Posts tagged save voice mail

…Isn’t that everyone’s secret fear, when they’re trying to save a precious voice mail from a departed friend? You listen to it, over and over, play it for your friends, eventually getting the knack for what buttons to press in which order. When you decide to get serious about preserving this audio equivalent of pure gold… Suddenly the pressure is on and you realize just how close you are to erasing it forever. You can easily transfer this message to your Voice Library with a phone, cell phone, or a digital recorder.

No matter what equipment you use, always - but ALWAYS - check your equipment first. If you are trying to save a voice message, or any other audio, create a test message first. This allows you to check your sound quality, make adjustments, and if you delete it - no biggie.

 · A lot of cell phones have a voice recorder built in, but you can’t use it while checking your messages or making a call. If you use one cell to record another, test how close phone 1 needs to be to phone 2. Should you use the speaker phone option? And where exactly is the speaker?

 · Headset microphones may give you stellar audio when you’re talking in to them, but might not work so well when recording from a phone. Test your recording volume, and placement next to your audio source.

 · Digital recorders run from basic to sophisticated; one might make a regular room sound like an auditorium covered in tinfoil, another might allow you to focus on a very specific area for perfect sound. You can make an inexpensive recorder create a better recording by adjusting the controls, or trying a few tricks to reduce background noise and echo. One trick is to create a mini sound booth. Take a large box, open side up, and drape a heavy blanket in it, so that the inside walls of the box are covered in fabric. Place your recorder next to your phone (or whatever you’re trying to record) in the box and run a test. Compare this recording with one created outside of the box.

 · Compare voice mail added to your Voice Library through your phone, cell phone, and MP3 upload. Use the method that results in the best sound to save your original, valuable message.

A second major benefit of testing your recording equipment is familiarity. Sometimes the battery dies, other times you’ve left the pause button on the whole time, or the volume is too low or too high.

With this little bit of prep work, you’ll be better prepared to spend more time enjoying your recording, instead of worrying about it.