[PodcastMN] iChat vs. Skype

[Steve Borsch]

Hi Graeme,

I've used both Skype and iChat extensively and have recorded them both (even
with video...but I digress). Two ways to do it for audio:

1) The easy way is with Audio Hijack Pro (
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/) or Wiretap (
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wiretap/). I've had the best success
with AHP so that is my recommendation. They have set up a no-brainer quick
Skype or iChat recording function and have detailed a how-to on their web
site:
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/manual/English.lproj/help_ATrecordingchat.htmland
you can also download a demo so you can try it out first.

There are other software solutions (like CallRecorder:
http://www.ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/) but they're limited and you won't be
able to grow with them as you get better. The kicker with AHP is that as you
grow and become more sophisticated in what you want to accomplish, AHP has
deep and highly functional capabilities that you can spend hours playing
with to get a more perfect sound and geek-out with routing audio signals!

2) Setting up a "mix minus" from your mixer or Firewire/USB box so that you
can record the iChatters or Skypers on one channel and you on the other
channel so you can fix any problems or normalize audio levels in post. My
preference is to record *both* an internal recording on my Mac with AHP
*and* a backup recording out to my M-Audio Microtrack to make certain I've
captured it and there are no hiccups. Saved my bacon twice when doing
sessions for one of my clients earlier this year.

(By the way, I've set up a new user account on my Mac called "clean user"
just for audio recording. The only thing that runs is AHP and either iChat
or Skype so NOTHING else is running and interfering with the recording
process. I also open Activity Monitor (in your Utilities folder...hit
Command-1 to open the current running processes) to make sure that some
system-wide process isn't running that's eating up CPU time or causing disk
activity like Apple's Backup program. Once you've done this stuff to setup
recordings a couple of times, it literally takes just a few minutes to get
completely setup and running for recording. There have been times that I've
started a recording session on-the-fly since someone has asked me to do so
in a conference session and, since I've done it several times, I don't even
think much about it anymore since the workflow is ingrained in my brain).

The audio guru Doug Kaye has three excellent posts on Skype recording --
with the first two telling you how to setup a mix-minus for (either iChat
or) Skype recording -- with his latest post being fabulous if you want to
get REALLY great Skype recording without those annoying digital "hiccups" --
since the two of you will have an incentive to tweak your own networks and
connections to get better-n-better results:

a) Interviews via Skype:
http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2005/07/14/interviews-via-skype/

b) Interviews via Skype revisited:
http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2005/07/22/interviews-via-skype-revisited/

c) Recording Skype interviews:
http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2007/07/09/skype2/


NOTE: for those of you wanting to explore Skype recording software
solutions, here's a great page:
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-to-record-skype-conversations.html

Hope this helps.

-- 
Steve Borsch
Direct/Mobile: 952.486.7678
Email: Steve at iConnectDots.com
Blog: http://www.iConnectDots.com
Podcast: http://www.iConnectDots.com/podcasts/

On 8/29/07, Graeme Fehr <weirdcookie at turkeyvan.com> wrote:
>
>  If someone has some info or can point me to a disscussion forum, that'd
> be cool.
>
> Has anyone used iChat as a means of a conference call vs. a skype call?
> Frosty and I are doing the show cross-country now and Skype has it's
> upsides, but also has it's downsides...
>
> Can you use iChat using AIM, or do you have to have a .mac account to make
> this work?
>
> And if iChat is a means of doing it, with it being based on the AIM server
> rather than skype, would it run smoother at times or does it matter how many
> people on a port?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
>
> -----
> Graeme Fehr
> ----
> http://itradio.turkeyvan.com - ITRadio's Website
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