recording a phone call from a mbile phone

[Atari]

Anyone knows how to do this?
Thursday I have a client coming over who wants to make a "radio show". He wants to call some people, have an interview and record this. But I don't have a fixed line in the studio, only a mobile..

Thanks!

[numrologst]

put a mike up to the ear piece?

[Heartfelt]

Radio shack used to have an adheasive (suction cup) microphone for use with phones. I never tried with with a cell though.

There are also bluetooth headset configurations for offices that may have an additional 1/8" or some kind of out. Worth looking. I just breezed past them today at office depot.

[Atari]

I don't think micing up the pone is a good idea. how will my client talk into it?
The bluetooth stuff is maybe somethig worth looking at..
I was thinking of soldering minijack connectors to an old wired headset that comes for free with some phones. but then I was wondering what would happen if I fed the microphone input of the of the phone through the headset with a line-level signal. Would it be possible to put a passive DI in between and set it at -20dB?

[ExtremeSound]

I have a recorder from Radio Shack it uses a landline, line goes in and hook a phone to the out. It records to a tape but I think there is an output.

[Doc Mixwell]

Yea, just put it in front of a microphone. It works! Nothing but 1K!

[Doc Mixwell]

I don't think micing up the pone is a good idea. how will my client talk into it?

Hmmmmm Signal Flow Questions

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[soundinista]

If your studio has a decent internet connection use Skype and Audio Hijack - google it, pretty cheap to buy. It allows you to route the audio from any other application through it and record it. Handy for swiping noises off movies or the internet too.

[blackfish]

speaker phone?

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by soundinista

If your studio has a decent internet connection use Skype and Audio Hijack - google it, pretty cheap to buy. It allows you to route the audio from any other application through it and record it. Handy for swiping noises off movies or the internet too.

You have to have Skype In to do this -- the ability to receive a phone call from the phone network, it's pretty reasonable. I have their yearly subscription (I think it's unlimited and quite reasonable) 'cause I've, on occasion, got real close to running out of my 1000 monthly minutes on the old mobile.

There is (or has been) to be a free add in for Skype called "Pamela" (I think) that allowed recording both sides of conversations.

Otherwise, simply tap the output of your computer's soundcard via analog outs for the caller's side of the conversation.

[Fredrik]

I wonder how this is handled in broadcast? Should be possible to get the conversation up on a fader somehow.

[Tom H]

In broadcast they use a telephone hybrid. Or a "vork" as we call it in dutch.

You can probably rent one for the ocasion. There are models wich can be used with mobiles.

Eela Audio - Manufacturer of Radio Broadcast Products

[RapLegend]

Just buy a $15 corded phone and one of those little Belkin things they have at Radio Shack that plugs in between the base and the handset and has a minijack (mono) out.

I used to use it as a special effect mic with a handset and my 4-track. It will retain that inimitable "telephone" quality, and not pick up any of the weird artifacting or delays that Skype tends to give you.

[Chrisc_o]

Soldering a jack onto a wired headset is a good idea. I have done this before, although not for recording purposes.

Bluetooth is also a possibility. I presently use a clip on bluetooth stereo adapter. It is basically a duplex A2DP device with a mic built in, and a 1/8" jack to plug regular headphones into. It cost me around $25.

[Jim vanBergen]

A Hybrid is the best way, but Radio Shack can help in a pinch. I got stuck once and miked a speaker phone in a different room. Worked fine...

Any chance you might have an old cassette answering machine laying around with a record function on it, as most of them did...

[FeatheredSerpent]

I thought that most phones came with a voice-recorder function built-in? My nokia has a button on the side that you hit to start recording a conversation, and then use bluetooth to transfer the recording to the computer.
I'm sure it's pretty standard but different models may have limitations.
Also, I don't know how common it is but my phone company has a free service where I dial my voicemail number, hit 1, then dial a phone number. That call will be then recorded as a .wav file that I can download from my phone account page on the net.

It's worth checking out see if you all ready have access to these features.

[PELicanWord]

My iPhone has speakerphone function, as well as being able to send the audio out of the 1/8th inch headphone out on the top.

This is optimal, but only if said client has an iPhone

[ambiguity]

JK Audio has a cheap cell phone tap, but it needs a 2.5mm jack some cell phones used to have. I've read somewhere they had a bluetooth tap, but never looked into it.