How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

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How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by DC-Choppah »

Please help allowing the Skype call to listen to the mic input of the Lexicon Alpha. It currently only hears the mic if I plug it into the instrument input.

On the office PC that I use for musical collaborations, I have Lexicon Alpha USB audio interface. It has a stereo line-input and one mono mic input.

Some of my collaborations require a Sykpe call where I use my headset.

I use an Audio Technica Headset with Pro Audio connections.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... organicpla

This headset connects to the Lexicon Alpha which has a USB connection to the PC.

All of the software works as expected. I get good quality audio in and out of the Lexicon Alpha.

But when I use the Skype App on the PC, Skype does not hear the mic input.

However, if I move the mic to the instrument input, using a Low-Z to Hi-Z XLR to TS converter (https://www.amazon.com/Whirlwind-LITTLE ... B0002MSQWA) I can turn the line input level all the way up and it works fine for Skype calls.

Does anyone know how to configure Skype to 'hear' the mic input of the Lexicon Alpha?
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DC-Choppah
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by ef37a »

Hi DC, I have a perhaps similar problem and if I explain it maybe the two of us can come to a mutual solution?

I Skype my son in France using a Sennheiser headset which has two 3.5mm TRS plugs. These feed a "TEKNET" USB device that my W10 OBSound card recognizes and all works tickerty.

But, I would like to inject the sound from a second source, mainly a microphone but also perhaps a music source, e.g. a phone.

My first idea is to use my KA6 interface but that means I either lose the headset and have a separate mic and cans or, kludge the headset mic output to work with the KA and that would mean arranging low V phantom power to the mic (I think) Or I could look for a headset with a dynamic mic.

If only there was a way to use two audio device in Windows!

Dave.
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by DC-Choppah »

Ok Dave, it appears we are going to have to learn how to use this:

https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/

I found someone who claims to have been able to mix together both inputs of the Lexicon Alpha into a single source that Skype would listen to. But I have not tried this yet.

VMeeter Bannana :crazy:

Apparently the VMeeter Bannana is supposed to be able to read any audio source and allow you to create a mix to send it to Windows so that other apps can use that mix as their audio input.

This thing has a 70 page manual!
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DC-Choppah
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by ef37a »

DC-Choppah wrote:Ok Dave, it appears we are going to have to learn how to use this:

https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/

I found someone who claims to have been able to mix together both inputs of the Lexicon Alpha into a single source that Skype would listen to. But I have not tried this yet.

VMeeter Bannana :crazy:

Apparently the VMeeter Bannana is supposed to be able to read any audio source and allow you to create a mix to send it to Windows so that other apps can use that mix as their audio input.

This thing has a 70 page manual!

Pretty sure I tried that when I first started trying to get my Lenovo T510 to record an internal audio stream with no joy (turned out to be a simple setting in Audacity)

But! Tonight I had a breakthrough. Wilst Skyping son on the above setup I plugged in a USB mic in addition to the TEKNET. Worked! Son could now hear my fumblings on a bass amplifier rig.
Tomorrow I am going to try the same setup but replace the USB mic with a UCA 202 which will allow me to send line level audio, I hope!

Dave.
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by DC-Choppah »

When you plug a mic into a USB, it seems Windows and Skype have no problem since there is only one channel for that USB interface port. Skype just seems to connect to 'USB device' so perhaps that means all of them.

My problem is that when I plug in the Lexicon Alpha, it is a USB device, but Skype only 'listens' to Channel 1. The mic input goes to channel 2.

So it looks like Skype is mixing all of the audio sources for the USB input devices, but only one source per USB input, and always on channel 1.
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by ef37a »

DC-Choppah wrote:When you plug a mic into a USB, it seems Windows and Skype have no problem since there is only one channel for that USB interface port. Skype just seems to connect to 'USB device' so perhaps that means all of them.

My problem is that when I plug in the Lexicon Alpha, it is a USB device, but Skype only 'listens' to Channel 1. The mic input goes to channel 2.

So it looks like Skype is mixing all of the audio sources for the USB input devices, but only one source per USB input, and always on channel 1.

Aha! During our chat yesterday it transpired that son was talking to a USB mic but listening to dad on a pair of Eris speakers driven from his UMC 204HD. I had him plug the EM-91c into ch 1 instead and that worked fine. He also has an SM57 plugged into ch 2 and scratching it gave 'him' plenty of level be me not a dicky. Swapping mics over sorted that. So yes, from an interface it seems Skype only listens to ch one.

I wonder if the system can be set to send a mono sum? I have an A&H Zed10 USB I guess I can send all those channels if I pan everything to output one?

Dave.
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by DC-Choppah »

So Skype only takes input from channel 1 of the multichannel device connected to the USB port.

But on the Lexicon Alpha the mic preamp only feeds channel 2.
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Re: How to make Skype hear the mic input of Lexicon Alpha

Post by ef37a »

DC-Choppah wrote:So Skype only takes input from channel 1 of the multichannel device connected to the USB port.

But on the Lexicon Alpha the mic preamp only feeds channel 2.

I think you are stuffed then matey! Di d the bizz with son last night. Two mics into zed 10 and they do indeed both feed Skype. However, for some reason my old Mk1 zed no longer (afaict) sends USB audio back from the laptop but I must investigate that further.
I finished up with the two mics coming out of 'Mon Out' RCAs and feeding a UCA 202, cans into 202. Worked fine.

I guess I could have as many mics and line inputs as the mixer can handle and send to Skype but it will always be relentlessly mono!

Might I suggest the two mic input version of those budget M-Audio interfaces? Got a decent shout in SoS recently and being 16 bit jobs won't matter in this application. The 202 is 16 bits and all was very quiet and of a more than adequate level.

Dave.
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