Mac audio to skype contacts

Skype Preferences>Audio>Video allows you to specify a video source. It may be the internal microphone by default. I've not tried it with anything else but I would think that if you used an external mixer (preferably with a USB output) you could pick up the Mac's output and plug a microphone into the mixer, then specify the mixer as a source in Skype. However the problem you will get is that the output being fed to the mixer may well include its own output, which will lead to undesirable results. if you have a second Mac available you could use that to play the inserts and feed that to the mixer.

You may be able to get other suggestions in the GarageBand forum - not that you are using that but there are people there who use external mixers and may be able to advise.

The requirement is, you have to be able to take the audio output of the Mac, for the various audio items, and mix it with a microphone. Then you have to feed the mix into Skype. Then you need to be able to take the output of Skype and record it, the music items, and the microphone. However you don't want to feed the output of Skype back into the input of Skype.

I doubt this is possible with software on the one Mac, though I don't actually know. If you use a mixer you will need to be able to set up what the Americans call 'mix minus' which feeds only part of the total recording mix into Skype - in effect having two outputs, one containing everything and one not containing the return sound from Skype. (Even so you well may get some crosstalk from the far end - for one thing everyone should be wearing headphones - no speakers on at all).

I don't know what mixers may be available with this facility. (Incidentally, I used to do exactly this sort of thing professionally, but I was using expensive pro mixing equipment which is a whole different thing to the amateur market - an area I've never had much to do with. I didn't feel the need to take my work home 🙂 .)

If you can use a separate computer for the audio sources it will simplify the issue considerably - it would be even simpler if you could have a third computer or device to record on.

Do some research on using a mixer to create a mix-minus, as this should solve your problem. You can also look into creating an aggregate audio device, one that would combine your microphone as well as a sound-routing app like Soundflower or Line-In. I haven't tried this myself (the aggregate device) but I've heard others have done it successfully.