Recording Skype - Other Person Too Quiet

[Joanna]

Hi, I'm using Audacity to record a Skype conversation. I have one of Skype's headsets, and when I make the call, everything on both sides sounds great. However, when I record it in Audacity, my voice comes out clear and loud, but you can barely hear the person on the other end of the conversation. Have been fiddling with volume settings on both programs and Windows (XP) volume control, and changing from Microphone to Stereo Mix, but no luck. Help?

[alatham]

Audacity isn't in a very good position to record Skype conversations.

Someone else recommended this program, I have no experience with it:
http://www.callburner.com/

[Joanna]

Thanks for the CallBurner suggestion; I'll check it out. However, in the meantime I checked out HotRecorder, and had the exact same problem with it. So it must be something other than the software. If anyone knows what that might mean, please let me know.

[kozikowski]

Windows has two sound panels--or it used to, and the function has been take up by other settings. The upshot is Play and Record are different and you can have one perfectly balanced and the other completely off. For example, you can turn down the microphone in the Record panel so it's not as loud in Audacity, but still get feedback from the room speakers because the microphone is still turned up in the Playback or Mix panels.

This drives everybody crazy and even though I know it's happening, I still get burned.

http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... trol_Panel

Koz

[Joanna]

Thanks, I looked at the site and may try to fiddle some more with my settings. However, the odd thing is that I then downloaded PowerGramo, which (once I actually purchased a license so that I could record Skype calls to a land line) seems to work fine, even though I had the problem with both Audacity and HotRecorder.

[kozikowski]

So you win.

Koz

[soft4you]

You can also try this "skype recorder" http://www.extralabs.net/skype-recorder.htm

[patrikana]

Well friends, I notice that the internet calls to the whole world are cheap, except to Honduras I wonder if is because the government over there charges a big amount of money to receive a call through their monopolized telephone system. Why the VoIP rates per min. to Honduras is so expensive compared to the rest of the world? What is your opinion? Have a nice day.

[kozikowski]

<<<Why the VoIP rates per min. to Honduras is so expensive >>>

I don't think I know how to fix that. Anybody?

Koz

[kozikowski]

The trick here is to find software that will let you record both sides of the conversation suitable for production. That's the difference between the two cheap Pamelas and the two expensive ones. The ability to record the two sides on their own track so you can apply filters and effects to one and not the other.

As has been written about in other posts, you can't just "capture" the sound going back and forth. Skype takes over all the sound pathways inside the computer and the very best you can do is record one direction. Pamela sets up an artificial "sound card" inside the machine and makes both sides of the conversation go through it.

Koz