Based on a few requests I’ve received and feedback from my last webcast, I will be hosting an online session on interview skills at 8:00pmET on Monday, June 9. The session will cover techniques to prepare for and lead an interview for an audio recording, video recording or live event.

Space is limited so be sure to register.

Note: If you register and discover you cannot attend, please be sure to cancel your registration so that someone else can attend.

I produce a number of different podcasts. Each one is different from the others in content, delivery and style. Today, I learned something about doing different multiple, unique shows.

It had been a while since I recorded a new interview for the Portrait format of Electric Sky. My approach is very much ingrained, though, and I did my usual research for what is typically a 10-15 minute interview for a final edit of 9 minutes (give or take 15 seconds). Great.

Then, I went to do the interview.

For Portait, given its very tight format, I’ve developed a specific flow and interview approach that works well within my production framework. What I learned is that when you take a break from that approach (it’s been nearly nine months since my last fresh interview for the show) you realize during the interview that you’re out of practice and the way you’re leading the interview is going to mean a lot of fancy editing.

That means, for the first time in about 40 episodes of Portrait, I’m going to have a measurable amount of editing to make it tight. Don’t misunderstand me. My guest was brilliant. I’m just out of practice with my questioning to keep things focussed for a 9 minute final cut and that resulted in about 26 minutes of audio to work from.

Your podcast is a muscle. Exercise it!

I’ve been meaning to write this post for about a year, ever since I called M-Audio technical support to talk to them about my setup and the technician I spoke with had never heard of anyone with the same monitor recording configuration I’m using. In addition, I get a lot of questions about the high quality of my telephone interviews.

The purpose of this post is to explain how using a Delta 1010 and Skype (or SkypeOut) on a Windows XP system allows me to record phone interviews that send my own voice and my guest’s voice to separate recorded tracks in Cubase. The advantage is that, during both recording and post-production, I can then treat my audio and my guest’s audio independently (levels, equalization, audio processing, etc…). If anyone knows that a similar setup (using Cubase) is possible on MacOSX 10.x, please let me know.

I should start by saying that most podcasters WON’T have a Delta 1010 card. When I bought the unit for my music hobby, it was amazingly expensive for an amateur hack musician. I believe the card is now roughly $700, slightly more than half the price I paid many years ago — and still worth every penny.

WINDOWS XP SOUND AND AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES

I’m going to assume that your Delta 1010 card is already installed. Next step is to make a few specific settings in the Audio tab of your Sound and Audio Devices Properties (in your Control Panel). Make sure that the default playback and recording devices are set to M-Audio Delta 1010 Multi. Click on the photo to see my settings.

DELTA 1010 CONTROL PANEL

There are several tabs that need to be configured in the Delta 1010 Control Panel. The first tab to visit is the Pathbay/Router tab. Make sure that the following options are selected (click on the photo to see my settings):

• WavOut 1/2 under H/W Out 1/2

Next, mute the H/W In 1/2 Mixer Input in the Monitor Mixer tab of the Delta 1010 Control Panel. Muting this setting prevents a feedback loop when recording the input signal in these channels (click on the photo to see my settings).

The last tab to visit is Hardware Settings. Make sure there is a check next to Disable audio app use of Monitor Mixer and Patchbay/Router under Asio Options (click on the photo to see my settings). Truthfully, I don’t know if this exact setting makes any difference and yet I know my solution works. Like many project studio owners, I don’t mess with a good thing so I’ve never tested to see if having this option unselected messes things up.

SKYPE OPTIONS

Even though the Windows default device was set to the M-Audio Delta 1010 Multi in an earlier procedure, I’ve set my Speakers in my Skype Audio Settings (under Options) just in case I make a change to my Windows settings at a later time (click on the photo to see my settings). This forces the signal from the remote side of the Skype call to be pushed out the Monitor channel of the 1010. Note that this does not separate multiple remote Skype users; it puts all of the incoming Skype stream into one channel.

CUBASE CONFIGURATION

The Mixer In L Delta-1010 and Mixer In R Delta-1010 input ports need to be Active inputs and Visible in the working environment. To do so, make sure that these options are selected in the Device Setup window. Of course, these options are only available one the M-Audio Delta ASIO driver is selected in VST Audio subsystem (click on the photo to see my settings).

Once the Mixer input channels are activated, an input bus must be created so that the inputs appear as Input Routing options for audio channels. In the VST Connections - Input window, add a stereo bus for the M-Audio Delta-1010 Audio Device and select Mixer In L Delta-1010 for the left channel and Mixer In R Delta-1010 for the right channel (click on the photo to see my settings).

CUBASE RECORDING AND MAKING THE SKYPE CALL

To record your own voice through a microphone to one track and your Skype guest on another, create a mono audio track for your own voice and select Analog In 1 Delta-1010 (L or R, depending on which channel your microphone is plugged in to) and create a second mono audio track for your Skype guest’s voice and select Mixer In (L or R) Delta-1010.  Finally, check your input levels, arm both tracks for recording, start the recording, fire up Skype and make your call.

PARTING THOUGHT

I also own the M-Audio Firewire 1814 audio card which is made by the same company as the Delta 1010. Unfortunately, the drivers for the 1814 do not appear to offer the same power and flexibility. If anyone from M-Audio reads this, I’d love to know if you could add this fantastic functionality to the 1814.

As an interviewer, it’s always exciting when a guest delivers great answers and insight. As a producer, it makes the task of streamlining the interview to fit a specific format extremely difficult; even stressful.

Miles Copeland, former manager of The Police, was an amazing guest. I published our interview on the Electric Sky podcast site on August 20, 2006. This edition of my Sound Connections podcast features the outtakes.

 

 Electric Sky outtake - Miles Copeland [3:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’ve performed and edited more interviews in the last two years that I can remember; I’d guess more than 300. During that time, I’ve coached and trained people and given presentations on interview skills. I’ve come to realize that people also need coaching on being a great interview guest. Here are my suggestions:

BE ENERGETIC AND DYNAMIC

If you use a monotoned voice or lack energy and inflection during your interview, the listener will tune you out. Your voice is a powerful tool; use it well.

BE CONCISE AND ON TOPIC

I’ve edited a few interviews in the last few weeks in which the guest carried on for so long after a single question (at least five minutes in all cases), and lacked energy (see the point above), that I actually forgot what the question was. The nice thing is that this makes the editing decision easy — lose the question and answer.

GIVE THE LISTENER SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

It’s sad to say that most of us have grown to expect great speakers who can talk in sound bytes. Having said that, little packages of information are great because your audience will remember them. Frame your ideas in a quotable way.

HAVE STORIES TO TELL

Having good responses for each question is important. It helps a lot if you are able to support your responses with entertaining and interesting stories where possible.

BE RELAXED

This is a lot easier said than done for many people. If you can focus on the interaction between yourself and the interviewer, and think of the interviewer as a curious friend, it will help a lot. Talk “with your host” not “at the microphone”.

Do you have any stories about being an interview guest?

David Basskin, President of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA), has agreed to a phone interview with me on the subject of reproduction rights in the new media space. We are currently working on scheduling the interview.

If you have a question that you’d like answered by the CMRRA, email it to me. I will do my best to work it into the interview (with no guarantees). You may want to review the CMRRA’s brochure on mechanical licensing before you send your question.

Over the last week, I’ve listened to a number of podcasts that have used what I call a “double introduction”. This is when a host presents the bio of their guest as part of the introduction of their show and as the introduction of the interview. This typically happens when an interview is pre-recorded and then added to the podcast during the production phase. I’m guessing that in most cases it’s an oversight and in some it’s a stylistic choice.

In the true sense of the maxim”less is more”, I recommend dropping one of the introductions. Which introduction you drop is entirely up to you. There obvious approaches are:

• Introduce the guest as part of the interview so that the guest is assured you have done some background work, and then simply mention during the show intro which guests will appear that show and on which topics.

• Include background information on your guest during the show intro and then welcome your guest when the interview begins.

I am incredibly impressed by the quality of the interviews and the range of topics. Many podcasts are introducing people to interesting ideas and kicking off some great conversations.