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Doug Kaye’s Weblog

12/23/2007

Skype for Interviews – A How-To Video

8:45 am
Skype for Interviews
View more documents from dkaye.

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.

80 Comments »

  1. Huu. You guys obviously KNOW YOUR STUFF. Thanks a million times for this great tutorial.

    Comment by George Appiah — 12/23/2007 @ 9:38 am

  2. Nicely done! You’ve encapsulated this very well and was so pleased you delivered this since many ask me how *I* deliver high quality interviews and it’s been tough to point them somewhere. I just did a post at my blog Connecting the Dots and thought you’d like to know.

    Comment by Steve Borsch — 12/23/2007 @ 1:33 pm

  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

    Comment by J. Leslie Booth — 12/23/2007 @ 3:50 pm

  4. I posted a screen shot on how to setup a DLink DI-624 wireless router (G)
    http://geoffhankerson.com/podcast/recording-interviews-over-skype.html
    Thanks – fantastic info as usual

    Comment by Geoff — 12/23/2007 @ 10:03 pm

  5. I came over to see this from the posting on the AirDaily list serv – how wonderful! thanks!

    Comment by Marjorie — 12/24/2007 @ 3:41 am

  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

    Comment by Andrea Kalli — 12/24/2007 @ 8:17 am

  7. 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.

    Comment by Victor Cajiao — 12/24/2007 @ 9:08 am

  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.

    Comment by George Starcher — 12/24/2007 @ 9:32 am

  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

    Comment by dave — 12/24/2007 @ 10:47 am

  10. Thanks so much for this!

    Happy Holidays..

    Comment by Eddie Dickey — 12/24/2007 @ 4:12 pm

  11. AWESOME!. I was trying to get the techincal info window to come up on a PC the other day. Thanks for the Tips on being patient.

    Comment by Dave Jackson — 12/25/2007 @ 10:18 am

  12. Simply OUTSTANDING work, Guys! Excellent all the way through…Thanks!

    Comment by Vincent Wright — 12/26/2007 @ 1:16 pm

  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

    Comment by Adam — 12/28/2007 @ 6:14 pm

  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.

    Comment by John Tynan — 12/30/2007 @ 4:28 pm

  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?

    Comment by Todd — 1/3/2008 @ 1:09 pm

  16. Thanks for this demo. I can’t begin to say how much it has helped.

    Comment by Joe J. — 1/4/2008 @ 8:16 am

  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,

    Comment by Sam — 1/4/2008 @ 6:25 pm

  18. Whoops. Never mind. Missed the box to check in preferences….

    Comment by Sam — 1/4/2008 @ 6:27 pm

  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.”

    Comment by david — 1/5/2008 @ 6:17 pm

  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 :)

    Comment by Dave Gray — 1/6/2008 @ 5:16 am

  21. Thank you! Any thoughts on how to deal with the router issues when you are in places like . . . hotels? Also are you going to publish the slides?

    Tom Cagley
    http://www.spamcast.net

    Comment by Tom Cagley — 1/6/2008 @ 3:18 pm

  22. Please post all questions on The Conversations Network forum, http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/forum/viewforum.php?id=22, so that everyone can see them and the responses. Paul and I will try to answer them there. Thanks.

    Comment by Doug Kaye — 1/6/2008 @ 4:34 pm

  23. Kudos for a great tutorial. I especially like the clear description of the SuperNode issue. Time to tweak my router settings.

    Comment by Doug Schmidt — 1/9/2008 @ 10:07 am

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

    Comment by Chris Singh — 1/10/2008 @ 9:33 am

  25. mysteries solved! It was incredibly generous of you to make this info available.

    Comment by Susan Kuchinskas — 1/10/2008 @ 12:10 pm

  26. From this non-geek a big thank you. We’ve been loving our skyp-based and Olympus interviewing
    – kare, movingingfrommetowe

    Comment by Kare Anderson — 1/11/2008 @ 3:31 pm

  27. That was amazing. I shared the link to this page with two dozen fellow journalists. Well done!!!

    Comment by Bob Andelman — 1/11/2008 @ 4:51 pm

  28. Excellent tutorial. Thank you for having spent the time to put it together!

    Comment by Paolo Tosolini — 1/13/2008 @ 12:05 am

  29. Great Audio Tutorial. Exactly what I’ve been looking for. Been struggling to improve my audio interviews for quite some time. Thanks!

    Comment by Leonard — 1/17/2008 @ 8:36 am

  30. Thank you so much for an incredible wealth of knowledge which you have shared

    Comment by Tom — 1/23/2008 @ 4:16 pm

  31. Too bad this is in a video form. Don’t people WRITE anything anymore?

    Comment by SteveSgt — 2/5/2008 @ 10:56 am

  32. hi yoy are say to me we want your permisson what do you mean thank you

    Comment by 0mar al top — 2/7/2008 @ 5:11 am

  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

    Comment by Bill — 2/7/2008 @ 10:17 pm

  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

    Comment by Dave — 2/20/2008 @ 10:17 am

  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

    Comment by Kevin — 2/26/2008 @ 8:32 am

  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.

    Comment by Gabriel Sandberg — 3/6/2008 @ 6:40 am

  37. excellent tutorial!

    i use skype very often so this article will be good one :p

    Comment by funnyvideo! — 3/11/2008 @ 8:07 am

  38. Any tips on how to poke hole in firewall of OS 10.5???

    Comment by Russell Pell — 3/17/2008 @ 2:26 am

  39. Sweet resource, just what I have been looking for.

    Comment by Bubbila — 3/27/2008 @ 3:22 pm

  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.

    Comment by David Jewell -United Kingdom — 4/18/2008 @ 1:00 am

  41. This article is what I want.Regards

    David

    ———————-
    Not everyone broadcasts their personal information, but maybe you know
    it and you want to add it to their profile.

    Extended Contact for Skype
    https://extras.skype.com/1471
    —————————
    Import SkypeOut contacts from a CSV file

    Contacts Manager for Skype
    https://extras.skype.com/1451

    Comment by wugongxing — 4/29/2008 @ 12:02 am

  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.

    Comment by Your Auction News — 5/6/2008 @ 8:26 am

  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

    Comment by e-okul — 5/22/2008 @ 6:37 am

  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!!!

    Comment by The Fix-IT guy — 6/5/2008 @ 2:13 am

  45. You can try out Call Graph as well http://www.callgraph.in we also offer online storage and transcription services. Pls. have a look.

    Comment by Rajiv — 6/26/2008 @ 11:52 pm

  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!!

    Comment by Jeff — 7/1/2008 @ 10:37 am

  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?

    Comment by Peter Toohil — 8/7/2008 @ 4:24 am

  48. Excellent! I use skype so will help me a lot. thanks again

    Comment by Abhi — 9/3/2008 @ 9:10 am

  49. Great tutorial. Thanks.

    Comment by Bill Hung — 11/27/2008 @ 11:03 pm

  50. Wonderful, clear. I am passing it on to many friends and colleagues. Going to use it for a book of life stories I am working on. I will put on my website too. cheers, Nanci Lee

    http://www.nancilee.ca

    Comment by Nanci — 1/7/2009 @ 10:25 am

  51. Excellent tutorial guys. Thanks! :D

    Comment by Bill Cammack — 2/19/2009 @ 6:39 am

  52. Hi,

    I want to create files I can work with in garageband (break the phone calls up into pieces, mix in music and other audio.) Can I do that with Skype? Thanks for a great tutorial.

    Comment by Peter Crowell — 3/16/2009 @ 3:26 pm

  53. Hello great tutorial, checking my skype technical log I see a codec called SILK, I understand this codec is new and its suppose to be better, will your tweaks still apply, ie. port forwarding all those examples. Thanks in advance.

    Comment by Jorge - Nokia Mobile Talk — 6/6/2009 @ 8:07 pm

  54. Paul and I have not had a chance to check out the new codec in detail. Theoretically it *should* be even better than SVOPC. All other aspects of the video still apply since they’re independent of the codec used.

    Comment by Doug Kaye — 6/6/2009 @ 11:17 pm

  55. Hello,

    Great tutorial. I work for a television station in Chicago. We have a very specific need for skype. Recently we sent a reporter to Afganstan and used skype for live television reports. One problem we have encountered is when ever the video breaks up the audio breaks up too, is there a way to make the audio independent of the video? We want to keep hearing the reporter on the other end even if the video connection is down or breaking up. Please advise.

    Thanks,

    Lorne Golman

    Comment by Lorne Golman — 6/9/2009 @ 2:55 pm

  56. I haven’t studied Skype’s protocols at the packet level, but my guess is that whatever causes a loss of packets for video is doing the same for audio. They might even be in the same packets for that matter. So there’s not likely to be anything you can do.

    Comment by Doug Kaye — 6/13/2009 @ 1:20 am

  57. Thanks very much for making this tutorial! I took some notes while watching and thought others might appreciate having the key points outlined while configuring:

    Of course, shut down any other bandwidth/CPU users
    Enable technical call info in Skype preferences
    During a call, you want:
    No or nearly no packet loss
    Roundtrip under 200ms
    BM (bandwidth) > 5000
    UDP status (both): Good
    CPU < 25% (very important!)
    Relays: 0 is the ideal
    Router settings (which lower relays):
    Static IP
    Forward your incoming Skype port (TCP/UDP) to your IP
    Recording Skype calls:
    Seperate tracks for host and guest make post-production easier
    Record in WAV of AIFF, not MP3
    Mac: Audio Hijack Pro (best) or Call Recorder
    Play outputs through left channel
    Play inputs through right channel
    Fill audio gaps with nothing
    Windows: CallBurner (best), Pamela, TotalRecorder Pro, CallSoft VOiP
    Audio format: PCM 44.1kHz 16 bit stereo
    Store raw audio in addition
    Post-Production:
    Use gate or auto gain reduction
    Or, mute tracks manually when that side isn’t talking
    The Levelator (plugin) evens levels as the final stage

    Comment by TradeMark G. / The Evolution Control Committee — 6/15/2009 @ 8:58 am

  58. Thank you for taking the time to produce is video.

    Have you all tried these tests with video also? I sure a lot of your settings information would pertain to video also. Could you also produce a video to talk about video parameters? Or do you have some information?

    I have broadcast quality cameras which I would want to use as an external camera to a MacBook Pro 17″ v10.5.7 2.93 Ghz processor to interface using Skype

    Any comments or help would be appreciated.

    Dieter

    Comment by Dieter Kaupp — 8/3/2009 @ 12:01 pm

  59. Hi, Dieter. We have little experience with video and don’t have plans to produce another program about video. All of the router configuration issues should be the same however.

    Comment by Doug Kaye — 8/3/2009 @ 12:04 pm

  60. [...] http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2007/12/23/skype-for-interviews/ [...]

    Pingback by Recording interviews using Skype – yes, it can be done successfully — 8/15/2009 @ 7:51 pm

  61. nice programs…
    but i use for recording Skype SkypeCap Mac

    Comment by qwert — 8/20/2009 @ 3:59 am

  62. Hi Doug….

    1) do you consider this video still up to date or are there any relevant changes since video made?

    2) any opinion about skype vs vonage or another service for recording broadcast quality interviews?

    3) I have only skimmed the video thus far – I dont think this is covered – I apologize if it is – with your settings can you easily do voice effects and send sound to person you are talking to – and record all that – for example if I was interviewing you about a song could a play clips of the song – and you would hear it and the clips would be recorded on one of the channels too?

    4)is there any reason at this point people would still use a hybrid for a home set up?

    Comment by Ben — 8/26/2009 @ 2:39 pm

  63. a couple of additions to above

    (in question 4 I meant if only have VOIP phones anyway – does hybrid play any useful role

    5) if just getting started with this stuff – any opinion of mac vs pc?

    6)I have heard Skype may be on brink of being sold or closed..any idea if this is true- do u know if recording 2 channel broadcast quality interviews could easily be done with vonage too?

    7) any other helpful sources you would recommend for recording broadcast quality audio interviews over phone?

    thanks so much…I stumbled onto this site on a google search and it appears very helpful

    Comment by Ben — 8/26/2009 @ 2:46 pm

  64. That’s a lotta questions, Ben! To avoid a super-long post…

    1. Skype has a new codec (SILK) that should be at least as good for this purpose as SVOPC.

    2. Vonage and other VoIP services can have good quality, but with Vonage you still need a hybrid.

    3. Depends entirely on the setup on your computer. Macs and PCs are different in this regard. You gotta play with it.

    4. Hybrids are generally ore reliable than all the stuff we use with Skype. More dropped calls with Skype.

    5. No opinion. We use both. Windows is the first to get new Skype features and codecs.

    6. No idea about the biz stuff. See earlier answer to Vonage. I think you still need a hybrid to get the audio off the analog side of the adapter unless there’s a digital interface. I’ve used Comcast VoIP but never Vonage.

    7. http://transom.org/?p=1165

    Comment by Doug Kaye — 8/26/2009 @ 11:18 pm

  65. Thank You!..

    a few follow ups

    1) when you say “more dropped calls with Skype” vs hybrid – do you mean with all skype calls in general or do you mean specifically when you are recording you are more often losing calls?

    2)Can your system handle speaking/recording multiple callers at once

    3) When asked above about sharing sound files with peron you are interviewing – I imagine people must be dong this – anyone know what works best with this system for a mac to do that – for example – if I am interviewing someone about a song and want to play them a clip of the song and get their response – of course – in this instance I would want to record my voice, their voice and the song I am playing for them

    4) do you have links to interviews you have done usng the set up described in the video (I know the video itself demonstrates this – but would love to hear multiple “real life” examples)

    Comment by Ben — 8/27/2009 @ 8:16 am

  66. One tip I have that you’d not mentioned for the PC, is the use of the “Skype for Business” version: http://www.skype.com/business/

    It has always boasted better quality on voice and business calls. I have no proof but what I believe it does is adjust the priority of the threads so that it is not optimized for sharing resources with games, but for producing the highest quality call. I’ve used it rather than the standard version for years. I work for b5media and being virtualized company spread across several nations/continents, we rely on Skype for communications 8+ hours a day.

    (That said, I am refusing the 4.0 upgrade – as it removes many of the text chat benefits. Down with Skype 4!!!)

    Comment by Brian Layman — 8/27/2009 @ 8:29 am

  67. Ben, Nothing to do with recording, just that Skype drops more calls than most analog land lines. Seems worse on Skype conference calls. And that’s the answer to (2): We use Skype conferencing. Re (3) as I said earlier, you need to test and play to see what works. All the recent Technometria series are done using Skype: http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/series/technometria.html

    Comment by Doug Kaye — 8/27/2009 @ 10:53 pm

  68. Does anyone know offhand if Vonage Companion (Vonage’s softphone which can automatically record) can record file in stereo – i.e left and right channel for input and output and if so how does it compare to skype

    Comment by en — 9/2/2009 @ 2:38 pm

  69. Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.

    Comment by sandrar — 9/10/2009 @ 6:22 am

  70. anyone know if snow leopard – mac’s latest OS is compatible with all this stuff? – I was just going to add it

    also – how do you get the person on other end to to hear (and part of your recording) sound files/sound effects?

    Comment by Eag — 9/16/2009 @ 2:31 pm

  71. [...] http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2007/12/23/skype-for-interviews/   [...]

    Pingback by If you use Skype for recording phone cal… « Podcasters Unite! — 9/24/2009 @ 12:27 pm

  72. [...] Skype for Interviews – A How-To Video, 23.12.2007 –> Sehr technische Tipps. Allerdings: Audio [...]

    Pingback by Video-Interviews via Skype | lab — 10/15/2009 @ 9:24 am

  73. [...] Conversation Network’s SlideShow for improving your Skype connection. [...]

    Pingback by TPS Ep. 16 – Podcast Freebies, Skype Tune Up, Mic Review, and Much More — 11/11/2009 @ 6:32 pm

  74. Great demo, thanks.

    Does anyone have a tip for avoiding that “wet mouth” sound that some people (like the main speaker on this demo) have?

    Comment by Jayson Elliot — 11/28/2009 @ 1:12 pm

  75. I use SkypeCap too

    Comment by bloh — 12/2/2009 @ 4:48 am

  76. [...] Blogarithms » Skype for Interviews – A How-To Video – 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 … [...]

    Pingback by Choosing the Best Sound Card for Recording 101 - Home Recording Studio Center — 12/3/2009 @ 7:03 am

  77. I watched the video and was fine until he got to the firewall stuff. I’m on a Mac and I got nothing that remotely looks like his screenshots.

    Comment by Leonard — 12/10/2009 @ 7:40 pm

  78. Adding G-Recorder to my phone interview system – http://barnstorm-media.com/?p=303

    Comment by Alex — 2/11/2010 @ 1:46 pm

  79. thanks for the great information! I can’t wait to try this skype voide recording out.

    Comment by Haiming — 2/11/2010 @ 7:29 pm

  80. The tutorial is very clear and detailed, so thanks! I’ve done 2 recordings: 1 within the office (on the same network) which turned out crystal clear, and 1 remote (between TX and MA), which turned out clear, but has strange intermittent beeps sprinkled throughout. Is that due to the internet connection itself? Any quick fixes for it?

    Comment by Vija Mendelson — 2/23/2010 @ 7:54 am

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