How to record a podcast on Skype (step-by-step guide)

For many years, Skype has been the go-to piece of software for a good quality recording of an audio call or video call with a guest.

No wonder podcasters all around the world still use it to record a podcast remotely.

In this article, we will give you the step-by-step guide you need to record your podcast on Skype, directly from your computer (or your phone).

Install Skype

First things first, you need to install Skype on your phone or your computer.

If you have the choice, our advice is to use your computer… because of course, by choosing to use your phone first as your equipment to record your podcast on Skype, you might be interrupted by regular phone calls.

Even if we all do appreciate the daily calls from our grandmas, we just think you might need to stay focused on your interview! 👵 📵

Keep in mind that your guest will not need to have (or to create) a Skype account to be able to join your call. It is free and most people already have an account making it very accessible to all!

How to change your settings on Skype ?

If you or your guest(s) have some audio equipment, you might want to change some of the initial settings of Skype.

Go to the audio preferences and find the tab to change the audio inputs and outputs. 

For the inputs, you will be able to select your USB microphone or the one powered by your external sound card if you have one.

If you don’t have this type of equipment, you might have some podcast headphones with a podcast microphone, be sure to connect and use them, they will help you record your audio with better quality than your computer’s built-in microphone. 🎙

For the outputs, you need to use headphones to chat with your guest, otherwise, your computer’s speakers might create an echo in your microphone… This would obviously degrade the quality of your recording and the overall quality of your podcast.

How to launch your call and start recording ?

As you would normally do for a professional or a family call, you need to launch a call on Skype and send an invitation to your guest to join you online.

After a few minutes, when you feel ready to start your recording, you can click on the + symbol in the bottom right of your screen. 

Be prepared for what’s next… a window will pop up :

⛔️ DO NOT CLICK ON THE “START RECORDING” BUTTON. ⛔️

Just kidding, you can click on it, it will do exactly what you expect it to do! Your guest will be notified that the recording has started and you can begin the interview for your podcast. 

At the end of your call, you will find yourself with an auto-generated mp4 file.

Go ahead and save it on your computer, you will just need to convert it into an mp3 file before opening it in your favorite editing software. 

Skype itself vs Skype Call Recording software

The biggest con of using Skype itself to record your podcast is that at the end, you will find yourself with a single audio file… both sides of the conversation will be mixed together and it might complicate things during the editing process.

If you want separate tracks (and you want separate tracks !), you need to install external call recording software.

Sadly enough, we don’t know any good ones that are free to use so we made a selection of the most affordable options out there :

• MP3 Skype Recorder: You can download a free version of this piece of software that will allow you to record up to 30 hours per month, but you will need to upgrade to the pro version for the full package.
• Ecam call recorder for Skype: You can buy it for $39.95 and it will have all the options you need to record the audio with separate tracks, your video… (only for MacOS users)
• Talkhelper: This one will cost you $49.95 but it will allow you to save Skype video messages and voicemails in addition to all the options of the previous one.

You can find dozens of softwares that will allow you to record your Skype call, feel free to explore the web to find the one that meets your needs if the three options above aren’t enough.

Here you can see the second downside of using Skype as a podcast recording software… To have the best audio quality, you can’t just use Skype, and even if it doesn’t cost that much and probably won’t alarm your bank, we understand it might stop you from choosing this option.

Is Skype the only remote option to record remotely ?

For a long time, Skype has been the leader on the market of remote meetings for professional and personal use.

However, the Covid pandemic has led us to discover and use other options… Here we will talk about one that particularly caught our attention: Zoom.

The free version of Zoom allows you to record up to 40 minutes of your conversation on split tracks.

Of course, it will depend on the type of podcast you are producing and the length of your episodes but this might be a viable free option.

Again, you will be able to change the input and output audio settings directly in the software to have the best audio quality, and you will also be able to record the video.

Be sure to check our other article on how to record a podcast on Zoom to get started.

Conclusion : Should you record your podcast on Skype?

Okay, we have been a bit harsh in our last section… Let’s not forget that Skype is a worldwide known platform and is completely free.

If you need to remotely record a podcast, you should definitely consider using Skype, it’s user-friendly and your guest won’t have a hard time connecting to your call!