How do you use a multichannel audio interface with Skype and other VOIP apps so you can include more than one microphone when many only accept a single channel of audio? Use a free app to create a mono input!
If you want to use Skype with an audio interface like a Focusrite, a mixer that sends separate channels via USB or an audio recorder that records to individual tracks but can also function as an interface like the Zoom H6, and you need more than one microphone to be “heard” by Skype (podcast co-host, interviewee, etc) then you have a problem. Skype and other VOIP apps often only accept one channel of audio. This is usually channel one on your interface or the left side of a stereo output.
To make this work, I’ve found a series of apps that will allow you to combine these discrete channels into a single mono input for Skype and other apps that have microphone inputs.
If you’re on a mac, regardless of which app you choose, you’ll need a free app called Soundflower to act as the input for all other channels. While Soundflower is no longer and app, it’s an extension for mac that will show up as an input when using VOIP apps like Skype. This is what you will choose as your microphone input in those apps. The other app you’ll use, to combine the channels, will output all the audio to Soundflower and thus create a single channel for VOIP.
Soundflower: (read the instructions about how to install on your mac as it can require you to create permissions on your computer).
The app I used in this video to combine channels from the Scarlett 2i4 is available for free in the App Store: LadioCast
Other apps you could use on a mac include:
Loopback
Audio HiJack
SoundSource
If you’re on a PC (Windows) you can use VoiceMeeter which also includes VoiceMeeter Banana for more functionality and Virtual Audio Cables. I don’t have a Windows PC at this time to test these so let me know which works best for you.
Music by PremiumBeat.com. License this music: http://bit.ly/1BJbspm Track: Solid by Ben Beiny
Gear used to make this video*
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i4
- Zoom F8
- Shure SM7B
- Roland Capture Studio
- DR-10L Lav mic/recorder
- Rode VideoMic Pro
- Shure SM58 mic.
- Samson Q2U mic.
- Sony a6500 camera
- LENS: Sigma 16mm F1.4
- Transcend 65GB SDXC card for 4K
- Adobe Creative Cloud
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