Video help and audio answersGot an Audio or Video Question? I've answered hundreds of them and compiled the most popular questions in a downloadable searchable 200-page collection of answers. From finding the right codecs to play your movies, to converting files to new formats, this guide steps you through solutions to dozens of audio and video problems. Think of this as the ultimate painkiller for your personal digital video and audio headaches. Download Audio and Video Answers today!

Recording Phone Calls with an iPod

You won't get great sounding recordings by recording telephone calls with an iPod, but it is possible. In an ideal telephone recording scenario, you want independent control over each person on the call, so that if the person you call is too quiet, you can turn their volume up or your volume down. You won't get independent volume control for both sides of the call when recording a telephone conversation on your iPod, but you will get a recording that you can later use as part of a podcast or transcribed interview.

To record phone calls on your iPod, you need two things in addition to the iPod. You need a microphone add-on for the iPod and you need an adapter to pass the phone audio to the microphone.

The iPod microphone I like is the Griffin iTalk Pro. It has built in stereo microphones for recording voice in a room and also has a line-in for connecting any external microphone source (including a phone). The iTalk Pro costs about $50 at the local electronics store, but is often considerably less at Amazon.com.

The second component you need is a way to connect the phone to the Griffin iTalk Pro. Radio Shack solves this problem with several recording options. The Recorder Control model #43-228 is my personal favorite as it seems to be more reliable. You plug the RJ-11 phone plug on the recorder into the phone handset, pass the phone connection through the recorder control and connect the mini-plug on the recorder to the Griffin iTalk Pro giving.

One tip for this recording method is after placing the call, ask the person you are calling to be silent for about 15 seconds to record a sample of the noise on the line. You can use this section of silence to clean up the recording in audio editing software.

Featured Resources

How to choose the right Identity Protection service.
Read our comparison of identity protection options to help you pick the best one for your family.

Master Home Movie Editing
Read a detailed guide on how to improve your home movies.

Instantly Fix Driver Problems
Find missing drivers on your XP or Vista PC.

Back up your iPod
iPod Access backs up your iPod music library and transfer songs to a new computer.

Convert Vinyl to MP3 or CD
Convert your Vinyl LPs and Cassettes to CD or MP3 using a simple software solution.

Subscribe for Free!

Your E-mail Address:

Ads