I have a discrete problem and I am really hoping that the experts here can help me.
I did a remote interview with my podcast. It was recorded through my laptop’s speakers. The subject came out “ok” but my voice was un-usable. I clearly talked too loudly into the laptop’s microphone. If I continue to record Skype calls, I can rectify that. I am looking for alternative ways to record and am open to ideas.
Believe it or not, that’s not what I’m inquiring about (though thoughts/ideas are welcome). I spent hours re-recording all my parts and it sounds a lot better. The problem is this. It’s clear that the two vocals come from two different sources. This isn’t a volume problem; I’ve been able to use Audacity’s tools and fix that. My question is this: Is there a way to create a more uniform sound, so that the disparities between the sources aren’t so obvious? Since I used a Yeti to re-record my parts, and the subject was recorded on the laptop’s mic, I know I can’t achieve a completely uniform sound. I am just hoping to get it closer.
Would Audacity’s settings under Reverb help with this? If so, any suggestions as to which? If not, are there other settings that would help?
You’ll have to redo all of your side : it will be next to impossible to match the re-take to match existing audio.
Degrading the Yeti recording to sound like laptop-mic-Skype is possible using equalization, distortion & compression.
If you give us a few seconds of the Yeti & a few seconds of the target audio, we should be able to suggest settings.
Recording a Skype call is not for the easily frightened.
Describe how you recorded the laptop speakers? One not awful way is to place a stand-alone personal recorder half-way between the laptop and you. Record the room.
Recording inside the laptop rarely works right because Skype loves to take over the sound channels while it’s working. It’s not that hard to record you because that’s a service of the laptop, but recording the Skype side is difficult. Skype doesn’t like to share.
Unless you actually got it to work once, don’t bet an important interview.
Pamela makes Windows software that can give you good Skype recordings and the paid licenses can give you separate recordings of both sides.
I make it sound like Skype is viciously fighting you. It’s not. Skype got where it is by always working and the only way to do that is to get a death grip on the computer hosting it. It’s rough to break into that.
The problem with that is that Recording my end through The laptop speaker came out very very distorted and I haven’t figured out a way to control the record levels on the laptop. It seems like it would be easy to do but I haven’t had any luck and I have also been told that reducing the sound level on a digital recording wont get me too far anyway. If I could record both sides simply using Pamela or a similar software without distortion I would settle for that…does Pamela allow you to monitor and adjust the recording levels at all?
It does seem that. Skype makes it look easy which is why it’s so popular.
I can only recall one Pamela complaint and that was someone who was using it incorrectly.
does Pamela allow you to monitor and adjust the recording levels at all?
As I understand this, Skype automatically sets everything and Pamela taps into the existing sound channels and creates its own sound channels to record the voices. It’s a dance.
It’s not foolproof. Skype made a system change a bunch of months ago and left Pamela in the dust until they could roll out a patch.
The upper two licenses will allow you to create a stereo WAV file with you on Left and the guest on Right. Split, mix, adjust and match later for the final show. This is the last time I checked.
That’s not the only way to record Skype well. Many grownups use the mixer and separate recorder method. That’s the radio show which allows Skype call-ins of guests.
That’s how I did it. It was a natural since I had a mixer and had access to two computers, one Skype and the other a recorder. It’s the casual single computer user that gets stuck with the oddball software and sound routing problems.
And the last possibility is each side records their own voice and ships their sound files to you. No Skype bubbly audio.
