Friday, February 26, 2010

Doing the Double Ender on Skype

One of the great things about what I do, is that I am always learning something new. My most recent achievement, getting an account on Skype.

Now, I've known about Skype for quite sometime. I just haven't had to use it because the broadcasting studio for my podcast, The Bigg Success Show, is set up like that of a radio station. I have a Mackie board that is hooked up to my desktop computer. I have a Gentner for recording radio broadcast quality phone interviews. It's a hybrid, similiar to this J.K. Audio product. I hook my phone line from the wall > to the back of the Gentner > into the Mackie > through an Aux channel. (*Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of BSW. The links provided are through my account.)

This method is still my preferred way of doing interviews because the audio quality is crystal clear and you don't get the audio glitches that often come during a Skype call.

BUT, when you are recording another podcaster, something really cool happens...The Double-Ender!

I'd never heard this recording lingo until prepping for an interview with Douglas E. Welch. Douglas is hosting CareerCampLA2010, and George (my husband / podcast co-host) and I will be presenters at the event via Skype. As we set up an interview time, Douglas dropped the Double-Ender bomb and explained it this way:

"Basically each person records their side of the conversation and then the remote person uploads the audio so the editor can download and reassemble the 2 pieces into one, mixed down version.

In this way, you get studio quality audio on both sides of the conversation and the occasional Skype hiccup doesn't get recorded. You are only using the Skype call as a talk back mechanism."

Well, it worked like a charm! You can listen to the interview here.

Check out this great tutorial from Doug Kaye and Paul Figgiani to have a double-ender of your own!

- Mary-Lynn

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