As any podcaster already knows, treating a topic from different angles is a surefire way to take the quality of its content to a higher level. However, different viewpoints usually mean more votes need to be managed, with co-hosts and guests weighing on your discussion. It cannot be said enough that mastering a great podcast interview or conducting a heated conversation already requires good speaking skills, experience, organization, and the right equipment.
So what if you are not all in the same place? Maybe your co-host is streaming live straight from wherever you cover (like a sports match), or you work remotely (like we do at Spreaker, by the way) or mostly from the expert if you want to do an interview, you get there not in your studio. In this case, the best solution is to use Skype, Setup is very easy with Spreaker Studio for Desktop.
How to integrate Skype with Spreaker Studio for Desktop
First, you’ll need to download additional software that will allow you to manage external audio sources through Spreaker Studio. If you have a Mac, you should download Soundflower * (for OS X El Capitan or higher, or for OS X Yosemite and lower). If you’re running Spreaker Studio on Windows, download VB-Cable for Windows. You can quickly download and install both software by clicking the Skype icon in the left menu:
* If the Soundflower installer doesn’t start, or you get a notification that it wasn’t downloaded from the App Store, open your System Preferences, go to Security, then General and click Definitely Open.
The final step will ask you to restart your computer. Restart and launch Spreaker Studio to follow the next steps.
At this point, all you have to do is change the settings in the Microphone and Sources area:
Choose Soundflower or VB Cable as the second input. Then make sure you click “Monitor” to hear the Skype call on your headphones.
Start Skype on your computer. Go to Skype Settings and then select Audio / Video. From the Speakers drop-down menu, choose Soundflower or VB Cable:
Then you can start the call with your co-host or guest …
… who in this case was Sergio, one of my collaborators who was kind enough to help me create this demo!
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If your co-host doesn’t have a Skype account, you can also use Google Hangout. The process is the same if the same external software is used (Soundflower for Mac and VB-Cable for Windows). If you need more help, you can check out our tutorials for Mac and Windows.
Did you find that useful? If you’d like, you can check out similar blog posts on Scheduling an Episode or Managing Auto-Ducking with Spreaker Studio for Desktop!
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