Skype call recording software & hardware issues.

S

supersi

New member
Not quite sure if this is the right sub-forum to use, but anyway...

Part of my job involves doing broadcast quality pre-recorded telephone interviews.
I make the phone calls using Skype on a Windows 7 PC with a core i7 processor.
The calls are made using Skype.
The calls are recorded using Pamela for Skype. I have set Pamela up to record the interviewees on one channel, and me on the other.
I used to use a USB Logitech headset with mic but the mic was too tinny-sounding.
I now use a Rode NT1 mic connected to an Alesis i02 mixer/soundcard connected via USB to my PC.


The issue I have is that more often than not my own voice recording is poor/muffled/distorted (sounds chipmunky).
There are so many points of adjustment I don't know where to start.
Should I be looking at...i02 levels, Pamela settings, Skype settings, PC sound settings?

Where to start?
 
supersi said:
Part of my job involves doing broadcast quality pre-recorded telephone interviews.
I make the phone calls using Skype on a Windows 7 PC with a core i7 processor.

The calls are recorded using Pamela for Skype. I have set Pamela up to record the interviewees on one channel, and me on the other.

I use a Rode NT1 mic connected to an Alesis i02 mixer/soundcard connected via USB to my PC.

The issue I have is that more often than not my own voice recording is poor/muffled/distorted (sounds chipmunky).
There are so many points of adjustment I don't know where to start.Should I be looking at..i02 levels, Pamela settings, Skype settings, PC sound settings?

Where to start?
Click to expand...

I'd start with the io2 with a different recording app and eliminate that part of the recording chain as the potential problem. If you don't have one download a free copy of Reaper.
 
Identified problem - solved

The bit-rate settings weren't consistent between the hardware and software.
Hence the chip-munky distortion.
I made sure both elements used 24 bit bitrate and 48,000hz sampling.
Also, when I opened-up Adobe Audition to edit in, Audition would throw-out the settings, causing the Chipmunk effect the next time I Skype recorded. I downloaded the latest ASIO for all BETA driver, which includes a fix for this.
 
supersi said:
The bit-rate settings weren't consistent between the hardware and software.
Hence the chip-munky distortion.
I made sure both elements used 24 bit bitrate and 48,000hz sampling.
Also, when I opened-up Adobe Audition to edit in, Audition would throw-out the settings, causing the Chipmunk effect the next time I Skype recorded. I downloaded the latest ASIO for all BETA driver, which includes a fix for this.
Click to expand...

Great. And thanks for turning me on to Pamela. I'm currently working through the various issues prior to starting up a podcast with a friend.
 
Might want to try network-based recording

I've seen lots of problems with Skype recording plugins, because they're using local resources. Two companies (Evoca and Calltrunk) have come out with network-based recording which works really well, although they can't of course compensate for poor bandwidth or microphone. Might be worth giving that type of solution a try.

Full disclosure: I work for one of those companies.
 
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