Showing posts with label Macintosh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Macintosh. Show all posts
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How To Set Up A Live Skype Audio Broadcast With A Chatroom [Mac]
Now that our little Technophilia Podcast has amassed over 500 weekly listeners (guys, we love you), we’ve been looking for ways to interacts with listeners in real-time while we record live. That’s no easy task. We’ve been experimenting with just a chatroom, but without a live audio broadcast too it’s not very compelling for people to participate.
So today, I’m going to share an easy way to produce a Skype audio broadcast (both yours and your co-hosts) to a Mixlr stage.
Windows users – I’ll be addressing Mac only, however a similar application for Windows is available called Jack. Use this in place of Soundflower and the process should be identical.
Mixlr
Mixlr is an audio broadcasting service with built-in chatrooms. There’s about a 10 second lag time I noticed, but otherwise the quality is fantasic. Before moving on, head on over and create a free account, and download the free Mixlr desktop broadcasting app.
SoundFlower
Now, broadcasting alone is not a particular difficult setup; you simply hook into the sound output of your iTunes. However, the problem with doing this is that your own voice won’t be included – you can either record your voice, or system sounds, but not both. The key to this process therefore is a fantastic (and free) utility called SoundFlower, which creates a virtual audio device and performs digital magic on it.
To get started, SoundFlower is a free installation, hosted on Google Code Project. Download the latest DMG installer - you’ll need admin privileges to install, as it’s a low level sound driver. Included with your download is an application called SoundFlowerBed – this is a handy GUI for managing your interfaces. The first time you run it, you may need to right-click and select Open depending on your security settings.
LineIn
The other crucial part to this equation is another free application called LineIn. It allows you to run a pass-through mixer, sending any audio input to any output. Once you’ve download it, create a duplicate of the file called it LineInB – we’ll be using two instance of the application later on.
Audio Routing Setup
This is the most difficult part of the process, but follow the setup closely and it should work fine.
- Click the SoundFlowerBed icon in the taskbar and set SoundFlower (64ch) toBuilt-in Output. This will route system audio to SoundFlower.
- In System Preferences, set the sound output to SoundFlower (2ch). Leave your audio input to what it normally is (a USB mic, in my case).
- Launch LineIn; set the input to your normal USB or system Mic, and set the output as Soundflower (2ch). Click PassThrough to activate this.
- Launch LineInB; set the input as Soundflower (64ch) and the output asSoundflower (2ch). Again, hit PassThrough.
- Set Skype output to Soundflower (2ch) and check the input is your microphone.
That’s all set up; now your Soundflower (2ch) device is an aggregate of your microphone, and your system audio and Skype. An unfortunate side effect is that you’ll also be hearing yourself as you record; I’m afraid I can’t figure out how to kill that, so if you can tweak this process then do please post in the comments how you managed it.
Recording
Last time I showed you how to record a Skype conversation, we used a small application called Skype Call Recorder. This may still work for you, but I had issues getting it to record from SoundFlower, so instead I’ll just be routing the SoundFlower as the input in Audacity (another great free audio app), and recording that.
Alternatively, if your guests are running Skype Call Recorder (as they should be anyway, for a backup), then use their audio.
Broadcast!
Launch Mixlr, and after logging in, select Setup Broadcast.
In the drop down to select audio source, you should see a Soundflower (2ch) device listed - select that and check out the levels. Talk, and you should see the levels move. Play music through iTunes, and you should also see them move. If so, everything is working nicely. Don’t worry about audio monitoring, we’ve got that sorted with SoundFlower already.
You’ll then be able to enter your broadcast title and category; be sure to say it’s a test if it is. Then you can hit broadcast now, and wait for your attentive and loyal fans to come join you.
Testing
If everything is working right, you should be able to hear your broadcast at mixlr.com/your-username/stage (here’s mine). It’s an incredible simple interface, so use the buttons on the left to navigate between listeners, chat, equalizer visualization, and information.
That’s it! Now, the hardest part is actually finding some fans who will join you. I can’t really help with that I’m afraid.
Do you have another service you prefer to use for live broadcasting and a chatroom? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to try it out.
0
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The MacBook Air is one of the thinnest and lightest computers available today; thin as your finger, and so light every computer after will feel like you’re hauling a sack of potatoes. In fact, ever since Apple set the trend with its MacBook Air, the ultrabook genre has been gaining ground in the Windows scene.
But you don’t get a laptop as thin and light as the MacBook Air without making compromises. Instead of a regular hard drive disk, the MacBook Air has a (moderately more expensive) SSD drive, and the optical CD/DVD drive has been removed entirely.
Labeling the optical drive as redundant might be seen as a bold move from Apple. After all, CD’s and DVD’s has become the de-facto standard for software distribution, and although its importance is waning by the day, it’s still heavily used. Luckily, with Internet speeds and bandwidth ever increasing, and other portable media becoming more economical, it’s perfectly possible to live without a built-in optical drive these days.
Perhaps the easiest solution would be to get an external optical drive, which you can plug into your computer’s USB port whenever you’re handed one of those archaic silver discs.
The Apple Store provides you with a shiny contraption that looks like it belongs next to your MacBook Air, but you can find much cheaper models on eBay, Amazon, or even your local hardware store that provide exactly the same functionality. Just search for ‘external DVD drive‘ or ‘USB DVD drive‘ to see your options.
If you only use optical media once in a blue moon, buying an external DVD drive might be overdoing it a bit. If you have more than one Mac lying around, and one of them still has an optical drive, you can use Apple’s very own DVD or CD sharing functionality, which lets you use another Mac’s optical drive over a local network.
To enable DVD or CD sharing, open the Sharing preferences pane in System Preferencesusing the optical drive-equipped Mac computer and tick off the checkbox next to ‘DVD or CD Sharing‘.
Making sure your two computers reside on the same local network, open the Finder application on your MacBook Air. In the left sidebar, under Devices, you’ll see an entry calledRemote Disc which you can use to access the CD or DVD that’s inserted into the other computer’s drive.
Mind you, not all media will work this way. You won’t be able to play media or copy-protected discs, but you can use this option to copy (part of) a disc’s contents to a folder on your computer.
While this option doesn’t ensure compatiblity with older media, content producers are ever more using the Internet to distribute their content. You can download videos and music from Netflix or iTunes instead of buying that same content in a store. Likewise, you can use Steam, or the producer’s own services to download games to your computer.
Even if you’ve already bought software or games on physical media, the chances are you’ll be able to use the accompanying serial code to activate the products online, and download an installation file. In fact, a software trial downloaded from the website can often be registered and activated using your physically purchased serial code.
If you often have the need for a certain CD or DVD, and you’re reluctant to make any financial promises, you can always make a virtual copy of the disc using a computer that’s equipped with an optical drive.
To do this on another Mac OS X computer, insert the CD or DVD and open the Disk Utilityapplication from Applications -> Utilities. Select the optical media in the left hand sidebar and choose File -> New -> Disk Image From discname. From the Image Format dropdown menu select DVD/CD Master, select a location and press Save. Finally, copy the image file to your MacBook Air over the local network or using a portable drive, and double-click it to mount it on your computer.
Do you have a MacBook Air? What do you do to circumvent the need for an optical drive? Let us know in the comments section below the article!
Continue Reading »
Why Your MacBook Air Has No Optical Drive & 4 Reasons Why This Isn’t a Problem
The MacBook Air is one of the thinnest and lightest computers available today; thin as your finger, and so light every computer after will feel like you’re hauling a sack of potatoes. In fact, ever since Apple set the trend with its MacBook Air, the ultrabook genre has been gaining ground in the Windows scene.
But you don’t get a laptop as thin and light as the MacBook Air without making compromises. Instead of a regular hard drive disk, the MacBook Air has a (moderately more expensive) SSD drive, and the optical CD/DVD drive has been removed entirely.
Labeling the optical drive as redundant might be seen as a bold move from Apple. After all, CD’s and DVD’s has become the de-facto standard for software distribution, and although its importance is waning by the day, it’s still heavily used. Luckily, with Internet speeds and bandwidth ever increasing, and other portable media becoming more economical, it’s perfectly possible to live without a built-in optical drive these days.
1. Use An External Disc Drive
Perhaps the easiest solution would be to get an external optical drive, which you can plug into your computer’s USB port whenever you’re handed one of those archaic silver discs.
The Apple Store provides you with a shiny contraption that looks like it belongs next to your MacBook Air, but you can find much cheaper models on eBay, Amazon, or even your local hardware store that provide exactly the same functionality. Just search for ‘external DVD drive‘ or ‘USB DVD drive‘ to see your options.
2. Use a Virtual DVD Drive
If you only use optical media once in a blue moon, buying an external DVD drive might be overdoing it a bit. If you have more than one Mac lying around, and one of them still has an optical drive, you can use Apple’s very own DVD or CD sharing functionality, which lets you use another Mac’s optical drive over a local network.
To enable DVD or CD sharing, open the Sharing preferences pane in System Preferencesusing the optical drive-equipped Mac computer and tick off the checkbox next to ‘DVD or CD Sharing‘.
Making sure your two computers reside on the same local network, open the Finder application on your MacBook Air. In the left sidebar, under Devices, you’ll see an entry calledRemote Disc which you can use to access the CD or DVD that’s inserted into the other computer’s drive.
Mind you, not all media will work this way. You won’t be able to play media or copy-protected discs, but you can use this option to copy (part of) a disc’s contents to a folder on your computer.
3. Download Media From The Internet
While this option doesn’t ensure compatiblity with older media, content producers are ever more using the Internet to distribute their content. You can download videos and music from Netflix or iTunes instead of buying that same content in a store. Likewise, you can use Steam, or the producer’s own services to download games to your computer.
Even if you’ve already bought software or games on physical media, the chances are you’ll be able to use the accompanying serial code to activate the products online, and download an installation file. In fact, a software trial downloaded from the website can often be registered and activated using your physically purchased serial code.
4. Make a Virtual Copy Of The Disc
If you often have the need for a certain CD or DVD, and you’re reluctant to make any financial promises, you can always make a virtual copy of the disc using a computer that’s equipped with an optical drive.
To do this on another Mac OS X computer, insert the CD or DVD and open the Disk Utilityapplication from Applications -> Utilities. Select the optical media in the left hand sidebar and choose File -> New -> Disk Image From discname. From the Image Format dropdown menu select DVD/CD Master, select a location and press Save. Finally, copy the image file to your MacBook Air over the local network or using a portable drive, and double-click it to mount it on your computer.
Do you have a MacBook Air? What do you do to circumvent the need for an optical drive? Let us know in the comments section below the article!
0
Unknown
Continue Reading »
How To Set Up A Live Skype Audio Broadcast With A Chatroom [Mac]
Now that our little Technophilia Podcast has amassed over 500 weekly listeners (guys, we love you), we’ve been looking for ways to interacts with listeners in real-time while we record live. That’s no easy task. We’ve been experimenting with just a chatroom, but without a live audio broadcast too it’s not very compelling for people to participate.
So today, I’m going to share an easy way to produce a Skype audio broadcast (both yours and your co-hosts) to a Mixlr stage.
Windows users – I’ll be addressing Mac only, however a similar application for Windows is available called Jack. Use this in place of Soundflower and the process should be identical.
Mixlr
Mixlr is an audio broadcasting service with built-in chatrooms. There’s about a 10 second lag time I noticed, but otherwise the quality is fantasic. Before moving on, head on over and create a free account, and download the free Mixlr desktop broadcasting app.
SoundFlower
Now, broadcasting alone is not a particular difficult setup; you simply hook into the sound output of your iTunes. However, the problem with doing this is that your own voice won’t be included – you can either record your voice, or system sounds, but not both. The key to this process therefore is a fantastic (and free) utility called SoundFlower, which creates a virtual audio device and performs digital magic on it.
To get started, SoundFlower is a free installation, hosted on Google Code Project. Download the latest DMG installer - you’ll need admin privileges to install, as it’s a low level sound driver. Included with your download is an application called SoundFlowerBed – this is a handy GUI for managing your interfaces. The first time you run it, you may need to right-click and select Open depending on your security settings.
LineIn
The other crucial part to this equation is another free application called LineIn. It allows you to run a pass-through mixer, sending any audio input to any output. Once you’ve download it, create a duplicate of the file called it LineInB – we’ll be using two instance of the application later on.
Audio Routing Setup
This is the most difficult part of the process, but follow the setup closely and it should work fine.
- Click the SoundFlowerBed icon in the taskbar and set SoundFlower (64ch) toBuilt-in Output. This will route system audio to SoundFlower.
- In System Preferences, set the sound output to SoundFlower (2ch). Leave your audio input to what it normally is (a USB mic, in my case).
- Launch LineIn; set the input to your normal USB or system Mic, and set the output as Soundflower (2ch). Click PassThrough to activate this.
- Launch LineInB; set the input as Soundflower (64ch) and the output asSoundflower (2ch). Again, hit PassThrough.
- Set Skype output to Soundflower (2ch) and check the input is your microphone.
That’s all set up; now your Soundflower (2ch) device is an aggregate of your microphone, and your system audio and Skype. An unfortunate side effect is that you’ll also be hearing yourself as you record; I’m afraid I can’t figure out how to kill that, so if you can tweak this process then do please post in the comments how you managed it.
Recording
Last time I showed you how to record a Skype conversation, we used a small application called Skype Call Recorder. This may still work for you, but I had issues getting it to record from SoundFlower, so instead I’ll just be routing the SoundFlower as the input in Audacity (another great free audio app), and recording that.
Alternatively, if your guests are running Skype Call Recorder (as they should be anyway, for a backup), then use their audio.
Broadcast!
Launch Mixlr, and after logging in, select Setup Broadcast.
In the drop down to select audio source, you should see a Soundflower (2ch) device listed - select that and check out the levels. Talk, and you should see the levels move. Play music through iTunes, and you should also see them move. If so, everything is working nicely. Don’t worry about audio monitoring, we’ve got that sorted with SoundFlower already.
You’ll then be able to enter your broadcast title and category; be sure to say it’s a test if it is. Then you can hit broadcast now, and wait for your attentive and loyal fans to come join you.
Testing
If everything is working right, you should be able to hear your broadcast at mixlr.com/your-username/stage (here’s mine). It’s an incredible simple interface, so use the buttons on the left to navigate between listeners, chat, equalizer visualization, and information.
That’s it! Now, the hardest part is actually finding some fans who will join you. I can’t really help with that I’m afraid.
Do you have another service you prefer to use for live broadcasting and a chatroom? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to try it out.
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