BEHRINGER XENYX Q802USB with a mic, Skype, and Audacity

I’m trying to figure out if it is possible to record myself with a mic (and headphones) and a friend over Skype with a Behringer Xenyx Q802USB and Audacity? Or is there an easier way?

And will this produce multiple tracks within Audacity?

And will I be able to do this all from a single PC?

Any input is appreciated, thanks.

The last recommendation for Skype was one of the two higher Pamela software licenses.

http://www.pamela.biz/en/products/

That will create special sound pathways in your computer (required) and the two higher licenses will give you a stereo track with you on the left and the Skype guest on the right. Mix your brains out in post production.

The grownups use multi-channel sound mixers and separate recorders. That’s what these people are doing.

That’s how I did it.

This is the engineering test I shot with that setup.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/DenisePodcastMoreHeavilyCut3.mp3

Neither of us is a performer, but we are on opposite ends of the country (and this is a test).

Either of those methods is dead reliable, but they’re not simple or cheap.

We haven’t heard any complaints about this in a long time. There may be a New and Improved method I don’t know about. Does Skype offer software? I don’t know that anybody ever asked.

Koz

I forgot.

There is a recommended way to record a podcast with no Skype management at all. Everybody can record their own voice because that’s a service of their computer. It’s recording the Skype side that kills you.

So: Each person in the podcast records their own voice and ships you the sound files. You sync them up and mix them gracefully into a high quality production. You don’t even need Skype for this. You can call each other on the phone.

That’s what this is.

A radio station wanted to interview one of our producers. I corralled the team into our super quiet conference room, the station called the producer on the phone (center) and had a nice chat. I recorded the producer’s voice. Yes, that’s Audacity on the computer.

Ship the exported WAV sound files to the producer’s office upstairs and their office forwarded them to the station.

We double recorded it, so the picture is more complex than it seems it should be.

I was completely obsessive about the recording and the station said they didn’t have to make any corrections. They just cut my sound files to length and dumped them into the show.

Koz

You don’t need two computers. Do you have a way to record sound without the computer?

The computer on the left is playing the music to the sound mixer and recording the mix. You can put the music in later and you can record the voices on anything. I have used a personal recorder to record the mix. That leaves the computer on the right which is running Skype—and doesn’t know about any of the rest of this stuff.

If you have a way to do that, I’ll go through the mixer settings.

Koz

Thanks for the input.

Looks like I have several options.

I could use Pamela and Skype and record on a single PC (which would get me multiple tracks) or get a digital recorder (which would result in a single track with both parties).

Thanks again.

That’s close.

Pamela, with I believe it’s still the top two licenses will give you one stereo track with you on the left and the guest on the right. I believe you can assign any configuration including mix. That’s one of the cool things you get by popping for the higher licenses.

Last time I did this, at least one of the lower licenses would force a mix (no left and right) and also force a lower quality MP3 rather than WAV. One license would only record for a set time and then cut you off. It does not pay to automatically lunge for the cheapest license.

Depending on the mixer, you can record stereo as well with split talent. But you also have to create a Mix-Minus for the Skype far side. You told us what the mixer is. I need to look it up. Your microphone comes into the mixer and you assign it to Left and out the door to the stereo recorder. Skype Guest Voice comes into the mixer on another fader. You assign that to right and out the door to the recorder. So that’s your stereo raw recording.

Then it gets Twilight Zone. Also Assign your microphone to FX Send or whatever your mixer has. Plug the FX Send connection to the Skype Microphone. You can’t send the guest voice back to them, but they have to be able to hear you. They can’t get the tiny recorder mix.

Your mixer is really doing two different things. The small recorder gets everything, but the guest gets everything but their own voice. Mix-Minus.

Windows machines don’t have line-level connections any more, so you’ll also need to pop for a stereo line adapter such as the Behringer UCA-202. That’s my mixer on the right. I assume you have a laptop.




There is a way to cheat supersonically. Put Skype on a speaker on the table and put a stand-alone sound recorder between that and you. Basically record the room with both your voices on it.

There is a condition that makes everybody completely nuts. Chase from the Reel Life Podcast just plugged everything up on one computer, pressed Record and started turning out Skype podcasts. Nobody, including him understands how he’s doing it, and trust me, that doesn’t work for anybody else.

Koz

The Behringer 802 does have FX Send for each incoming channel. You will not be able to use the USB sound because you’re going to create a very custom mix and you can’t do that (that I know of) down the USB connection.

I think you’re stuck. You can’t use the USB sound for anything.

I have a drawing of the signal flow here somewhere. I did write this down.

Koz