I NEED A PHONE-PATCH!!

Juan Carlos Hernandez · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007, 06:52 (GMT) Post subject: I NEED A PHONE-PATCH!!

A client that I signed up with, requires a phone patch system.
Does anyone knows where can I get one? I don't know how to hook it up to my computer. Any advice???

Thanks,

JC

JJ Wright · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007, 07:19 (GMT) Post subject:

You do it via your mixer.

You will need a phone Hybrid - though there some quick easy solutions, but to be professional you will have to invest in one.

Do a quick search for "phone patch" within the Savvy forum, and you will find a ton of info. Especially in the "geek" section.

Good luck.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007, 13:09 (GMT) Post subject:

I've used just a standard speakerphone successfully. In a pinch it will get the job done. Also, there's Skype.

Bob Bair · **Voice Talent** Joined: 06 Oct 2003 Posts: 274

Phone headset with my headphones over that. Hasn't failed me yet!

Haneen Arafat · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 122

Skype is great if you speak via the same mic that you're recording with, but is it possible for the person(s) on the other end to hear playback?

Juan Carlos Hernandez · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007, 06:34 (GMT) Post subject:

Thank you guys for your help...

JC

Colin Campbell · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007, 14:08 (GMT) Post subject:

Haneen Arafat · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 122

Yes Colin, I'm figuring that out.

I tried running it through my M-Audio Firewire 410, where I have my DAW audio output, but apparently Skype and FW don't like each other, and the signal would repeatedly mute.

Last night, I resent all the outputs through a little Alesis USB mixer. I can hear everything in my headphones, but the caller still can't hear the DAW audio.

From what you say though, I guess this is the road to what you did...I'm no engineer, but I guess from here I just have to figure out how to split the signals into two busses in the mixer...

Colin Campbell · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007, 15:03 (GMT) Post subject:

Does your mixer have a send bus?

Haneen Arafat · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 122

Yes, I believe so. There are two Aux Out 3/4 jacks, and two rca out jacks. I think this is what you're asking. (20 years in radio and I don't know. How slow am I?) The manual also says the one of the aux lines routes to an external device.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007, 15:31 (GMT) Post subject:

But is it a bus or just extra ouputs of the main bus? You need to develop "mix minus" which is sending the caller everything BUT himself.

Haneen Arafat · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 122

I called Alesis tech support (free!) and while I don't have a mix-minus, he gave me some idea of how to route it. Too much minutia to type here, but if it works, I'll chime back in. Perhaps it's worth then posting on the geek board for others who'd like to do the same...

Thanks!

Jacob Ekstroem · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 721

Primarily adressed to Juan, but others may find this interesting:

Here's a schematic drawing of a phone patch system.
As Colin mentioned, the object is to make the caller hear everything BUT the caller he/herself (hence the phrase "mix-minus"), in order to reduce feedback.

The way to do this is via the AUX-send/return feature, or the AUX "bus", so it's mandatory for the mixer to have an AUX-feature built-in (Haneen, your Alesis mixer has this.) To have the caller hear the output from the DAW output aswell, the AUX-bus need to be able to do this "Pre-fader", i.e. without the fader needing to be open, since you don't want to have the DAW output in the mix.

In the drawing, you see three channels: "MIC", "DAW" (an output from the soundcard), and "TEL" (output from the tel. hybrid).

Above the faders, you see three knobs, which is the AUX send-controls. Whenever you turn one of these up, the signal from that particular channel goes to the AUX-bus, which again goes directly to the hybrid's input. You'll want to have the sound from your MIC-channel and your DAW-channel directed to the hybrid, but NOT the signal of the TEL-channel, so you turn the knobs up on the MIC- and DAW-channels, but make sure you turn the knob DOWN on the TEL-channel.

Not the only way to do it, but the easiest with most small mixers.

Haneen Arafat · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 122

Thanks Jacob & Colin.

So, I did manage to get the audio from my DAW to Skype.

Besides the usual confusion, while Skype can take input from firewire, it does not support output from firewire.

I don't know how this will translate to someone else, but it can be done. So, my poor man's (or woman's) phone patch is such:

External Mic to External (Alesis 8 USB) Mixer
Computer Headphones out to Mixer bus 5/6 (or 7/8 )
Mixer set to 2TK TO Control Room
Mixer Control Room out to Firewire 410 Line Inputs
FW 410 to Computer
DAW Audio Outputs set to Built In/Headphones
Skype Audio Output set to USB Mixer
Monitor from headphones to Mixer

With a second mic, I should also be able to plug directly into the FW from the studio. A caller can hear the live session via that mic as usual.

Then if they need to hear playback, I'd just have to switch internal audio output computer settings, but the cables wouldn't have to change.

Anyway, this is my theory. My new mic arrives tomorrow. If it works, I should at least be able to advertise that I have a phone patch. Unless there are any objections...

Juan Carlos Hernandez · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007, 08:33 (GMT) Post subject:

Thank you very much to all for your help, specially to Jacob, thans man for taking the time to explain all so clear. I need to get some new equipment. I'll let you guys know if I finally could connect it.

Muchas gracias,

JC