Topic: recording telephone calls for podcast interview, any help?

[cleantone]

I am trying to help a friend. It's a podcast that often does interviews on the phone. The setup is simple. Dynamic mics, mixer, interface, monitors. They currently have the person call in and have a mic up to the phone. They amplify that to converse. The problem is that they way they do it now gets slight feedback too often. No real budget to spring for one of those nicer interface boxes that split the phone signal. They would prefer not to have to use headphones either. I figure it cannot be too hard to wire something up for them. I just need to figure out the specifics. What is the best way to go about it. Any resources?

[muj]

hey ..you need a telephone hybrid interface....like they use on radio station ...r&d makes nice qute boxes. make sure to have a compressor after the output,to boost levels.

[rokpunk]

i do this all the time for corporate events. we use a unit called the Telos One. it runs about $900 or so, but it is well worth it if you are using it on an ongoing basis. there is a company called THAT that makes a less expensive product, but i have never used it. i'll look for a link...

[rokpunk]

$200 from B+H...THAT 2.
set up a simple mix-minus on your mixer and you are done!

this is the one i use...i've got 2 of them and they have paid for themselves many times over...

[cleantone]

That JK Audio interface cannot be that complicated to build. I meant it when I said they don't want to output anything. They have been doing interviews for three years and the feedback is there but it's not stopping them from working the way they are. I just want to help them improve. I am not gonna spring for it and they spend enough as it is making their show. I would spend a little bit of time and money making something for them though if it is possible. That box must consist of transformers and switches mostly. Thanks for the inputs so far.

[MattD]

Back in HS, a friend and I built one to interview people for a project. We took an old phone and unscrewed the speaker end. We took off the wires going to the speaker and ran them into a transformer (or several, I don't remember) to get the signal hot enough to go line in to a tape deck. It took a few hours and a couple of trips to Radio Shack (remember when they were useful?) to make. It couldn't have cost more than $50.

We left that phone off the hook and used a different phone on the same line. Our voices were much louder than the interviewees - for whatever reason, the signal from inside the house is hotter than the one coming in from the phone line), so we just re-recorded our questions when we dubbed the interview to a master tape. Now, you could probably just fix that with software.

[cleantone]

Yeah. Adding some variable pots would allow you to dial n the volume to match. Or you could just wire each to 1/4 and use the mixer to even off the levels before the interview starts. If anyone has some good guesses of transformer values I would love to hear them. I still have a small radio shack in my town that is more mom and pop than the chain.

[rokpunk]

I'd imagine that this interface could be constructed by scratch, but the time and parts involved have got to cost more than the $200 for the JK box! How 'bout using one of those cheapie phone tap things that suction cup onto the reciever? They are only a few bucks.

[rokpunk]

drill a hole in the receiver, and wire in a small lav mic next to the phones interior speaker,.. like one of those $10 panasonic jobbers. Run that into a preamp, or mixer for gain??

the problem with doing this is that you will be recording yourself in addition to the person on the other end of the reciever....that's why, typically, a mix minus is created to do this. A mix minus is just what it sounds like...a post fader aux sent feed, minus yourself in the mix.

[digifish_music]

I am trying to help a friend. It's a podcast that often does interviews on the phone. The setup is simple. Dynamic mics, mixer, interface, monitors. They currently have the person call in and have a mic up to the phone. They amplify that to converse. The problem is that they way they do it now gets slight feedback too often. No real budget to spring for one of those nicer interface boxes that split the phone signal. They would prefer not to have to use headphones either. I figure it cannot be too hard to wire something up for them. I just need to figure out the specifics. What is the best way to go about it. Any resources?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/265063-REG/JK_Audio_QT_QUICKTAP_Telephone_Handset_Tap.html

$58, the video shows how it works with an R-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvpqCf-w2zo

digifish

[J.Maye]

My fiancée tapes phone interviews about once a month. She doesn’t broadcast them or anything. She just uses a cheap ($30-$50) tape recorder with a phone jack input. Totally simple, results are listenable. There is never any feedback. I know you said no budget, but this is fairly close and very simple.

[cleantone]

I'd be really interested in a model number for that unit Phan2001. Thanks.

[J.Maye]

Ok, I guess I was a little bit wrong. What she actually has is 2 pieces, a radioshack telephone recorder control (Cat# 43-228A) and a cheap ass radioshack tape recorder (cat# 14-1129). You only need the first piece as long as they have some recorder that will accept an 1/8th in input. I guess she just likes the tape recorder for transcribing otherwise just about any other recorder would work fine.

[rokpunk]

http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model_TR-50.htm?sid=A867D3FE6330680B6C52D252D2883F8E


Does this look like it will work for what you are trying to do? I've had this thing on the shelf of my store, NIB, for years.
PayPal me a few bucks for shipping and it's yours as a donation.

[cleantone]

PM sent. I do think that would do the trick. Might need to add a 1 to 2 phone jack splitter but those are next to nothing. I'll also have to rewire it to 1/4" or find a mono 1/8" to 1/4" adapter. Thanks a bunch.