Setting up a Cough Button for Podcasting with Skype
One thing I miss from using professional broadcast gear when I worked in radio is quick control over your sound. As I’m moving back into podcasting more, I want push-button control to mute my Rode Podcaster mic. I found this Applescript, originally written by Dennis Rande, which will toggle the mute status of your current call. I hooked up the script to two Keyboard Maestro macros to emulate a cough button, where my end of the Skype call is is muted while the button is pressed and un-muted when the button is released.
To set this up in Keyboard Maestro, create a new macro tied to when a
key of your choice is pressed and have it execute
skype-mute.scpt. It’ll look something like this. Create a second
macro so when that same key (I use F12) is released,
the script is executed again, toggling the mute off. You can also set
just a single trigger with “when pressed” and not the second “released”
macro to have a standard toggle; hit your key to mute, hit it again to
un-mute.1
Whether it’s an actual cough or a belch from drinking Sodastream on-air, you now havce control over whether you want to disgust an over sensitive audience or not.
I use this one at work when I’m Skyped into meetings but don’t need to say much.↩︎