Recording Phone calls

[myhnews]

I would like to record some free lessens / speeches (from some 800 numbers) onto my computer. There is no 2 side talking since I’m only listening. I downloaded the Audacity software and it works fine when recording CDs. However, I could not figure out how to record it form the phone.

I connected a cable from the phones headset jack into the computers in-line jack, but it does not get recorded.

Do I need any special software?

Thank You

[alatham]

You need special hardware.

You should also be aware that this might be illegal (caveat: I'm not a lawyer).

This should work. You'll plug it into your phone line and then plug it into your Mic In on your computer. Set Audacity to record from the Mic In and it should work:
http://spyville.com/record-phone-calls.html

The Mic In isn't the ideal port to use (though it will work just fine), but I couldn't find one of these that converted to Line In signal. I'm sure they exist though, but I don't know what they'll call them.

[adiant]

This is on the former Canadian Radio Shack site, but it shows a wide price range of telephone recorders:
http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/categ ... m=1&sort=1

Depending where you are, you should be able to find a local retailer that handles this kind of equipment, and will allow you to try them out at home, until you find what you like the best, which is a lot easier than returning things bought over the Internet.

In the mid-1990s, when I used to do telephone interviews for magazine articles, I preferred to use an answering machine that recorded on standard cassettes, but I don't think they make them anymore.

[kozikowski]

And the only reason any of this is going to work is that you don't intend to talk. Don't for a minute think equipment under a couple of thousand dollars will record both sides of the conversation very well. They won't. With this cheap stuff, you may still find that your local breathing, microphone, and other telephone noises will ruin the recording.

You can avoid all these problems if you're not using a phone. If you're on a "soft phone" or Internet Phone in your computer or a cellphone with the adapters, then you can successfully record both sides individually with no trouble or very much extra expense. It may pay you to find someone with an Internet phone to do the recordings.

Koz

[adiant]

Agreed. But, I have had fairly good results with some of the really cheap equipment when my telephone had a MUTE button, that I used faithfully during anything from the other end of the conversation that I wanted to use in my recording.

I have successfully re-created interviews this way by later re-recording my side of the conversation with a good microphone, and using Audacity to put it all together into a coherent conversation.

Of course, nothing will save you if there is a bad phone connection, lousy equipment at the other end, etc.

[JeffB]

I've had good sucess with a multi-line phone using this hardware/software: http://www.usbrecorder.com/ It's a little more expensive than the other equipment listed, but it works well. The default setting saves the files in .wav format but it can be set to compress them into .mp3 format. It can even be set to export a file to your email program.

Audacity, can of course be used to edit the files if need be.

Here's a site with info on the laws of the various states on recording conversations:

http://www.rcfp.org/taping/

and an image re: state laws:



I did appreciate the other links. I need to record calls for work and sometimes forward them to my cell phone & would like to record a call occasionally, particularly when I can't write things down very well. It looks like one or more of those items might work for me there.

[roclark]

I just downloaded Audacity, specifically to record a phone interview for an article. I used a device very similar to the one alatham mentioned at spyville.com. I hooked the device up to the land line phone and my computer. But when I recorded the conversation, my voice came through loud and clear, but my interviewee's voice is just barely audible behind some high pitched white noise. I can just make it out to transcribe, but could not use it for adio clips.

I used to use Cool Edit when it was open source with this same device that I plugged into the phone and computer. But Audacity doesn't seem to be recording the other end of the phone very well and I don't think it was the phone connection. I tried switching the input between phone and microphone on the window on the far right of the Audacity interface, but that didn't effect anything.

Does anybody have any idea of what I'm doing wrong?

[kozikowski]

<<<high pitched white noise.>>>

Did you get High Speed DSL? That's what it sounds like, especially if you jack in on the wrong side of the DSL filter. SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH.

Koz

[JeffB]

...You can avoid all these problems if you're not using a phone. If you're on a "soft phone" or Internet Phone in your computer or a cellphone with the adapters, then you can successfully record both sides individually with no trouble or very much extra expense. It may pay you to find someone with an Internet phone to do the recordings.

Koz

kozikowski's recommendation might work well for you.

If you have a headset and a soundcard, you can download free software for a softphone. Gizmo might be a decent choice: http://www.gizmoproject.com/

I have used it a little and they have a recorder option built in, though I think you can also use Audacity instead. Their outgoing calls to 800#s are allegedly free, though I don't remember using that feature before.

[roclark]

Thanks for the replies!

Did you get High Speed DSL? That's what it sounds like, especially if you jack in on the wrong side of the DSL filter. SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH.

The landline I used does have High Speed DSL. But I'm pretty sure plugged the jack into the right side of the DSL filter (the little box) because it was the same side I unhooked the phone from. Do you think having High Speel DSL will cause the recording of the other person's voice on the phone to be difficult to hear even if I'm plugged into the right side of the filter? If so, maybe I'll have to try other ways of recording the phone call.

If you have a headset and a soundcard, you can download free software for a softphone. Gizmo might be a decent choice: http://www.gizmoproject.com/

I will try this. I've never used a softphone before, but I'll give it a shot.

Thanks!