Skype for Interviews – A How-To Video

~ Doug
Skype for Interviewshttp://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=skype-for-interviews-1198388936660724-2&stripped_title=skype-for-interviews

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After years of discouraging the use of Skype for interviews here at The Conversations Network, we’re now saying a resounding Yes! Paul Figgiani and I have prepared this audiovisual presentation that covers all you need to know in order to get true broadcast-quality Skype recordings.

For more info and discussion, visit The Conversations Network’s forums.

115 thoughts on “Skype for Interviews – A How-To Video”

  3. Doug and Paul .. great job. I’ve been using Skype for interviews for several months now and even though I’ve gotten very good results, your demo has clarified a couple of areas of ‘fog’ and validated my much held belief that Skype is now, very much ‘of age’. Thanks

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  6. Excellent tutorial! I’m going to refer my group of virtual assistants to this posting, so they can better serve their clients they edit audio interviews for. My clients are always asking me how to get a good interview recording done, and now that I have this information I can provide the help they need for doing this via Skype.

    Thanks so much.

    Andrea Kalli
    Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC
    http://www.virtualassist.net

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  8. As usual the work you guys have done is exemplary! Like a lot of podcasters I learned most of this the hard way over the past two years. It is great to see it all in one place that can be used to explain it to others.

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  9. Thanks. That is a very good tutorial. Especially how to set the firewall. Will similar settings also apply for video on Skype to enhance the signal? What else do you guys know?

    Merry Christmas

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  13. I’d like to sincerely like to thank both of you on an information filled presentation. Great information that can go to improving the sound in podcasts and call recording I do.

    Thankyou

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  14. Hi Doug! Excellent and timely information.

    I just finished using skype to record three long-distance interviews for a recent podcast. I wish I had heard about this tutorial before I started. But I guess one gains a sense of perspective by doing things the hard way first.

    Here’s how Windows users can display the Technical Call Info by editing Skype’s config.xml file and changing value for the “DisplayCallInfo” tag to “1”:

    http://forum.skype.com/lofiversion/index.php/t17231.html

    Thanks again! Hope to see you again this year at the Public Media 2008 conference in Los Angeles.

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  15. Fantastic Tutorial!! I have forwarded the ports on my router and in windows, still get 4 relays calling Echo123, but only from my apartment (Verizon DSL in NYC, if that makes any difference) When I take the exact same laptop to another (cable) connection – no relays! Is there anything else I can check?

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  17. I am on Mac 10.4 and Skpe 2.6 but cannot get the technical call info. All I get is the option to record my message to see if Skype works. What am I doing wrong? Thanks,

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  19. This is awesome stuff. Thanks! What do you use for post-production on a Mac? Garage Band? I’m a total newbie at this, so any “further resources” you could recommend would be greatly appreciated. Just to be sure, The Levelator isn’t post-production software, right? It’s just for, well, “levelating.”

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  20. I have done the whole port forwarding thing, even to the point of writing rules for Skype in software firewall. I still can’t get that puppy to display zero relays.

    One thing I noticed though is that since version 2.5 or 3 (can’t remember) this hack stopped working for me. I used to do it with 100% success – now nope. Makes me think that Skype has changed something.

    The other thing is forward tcp/udp or just udp?

    Also I have analyzed the waveform from Call burner and it is woeful, awful and produces average results. I have been using MX Skype Recorder for ages now and it is excellent. It splits the recording into left and right for host and other and puts it down as a PCM (.wav). To record longer than 5 minutes you will have to shell out some cash, but it is minimal.

    The URL for those guys: http://www.skyperec.com

    Try it out and see what you think but I think it is far better than Call Burner.

    Great work all the same – esp for Mac users. Now all we need is that record button from Skype 🙂

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  24. Very intereting – but I was not able to watch the video, just heard the audio. Am I missing something? Great job done.

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  33. If you’re having problems getting to “0 relays”, another thing to remember: check your computer’s software firewall.

    Mac OS X 10.4 doesn’t have the firewall turned on by default, but it’s a Good Practice to do so. Mac OS X 10.5 does have the firewall on by default. Either way, if your software firewall is enabled, you need to “poke a hole” for that Skype port. For some reason you need to enable both the TCP *and* the UDP ports inbound.

    If you’ve done everything correctly you should notice “0 relays” and MUCH better fidelity in your sound.

    Nicely done Doug and Paul.

    -bill

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  34. We can’t use usb headphones with Skype and still record. Shoutcast is what we use and it doesn’t recognize usb connections. Also, my sound card will NOT do what some do, namely record “what you hear”. You can here me just fine, but my guest is silent on the recorder. That again forces me to use an analog headset so that I can record what comes over the speaker (guest), and also record myself(host on mic). If there’s anyone that can help me get around this, I would be most grateful

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  35. The problem is that most of us use the generic, in this case Leopard (10.5.2) firewall. How to configure that firewall is a mystery. Any suggestions?
    Thanks

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  36. Thanks for a great tutorial! We rely heavily on inter-continental Skype conferencing. Until now however we have thought of sound quality problems as “good or bad Skype days”.

    And now a piece of advice: In our experience, Skype conferencing over wireless connections – be it WiFi or 3G – are more prone to packet loss. We always try to use TP cables. We don’t need to record the conferences but still need comfortable every day discussions.

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  40. I am amazed at the quality that is achievable here. I have been producing my own recordings in house via my digital recording system and can easily compare this quality to almost CD definition. Well done, thanks for a fantastic free video & keep up the great work you are involved in.

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  42. What a great video. I actually replaced my home land line for Skype. Now I’m only paying $6.00 a month instead of $70.00 with my land line.

    I really enjoy the freedom I have with my wifi phone. I take with me when I go traveling. I just find a wifi area and start making my calls.

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  43. Hi

    What a wonderful holiday gift indeed. Two of my favorite people teach us . Thank you both for what you add to our community and new media

    thanks

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  44. How wonderful. I really love skype – get to talk to family in other countries for near nothing and I can be found when travelling internationally. As soon as I get home I will do the fixes that you suggest. Not only is this going on my usefulness blog, but I am also going to use this as a teaching tool on what is needed for a truly excellent presentation. Thanks again!!!

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  46. Glad to have run across this posting. We have been using Skype and Pamela to record shows for the last 18 months, and while we have had great success, these tips will help improve it I think. I am also excited to give the Levelator a shot with our next show. Thanks!!

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  47. I was wondering is there a way to record in MP3 and not have a media a player pop up.

    I have a site where a user would like to hear a word, one word, and then replay it a few times, then the user might pick another word, and repeat the process. Is there a technique that would allow this with out the lag time of the Player loading and in some cases linking to a screen that blocks the original page?

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