How To Record A Phone Call On My Iphone

What you must know about recording phone calls to create your podcasts

Content creators in India are expanding from just creating videos to podcasts now. Producing a video requires a slightly different approach from that of a podcast. You really need a good voice, proper diction, an engaging script, high quality audio recording and background music to make people listen to your podcast. But one of the most important things is inviting someone to your show and having an engaging conversation.

Meeting someone physically at a studio to record your podcast is the best possible way to create engaging content. But when that's not possible the next best option is a telephone call.

For starters, you cannot record Zoom calls on your phone. Also, recording a phone call could be quite nightmarish due to the constant distractions. And not to forget, unreliable mobile networks in India. You simply can't record a phone conversation if the call drops after every 5 minutes.

What problems you may face while recording phone calls for your podcast

Call drops

Noisy audio recording

Unclear voice of the guest

SMS tones and other distractions

Wind sound

Recording a phone call for your podcast needs investment

Audio quality is very important in a podcast. So, if you are serious about your podcast, junk the thought of simply downloading a free call recorder app on your phone to record conversations for your podcast. Phone call recordings on your mobile phone offer the worst quality of audio you can possibly think. This is because the audio source-- phone call-- has limited frequency range. Also, there's a reason as to why people buy expensive handheld recorders and not rely on their phones to record.

If you are not willing to spend money then your best bet is convincing your guest to log in to Zoom on their laptop so that you are able to record the conversation in MP4 format. Else, these are basic devices you will need:

A good quality handheld recorder. You can opt for high-end models from Zoom (Not to be confused with the video chat platform) like the Zoom H6 or models from Tascam with multiple input sources.

A smartphone with 3.5mm headphone jack or Type-C to 3.5mm connector

3.5mm jack (⅛-inch TRS) to ¼-inch TS cable. Remember professional recording gears have input ports

Headphone and mic

You can enhance your recording with accessories like mic stand and pop filters which helps in eliminating noise further.

Once you have these, simply connect your phone to the handheld recorder using the 3.5mm jack (⅛-inch TRS) to ¼-inch TS cable into an input source. Connect the mic into another input source and the headphone in the regular 3.5mm port of the recording device. Don't forget to adjust the gains and make a trial call to someone to check out how the recording takes place.

With this setup you can expect the best possible audio quality from a phone call recording which will go well with some background music. Just to reiterate don't rely on a mobile app for recording phone calls for your podcast.

What to do if you are not willing to spend money

A professional podcast recording setup like the one mentioned above may easily cost around Rs 50,000 as a reliable handheld recorder itself costs upwards of Rs 25,000. So, if you are not sure of investing this kind of money for your podcast then Zoom calls are your best option.

The biggest USP of Zoom is that it allows free account holders to record meetings and save them in MP4 format on their device. Audio and chat can also be saved in M4A and TXT formats respectively. Once, you have the audio recording just work your magic on any sound recording app. Ensure you have a decent internet connection. No other reliable video conferencing platform offers recording meetings for free. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams need a subscription for the same.

And if you do not have a reliable internet connection then the last solution is using two phones or a phone and laptop for recording the call. Just put the call on loudspeaker and record the call on another phone or a laptop. Speak softly and away from the mic of your phone. Keep the other phone or laptop slightly away from the phone call and use a handkerchief as a barrier. Don't forget to switch off the fan, AC and any noisy tubelight in the room. And don't touch any device or move while the recording is happening to reduce any kind of unwanted noise.

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