The Audio Mixer input labeled TALKBACK serves a special purpose, providing a way to converse with remote Skype callers off-air (without intruding into your live program). You can choose what audio source to supply for TalkBack purposes from a variety of input types, as discussed in the previous sections.

As mentioned earlier, by default the Connection option for an external Audio Mixer input assigned to a Skype TX™ channel allows the corresponding control group to govern incoming audio from that remote Skype caller. In this case (that is, when an audio control is ‘listening’ to incoming audio from a Skype TX channel), a new button labeled TALK appears beside the group’s SOLO button.

When the TALK button is lit, audio you supply via the TALKBACK input (typically a microphone connected to one of the inputs on the system’s backplane, or perhaps the system Stereo Mix supplying audio with sound from a 1/8” motherboard audio input) is sent to the remote caller, temporarily replacing the normal mix-minus sound that remote caller would otherwise hear.

At the same time, the Mixer sends incoming sound from the remote Skype caller to its Headphone output, enabling you to have a two-way conversation Off Air.