TODO. Future features. Things to be done in Skype Call Recorder

Posted on: Sat, 12/06/2008 - 20:35 By: VOIP

This topic for posting any ideas of features to be done in next versions of Skype Call Recorder
TODO:

  • Logging call information and call records links in tables
  • UI (User Interface) for easy access, sorting, playing and deleting recordings
  • Answering machine

I appreciate any wishes and ideas left in the comments below.
Thanks
P.S. any bugs and error reports please post in the other topic - Skype Call Recording bug reports

A message to test Skype Call Recording feedback message system.
Look forward to getting some feedback from program users
Many thanks.
Alexander

This skype recorder is perfect, simple and elegant. I do have one request that you save the mp3 in joint stereo rather than mono. Mono mp3s don't have the widest compatibility as many low end mp3 players cannot play them. Joint Stereo should give you the same file sizes as mono if that is your main concern.
Thanks again for a great application!
Angelo Mandato - angelo.mandato.com

I am wonder if an automatic tone warning can be added so both side can hear indicating the phone call is being recorded. 
The FCC protects the privacy of telephone conversations by requiring notification before a recording device is used to record interstate or foreign telephone conversations. These types of conversations may not be recorded unless the use of a recording device is:

  • Preceded by verbal or written consent of all parties to the telephone conversation; or
  • Preceded by verbal notification which is recorded at the beginning, and as part of the call, by the recording party; or
  • Accompanied by an automatic tone warning device, sometimes called a beep tone, which automatically produces a distinct signal that is repeated at regular intervals during the course of the telephone conversation when the recording device is in use.
  • Also, no recording device may be used unless it can be physically connected to and disconnected from the telephone line or switched on and off.

The above FCC rule requirements apply to telephone common carriers. Similar requirements are imposed on consumers through the carriers' tariffs.
Or a automatic message: "This phone call may be recorded for training purposes." or something similar. 
 

I also would like to recommend:
 
- Having an option to have the program start minimized to the system tray, instead of popped up, when it's set to start with Windows
 
Thanx,
 
Jim Bannon
[email protected]

 Great program! Only one little suggestion. Use the skype contact or phone number called along with the date and time for the file name of the conversation.

Hello
Sounds really reasonable, i will in next version. Probably I'll make a table for storing call information in convinient way, to make it possible to sort using date or contact information
Many thanks

Hello,
Great program, installation was a breeze, unlike the "official" commercial Skype supported callRecorder MP3 installer which didn't work. HA!
Your freeware rocks!
I was wondering if there is a way to automate startup of your program when Skype starts instead of with Windows startup? I don't us Skype all the time and I have an aging but reliable system which I have to configure with as little startup software as possible in order to preserve resources.
It's very cool, I used it to record a few calls to my bank and will use it with Bell's tech support, they use a great deal of lying and misrepresentation and juggle calls left and right. Never get the same answer twice! This will be a great sword wielded in the hands of the common person to protect our rights!
Thanks for sharing your tallents and I will point to your site in my URLs from my website. Great stuff!
pierre[a]loubert[dot]info

:)
Many thanks. It such a pleasure to get positive feedbacks
I was wondering if there is a way to automate startup of your program when Skype starts instead of with Windows startup? I don't us Skype all the time and I have an aging but reliable system which I have to configure with as little startup software as possible in order to preserve resources.
You can make Skype Call Recorder to start manual, and start when you need it instead of Skype, and on startup it will start Skype. So this will be one click anyway.

 When I tryed get help it jump to http://voipcallrecording/skyperecorderhelp/ (without .com)

further to the suggestion re: mono vs. joint stereo, an improvement would be to allow changes to the mp3 settings, though 128k is a pretty good general purpose setting.
Otherwise, good program.

 Please add stereo mode. One channel for outgoing and another for incoming audio stream. Very usefull in podcasting.

Just gave you a 5 star on CNET. Awesome Program!
Tell CNET to change your link...what they have http://www.download.com/windows/voip%20call%20recording/3260-2025_4-6313419.html doesnt work any more.

 i don't understand why everytime i uncheck the option to run when windows starts and when i run the program manualy it reinstalls again. then the checkbox is tickled again. how can i prevent this program from starting up when windows starts without install again. it seems that when you uncheck the autorun box it uninstalls in the background and when you reboot and run the program manualy it ask for the .msi so that it will reinstall again. im using skype 4.0.0.206.

I don't know how useful this would be to others...
When in a call with an IVR system and you're pressing numbers in response to prompts, the tones that you're generating don't get recorded.
So if I'm creating an IVR script (thank you for calling, press 1 for...press 2 for...etc.) and I want to create a recording of the running script for review and approval, SCR records all the prompts but none of the key presses.  The recording is usable...it just sounds funny when played back :)
Even tying this function to the Skype keypad would be better than nothing (if that's easy to do.)
Thanks!

Thanks Alexander for this very useful freeware! I have conference every week with relatives in differents countries
and it's just amazing to record the conversations and to listen to them again later. The bug with the windows start
is corrected in the last version - a great job. Your programm is just perfect now... thanks so much for your work! Yves

 Just a quick message to say this application and the sound quality is amazing. So clear and crip and very easy to install and set up on skype. The only thing that annoy me a little is the application still appears on the screen at start up.
 
Other than that. Perfect

I can't seem to find an explanation of the difference between 'stereo' and 'joint stereo'... I'd second the request for the local and remote streams to be recorded in separate tracks...

In Stereo mode the codec puts incoming sound in one channel, and outcoming (from mic) to the other. If you need sound only from one side you can open stereo recording in any audio editor, and delete one channel are copy channel to other file.
 
Joint stereo mode uses M/S stereo coding and transforms the left and right channels into a mid channel and a side channel, hence the name. The mid channel is the sum of the left and right channels, or L + R. The side channel is the difference of the left and right channels, i.e., L − R. This mode usually gives more quality on the same bitrate, but you can't split channels.
 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_stereo
 
I'll put this to manual soon
 

Recorder doesn't work if I use it on one account and then switch to another account. And it still doesn't work if I switch back to the first account. Only if I reinstall it does it then work again, but once I switch to the other account it fails again.

Hello. Thanks for your message.
Am I right that the program on your system stops working when you logout in Skype and login to it under another name?
I cann't recreate the problem on my system and it works correctly after changing Skype user. Could you tell me your Skype version and Skype Call Recorder version please.
 
Does anybody else have the same problem?

If possible, I would like to see some sort of reassurance that the program is, indeed, recording.  This could be a simulated LED bar that flashes in sync to the voices being recorded or simulated needle guages like on the old reel-to-reel recorders. You could have two such guages - one for each side of the stereo or just the left side for mono.
But to keep it simple, any light flashing in sync to the voices to assure the user that he/she is, indeed, capturing the recording.  I know "on" means "recording" and "off" means it isn't, but with nothing else to catch the eye, it's possible somebody might screw this up and miss a very important recording.
Some recorders also offer the option to sound an occasional recording beep, which is required in some states.  Other recorders offer the option to sound a pre-recorded message, such as "recording started" and then at the end, when you push the stop button, "recording stopped."
I record telephone conversations as part of my job as an investigator, but I always obtain permission right there at the beginning of the recording and then again at the end. 
My most important request here, though, is for a visible, reassuring signal that I am really capturing the recording.
Thanks,
ljnelke

Hello
Great thing you've done.
Some recommendations:

  1. Go open source with SVN (GPL/LGPL/Dual License). Community will help. Sourceforge/codeplex/google code
  2. Use VBR MP3 as an option - that saves a lot of space in call recordings
  3. Use SQLite .NET for storing call information - fast, simple, embedded, reliable, free.
  4. Use background noise removal + silence detector (google some open source available ones) as an option. Together with VBR it will save HUGE amount of space.
  5. Change from mono/stereo/joint stereo to always use joint stereo with the same info in both channels. See next point also.
  6. Make checkboxes: (x) Record all voices in the same file (x) Record each participant voice in separate files. And allow select both or just one.
  7. Think about separating code into library without GUI and ability to acquire voice data in .NET in-memory streams.
  8. Use some of the nice freeware grids with sorting, filtering and by column grouping for showing calls
  9. Think about using Vista speech recognition engine for creating text logs and placing in DB. Together with SQLite embedded fulltext search will blow away your competitors.
  10. Mp3 files should be stored in folders like calendar month, otherwise after some time folder will be very slow.
  11. Make an option to never show notification icon (settings and GUI in separate application).

Keep up the good work.
Best Regars, Max ([email protected])

12. Make an option to auto-check for updates at least instead of showing html with text and better would be to have auto-update option.
13. Place information in tags of MP3 - use http://developer.novell.com/wiki/index.php/TagLib_Sharp for that.

Привет :)
Would be nice to get your thoughts about those things.
And I have some additional proposals:

  • in notification area it's reasonable to make some sort of real context menu:
    Open Skype Call Recorder 0.7.1.1                      (bold)
    ------------------------------------------ -                    (separator)
    (x) Recording Enabled [64 Kbit]                           (checkbox)
    Show Records [17Mb/251 records]
    About Skype Call Recorder
    --------------------------------------------                    (separator)
    Exit
  • In case you are showing notification icon you should use some sort of current color for recording turned on and gray for turned off. Rotation of icon (like rotations in tape recorders) during recording can help those users who want a feedback that recording is in progress and that will also bring notification icon from hidden icons store - that can be done by having ~10-12 icons of different angle.
  • Hint should show version, state of recording and name with spaces ;-)

One suggestion: Instead of having a "start automatically at Windows startup" checkbox (which I´m not sure if anybody really uses because it takes time from the startup), why not make it something like "start automatically when Skype starts", which is exactly what we´d need this great tool for?: Available when we use Skype.
Thanks!

You can create small invisible service which will just check periodically that skype is in memory (sleeping most of the time) and works and will start GUI for active user in case it's on or will exit it in case it's off.

I´d like to suggest adding a "minimize" window option, so the Recorded doesn´t take up space on the taskbar.
Thanks!

Is it possible to have the recording button show when the program is actually recording? If could flash or glow for instance. Thanks for the good work.

This is a great little program, and I just made a small donation which I hope helps in its development. The only requests I have are an option to record in VBR, an option to have the program start minimized to the system tray, instead of popped up, when it's set to start with Windows, and for the MP3s to be tagged - for instance, artist could be the parties to call, track could be the type of call (inbound/outbound/Skype-to-Skype), and date.

Thanks and keep up the great work.

 There are so many other VoIP clients apart from Skype (e.g. Betamax products, Yahoo messenger, Gtalk, MSN messenger etc.) so it will be really good if its possible to record conversation from any of these. I wonder if its possible to make a sort of generic version i.e. whatever passes through your soundcard during that time, is recorded.

Hi,
I enjoy using the program. It works perfectly from PC to PC. However, when I call my party on their phone (PC to phone), I recording a lot of clipping from them.  My voice never clips. Is there a way I can fix that?
Regards,