Audacity and Skype

[hendey]

Hi there I have just begun supervision via SKYPE. This involves playing audio files for both I and my supervisor to listen to simultaneously. I save my recordings as MP3 files 44100Hz. I have experimented with playing from my files saved onto my Mac (using the internal mic) and also by playing directly from the recording device. In both cases my supervisor hears only part of the recording - the sound stops and starts. As well as this sometimes the sound sounds like it is being delivered through a sea shell - with waves of sound progressing and receding and echoing. Is there a solution for this problem? Dianne

[kozikowski]

Not easily. no. Skype traditionally takes over all the sound pathways in a computer. If you force it to give up some of that control, then the conference voice quality will suffer. If you don't force it to do that, you can never get both sides of the conversation.

There are several software packages for Windows that will record both sides of the conversation -- Pamela and Total Recorder come to mind -- but I don't know anything for Macs.

This is me searching. You can, too.

Koz

[kozikowski]

playing directly from the recording device.

What recording device and how is it connected?

Koz

[kozikowski]

I can't stress enough what a delicate balance Skype and all conferencing services are. If you play back, for example, a second Mac show into speakers so you can hear it, then the other end should be able to hear it as well, assuming you're on a live microphone. Is that the pathway that fades and cuts out?

It could be that Skype thinks your playback is "Room Noise" and is trying to cancel it out so it doesn't interfere with your voice. What's the playback show? Music? Skype doesn't like that very much.

Koz

[hendey]

Thank you for the replies: To answer the queries you raise

1. When I play back my recording externally I am doing so from a Roland Edirol R-05 via a pair of Bass burgers.
I have not tried to play back by directly connecting the Roland Edirol R-05 to my Mac and I will try this

2. The recording i am playing is conversation - not music or singing -


I guess Skype does not provide good sound every time and this is acerbated when I add recorded sound to the mix.

There must be a way so if you come up with other suggestions I would be most grateful

Dianne

[kozikowski]

If you don't need an actual conversation, you might be able to host streaming instead of Voice Over IP. That's how the radio stations do it.

Skype's claim to fame is its ability to provide a conversation - both directions -- no matter what the connection is. This gives you the ability to do war correspondence over Skype in spite of having an almost non-existent internet connection. That oceany, swishing sound is Skype adjusting the compression and quality to make up for a ratty internet connection.

That and people refer to their internet connection as if it was one thing. It's not. Most people's upstream connection -- pushing stuff up to the internet is very different from pulling something down. When you do a speed test...

Internet Speed Tests
2011 01 24
Most need Javascript

http://speedtest.net/
http://speakeasy.net/
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest

http://2wire.com

...you get two numbers. Skype quality tends to be the worst or slowest of the two numbers.

Higher quality services also demand a non-home internet connection. I have a fixed IP number connection at home -- pretty unusual -- and I can and have hosted servers here. Most people can't because they have a connection that moves around as the supplier -- DSL Extreme, Comcast -- feels like it.

You can't have a firewall -- or you need a very talented one. That's something else Skype does well. It doesn't much matter what your connection is or how well protected. Skype punches through.

So you and your supervisor need to both do speed tests -- multiple tests around the time you will be using the connections and see what the numbers are. That may be most of the problem right there. Cable Modems are famous for "going under" at the exact time that everybody gets home from work and starts downloading naked ladies at the same time. Your connection which has been watching HiDef movies all day suddenly slows to barely voice quality.


Thinking about this a little..... Can you post a little of the recording you're trying to transmit? If you have perfect, broadcast quality voices over velvety dead-silent background, that should go straight through. If you have ratty, low quality voices over air conditioner and traffic trash, Skype may be trying to cancel it all out as "noise." As before, conferencing systems are enormously more complex than you think.

Koz