Most cell phones these days come with call recording features that enable the user to record live interviews, sound clips, or ambient audio. Beneficial for journalists, podcasters, and laymen alike, the call recording applications of any phone, not just smartphones, can let the user record sound and publish through social media sites or by converting the files to mp3s and publishing with services such as Soundcloud, Houndbite or Libsyn.
From a journalist’s perspective, this call recording ability eliminates the need for handling awkward recording sets or tape recorders in the case of interviews. CNN blogger, Amy Gahran reported that even “if your phone does not have an audio recorder, you can set up an account at Cinchcast and use its dial-in access number to record sound.” There are several tactics that a user can be aware of when using a cell phone to record sound, according to this guide for mobile audio recording.
One tactic is to be aware of the microphone on the mobile device which is usually placed at the base of the phone, as well as attempting to lower the background noise while you are trying to record. You may have to use an external microphone which will certainly raise sound quality, and also take notice of the signal strength on the phone which can have an impact on the sound quality.
Publishing the audio files can be done in a number of ways, one of which can be done through an IVR system set up by your company if you are a journalist on the go. Otherwise, there are several services that allow you to publish the audio including Jott and reQall (News - Alert). Gahran notes that it is important when publishing any audio file to be aware of your region’s call recording stipulations.
Juliana Kenny is a TMCnet reporter and editor. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Juliana Kenny