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Anyone used Skype as a "poor man's ISDN"?

M

Mike Walker

Guest
I'm curious if anyone here's ever used Skype as a "poor man's isdn". My voice people send audio to me online, but sometimes I know I would get a better read if I could be on the line with them when they're in the studio...telling in real time exactly what I'm looking for. Anybody ever used Skype for this? I've heard some fairly impressive Skype audio. Is it good enough for this?
 
Mike,
Oprah uses it so it must be.............well you know! ;)

Video is a big jerky but the audio sounds OK. If you try it let us know how it works.
 
Couldn't they still record directly into their software (Adobe Audition, ProTools, whatever) with you on speakerphone coaching them? Then when the session is over, they save the mp3 and send it over to you. Then you maintain control of the session, and quality of the audio, too.

Just an idea.
 
For $100 you can get a phone hybrid, the HC-Excalibur. Works great. If you have $450, there's the JK Audio Digital Hybrid. Great box!

There's also Source Connect software. Although I don't believe it works with Adobe Audition.
 
Leo Laporte uses it constantly, to the point where he depends on it when he interviews his friends on his radio show. If they can't Skype, they simply dial the ol phone.
 
Source Connect's website has a stand alone "client" program that works with PCs using Adobe Audition.but you don;t even need that..it works like an ISDN codec and really good quality. I am sold on it and have licences for all studios and one laptop. Did the latest set of Dish Network TV spots from my wife's Jeep in Vermont with producer on line using a Sprint EVDO MiFi to connect to the internet! Don't think Skype's bandwidth is quite good enough for broadcast, but maybe.
 
Jeff Laurence said:
Source Connect's website has a stand alone "client" program that works with PCs using Adobe Audition.but you don;t even need that..it works like an ISDN codec and really good quality. I am sold on it and have licences for all studios and one laptop. Did the latest set of Dish Network TV spots from my wife's Jeep in Vermont with producer on line using a Sprint EVDO MiFi to connect to the internet! Don't think Skype's bandwidth is quite good enough for broadcast, but maybe.
Click to expand...
Way to go Jeff ! But.. you got Sprint coverage in Vermont !?

I used the Source Connect stand alone in NH. I liked it better than running through ProTools: MicPort Pro was the only hardware needed. Source Connect Desktop also lets you record the session to your computer as a backup. A lot of trouble installing though.. you need the VST version of the plug in, and for some reason the installer didn't install it on my Mac.
 
I had a particularly persnickety client, a real stickler for pronunciation and I got tired of constantly re-cutting VO for him. My solution was to just get him on the phone for my session. I recorded in Adobe Audition while he listened down the line and it was wonderful. He got the exact read that he wanted and I got done a lot faster without re-cuts. I just MP3'd the completed session to him and that was that. It's a super low cost way to do it.
 
Chuck..I may have mis-spoke. This client program doesn't require any workstation at all...as opposed to the Pro Tools plug-in version which requires Pro Tools to be running to work. It behaves exactly like an ISDN codec, except that you use your computer soundcard as an input device. Of course you need to have Source-Connect installed (using the iLok) and it will run just like a zephyr. I suppose you may be able to find a way to record the work and send it later in Audition..but from what I remember Audition doesn't let anything else use the sound card when it is on line. In any case here's the link to the free standalone client program:

http://sourceelements.com/desktop/

Don't forget you can try a full featured version of Source Connect for 15 days. (you still need to use an iLok) Anybody want to try it out I am listed in the "contacts" list at www.source-elements.com as "jefflaur1" and "jefflaur2" Call the studio number to set up a test time.
 
Jeff
What if you use two cards? One to record with, the other for playback? Can you choose with card SC (Adobe) uses?
 
My previous computer was very happy dragging around TWO sound cards, and yes, Audition let's you pick which sound device it will do business with.

Sadly, my current computer pouts and cries if I activate two sound cards. Having two cards is not essential to the things I do these days so I took one out. I have assumed that the XP-Media version is the culprit. I haven't gotten excited enough about having two cards to risk stripping out the Media version components and risk messing everything up.
 
Yeah chuck a second card would work..and I bet better yet would be one audio interface is USB and the other is installed..might work fine. You can tell Audition which card to use, and I think you can change interfaces in Source Connect as well
 
Source Connect Desktop lets you record ! You can connect with your client, do the remote session, and still record on your end using the "mixer" in the standalone software. You have to be careful you're not recording both sides of the feed, requires spending a couple of minutes familiarizing yourself with the software.
 
We also make use of Source Connect on a regular basis, but it turns out most bands and artists are big fans of skype so when it comes to interviews and on the road connections, Skype is quickly becoming the favorite with many artists we talk to... Our engineer has figured out a creative way to partner our skype "calls" recorded with SC from wherever we are at the time. Brilliant!

It's not as good of quality, but to be honest, it offers a more instantaneous and rugged texture to the interview and really adds to the story in my opinion. Would I love studio quality all the time, sure I would, but for some things, it's not what the doctor ordered.

-Jeremiah.

--
Jeremiah St. James
Director, ZIONFM.net
[email protected]
 
I've used Skype on the air with good success. I place my laptop next to me in the studio and have an audio cable to the board. They can hear me through the mic in the laptop and the response is ISDN fast.
 
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