Source Connect

Because of it’s market dominance and universal popularity, Skype has become the de facto solution for many people to connect when directing voiceover sessions.

It has an easy interface, it’s mobile friendly, it’s widely used, universally understood, and easy to set up.

But does that make it the best option?

Broadcast Quality

Well…

…not necessarily if you’re a producer, director, engineer, or broadcaster. Where Skype falls down is in audio quality. Skype audio quality can be excellent but it’s not always consistent and broadband speed doesn’t seem to the only factor here.

“So what”, you might say.

Well there are a couple of reasons why audio quality matters.

Quality

Using better quality audio helps to give the impression that the person on the other end is in studio rather than their bedroom – creating an impression of intimacy

Focus

The clarity of broadcast quality audio enables you to hear what the person is saying, it foregrounds the interviewees voices and focuses the listeners attention

Professional

Broadcast quality simply sounds better – like a finished professional production as opposed to a communique from your gran

ISDN - The Old Broadcast Standard

Traditionally, the industry standard for remote recording of broadcast quality audio has been the tried and tested ISDN unit, a clunky, expensive piece of boxed hardware, requiring an ISDN network for delivery.

In the broadband era, ISDN networks start to look like ancient and expensive technology. ISDN has survived in many radio stations and post production studios on the back of a strong legacy, but it’s not a practical option for the jobbing producer.

Source Connect - The New Broadcast Standard

Enter Source Connect. The reasonably-new kid on the block – a high-quality replacement for ISDN – which is gaining popularity and fast becoming what we like to call “industry-standard”.
The software comes in various flavours with a number of pricing tiers – the best of which is free.

Source Connect Now

Deployed via any Chrome browser on PC or Mac, Source Connect Now suits the needs of many producers and enables two parties to connect remotely in broadcast-quality audio – without spending a penny.

Audio sessions can be remotely monitored and recorded using a simple desktop or laptop at either end. Once connected, the quality is consistent and crystal clear – without Skype’s noisy granular artefacts.

That 5 minutes you might spend setting up your remote record via Source Connect will be worth it when you hear the difference in quality output.