source (Cable 2 mixes Skype Output with Cable 1 which is Mic input)

Congratulations! You are now ready to use Spreaker and Skype together!

Using Skype and Spreaker with Mac OSX

In order to use Skype with the DJ console on Mac you need to install two additional pieces of software:Linein and Soundflower. The good news is that both of them are free.

Now follow these steps.

Once you've downloaded both applications, launch Linein and set the following

• Input: Your Microphone (either built-in or an external one)
• Output: Soundflower (2ch)
• Click on "Pass Thru" 

Now start the Soundflowerbed application. An Icon will appear in your menubar: click on it and a menu will appear.

• Under "Soundflower (2ch)" click Built-in Output (or another output if you have an external audio card)

now you should be able to hear the loopback of your microphone input into your headphones (you should use headphones to avoid creating annoying whistling sounds).

Open Skype, if you haven't already done so.

Go to preferences and under the Audio/Video tab set:

• microphone input to: Your default microphone or the external microphone you wish to use
• Speakers: to SoundFlower (2ch)

Optional:

• Ringer: Soundflower (2ch) if you want to record the ringer as well. If you leave this on default output, you will hear the ringer in your headset but it won't be recorded 

Done! Now your default input is "Soundflower (2ch)" which unites all of the output audio from your applications and your microphone.

Now start Mac OSX sound preference (System Preferences-> Sound Preferences).

• Under the input tab choose "Soundflower 2ch".

Great! Now your default input is Soundflower (2ch) device which mixes all sound output from your applications and your microphone.

Now everything is set. You can start Spreaker's DJ Console and start recording skype calls.