How to Record Audio From a Skype Call

Three main attempts

1] Using Audacity and Soundflower (FAIL)

I like this guy's approach. But I couldn't get to work at all.

My main problem is that Skype could hear me, and Audacity could hear Skype (through Soundflower), but I couldn't get it so that Audacity could hear me. When I called the test number I could record the nice English lady, then Audacity wouldn't register any sound while I talked, but it would record Skype's playback of whatever I said. I think it's because Audacity is only recording what Sunflower sends to it, and Sunflower is only sending along what Skype sends to it, and Skype doesn't send what it picks up on the mic. I'm sure there's some way to get Audacity to record from the mic as well, but I couldn't make it happen.

• In Audacity Preferences / Devices, pick "Soundflower 2ch" for input
• In Skype Preferences / Audio, set the output to "Soundflower 2ch"
• If it sounds echoey, it's cuz both Audacity and Soundflower are playing. Click on Soundflower's splat symbol and check "None (OFF)" for both 2ch and 16ch. Or turn off the playback options in Audacity Preferences / Recording.
• Soundflower's Preferences pane keeps disappearing. I have to quit the "Audio MIDI Setup" application that shows up in the Dock, and then click "Audio Setup" again in Soundflower to get it to come back.
• I don't like Soundflower. It's a weird application that locks up, but you can't Force Quit.
• I made an aggregate device in Soundflower, including the internal mic and the "Soundflower 2ch" for output. I don't know if that would work because it bugs out the program everytime I try to use it.
• Audacity piles up recordings in "tracks," as if you were recording a song piece by piece. It's annoying when you're testing things over and over because playback plays all the tracks together, so I end up deleting the track after every trial run.

2] Using Audacity (acceptable)

The only thing I've been able to get to work without buying anything (stupid stipulation) is to use the freeware program Audacity to record from a microphone. It picks up my voice very well, and, depending on the microphone (USB Blue Snowball mic works well) picks up the other person. It even works to use the internal mic, but the other person sounds a little tinny.

• If either side of the conversation is too loud (can get distorted and sound lower quality than it is) play with the volumes of mic in Audacity, and the volume of playback in Skype.
• If everything is echoed once, in Audacity Preferences / Recording, make sure none of the Playback options are checked. If you've tried out the Skype test call multiple times and haven't erased the tracks, the English Lady may sound echoey too.

3] Buying Stuff (frustratingly acceptable)

The brilliantly named "Call Recorder" for mac and unexpectedly named "Pamela" for windows seem to be the best programs. Both integrate with Skype, so you don't have to.

• Quality doesn't seem that much better than just recording the internal speakers using an internal mic. Which is stupid.