Skype Audio Recording Cheat Sheet

How to make the most of your Skype interview 


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Important Points A quick note on recording

Whether you decide to record your interview via Skype using ECAMM’s call recorder software, using Zoom, or something else, it’s important to know that there are many paths to achieving the same goal. Ultimately, no matter what kind of microphone you’re using, and no matter what software, you want a clear sounding recording and a hassle free experience during the interview process.

My Favourite Setup My preferred setup for first time hosts is to use the Yeti microphone,

by the company Blue, while using Skype and the ECAMM Call Recorder software and using the multitrack setting if you are including the video. This is where I have seen the best results in audio and video quality. However, there are a few things to consider to optimize this setup.

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Skype versus Zoom In the end, go with what YOU like

I’ve heard horror stories about people not being able to get Skype to work properly or being deep into an interview only to have the call drop and as a result many people ask, “is there an alternative?” A lot of people these days are turning to zoom and achieving very good results. For me, when you account for all the potentially problematic variables I prefer the Skype + ECAMM method but I’ve been happy with what I’ve seen from people who decide to go with zoom. In short, if switching to zoom ends some of the headaches, then it’s hard to argue against it.

Mo’ Quality, Mo’ Problems YOU are not going to beat science and cheat the system. The better

you want your interviews to sound and look, then the more complex your setup is going to get, the more money you should be prepared to invest, and the more time and effort it’s going to take for you to achieve the desired result. At the same time, I don’t recommend racing to the finish line and it’s important to concentrate on those first few steps as you get out of the gate. The advice contained here is to help you get going - it’s designed to make your life as simple as possible as you get started and begin to get your bearings.

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Why the Yeti? Simple - it’s simple.

The minute you decide to use a dedicated microphone (i.e - not the one that’s in your laptop, and not the one attached to the earbuds that came with your Samsung galaxy smartphone) then you’ve taken a huge step in improving the quality of your sound. If you do nothing else, invest in a microphone.

I like the Yeti for the following reasons:

• It’s affordable.

• Because it’s USB powered you can just plug it in and get going.

• It’s easy to use.

• Besides being a microphone it acts as a dedicated A/D converter.

• It’s all you need.

You can check out a handy little tutorial about how to use your USB powered microphone like the Yeti by following this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cT3slEARWM

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Why am I being asked to wear ear buds?

I ALWAYS encourage you to wear ear buds while conducting Skype recordings and I recommend that you instruct your guests to do the same. Some people tell me that they don’t like the look of it and they want to feel more free in front of the camera while conducting interviews, but, when used properly, a decent set of in-ear monitors can be very discrete by having the wire run down your back instead of in front.

The reason I suggest using earphones is because of the way Skype controls the sound and incoming sound signals during a conversation. ECAMM Skype recorder records the audio signal from your microphone as well as from your guest’s microphone as it is interpreted by your computer. If, for example, your guest is not wearing earphones and your voice coming through their speakers is loud enough to enable their microphone this will cause the Skype recorder to record the audio a second time. It’s not quite feedback, and is more similar to a type of latency or delay, but the results sound awful. By you and your guest wearing headphones you eliminate the possibility of encountering this problem.

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Sync Issues and Dropped Calls

Trust me, I know how frustrating it can be when Skype doesn’t seem to want to cooperate. Nothing can ruin the flow of an interview quite like a bad connection, but typically it’s not Skype’s fault. Or at least it’s wrong to exclusively blame Skype. Skype is only obeying certain rules and parameters set for it by you and your guest’s setup. It doesn’t know what kind of internet you pay for, what modem or router you have, or who is on the other line, and any of these things can wreak havoc with your connection.

So here are a few things you need to know about your internet and how it’s going affect your Skype calls:

• What are you paying for? 


Knowing what kind of internet you are getting from your internet service provider is one of the most crucial aspects of putting together a good Skype interview.

If you are paying for cheap internet service chances are you’re not going to have the fastest speeds that are available and you might well have a service that is providing you with speeds that are insufficient to recording a Skype interview.

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• What is your guest paying for? 


Remember that your connection and the quality of that connection is going to be a marriage of you and your guest. You can have the best internet service in the world, but if your guest is in some strange rural community with nothing better than dial-up, then you should expect to run into issues.

• The Router and Modem 


This is where I most often see things go wrong. Having great service won’t do any good if your ancillary equipment that you’re using to power the internet in your home is insufficient.

Nowadays it’s not that difficult to get a router that can handle the demands you might put on it. But things have changed, and if you’re using the same router you were using 5 or 10 years ago, then it might be obsolete. Not only are internet speeds faster but we now ask our routers to handle signals from more devices than ever before. If you are using an older router from back when you had two desktop computers using one internet connection, but now you have your cell phone, your tablet, your Xbox and your laptop all using the wi-fi then any problems you might encounter with your Skype connection might be a result of having an obsolete router.


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• Testing your internet


I recommend you run a speed test which you can do by visiting this website: http://www.speedtest.net/


All you have to do is click on “BEGIN TEST”

This test will tell you three numbers:

Your ping, your download speed, and your upload speed. Your download speed and upload speed should match those offered by your ISP. If they don’t reflect the numbers of the plan you are paying for, there is a likely a deficiency somewhere in your setup.



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http://www.speedtest.net/




I’ve put together a handy tutorial which explains this in more detail which you can view by copy and pasting this address in your web browser’s address bar: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfp3Lr_PjQE&

• What’s running in the background? 


Dropbox is a wonderful program that is ideal for sharing and storing important files on the cloud. But I have never seen anything wreck havoc on Skype like dropbox. The two companies seem to have never teamed up and found a way to have both operating effectively at the same time. The minute dropbox begins to load a file you can forget about your Skype video running smoothly. It is imperative that while you are conducting an interview via Skype that you disable dropbox. In fact, it is advisable that you be aware of other programs on your computer that automatically use your wifi or internet and disable them while you conduct your interview as well. Programs that might use your wifi without you knowing it is anything that has any kind of “auto-update” enabled, virus protection software, etc.

• Are the kids watching Netflix? 


This is really just a gentle reminder that every bit of traffic you are asking the roadways of information going into your home to handle could affect your Skype connection. In this day and age, with the right service and the right equipment, you should be able conduct an interview hassle free while the kids are off watching Netflix. But, if you do find you are experiencing issues because of slow internet, this could be a factor so be

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sure to throw a book at the little bundles of joy and tell them to read. In order to make the most of the resources you have available it might be best to power down all other devices that might be using the same signal.


Common Complaints and Problems

Never, EVER, worry that you’re the first

In my experience 99% of problems come down to very simple, frustratingly embarrassing moments of user error. Squeezing out the brain fart is uncomfortable but it’s important not to beat yourself up or get frustrated - it happens to everybody… yes, even me.

Here are some common problems and complaints I’ve heard over the years. Also tucked in here might be some myths I just feel I need to dispel:

Problem: When I plug the microphone in I can hear my guest perfectly fine, but they can’t seem to hear me. Is my microphone defective? 

Solution: The microphone is likely not defective, but you are. I’m kidding of course, but 99 times out of 100, you’ve just toggled the mute button and haven’t realized.

Another possible solution if toggling the mute button doesn’t solve the issue could be to adjust the gain.


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Problem: When I plug in the microphone they can hear me, but I can’t hear them. Am I going deaf?

Solution: Run a test by having a face to face conversation with someone you trust. Many people will do all the necessary steps and heed my consultations to the letter but then plug their headphones into their computer instead of into the headphone jack on the microphone. If your system’s audio output setting and Skype’s audio output setting are the Yeti microphone then you won’t hear a darn thing plugging your headphones into the headphone jack on your computer. So plug those headphones into the proper jack on the Yeti.

Problem: There was major construction going on and at various points my voice gets drowned out by the sound of helicopters, can you take the sound of the helicopters out so that you can only hear my voice?

Solution: In the quest to solve this problem you might come across renegade audio engineers who say that they can work miracles for you. But those fancy little gadgets in spy movies where someone spins a dial and says “enhance” and all of a sudden what was completely inaudible before becomes crystal clear, yeah that’s not actually a thing. Yes, we have amazing audio tools out there and we can do some amazing stuff, but in my experience there are some situations for which there is no cost effective way to get a result that might meet your expectation. And if you do find a guy who for a few bucks can remove the helicopter sounds while preserving the integrity of your voice and have it blend beautifully in with the rest of the interview then I urge you to get me in touch with this man so I can learn the secrets behind this dark magic.


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Problem: My guest’s video seems to be stuck out of sync with their audio. What do I do?

Solution: Do you remember back in the old days when our toaster wasn’t working or the old CRT TV seemed to be on the fritz people would just give it an old “bang”? The modern day version of doing this is what we call the “hard restart”. In this case, more often than not, simply stopping and starting the call should give the systems the old jolt they need. But sometimes you need something a little stronger. Shutting down your system for a second and restarting might be all it needs. If that still won’t do it, and you’re using a Mac try giving it the old PRam restart. Still not working, you say? Okay, final solution is give her the old SMC restart. And if that fails… call a priest.


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Your Pre-Interview Checklist

Handy things to take care of before an interview


All of these recommendations go for you the host, but it is up to you to remind your guest to do the same.

Confirm that BOTH your computer and skype/zoom are reading input and output from your YETI or other microphone. *

Disable all alerts on your computer.

Close any unnecessary programs.

Close/disable Dropbox or other programs that use the internet in the background.

Check your video recording settings and make sure that your picture size is 1280x720.

Make sure you know the recording software’s save location so that you can find the file that is created once you have completed the interview.

Are you wearing headphones?

Are your headphones properly plugged into the proper port on your Yeti microphone?

Is your mute button enabled/disabled?

Check to make sure you are using the correct polar pattern (cardioid).

Be sure to properly adjust your gain and volume dials.

Check your levels using the VU meter in the recording software by speaking at a normal volume to make sure you are not overloading the audio signal in the microphone.

Have other devices in the house that use the wifi been powered down?

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* Before you start your recording it is recommended that you double check in your system preferences audio panel and make sure that both the input setting AND the output setting read: YETI. It is also recommended that you open your Skype preferences and check its audio preferences panel and make sure that the program is also reading YETI for both its input and output settings.

Turn off your cell phone or any other devices that might interfere with the flow of your interview.

Have you designed your environment so that it is comfortable and free of disturbances.

Always have a glass of water on hand so you can stay hydrated. No joke! Thank me later.

Have you run a test?

Have you run a test?