Nicecast is great for all sorts of broadcasts. Many people have expressed interest in using Nicecast for talk shows with Skype or iChat, so we've compiled a set of instructions for doing just that. The following should help you get started hosting a talk show or mixing in "callers" with your normal music stream.
For our example we'll be broadcasting from Skype, but everything applies to iChat as well. To set things up for each use:
1) Plug the microphone and headphones in, then launch Nicecast and Skype.
2) In Nicecast's Source drawer, set the first pop-up to Audio Device and then select your microphone for the Input Source. This should be the same device selected in Skype's Audio preferences for Input.
3) Set the Output Source to the Silence Output to prevent echo. If you'd like to monitor yourself on top of the conversation, you can instead set the output to the Headphones.
4) Next, open the Effects window, and insert the Application Mixer plugin. In the Application Mixer's editor window, set Skype as the Application, and leave the Crossfade at 50%. Once this is set, hit Hijack in the Application Mixer's editor window.
5) Finally, press the Start Broadcast button in Nicecast and chat away.
You're now broadcasting out, and you're ready to go with the actual show. But what's going on here exactly? The audio from your microphone is going two places, into Skype and also into Nicecast. In Skype, this audio is sent to the person to whom you're speaking. In Nicecast, this audio is mixed with the audio pulled from Skype, specifically the other speaker's portion of the conversation. This is combined together seamlessly to make one audio stream of your conversation.
Once you're set up as instructed above, you're set to go. Speak using the microphone, and accept calls through Skype. You can also play any desired audio in iTunes, and grab that with a second instance of the Application Mixer plugin. That's all there is to it. Enjoy!
Note: One additional step for some input devices, particularly headsets, is to adjust the Advanced Hijacking Options. Click the Advanced button in the Input tab to access this window. Choose the headset as the Target device, and change the Left Channel and/or Right Channel to 1 or 2 - do not leave them on Default. You should then hear the other party on the right or left ear - and they'll be recorded.