| Installing Skype usually doesn't require any advanced setup or special configuration. Sometimes, however, advanced setup is necessary to troubleshoot common problems and reconfigure overly restrictive software firewalls so that Skype can function at its full potential. This section covers adjustments to the audio playback, recording, and audio device settings on your computer, and how to configure the most common software firewalls. Sound Setup In most cases, your computer's default sound settings will work with Skype. You may want to confirm that the settings are correct, however, and change them if they are not. Before you change your sound settings, it is a good idea to make a test call to the echo123 answering service to determine whether you need to make any changes. For more details about making a test call, see Chapter 4. This section covers the sound setup for: Microsoft Windows 2000 Windows or Windows XP (classic style) Microsoft Windows XP (XP style) Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) or later Linux
Note You may notice slight differences between the instructions here and what you see on your computer, depending on the specific version of your operating system and the specific audio software and hardware you are using. Windows 2000 or Windows XP (Classic Style) To confirm that your sound settings are configured correctly, follow these steps: 1. | Open the Sound and Audio Devices Control Panel. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. Depending on whether you have Windows 2000 or Windows XP, double-click either Sound and Multimedia or Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices. The Control Panel should appear.
| 2. | Verify or set the playback options. Select the Audio tab to expose Sound Playback, Sound Recording, and MIDI Music Playback. In the Sound Playback section, make sure that the preferred device's drop-down menu displays the sound device that Skype should be using. Click the Volume button (directly below the Sound Playback Default device drop-down menu). The Playback Volume control is displayed. Choose Options > Properties to expose the volume controls. Check any boxes that are unchecked, and click OK. The Volume control is displayed again. Be sure that the Microphone volume controller for playback is muted and that its checkbox is checked. Note Other volume controllers should not be muted: Mute All and Wave Mute must be not be muted. Make sure that those checkboxes are not checked. Choose Options > Exit.
| | | 3. | Verify or set recording options. In the Sound and Audio Devices control panel, select the Audio tab to expose the Sound Playback, Sound Recording, and MIDI Music Playback sections. In the Sound Recording section, make sure that the preferred device's drop-down menu displays the sound device that Skype should be using. Click the Volume button (directly below the Sound Recording Default device drop-down menu). The Recording control is displayed. Choose Options > Properties. The audio Properties panel is displayed. Locate the section that shows the volume controls. Check any unchecked checkboxes, and click OK. The Recording Control Panel is displayed again. Be sure that the Microphone volume controller for playback is muted and that its checkbox is checked. Note For Skype to work properly, all other options and channels must not be checked. In the Recording Control Panel, choose Options > Advanced Controls (if it is not already selected) to expose the Advanced Controls button. Click the Advanced button. In the Other Controls section, if there is a MIC Boost checkbox, make sure that it is not checked; then click the Close button. In the Recording Control Panel, choose Options > Exit.
| | | 4. | Test your Windows Sound Recording software. Choose Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment. Click Sound Recorder. The Sound Recorder application is displayed. Attempt to record and play back your speech through the microphone you plan to use with Skype. If you are unable to hear your recording, return to Sound and Multi Media or Sounds and Audio Devices, depending on whether you have Windows 2000 or Windows XP. The Control Panel should appear. Select the Sounds tab, and increase the Sound Volume. You can also try returning to the Audio tab and playing with the microphone settings until the recording/playback test works as expected.
| 5. | Verify that the Skype configuration uses the correct sound devices. Start Skype. Choose Tools > Options. Choose Sound Devices, and verify that the Windows default device is selected in the Audio In, Audio Out, and Ringing drop-down menus if you are using only one audio device (such as a headset or microphone and speakers) Click Save.
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If Skype does not work properly after you finish the sound setup, refer to Chapter 7 or visit the Skype online help center at http://support.skype.com. Microsoft Windows XP (XP Style) To confirm that your sound settings are configured correctly, follow these steps: 1. | Open the Sound and Audio Devices Control Panel. Choose Start > Control Panel > Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices. The Control Panel is displayed. Locate the Sounds and Audio Devices section.
| | | 2. | Verify or set the playback options. Select the Audio tab to expose Sound Playback, Sound Recording, and MIDI Music Playback. In the Sound Playback section, make sure that the Default Device drop-down menu displays the sound device that Skype should be using. Click the Volume button (directly below the Default Device drop-down menu). The Playback Volume control is displayed. Choose Options > Properties to expose the volume controls. Check any checkboxes that are unchecked, and click OK. The Volume control is displayed again. Be sure that the Microphone volume controller for playback is muted and that its checkbox is checked. Note Other volume controllers should not be muted: Mute All and Wave Mute must not be muted. Their checkboxes should be unchecked. Choose Options > Exit.
| | | 3. | Verify or set recording options. In the Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices Control Panel, select the Audio tab to expose the Sound Playback, Sound Recording, and MIDI Music Playback sections. In the Sound Recording section, make sure that the Default Device drop-down menu displays the sound device that Skype should be using. Click the Volume button (directly below the Default Device drop-down menu). The Recording Volume control is displayed. Choose Options > Properties. The Properties panel is displayed. Locate the section that shows the volume controls. Check any unchecked checkboxes and then click OK. The Recording Control Panel is displayed again. Be sure that the Microphone volume controller for playback is muted and that its checkbox is checked. Note For Skype to work properly, all other options and channels must not be selected. In the Recording Control Panel, choose Options > Advanced Controls (if it is not already selected) to expose the Advanced Controls button below the Microphone volume controller. Click the Advanced button. In the Other Controls section, if there is a MIC Boost checkbox, make sure that it is not checked; then click the Close button. In the Recording Control Panel, choose Options > Exit.
| 4. | Test your Windows Audio Recording software. Choose Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment. Click Sound Recorder. The Sound Recorder application is displayed. Attempt to record and play back your speech through the microphone you plan to use with Skype. If you are unable to hear your recording, return to the Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices Control Panel. Select the Sounds tab, and increase the Sound Volume. You can also try returning to the Audio tab and playing with the microphone settings until the recording/playback test works as expected.
| 5. | Verify that the Skype configuration uses the Windows default device. Start Skype. Choose Tools > Options. Choose Sound Devices, and if you are using only one audio device (such as a headset or microphone and speakers), verify that the Windows default device is selected in the Audio In, Audio Out, and Ringing drop-down menus. Optionally, you may elect to have Skype ring the speaker in your PC when a call comes in. To do this, check the Ring PC Speaker checkbox. Then, in either case, click the Save button.
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If Skype does not work properly after you finish the sound setup, refer to Chapter 7 or visit the Skype online help center at http://support.skype.com. Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) or Later To confirm that your sound settings are configured correctly, follow these steps: 1. | Open the Sound Preferences. | 2. | Verify or adjust the output sound preferences. First, make sure the output is not muted. (The Mute checkbox should not be checked.) Optionally, you can configure Mac OS X to show the volume in the menu bar at the top of the screen, which lets you adjust the sound volume directly (that is, without having to open the Sound System Preferences first). In the section that allows you to choose a device for sound output, verify that the device you want to use with Skype is selected; otherwise, select it. Doing this configures Mac OS X to route sound from all applications (including Skype) to this device by default. Note Mac OS X presents only sound output devices that are available for immediate use. Therefore, if you want to use a USB headset, you need to plug the headset into the USB port on your Mac before Mac OS X recognizes the device as available for use. The Skype application also allows you to choose a sound output device that is different from the Mac OS X default device. See step 4 for instructions on how to do this.
| | | 3. | Verify or adjust the input sound preferences. In the section that allows you to choose a device for sound input, verify that the device you want to use with Skype is selected; otherwise, select it. Doing this configures Mac OS X to route sound to all applications (including Skype) to this device by default. Note Mac OS X presents only sound input devices that are available for immediate use. Therefore, if you want to use an external microphone, you need to plug the microphone into the appropriate port on your Mac before Mac OS X recognizes the device as available. The Skype application also allows you to choose a sound input device that is different from the Mac OS X default device. See step 4 for instructions on how to do this. Set the input volume as high as possible without causing any audio distortion. When you have selected the sound input device, you can adjust the input volume to send the best audio signal to the Skype application. Set the input volume option in the middle (to 50 percent). Speak into your microphone in a normal voice, and watch the input level vary with your voice. For best sound quality, the input level should be greater than 60 percent but not exceed 75 percent. Increase it as much as possible without exceeding the 75 percent threshold. Set the output volume at about 75 percent to start. You can change this later easily without having to open Sound Preferences. Verify that the Mute checkbox is not checked.
| | | 4. | Verify or change Skype audio preferences (optional). Although Mac OS X gives you a certain amount of control of your sound preferences, Skype allows you to customize further the way sound is managed to give you some additional control. Skype allows you to treat "Skype sound" differently from the way that other sound is handled. You can configure Skype to override Mac OS X sound-handling capabilities to use a Bluetooth headset, for example, while Mac OS X still routes music from iTunes through speakers. To do this, follow these steps: Start the Skype application. Choose Skype > Preferences. The Preferences panel is displayed. Select Audio. In the Audio Output and Input drop-down menus, select the device(s) you want to use with Skype. To reduce the possibility of echoes in your voice calls, check the Echo Cancellation checkbox. To prevent sound distortion from the overamplification of sound input, check the Gain Control checkbox.
| 5. | Test your Skype application software. |
If you cannot get Skype to work properly after verifying or changing the Skype audio preferences, make sure that you have set the Sound Playback and Recording preferences properly, as described in steps 2 and 3. Otherwise, refer to Chapter 7 or visit the Skype online help center at http://support.skype.com. Linux Setting up sound on Linux can be tricky because of differences between the older Linux OSS (Open Sound System) and the more modern ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture), as well as variations in the many Linux distributions and hardware devices. This section assumes that you have read and are familiar with the Skype installation instructions in Chapter 3. In addition, it assumes that you will type all the operating-system commands described in this section in a terminal window: the console, a GNOME terminal, xterm, or another terminal window. Moreover, the information on sound setup for Linux is evolving. For the most current and up-to-date tips and tricks, best practices, and other information on using Skype with Linux, visit the Skype Forums at http://forum.skype.com. Note If you see the message "Sound device is not defined," you can safely ignore it. This message appears when Skype employs the default sound device /dev/dsp, because a particular device was not specified in the Skype sound configuration. OSS Skype provides native support for OSS. For version 2.4 or newer kernels, however, some users report that it is easier to set Skype to work with ALSA drivers and OSS emulation than with a pure OSS kernel. See the "ALSA" section that follows for details. To use Skype with OSS, follow these steps: | | 1. | Select the DSP (digital signal processing) audio device for your sound card. Generally, the audio device name is /dev/dsp, which assumes a device number of zero. If you have more than one sound card, you might want to designate additional audio devices for each card, such as /dev/dsp1 and so on. Enable microphone input in the audio mixer setting. | 2. | You can use the aumix, kmix, or gnome-volume applet. | 3. | Try setting the input capture source to use the microphone. If the sound is distorted, and your hardware allows you to turn capture off, turn capture off. Input capture works differently, depending on your operating system and hardware configuration. | 4. | Make sure that the microphone volume controller is set high enough that your voice will be sufficiently loud. You can always change this setting later. |
ALSA Currently, Skype does not provide native support for ALSA. As described in Chapter 3, however, you can use ALSA devices if you install the ALSA OSS emulation layer, which is effectively the same as running Skype with OSS. If you have ALSA with dmix (kernel stream mixer) enabled, running Skype should be no different from running it with the native OSS. To use Skype with ALSA, follow these steps: 1. | If you have not already done so, install the ALSA OSS emulation layer. | 2. | Make sure that you have the snd-pcm-oss and snd-mixer-oss modules in your kernel. They can be compiled in the kernel or loaded separately. Check for these modules by typing the following command as root: # ismod | 3. | If these modules are not already installed, try to load them. | 4. | As root, type the following: # modprobe snd-pcm-oss # modprobe snd-mixer-oss |
If you get an error message when you execute either of the preceding commands, you might need to upgrade your kernel. Before you do that, however, consider consulting a Linux system administrator or searching the Skype for Linux Forum at http://forum.skype.com. If your computer motherboard has 5.1 sound support, you need to turn off the mixer options Mic As Center/LFE and Line As Surround. Note that these options typically are not present in native OSS. Motherboards with 5.1 support should be used in conjunction with ALSA anyway, however. KDE Default: aRts aRts (Advanced Real-Time Synthesizer) is the default with the KDE desktop. If aRts sound is working, so should Skype. Make sure you run Skype through the artsdsp program. Verify that the aRts Full Duplex option in the KDE Control Center is set to on. This helps ensure that the microphone will work and that you do not get a segmentation fault that you can avoid. To do this, follow these steps: 1. | Choose Control Center > Sound & Multimedia > Sound System. | 2. | Select the Hardware tab. A Full Duplex option should be displayed. | 3. | Make sure that the Full Duplex checkbox is checked. | 4. | Start Skype in the directory where the Skype application is executable: # artsdsp -m ./skype | 5. | If you hear an echo, you may try decreasing the aRts sound buffer size. | 6. | Choose Control Center > Sound & Multimedia > Sound System. | 7. | Select the General tab, and go to the Skip Prevention section. | 8. | Try decreasing the sound buffer size to less than 200ms. |
GNOME Default: ESD ESD (Enlightened Sound Daemon) is the default with the GNOME desktop. To run Skype with GNOME, follow these steps: 1. | Run the esd daemon, using the -d flag to specify /dev/dsp. This is because the esddsp wrapper in some Linux distributions (such as Gentoo) checks for the presence of esd daemon parameters, and the daemon will not be detected if these parameters are not present. To do this, type the following: # esddsp -d /dev/dsp | 2. | Run Skype through to enable the sound. | 3. | Start Skype in the directory where the Skype application is executable. |
GStreamer, NMM, and NAS Currently, there is no way to enable Skype sound through GStreamer. It is recommended that you disable GStreamer and use either the ALSA or OSS method described earlier in this appendix. In addition, other outdated audio servers, such as NAS (Network Audio Server) and NMM, are also unsupported. Again, disable them, and use either the ALSA or OSS sound system. "Hijack" /dev/dsp for Different Playback and Recording Devices There are times when you might want to use different /dev/dsp devices for recording and playback. You might want to use your microphone with /dev/dsp and use a set of USB speakers on /dev/dsp1, for example. Currently, Skype does not provide support for this in the Skype application. You can use a tool called Skype DSP Hijacker, however, to accomplish this. The tool, skype_dsp_hijacker, and instructions for using it are available at http://195.38.3.142:6502. Simply follow the instructions to build and install the appropriate version of the tool. Then run Skype as described in the instructions. |