Best Way to Record Phone Interviews from Home

[qwezxc]

I am not an engineer.

Occasionally I would like to do a phone interview for use later on but the interviewee needs to do it at odd hours. On those occasions I end up going back to the station which is cumbersome. These are very short interviews and I just need the interviewees voice, not my own. I don't have a home studio. Does anyone have tips on how to make fairly decent telephone recordings using a phone and a PC? What type, brands of interface, etc. should I get and so forth? Thanks -

 

[TomT]

Something like this would work:

http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=TELTAP

You hook your phone line into it, and the telephone into the Teltap. Then run a cable with a 1/4" plus on one end to 1/8th inch plug-- into your computer's sound card line input (local Radio Shack can find cables and adapters that will work). Call your interview on the telephone, tell him to count backwards from 5, and put the tel-tap in seize mode--this disconnects the telephone set so the handset doesn't pickup unwanted noises. Listen to the incoming audio by headphones from your sound card; when your interviewee is done, switch off the tel-tap, thank him and hang up

A free sound editing program would be useful.

For more complex phone work, find a used Gentner hybrid like an SPH-3. Phone line to "line," telephone to telephone output. Use a mike mixer to send a local mike to the send input, then send the mix output into the computer, plug headphones into the sound card's headphone jack. Call the interview, turn on the hybrid, use a mike to talk to him, and away you go. The hybrid balances the audio level between your voice (send) and the caller.

 

[toddort]

Try this:

http://www.jkaudio.com/quicktap.htm

 

[Fenway Frank]

for "quality" audio try this http://www.telos-systems.com/one/default.htm

 

[Charlie]

What about a SIP phone ? Software program to handle the incoming call, use Cool Edit or whatever to record "what-you-hear" and you've got your interview. If they call you then it won't cost you anything, but if you have to make the calls then you'll need to find a SIP provider who offers the best deals for the calls that you're going to make. I use sipgate.co.uk (as I'm UK-based) who provide a selection of "real" numbers which forward to my SIP-line. I have used X-Lite for home stuff and it works well - including additional lines "on hold". You can also use a hardware phone to plug directly into your router.

SIP is also a good way of avoiding costly POTS lines if you want several lines, switchboard, voicemail etc.