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There are some emerging ways of contributing to broadcasts, and the most intriguing and economical is Skype.
Skype is a versatile tool and is used increasingly in radio broadcasting, often with amazing quality. Skype is basically a proprietary VOIP codec, ie it encodes speech, transmits it via the internet, and Skype software at the other end decodes it turning it back into speech. Skype quality can be brilliantly good and with a little bit of help can sound even better. (External links below are to our sister site Inquit Audio.)
The items you will need are:
- a broadcast quality microphone. There are two main possibilities - the headsets on this site like the DT297 should work fine, or use a separate mic like the AT8010 or Rode NT3
- a high quality digitiser to convert the microphone’s output into digital: the Centrance MicPort Pro is an excellent digitiser which sends a high quality, low noise (24-bit, 96kHz) stream into the PC for transmission through Skype.
- a PC/Mac (laptops are fine) and a broadband connection (wired best, WiFi should be fine, mobile broadband dongle is possible depending on signal strength and quality)
- ideally a quiet, unechoey room.
You plug the microphone into the MicPort with an XLR cable; plug the MicPort into the computer by USB; start Skype; adjust the settings so that Skype listens to the input from the MicPort and off you go.
The Skype connection can be managed on a (free) Skype-to-Skype basis or through a Skype-In virtual phone number.
You should check with the producer of the programme you are contributing to that they can take a Skype input.
Call us for more information.
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