strange question about recording phone messages.

[ronin]

hello all. i have some messages saved on my phone that i'd like to save, so im trying to record them into pro tools, but it wont work. here's what im doing:

i have a little adapter, (i forget what its called, but i know its the right one) that plugs in the "headset" jack and goes to a standard sized headphone jack. then i have an adapter thats that same standard size and goes to quarter inch jack. then i plug a quarter inch guitar cable into that and plug the other end into my mbox, (i've tried this with a summit mic pre at the studio i work at as well, so its not just my mbox). all of the adapaters are mono.

anyway, it wont work. if i crank it up really really loud i can faintly hear the messages playing, but there's a lot of noise and its way too quiet. am i missing some kind of step in there somewhere?

i know thats confusing to read, but any help would be appreciated.

[Derrick]

Either I missed something or I'm just too tired and lazy today to read the post with detale, but how exactly are you trying to "mic" this phone's message? I wouldn't use a microphone. Use one of those cheap (but right for the job) suction cup pickups from radio shack with the 1/8" jack at the end. It's designed to plug into your $12 cassett recorder but you can use anything (like your pro tools setup). Works great, but you may need to try a few different placements or even a few diff. phones as the pickup sounds better positioned certain ways. Some phones have diff ear speakers too.

[Luke]

Make sure you have a cable from the "handset" jack on the phone to your quicktap then from your 1/8" mini jack to your pre. Make sure you use a mono cable. If you use a stereo cable the left side is where the output will be.
Good Luck,
Luke

[Punkity]

I would say that you have an impedance mis-match going on. If the output from the answering machine is for headphones, and the input on the mbox is for line input (or microphone, but line would make it worse), it just isn't going to work. Get thee to a Radio-Shack and get a low-impedance to high-impedance adaptor.

[logancircle]

Is there any reason you don't just mic it? I always do it that way and it's not much different as long as you're rec in a quiet place.

[trodden]

for cell phone...

Yep, mic that fucker.. it sounds cool that way... I've successfully recorded a few messages, into my pt set up of a few of my friends', drunk/drugged out insane voicemail ramblings just setting up a MC-012 (small diaphram condensor) about an inch from the ear piece and blamo, record. save for hidden tracks on your next cd.. that's what i'm doing at least.. to add to the answering machine message my bandmates have been saving for the past 6 years when i totally freaked out and threatened them when they left me behind one time... awesome.

[nds154]

I guess I would try to figure out at what point the signal drops... Theoretically you should be able to plug in headphones after you use the first adapter (something to 1/8 ) and listen to the messages. Then you should be able to plug in the headphones again after the second adapter (1/8 to 1/4) and listen at that stage (you may need another adapter on the headphones to do this). If you get signal all the way through then maybe the instrument cable is bad? If not then I guess there's something wrong/incompatible with your adapters? Oh and I'm sure you've got this covered but make sure the volume on the phone is all the way up... Hope this helps some!

Nathan

Scratch that Punkity's all over this one, it's the impedance issue, I just tried it myself. However if you have a mixer that has RCA inputs labeled tape input it will work fine.

[Milkmansound]

you could always just write them down onto paper... unless you need the audio, of course.

[ronin]

thanks for all the responces, there's definetly good advice here and i'll have to try it all. the thing about my phone, (i dont know if i said it), is that its a tiny cell phone, so i dont know how well things like micing it will work and i cant check my messages on other phones. at least i dont think so.

but there's definetly some useful stuff here, and i'll probably try the micing anyway.

[aurelialuz]

on the subject, we've been trying to get a new message into a digital machine with no input jack and have tried every which way of getting good fidelity to no avail. but it's made me convinced that the next vintage craze is going to be cassette answering machines.

"dude, isn't that thing a pain in the ass? that wood grain sure is ugly."

"yeah, but the fidelity just can't be beat. and 1982 was a great year for vodafone..."

[dynomike]

hello all. i have some messages saved on my phone that i'd like to save, so im trying to record them into pro tools, but it wont work. here's what im doing:

i have a little adapter, (i forget what its called, but i know its the right one) that plugs in the "headset" jack and goes to a standard sized headphone jack. then i have an adapter thats that same standard size and goes to quarter inch jack. then i plug a quarter inch guitar cable into that and plug the other end into my mbox, (i've tried this with a summit mic pre at the studio i work at as well, so its not just my mbox). all of the adapaters are mono.

anyway, it wont work. if i crank it up really really loud i can faintly hear the messages playing, but there's a lot of noise and its way too quiet. am i missing some kind of step in there somewhere?

i know thats confusing to read, but any help would be appreciated.

The headset jack from your phone should be a 2.5 mm trs jack, no? If its a motorolo or samsung or audiovox.. most brands.. this is the case. I'm not sure if its the tip or ring that carries the audio to the headset speaker, but perhaps its the ring and that's why you're not getting it? I know at radioshack (in canada) we have an adapter that goes from a headset jack (trs 2.5 mm) to mono plug 3.5 mm and is designed for this purpose - recording phone calls. I'd check out that possibility,.

Mike

[brian beattie]

Can you retrieve your messages from a phone other than your cell phone? Use any speakerphone. You can get them dirt cheap. Go to any thrift store with a junky electronics section, pick up a phone with a speaker attachment. Then you call up and let your messages play over the speaker. You'll have plenty of volume for recording, and it will still sound like a phone.
brian