Audio Recording Loved One’s Voices and Messages Preserved for Future Memories


Click on the arrow to listen to a reading of the content below. To hear the section with the replay of an interview, click on the double parallel lines to pause the recording. Then drag the bar to 2:58 and click the arrow again.  You will hear Morgine questioning and my answers.

In two recent posts, I mentioned regretting not having the tangible voice of my beloved, late-husband Sam, for remembering the sound of him, as well as messages he might have liked me to have. I stated that I would show simple ways that you can record audio messages, conversations and interviews. Below I cover using telephone, conference lines and Evernote.

Be sure to scroll through to the end of this post to read two other examples of possibilities for recording different kinds of memories.

IMPORTANT NOTE – Please keep in mind that if you are going to be recording any kind of conversation with another person, state up front, as the recording is started, that it is being recorded. Then get that person’s permission for you to be so doing. If he or she says “No”, then discontinue.

1- Using a telephone bridge/conference line

The most common way to record using conference lines is for all of your invited people  to individually call into “your” preassigned phone number.

You, the host, will always need to call in on that number, adding the administrator code that you have been assigned.

There are three ways for creatively recording that I’ve used, incurring no long distance charges for the second party.
(Note – I pay for unlimited long distance calling, so there are no fees when I initiate these calls.)

a – If you have a telephone extension, you can call into “your” conference line phone number and have the other person on an extension of your own. You can then record your “interview” or simply have a general back and forth conversation that you record as you both talk into the phone.

b – With a speaker phone, you can call into your conference line and simply record the two of you talking, as well as anyone else who is within the same room.

c – With the 3-way call feature in your phone service (usually an added charge or part of a package), you can call your family member, friend or client; use the flash key to put them on hold; call into the conference line; flash back to the first line; then press the appropriate phone buttons to record, dependent on which service you are using.

2 – Conference Line Companies I Use for Recording –

a. For many years I’ve used Audio Acrobat‘s conference call line capabilities. I do pay for this service monthly. I appreciate it because in addition to be able to save and present the calls in different ways, Audio Acrobat, allows for uploading, storing and sharing videos. There are some videos that I would prefer to keep private and not share on YouTube.

With this service, you, the host, give out you conference line call-in number. Then you, and each of the people you want participating, call into that phone number.  You, by pressing certain keys on your phone, can record any calls up to two hours in length.

Audio Acrobat also offers the option for your own dedicated phone line which you can give out.  With that number, your friend, associate and/or family member can call in and leave a testimonial, or any other, five-minute message.

b.  There are also many free conference line services which also have the option for recording calls. In addition to Audio Acrobat, I use FreeConferencing.com which offers different online controls as you’re conducting the call.

3 – Evernote for Recording Calls

a. Another option I have been using lately is Evernote.  When I’m on a call that I suddenly realize I want to record, I quickly open a new note in Evernote; then click on the microphone icon to start recording. Evernote is a free program downloaded from the Internet that works on Mac or PC computers, iPads and other tablets, and Smartphones.

For more details on how to use Evernote for recording, click on  the “Recording, Editing and Sending Voice Memos Using
Evernote”  link for the post on Technology for Seniors Made Easy.

The Underlying Story Behind this Blog Post

Reading the section below – “Ways of Recording Memories”.  Click on Remembering Sam to hear Kaitlyn sing, as referred to in the recording and down below.

As I read and reflected on two different posts on Facebook, earlier today, I was reminded of my regretting not having the recorded sound of my late husband Sam’s voice.

In her post, one friend shared about the wonderful relationship she has with her mother who lives in another country, about the daily chats they have over coffee.  I began to wonder, “Does she have any of this recorded?”

Another friend from Australia wrote that she found a year-old unopened package from the funeral home that handled the service for her mom who had passed away. Opening it revealed a DVD recorded by an overhead camera at the back of the room during the service.  My friend had no idea that this was being done and was feeling somewhat a sense of invasion of privacy and wondering if she even want the recorded memories of that day?

This set me to remembering, the little that I do, of the memorial services for my mother, then my father and more recently, though it be over 5 years, the one for my beloved Sam.  For all three services, I wrote my own tributes and read them during the service.  I do have those Word documents saved so I can go back to them at any time. And whatever else was said, by I don’t even remember whom, is long gone from my memory bank. I would love to be able to hear those voices now.

Part of my healing process after Sam was gone was to set up a memorial web page for him.  On it I was able to recreate some of the experience, including, after the fact, recording our then 15 year old granddaughter singing the three songs she sang at the service. I posted them on the page and more.  Now I can go back, at any point in time, and honor and remember Sam in a variety of ways. Others who loved him can also do the same.

So, how can you, too, preserve audio memories of individuals and conversations that you might want in the future?  Go back to the beginning of this post for some of the simple ways.

If you are, or become, interested in more in depth recording of family history,  I recommend you check out the “Recording Family History using Digital Tools” site, http://familyoralhistory.us/ I found a wealth of interesting and detailed information and tools there.

 

 


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