What is ipDTL ?
It’s essentially a beefed up internet phone connection. It makes connecting to ISDN lines much easier, and cheaper, but you can also use this site to connect to people’s phones and get better recording quality than you usually would.
What would help my ipDTL interview sound the best?
Everything that applies to recording regular phone calls applies here – if the person has a bad signal, the recording will sound terrible. If they’re at a protest or distracted, you won’t get good sound. Ideally you’d pre-interview the caller for five minutes and check the connection and sound quality.
You should also have a decent mic set up and have access to a stable internet connection.
How do I access the remote ipDTL account?
First and foremost make a reservation to use the remote account by clicking on this link: Book KPFA Production Facilities and Resources
NOTE: you must make your reservation a minimum of 2 hours in advance.
After you’ve made your reservation you will see a confirmation on the website, you will receive an email confirmation, and you should be able to see your reservation slot on the facilities’ reservation calendar.
Only one person can log into ipDTL at once. If your interview is slated for one hour, do not exceed that hour. Try to leave five minutes early so the next person can log in. DO NOT EXCEED your slated interview time.
The interface for ipDTL is a little confusing to use – so contact engineering for a quick rundown.
Connecting to a ipDTL’s Remote Account:
- Open ipDTL located on the desktop. A web browser (chrome) will open prompting you to log in (login credentials should populate automatically, if not, ask an engineer to assist you).
Connecting to a Contact:
- Once logged in you should see a box of “destinations,” or contacts to choose from. This is where the host or guest will appear when they are connected to ipDTL. Click on their handle to complete the connection.
- Turn on and bring up ipDTL’s fader to put the call on the air.
Contact Connecting to Us:
- Using a Chrome browser, contact should connect to kpfa.org/connect and follow the on-screen instructions.
Making a Phone Call Through ipDTL:
- Click on the Dialpad button and a dial pad should appear.
- To make domestic calls you must enter +1 followed by the area code and number. Click connect to complete the call.
- To make international calls you must enter + followed by the country code and number. Click Connect to complete the call.
- Turn on and bring up ipDTL’s fader to put the call on the air.
Making a Conference Call:
- Once connected with a caller, simply click on another “destination” or contact. Similarly, if you are using the dialpad, connect with a caller then simply dial and connect to another number to establish a conference call.
Communicating with your Guest Offline:
- Once connected you can choose to communicate with the caller via chat by clicking on the Chat icon
. (Chat option is not available for calls made via dialpad.)
NOTE: If someone is connected to the other KPFA ipDTL accounts, you will notice that their names appear on the chat as well. Make sure that when you use the chat function, you are directing your messages to your guest only and not sending messages to everyone in the chat.
TIPS
- If you have the ability to plug your computer into your internet router via an ethernet cable, do so (and then turn off your wi-fi). If not, do what you can to ensure the most reliable wi-fi connection possible.
- It is absolutely essential that you use Google Chrome web browser when using ipDTL.
- Close all unnecessary windows/tabs and computer applications.
- Make sure that both you and your guest follow the on-screen instructions when connecting to ipDTL ensuring that the input and output sources are configured correctly.
- In order to avoid feedback and/or echoes, the use of closed back headphones is recommended.
- If the caller’s audio is low and you’ve tried bringing up the fader, try increasing the caller’s gain by bringing up their fader on ipDTL’s mixer. The caller’s handle should appear next to the fader.
- When looking at the faders in ipDTL’s mixer, make sure that the white circle under your call’s slider is centered. It should be by default, but if it is accidentally moved, it will cause the caller to come in higher on the left or right channel.
- Recording From Home – Tips For A Successful Interview