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I am beginning to realise that what I need to produce is a set of procedures which are tailored to my equipment and set-up. I also realise that, had I come to webcasting via the webcasting books available currently on the market then I probably would never have even attempted it, as the extracts of books currently available that I have seen sound sooo complicated. Anything published was probably written at least a couple of years ago and I guess things move fast.

I am also beginning to realise that it is highly over-ambitious to think that I could host a webcast before the end of the year. Since I had sound problems yesterday, all I could do was watch Jeff's desktop in the webhuddle. What an education! Constantly switching from one window to the other, adjusting this, adjusting that, keeping an eye on the other. Not sure I'm up to multi-tasking to that degree as well as keeping up my end of the conversation!

I've added a new section to the webcastacademy.com Moodle site. There's now a wiki in the course I thought we could use as a group to flesh out what the course should include (and as an easy way for me to start identifying the lesson sections in the site.

Since this is supposed to be a collaborative effort, I'd like to identify people who are willing to help generate the content for the lessons so we can start building this out. I'm not sure who mentioned it during Sunday's call, but creating a self-study series of lessons in combination with classroom style lessons is an excellent idea for adult education in my book.

In the process of traversing the learning curve for the Webcast Academy I've come to some observations not of the technical bent but of the philosophical one. My technical background allows me the latitude to tackle the more complex implementation requirements for the system setups, but I can see this being a very high price of admission for non-technical educators making the jump into this space. The classic debate of "digital natives vs. digital immigrants" personifies, to me at least, the audiences that will have a higher likelihood of success as compared to those likely to struggle.

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I was finally able to successfully record both sides of a Skypecast recently, and during the trials and tribulations of configuring the system, I came up with a way to do it without the wonderful in-ear echo that you sometimes get. The configuration only takes Audacity, Skype, three Virtual Audio Cables, and four Audio Repeaters. (I say only with a bit of sarcasm.) Here's a flow showing how this "series of tubes" gets plumbed: http://www.gliffy.com/publish/1100863/L I'll try and explain in detail how this works in my next post. For now, think about the virtual audio cables as rea

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Meeting 1.3.4
November 12, 2006
Download mp3

Agenda

• Introduction/Opening
• Share Good / Bad Experience using Audacity
• How do VAC really work? (Diagram of VAC)
• Skypecast Control- New Screencast about Skypecasting
  
• Bandwidth Concerns
  
• Brainstorm how to use Webcast - Bring at least one good idea.
• Share experience with trying streaming
• Questions and word is free

Chat Log Below

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Hello all,

This is for the mac side of webcasting interns:

While in Skype Beta 2.0.0.2:

If you are in a conference with some folks and want to bring in a skypecast:

Go to the skypecast you have created as the HOST. Join then press HOLD in skype, go back to the skype group you had already established, look towards the bottom of the group and find a drop down menu, select add to conference, choose the skypecast and then you will have both the skypecast as well as the skype.

Now, true to SKYPE, this will not always work as listed. If so, quit SKYPE and go in again. The moral of this story, set up your webcast at least 15 to 30 min. ahead of time. make your skypecast go much longer than you intend. 

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I must apologize - we are in the process of building a new home (bermed passive solar) - and were living in a travel trailer on the lot. The winter comes early in Maine and last weekend we had no choice but to move into the partially finished home. (anyone interested can check at http://bettsberm.blogspot.com) Anyway - I have had no internet for over a week - obviously, no posts or progress on webcasting. I am going to try to play catch up in the next 2 weeks or so. Can't wait to read (and listen) to what has been happening.

Once again, failed to stream, using Simple Cast.

 

I have asked before - What should I see in the encoder window?? I see two identical entries beginning: Format MP3 64 kb/s 44 kh.

 

In the description column, I see 100.

 

After logging in with userid and pwd, I appear to be connected for an instant, but am immediately disconnected.

 

I have a regular webcast in mind: " Talking to teachers" - but I simply cannot get started. If anyone has been where I am now, I would love to hear from you so that I can move on. I am from the last intake, not the current one!

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Anne, Andrew, Niels, Jeff and others.

 

Just had to cancel proposed Skypecast on streaming. I was concentrating so hard on the virtual world I had overlooked an unavoidable appointment in the real world. Can we negotiate another time, or just meet next week?

 My email is:

 [email protected] 

 

I will post a copy of this to some of you at your Skype chat.

 

Dennis 

 

 

How is AVC working - that is the big question? When we use recording with Audacity - AVC is "just there" somehow - and we DO use the Audio Repeater to transmitt our USB-mic.
BUT I tryed to use line out from SKYPE - connecting the "virtuel cable 1 out" and transfeer the sound to Audacity via - "virtuel cable 1 inn" Its working! - the sound is transmitting (but I lost my sound from SKYPE? Is VACs idea to combine (out- and inn devises) (in this way)in programs we wanted to be connected? - or....

Thanks to Bengt - and Jeff - I am up recording in Audacity - and webcasting to Sandbox A and B - with SimpleCast - nice and clean! The first webcast was a talk with Anne Fox in Denmark - yesterday! BUT - a couple of small problems I still have to solve: (who can help?)
1. Using my Logitech AK 5370 - I have problems with the soundlevel. i Audacity is seem to be very low - but Anne told me its HEIGH in SKYPE? She (and the SKYPE-lady) is comming in (too) HIGH i Audacity.
2. How to prepare SAM (its realy a nice program :-) for transmitting from the soundcard and from the USB-MIC - (easy with Simplecast in the Config) - but I dont find where to Config SAM for that?
3. I am testing out how to webcast a live session from my OPAL web-room. Normaly we do all programs ON-LINE with a recording (and convert this to a MP3-file after), but there must be a solution to get this broadcasted via a stream at the same time, I am sure?

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Well, I may be a slow learner but I don't give up that easily. Pure envy spurred me on. It was Andrew's recent success coupled with the two screen casts that got me to try, try again. I think one of my problems may have been the mic. I switched to the AK... and plugged in some cheap headphones and grappled with the settings while watching the screencasts repeatedly. My settings are as follows:

• Audacity/Edit/Preferences/Sigma Tel Audio for Playback and Record
• Volume Control/Sigma Tel Audio
• Record Control/Sigma Tel Audio/Stereo Mix/box checked
• Skype/Tools/Sound Devices/AK..In, Sigma Tel Audio out
• VAC repeater/Wave-in, Sigma Tel Audio, Wave-out, Sigma Tel Audio
• Bit rate 22, Total Buffer 100, Buffer 16

Now that it's set in stone I am looking forward to the Sunday meeting. BTW I have posted a screenshot of my successful settings along with my failed attempts with my other mic, on the my google docs. Thank you Jeff and Andrew!

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I feel like the academy awards, I want to thank Jeff Lebow for always being in the wings, supporting, encouraging and cheerleading!

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Hi All,

I'm using a very unreliable connection tonight - I'm around to meet but I won't be able to take on any facilitating roles for Skype Conferences, WebHuddles or Vyews.

Perhaps there's someone who wants to share their progress?

Wow, does it have to be so hard?????

I think it's the many menus you have to open, the strange software you pluck about in and the constant anxiety of just not knowing for sure that you're doing all the steps right!

I found the rally's from the group very helpful in spurring me on - Kathy's blog posts, Paradox's CMap guide, and Jeff's Screencast... But boy, did I put on mileage around the net, as well!  Most of the information was old though and they used more confusing set ups then what is suggested in our book of Webcasting.

I'm feeling now that I may not have needed to purchase VAC - the trial version may have suited me for this round...But DEFINITELY, the tipping point for me was purchasing the USB microphone.  Most of my trials and tribulations occured before I had the USB Microphone, I thought I had heard or read somewhere that we didn't need to buy one..... I decided that I'd go forth and PURCHASE... towards the end of the day and PRESTO!!! not long after that, I got everything to work - Perhaps I was just a better tinker-er by than!

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Well the Eurozone set out to record both ends of a Skype call using Virtual Audio Cables and I can report success from my end. So Anne and Dennis I can talk through this with you - and indeed anyone else. However I found Jeff's original screencast having done this!. (Had this disappeared for a while?)

Anyway, I created my own shorter version screencast. In Jeff's there are some handy tips so if you haven't seen it, check it out.

Jeff gave me the mission to create an Agenda for Sunday 12/11. I did so and have attached a picture of it.

• Introduction/Opening
• Share Good / Bad Experience using Audacity
• How do VAC really work? (Diagram of VAC)
• Brainstorm how to use Webcast - Bring at least one good idea.
• Share experience with trying streaming
• Questions and word is free

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I have tried everything I can think of to get my recording capbabilities working on my desktop and my laptop to no avail.  I just wrote to PowerGramo and asked if the purchase version of their program is able to record SkypeCasts.  The answer is YES!  It's $19.99 and works from any computer when you log into Skype.  I plan to buy it and save a few headaches and a few more hours of experimenting. I envy those of you who have been able to figure it out.  I'm sorry this sounds like a commercial.  Perhaps those of you who might be considering this oprion should wait until I put it to the test.

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We had our first Eurozone meeting last night - sort of. Present, apart from me, were Anne Fox, Andrew Middleton and a bit later, saving the day, Jeff. It was the first Skype conference I had called and I realised, too late, that I didn't even know how to admit participants properly. Lesson 1 - Learn how to use Skype for conferences. I had planned for us to go to Huddle, but we didn't get there.

 

Nonetheless, we did manage to talk about virtual audio cables and we plan to make a screencast demonstrating how at least one of us has managed to configure everything correctly and stream, using one of the two sandpits.

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Recording from Webcast Academy 1.3 euro mini meeting 06 Nov 06. Participants include Anne Fox, Dennis Newson, Andrew Middleton, Jeff Lebow. The recording is made in two parts. Participants encountered difficulties with Skype, and agreed to work together in understanding how Virtual Audio Cables fit into the Webcasting equation.