HOW TO RECORD A MAGIC JACK PHONE CALL USING THE PHONE

How can I record a MAGIC CALL using the PHONE?

I am recording only my voice with AUDACITY, it does not record the other party, even if I have MIKE and SPEAKER set to USB INTERNET PHONE

Now I know this can be done switching to headset, but I do not want to that: it is cumbersome.

I would also like to know it it is possible to have audacity automatically open up when one picks up a MAGIC JACK call?

Regards,

Roger Bertrand, P. Eng.

Now I know this can be done switching to headset, but I do not want to that: it is cumbersome.

You know that because you personally got it to work, or you know that because somebody said so?

Recording a Voice Over IP phone call correctly usually requires specialized software that “knows” what the communications software is thinking about. There is no combination of plain Stereo-Mix, WAV-Out, crossed, cables, or other software tricks that gives you a good recording and still has the phone call survive without echoes or other sound damage to the people calling in.

Pamela Business, Pamela Professional and Total Recorder for Windows Skype for three examples. All three of those create new sound pathways inside the computer and force coexistence.

Is there a dedicated software capture package for Magic Call?

Koz

http://magicjack-call-recorder.fyxm.net/

Koz

Dear Audacity Technical

Thanks for your fine Audacity Audio Recorder System and great Audacity Forum at http://forum.audacityteam.org/

In reading the above comments on this page, I find that they do not really explain how to record BOTH the caller’s voice AND the voice on the other end, when MagicJack is used with Audacity:

Thus, I below tell how I have SUCCESSFULLY DONE THIS:


After I got my ~6 year old MagicJackPlus, going on my new Windows 10 computer (4 GB RAM), I did my best (several times) to carefully follow various Audacity trouble-shooting instructions I happened to find on the internet.

My experience at this point was exactly as stated by Mr Cybersum = “I am recording only my voice with AUDACITY, it does not record the other party, even if I have MIKE and SPEAKER set to USB INTERNET PHONE.” Thus after several hours, I had to give up, and search harder for a “way”:

In explaining my lack of success to my daughter, she kept saying use an external microphone. This was a method I had been avoiding, because I expected that the person’s voice on the other end, would first have to go through the laptop speakers, yielding low quality recording of other person’s voice, plus pick up various background noises, around my house.

BUT, since I had exhausted all other choices (even using other computer recorders as an alternate to Audacity, even constructing my own Phone To Laptop Microphone Adapter Circuit), I finally grabbed my salvaged Logitech USB Microphone, and plugged it in, placing it near my laptop speakers. This was done with almost no thought, because of my four full-days struggle on this. had ingrained a failure attitude of “Well here goes nothing!!”

At this point I had already set Audacity to “MME” and “Handset USB Internet Phone”, and Mic record volume to max. I am using Windows 10, on a Dell Latitude E6410 Laptop. My Audacity was an internet down load on 31 March 2016, = audacity-win-2.1.0.exe

VOLA!!! This turns out to be very successful.

But I needed to hold the USB microphone ~1 inch from my mouth, and speak loudly, to give acceptable results. This is because, in test calls to my daughter’s cell phone, she said my voice was weak and hollow barrel sounding, suggesting “hold close & speak loudly”.


In thinking through all this, I conclude the use of the USB Microphone, was a lucky break, for these reasons:

  1. I grabbed it because, and this is a relatively hi-gain mic, and I was worried about not enough volume. And as it turned out, this ‘s hi gain was indeed needed!!
  2. Apparently (somehow), the USB system, as exists in my laptop, equally sends (into Audacity), the USB Mic AND the “USB Internet Phone” (ie the MagicJack Phone). This is exactly what is needed, and something Audacity SoftWare (as is now programmed), otherwise can’t do.
  3. This 2) is a direct internal electrical connection, automatically created, and does not involve loss of sound quality or worry of house noises.
  4. AND contrary to my expectations, this above set-up, does not need to run either my voice or “other person’s voice, thru the loud-speakers”, and consequent loss of quality.
  5. In fact, I can conduct my MagicJack calls, with headphones plugged-in (thus loud-speakers shut off), and USB Mic very close to my mouth:
  6. Now concerning the MagicJack Call Operation, it is important to recognize, that the USB Microphone was automatically connected to a) MagicJack, as well as b) the earphones, which I had plugged in.
  7. All the time, Audacity does a great job recording, EQUALLY AS WELL BOTH sides of conversation, with adequate signal levels, shown on Audacity wave-form display.

So, there you have my story:

I truly hope this will be a help to Audacity Users, to record MagicJack their conversations!!

Any questions? Hope to hear from you!! Please email => HenryG __ USCA.edu

Google my full name below, to see my University Home Page.

AND please email the above to your friends, and post to your favorite webpage or tech forum!

Sincerely

Henry S Gurr
Professor of Physics Emeritus,
University of South Carolina Aiken,
471 University Parkway,
Aiken South Carolina 29801

Thanks for your post. What inputs does Magic Jack have? RJ-11 phone input and anything else? Can you actually plug a USB mic into it?

If you still choosing Magic Jack as recording device in Audacity, what is now making Audacity record the other side of the call ? I could understand it if you were choosing the USB mic as Audacity recording device and the mic was hearing the other party through the laptop speakers - though I would not expect it to give very good results.


Thanks

Gale

Gale Andrews asks about, 2nd above post ~= “Record a MAGIC CALL Using Audacity”,

a) [Did I use the MagicJack’s] RJ-11 phone input,
b) Can you actually plug a USB mic into it? [ ie the MagicJack]
c) [Was] the mic was hearing the other party through the laptop speakers?

I’ll answer these questions if reverse order.

c) Concerning involvement of the laptop speakers: Please notice I said “my earphones were plugged into Laptop, and thus it’s speakers shut off. (( O/c this is my surprise!! => All the time, Audacity does a great job recording, EQUALLY AS WELL BOTH sides of conversation.))

b) You have to understand several (VERY useful) things about MagicJacks:

The very FIRST MagicJacks, were always (and only), plugged into the USB of your computer, and the computer had to be running, to make or receive your phone calls. This version does NOT have any microphone jack: This is on your house phone, thru your RJ-11. In fact, you could plug your whole existing house phone system into the RJ-11 jack on these MagicJacks.
Or alternatively, on your computer, you are using a microphone and ear phones plugged into it. (( I guess that my discussed “set-up” would work with these FIRST MagicJacks, but I don’t know. ))
Then in ~2006 there was a SECOND version called “MagicJack Plus”. This is what I used to “Record a MAGIC CALL Using Audacity”: The “Plus” version, works pretty much as the FIRST version, and plugs into your computer’s USB, BUT the “Plus” has in addition a RJ-45 EtherNet Cable Jack: These “Plus” are normally used without a computer, but plug directly into your router, and then to external of your house, on cable or DSL, or ATT Uverse or etc.
BUT, when I want to “Record a MAGIC CALL Using Audacity”, I MUST remove my “MagicJack Plus”, from our router, and plug its USB into my Laptop. Since My Laptop is itself fully-connected to our router (and thus full working internet connection), I do not need to use the MJ’s own RJ-45. AND because my USB microphone and earphones are plugged directly into my Laptop, I do not need to use the MJ’s RJ-11.

In SUMMARY, as I said on my above larger original post:
2) Apparently (somehow), the USB system, as exists in my laptop, equally sends (into Audacity), BOTH the USB Mic AND the “USB Internet Phone” (ie the MagicJack Phone). This is exactly what is needed, and something Audacity SoftWare (as is now programmed), otherwise can’t do.
3) This 2) is a direct internal electrical connection, automatically created, and does not involve loss of sound quality or worry of house noises.
4) AND contrary to my expectations, this above set-up, does not need to run either my voice or “other person’s voice, thru the Laptop’s loud-speakers”, and consequent loss of quality.

The fact that this is so easy to set-up (~automatic inside my laptop), and works so well, is pretty amazing. I don’t know how this is done, but I do know I am quite relieved to have this working, because I need to do some important telephone interviews, and I dare not miss any of the other person’s words, or emotional shadings, that emerges as they are speaking, or pausings.

Readers of this, may let me know if they need more information.

Sincerely Henry Gurr

Apparently (somehow), the USB system, as exists in my laptop, equally sends (into Audacity), the USB Mic AND the “USB Internet Phone” (ie the MagicJack Phone).



The fact that this is so easy to set-up (~automatic inside my laptop), and works so well, is pretty amazing.

And that may be the shortcoming. Given the MagicJack didn’t install special management software, you may be a celebrity. We know of people who got Audacity to work recording multiple Skype podcasts, both sides with good stability and quality.

But nobody else can do it.

It’s also possible that since you didn’t mention it, MagicJack connects to Windows sound management, echo cancellation, etc. So this is the Windows MagicJack solution.

I need to do some important telephone interviews

On the possibility that your setup is a celebrity unicorn, don’t make any changes to it that you can’t reverse, and if you do make changes, test the recording system to make sure it still works. This can be a particular problem with updates for which there may be no reversal.

Koz

For a long time, I was puzzled how to record both sides of a magicJack phone conversation using Audacity. I use a headphone set because my hand gets tired holding an old phone receiver. Next, buy a USB livelier mic; you know the type you can clip on someone’s shirt. Next, plug the mic into a USB port. Now, this next step is the key to the whole thing; tuck the mic up under one of the earpieces. All you have to do is make a phone call and hit the record button in Audacity. Kenn <><

tuck the mic up under one of the earpieces. All you have to do is make a phone call and hit the record button in Audacity.

Or you can use an Olympus TP-7 or TP-8 microphone in your ear. Plugged into any sound recorder and it carries both sides. This has the advantage of working with any telephone or handset.


Since it’s a computer microphone, it can be plugged into the Mic-In port on computers, or into a USB soundcard.

Koz