Recording an interview through an online call (WhatsApp) using Audacity

Audacity Help Forum macOS
1

Hi guys

I am pretty new to this platform but I need you help.

The COVID 19 pandemic has brought about a lot of issues and for me as a broadcaster, I need to have more interviews done from the comfort of my home. I am however incapacitated because I cannot get all the other fancy equipment to make my job easier and I have had to rely on free softwares such as this one and WhatsApp. In the past I have had to ask questions from my guests through voice notes, they respond through voice notes and I piece it together on audacity to come up with a full interview. This option is tiring and the feeling is so different to live radio productions.

However, WhatsApp is bringing WhatsApp calls on desktop and I was hoping you could help me in understanding how I can record my guests on WhatsApp using Audacity. That could be a very good option for me in my country and region as WhatsApp is a much preferred and cheaper alternative to Skype, etc and is widely used.

Thank you for your help…

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The Official Party Line is do the interviews on Zoom and get Zoom to record them. I understand the last version of Zoom services would allow you to assign voices to files instead of jamming them all into one mix.

There is a way to record WhatsApp calls on your Android phone.

WhatsApp.png
There is no simple, reliable way to get Audacity to record on-line interviews on any service.

There are complicate, expensive ways. I do it with two computers and small sound mixer. That’s how the broadcasters do it.

You can do it with two computers and make one a “fake” participant whose sole job it is to record the other two. We used to do that where I worked. Nobody could figure out how to make production meetings across multiple time zones available as a sound file. There was a computer on the sixth floor whose sole job it was to record the conference. It didn’t have a microphone or camera.

Koz